How to Make Tesla Coil - Small Spark Gap Tesla Coil

[@raymondbivens5787]

Be careful. Those things are addictive. Soon you will want a bigger one.

[@RimstarOrg]

Raymond Bivens I know. I feel the same way. Luckily the noise level restricts me to making only small ones. :)

[@raymondbivens5787]

RimstarOrg​ Have you tried using a zvs driver to drive your flyback? They are more powerful. Just an idea. I got mine over a foot that way.

[@RimstarOrg]

Raymond Bivens No, I haven't tried a zvs driver. Sounds like I should though. One foot is nice.

[@raymondbivens5787]

RimstarOrg​ zvs drivers are easy to build. Just make sure your dc supply can handle 10 amps. Especially if you wanna crank it up. I used irfp260n. They are pretty tough.

[@shauryamani664]

Raymond Bivens RimstarOrg plz define this kzbin.info/www/bejne/anzXkp-laKxlm80

[@RimstarOrg]

+Ereka Bergantinos The high voltage power supply is for making the spark gap work. Air is a very poor conductor of electricity. To create a spark across a spark gap you need enough voltage to break down the air and make it conductive. Why do you need a spark? When the spark discharges it doesn't just discharge straight away. It takes a little time for the air to become non-conductive again. During this time the current is actually rapidly going back and forth between the two sides of the spark gap. The frequency of this back and forth is determined by the resonant frequency of the capacitor and primary coil. Why don't we just have a frequency generator instead? We need this resonating to happen only for a short period of time and then stop for a bit and then repeat again. While it's stopped, the secondary can do it's thing. Using a spark gap is one way of doing that. Another way is to build a different type of Tesla coil called solid state Tesla coil, one that uses more modern electronics. PS. Your comments don't have a reply button because in your Google+ settings you don't have "Who can comment on your public posts?" set to "Anyone". It's a lot easier for me if you set this to "Anyone" so that I can reply to you in the same one place I reply to everyone else.

[@BMan18]

RimstarOrg Do you realize that Tesla's actual transformer used a magnetic quenching circuit across the spark gap to only output unidirectional pulses through his transformer? This way his top load projected longitudinal Aetheric waves with much greater range and power. The sparks, if you have them from the top should be white, feathery, and safe to handle. The blue sparks are corrupted with voltage and are dangerous.

[@shannondove96]

BMan18 who wants a safe tesla coil?? I guess you like really slow sports cars too?

[@RimstarOrg]

At last... here's my How-to-Make a small spark gap Tesla coil video. Enjoy!

[@RimstarOrg]

***** Thanks. And I'm with you there, lots of good physics to learn and play with in Tesla coils. Another great one is a crystal radio.

[@RimstarOrg]

***** I don't have experience with bigger ones... but the same physics would apply though I'd expect that with the higher voltages, more things would have to be taken into consideration. For example, with larger ones with longer streamers there's a chance of streamers from the topload down to the primary coil. In that case a grounded wire or tube is usually put just above the primary coil so that the streamers go to the ground instead. Also, due to the longer streamers the secondary coil would be coated in varnish or some insulator for more protection.

[@RimstarOrg]

***** Hey, that's awesome to hear about your kelvin water dropper! We all stand on someone else's shoulders or get help at some time, so I'm just glad I could pass some along. Of course, you made the effort and got it to work so it's really all on you. Nice work! And re facebook and google plus, I'm here. Cheers, Steve

[@mateipopescu8207]

+RimstarOrg Can i use isolated copper wire (the magnetic wire was extremely expensive so i bought a classic isolated copper wire istead)

[@RimstarOrg]

+Matei Popescu Do you mean use plastic coated wire instead of enamel coated wire (which is also called magnet wire since it's often used for making electromagnets) for the secondary coil? I'm using enamel coated wire (magnet wire.) The actual metal inside is copper. Both types are insulated since they have to be. So if you mean to use plastic coated wire, a quick search didn't turn up anyone doing that. That might be because given the large number of turns needed, it would be much taller, but I'm not sure if that's the reason. So I guess my answer is I'm not sure. If you don't get an answer for sure then you could try running the numbers through the javaTC online calculator I talk about in the video and see what it says. It may turn out to be impractically tall.

