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Smallest SSTC competition

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ShawnLG

Mon Nov 23 2009, 08:50PM

Registered Member #286 Joined: Mon Mar 06 2006, 04:52AM
Location:
Posts: 399

Years ago there was a competiton for the smallest SSTC. I beleve that the NanoTess III was the smallest built. NanoTess III

Two years ago I have tried to make a smaller SSTC with some success. I could not finalize the coil because I did not have the SMT parts for it.

UPDATE: 11/30/09 ---------------- Competiton ends March 6, 2010 -------------------------

Final rules:

1. Topload is optional, HV must be generated from an air-core resonant transformer.
2. The SSTC must generate a corona discharge on it's own to qualify.
3. The SSTC can run in continous, pulse, interupt mode or controlled by a 38khz IR receiver module.
4. Electronics can be placed inside the secondary.
5. Power must be supplied from a battery. No AC source, sorry. Some would cheat with a HF supply. Battery source, IS part of the overall size equation.
6. Size is determind by volume of space the SSTC and battery source takes up. This can be found by using cylinder, cube formulas. Internal unused space cannot be subtracted.
7. The competiton ends March 6, 2010. The same date as the W.W.T.

Goodchild

Mon Nov 23 2009, 10:09PM

Registered Member #2292 Joined: Fri Aug 14 2009, 05:33PM
Location: The Wild West AKA Arizona
Posts: 795

Just wondering would it be just the size of the coil? or would it be who can make the smallest coil with the biggest sparks?

BTW: I love your coil I don't think I could make one much smaller

ShawnLG

Tue Nov 24 2009, 07:50AM

Registered Member #286 Joined: Mon Mar 06 2006, 04:52AM
Location:
Posts: 399

It's just the size of the coil, but it must produce sparks or corona discharge. I have some rules. They are up for discussion.

Rules:
1. Topload is optional, HV must be generated from an air-core resonant transformer.
2. The SSTC must generate a corona discharge on it's own to qualify.
3. The SSTC can run in continous, pulse, interupt mode or controlled by a 38khz IR receiver module.
4. Size is determind by volume of space the SSTC takes up. This can be found by using cylinder, cube formulas. Internal unused space cannot be subtracted.
5. Power must be supplied from a battery. No AC source, sorry. Some would cheat with a HF supply. Battery source, is not part of the size equation. If there is interest, I can include this in the overal SSTC size. This would add more of a challange. LiPo would work great here. I think it would be cool to see a tiny LiPo powered SSTC spitting sparks in the palm of one's hand.

UPDATE: Final rules are posted in the first post.

cduma

Tue Nov 24 2009, 10:22PM

Registered Member #1822 Joined: Fri Nov 21 2008, 08:04PM
Location:
Posts: 300

Where is a good place to aquire the HV wire?

Killa-X

Wed Nov 25 2009, 06:11AM

Registered Member #1643 Joined: Mon Aug 18 2008, 06:10PM
Location:
Posts: 1039

Not that im into this competition, but saying the battery source doesnt count, does this mean someone can hook up enough to make 120, or hook a 1000W inverter for 12V to 120V for possible better results? ;)

Extreme Electronics

Thu Nov 26 2009, 05:46PM

Registered Member #74 Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 09:17AM
Location: Nottingham UK
Posts: 99

Oh Yes Ill have a go at this !!! ... I have a reputation to maintain !!

I personally think the battery should count.

NanoTessIII drew about 7A at 24VDC to get a streamer 5-7mm long, It was not the most efficient coil :). If the battery was included it would not have been a small coil at all. (it also only ran CW for about 10Sec before the output transistors got so hot they ran-away. Heat is a bitch in a small space :))

The real challenge would be to include the batteries in the volume calculation, both from an efficiency point of view and from a complexity point of view. Just a small externally powered SSTC on its own is too easy.

Bring it on (Jimmy, if you are still on 4HV, the glove has been dropped !!)

Frosty90

Thu Nov 26 2009, 11:31PM

Registered Member #1617 Joined: Fri Aug 01 2008, 07:31AM
Location: Adelaide, South Australia
Posts: 139

How about take both the power supply, and the sparklength into consideration? Your're score could be caculated from maximum sparklength (to a grounded object? but it should still produce corona on to the air) divided by the volume of your coil+power supply or something like that?

Cheers,
Jesse

rp181

Fri Nov 27 2009, 02:14AM

Registered Member #1062 Joined: Tue Oct 16 2007, 02:01AM
Location:
Posts: 1529

frosty:
I think it would be better to set a minimum spark length, and try to make the smallest that satisfies that.

ShawnLG

Mon Nov 30 2009, 09:02PM

Registered Member #286 Joined: Mon Mar 06 2006, 04:52AM
Location:
Posts: 399

The rules are finalized and the comitition ends March 6, 2010.

I have wound a new secondary to make up for the last one's flaws.

Extreme Electronics

Tue Feb 09 2010, 10:50PM

Registered Member #74 Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 09:17AM
Location: Nottingham UK
Posts: 99

First light of my smallest (yet) Battery powered DRSSTC..

1265753821 74 FT80032 Img20100209 215913 Sm

Primary, Primary Caps and Feed Back CT

1265753821 74 FT80032 Img20100209 215934 Sm

The Full works
Very similar in design to the other small DRSSTCs from JimG here
which is annoying as I thought Id come up with a unique concept, I only spotted that thead a couple of weeks ago. Mine does have some differances though. Apart from being powered from AAA cells!!..

1265753821 74 FT80032 Img20100209 215951 Sm

Proof of it being a Tc... streamers..
It will give arcs to earth of about 1.5" but only when its really fealing like it. It is very touchy about what is near it.

1265753821 74 FT80032 Img20100209 220304 Sm

It has a few issues to iron out, namely it needs proper tuning and I need to get to doubling the on time and doubleing the bus voltage (its working at 150v at the moment and a very short on time untill i bug it out). But I thought I'd share before it explodes..

This is actually a prototype for a smaller coil, but the secondary needs to be that size due to my current IGBT's / driver. I need faster ones for a really,really small coil. Or to go back to mosfets.

Actual size box 100mm X 75mm x 40mm = 300000mm^3
Secondary 55mm Diameter x 90mm = 213716 mm^3
topload 70mm diameter x 25mm = 96162mm^3
Total = 609878 mm^3 or 37.2" ^3

And, as there are no other posts on this thread. that puts me in the lead, Yay!!

Derek...

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