My Spark Gap Tesla Coil, page 2

This page is the area where I explain some of my projects I am currently working on, as well as those that have been completed in the very recent past but are relevant still. Any questions about them are welcome and can be submitted by way of the feedback page and will be answered in some way or another...

This is my first Tesla coil I have ever constructed. It started as a failed attempt on behalf of the physics demo shop at OSU at making a Tesla coil. They used randomly collected high voltage electrolytic capacitors in series, which burnt up as they tend to, due to uneven voltage distribution in the capacitor bank. The entire setup was then donated to me. Aside from the terribly made spark gap, depressingly bad toroid, and the awful capacitor bank that ultimately failed, as well as an incredibly unsafely wired control box that had a nasty habit of shocking the user (me), the two coils were passable, and the nearly indestructible but underpowered neon sign transformer is still worthwhile. I didn't want to spend the time to wind my own secondary or build my own primary, so I am using those for now.

Videos of my Tesla coil in chronological order: Tesla 1 Tesla 2 Tesla 3 Tesla 4 Tesla 5 Tesla 6 Tesla 7 Tesla 8

Haha bad idea, but possibly tasty.

Me and the Tesla, running at partial power.

This is my new topload, and Fattie is sitting next to it for comparison. Tomorrow I will bolt it together and try it as soon as the primary mounting structure is done, which is waiting until I weld a new bandsaw blade. It'll all fall into place.

Just another funny picture of a topload bowl with Fattie in it.

This is how the Tesla coil looks with the new topload in place. There is still a lot of insulating to be done to the secondary because the coupling is extremely high now, and I am also eagerly waiting for the new transformer to arrive.

This is a screenshot of the new topload running. It obviously needs tuning, insulation, etc... but it's still fun.

This is a picture of the new pole pig transformer I ordered today. It's a compact lightweight (200lb) 5kVA 14400V transformer that I plan to run the Tesla coil on. I also plan to make some scary arcs with this thing, especially if I can put it in a resonant circuit oscillating at 60Hz.

This is one of the tests, before insulating the secondary more with silicone 1. Oddly enough, arcing out from the top turns does essentially no damage, but racing sparks (arcs from the secondary to itself) are very damaging.

This is my new 5kVA transformer, with a primary rated at 14k4. I like it a lot.

This is me with my new transformer. I'm really looking forward to using it to run the Tesla coil, but I first need to protect it from the RF running back up the cables and damaging the coils. Oil drum Faraday cage with ignition coils, anyone?

This is how it should look, with an egg-shaped topload, after sufficient insulation on the top turns of the secondary. Now if only those cheap brass ball things for the spark gap wouldn't frog everything up because they corrode from the plasma.

This is the new larger Variac that I am using to regulate the power going to the distribution transformer. This one has the benefit of not melting itself, but instead it can deliver enough current to blow the high-power breakers here in the research building. Here is a video of me blowing the breakers by drawing arcs.

This is a picture of me adjusting the Variac while testing the transformer in the new wiring configuration. I can draw a nice long arc from it.

Frying a vacuum tube with my Tesla coil. It cuts through the glass right away, and melts the tip to arc to the plate.

This is the latest test of my Tesla coil, after upping the capacitor bank from 18.67 nF to about 23 nF. I burned up a couple resistors, and the filter is taking a beating from the larger power from the 35kV transformer, but it looks excellent.