[@RimstarOrg]

+Itz Yash A lot of people make a power supply using a neon sign transformer. I haven't done one myself though, so I can't help further with that type. Other than that and the flyback type that I used, I'm not aware of any other method. There are plenty out there that use smaller power supplies but the result is either pretty weak or the Tesla coils aren't tuned, in which case it's just a normal transformer and not a Tesla coil. Another option is to make a solid state Tesla coil, something I also haven't done. PS. There's no Reply button for your comments because your Google+ setting about who can comment on your public comments is not set to Anyone.

[@snaj9989]

Hey, I can reply. I made my first tesla coil secondary it has 7cm diameter and 47cm lengh. I made it with 0.5mm cable it took 200 meters of that. I don't know calculation is right but it should have ~900 turns. I have problems with capacitors. I am using a ZVS driver with a huge flyback and it gives at least 3 cm spark at 20 volts. But I will use a my hand winded microwave oven transformer for geting 30 volts. I will order full bridge rectifier and smoothing capacitor today. I don't know how much voltage I will get from the flyback. My homemade capacitors are blow up so I will get the same caps that you used in the video. How much capacitence I need. Please reply. (English is my 2. langue so I am sure there is a lot of gramar mistakes)

[@opengreenenergy]

Wow Its wonderful.I will definitely try in future.I have shown it in our college HV lab. Thanks for sharing,

[@RimstarOrg]

DEBASISH DUTTA Cool! Thanks for showing it around. I'm glad you liked it.

[@nielsdaemen]

Don't use a paper tube, it's flammable and conductive. Use a pvc tube

[@RimstarOrg]

+Cedric S That's great to hear that it worked! Thanks for letting me know. PS I suspect you went to your KZbin settings. When you create a KZbin account you also create a Google+ account. In these KZbin comments, put your mouse on top of your user name and leave it there until a popup appears. In that popup you'll see a g+ on the righthand side. Click on that g+ and you'll be taken to you Google+ pages. Then you can follow the instructions I gave: click on the icon in the top-right corner, click on Settings, the 2nd setting down is the one you want to set to Anyone.

[@CedsBritishBrass34]

I think i found it just click left of the text :)

[@RimstarOrg]

Cedric S Yay! That honestly makes it a lot easier for me to reply, given the number of replies I have to do. :)

[@nishichemie9282]

Please tell me how to make a slayer exciter Tesla coil.It doesn't use high voltage and it's safe.I don't like to use high voltage.Please tell me how to make a 6v Tesla coil

[@undernetjack]

Submerge the spark gap in mineral oil. It will keep cooler and quieter.

[@RobertShaverOfAustin]

I made a Tesla coil in high school, circa 1966. Used a neon sign transformer I found that gave me about 30KV. Wound the main coil on a phenolic tube about three feet tall. Made the capacitor using window glass and a couple of pieces of sheet metal. The whole thing was based on plans in Popular Electronics and it worked great. My favorite thing to do was to attach a wire from the base of the big coil to a burned out light bulb on a broom handle. I'd bring it close to the top and the arc would puncture the glass of the bulb. If I messed around with it long enough, pieces of the bulb envelope would fall out. Could only run it for a few minutes until the ozone small became overwhelming.

[@RimstarOrg]

+Robert Shaver Sounds like you had fun. I'd make a bigger one but this one is loud enough. I still want to try solid state someday, since it's quieter, until I start breaking light bulbs that is! :)

[@RimstarOrg]

+Cedric S I don't get arcs flying off my dome either. My output voltage isn't high enough. Put a needle in contact with the toroid and the voltage at the sharp point of the needle will be strong enough. Basically, the smaller the diameter of the curve, the lower the voltage that is needed for arcs, until you get to the sharp point of a needle, which is a very small diameter curve! PS There's no Reply button under your comment because of your Google+ settings. - go to your Google+ page, - in the top, right corner click on your thumbnail icon, - in the popup that appears, click on "Settings". - for the 2nd question down "Who can comment on your public posts?" set it to "Anyone".

[@lachybrown9699]

The way you have set this tesla up, is it safe to be zapped by it. Please reply soon as posible.

[@RimstarOrg]

Lachy Brown Not all Tesla coils are safe to get zapped by but the current in the sparks from this one is low enough to be safe, unless you have a heart condition. It's doesn't even hurt, just a light tingle. I'm getting zapped in the demonstration with the CFL near the end of the video.

[@ikennaalams3122]

+RimstarOrg Thanks for the education, I like the way you go about it not making any proprietary moves. A request please, I would like that you help out with a kapagen, I am more particular with the details of the connections. Are they the same with the connection of the Tesla coil? Thanks again.

[@RimstarOrg]

+Ikenna Alams (loviyke) You're welcome. Thanks for watching. Re kapagen, I don't do research in that area anymore.

[@tcoo1999]

Great video. Very clear, easy to follow and very helpful. Thanks

[@ms88.]

What is the Maine need for plasma on top???, I use mosquito bat circuit (input 9V) and I join top wire of secondery coil in light bulb(220V), so I saw little plasma, how I get more plasma?????????

[@ms88.]

Primary coil (16 gauge - 4 turn) and secondary coil (27 gauge - 480 turns)

[@igxniisan6996]

Your mini Tesla Coil is so cute 🥰

[@MongrelShark]

Great video. I've seen a lot of Tesla coil tutorials. This one is the best. I especially liked the adjustable primary and secondary mounts. Might have to make some of them :)

[@RimstarOrg]

Mongrel Shark Thanks! I know you've seen a lot of videos so that means a lot. Yeah, that adjustability and interchangeability has made this a lot easier. I don't know if you noticed but version 4 which I show at 0:23 even has a different secondary coil (using 2nF for the primary capacitance made up for halving the height secondary coil.)

[@MongrelShark]

I don’t know how many times I have set stuff on fire because my cardboard Tesla coil fell down... Its been the death of at leas 3 secondarys.

[@geekoutgalaxy9243]

i made a coil 2 days ago and the same thing happened to it

[@MadPlasmatist]

Hi I just created the worlds first water cooled spark gap (and I also made an adjustable tesla primary coil rig if you're interested) - I'd appreciate it if you would take a look, and I'd freakin love it if you tried to build a coil using this new WCSG!

[@draftartmart8069]

Thank you so so much after weeks of research this video has really helped me finish my coil

[@locouk]

Thanks, very informative 👍🏽

[@RimstarOrg]

Green Silver Thanks, I'm glad you found it so.

[@numatechprototypes222]

i know this is 5yrs old but you could of saved a lot of time by just useing a motor speed controller on the zvs power input for frequency control/tuning and a adjustable voltage booster on the input of the speed controller for output power control thats what i did for my 100,000v 1.2kw ac flyback hv power supply that feeds into my 51x tesla coil multiplier 2turn primary 102 turn secondary the math says on max output of 100kv hvps into the tesla coil i should get 5.1million volts at 4.25 amps on the out i used thicker wire in than usual to take advantage of that yet to test it still have alot of work to do be for i can do that safely the tesla coil i made is 11.25in long by 1in diameter so very small considering the 1200watt hv power supply i made

[@ms88.]

Awesome 👍🏻

[@SERGEY-KACHAN]

Видео "Трансформатор TESLA": kzbin.info/aero/PLlEX99xZE8qNc1MNp9EwjbeugLTRhr-9g

[@saradalton3904]

If I do not have access to that power supply at my school lab, where is a good place to PURCHASE 1, I saw the Video on how to MAKE ONE BUT I DON'T think I'm capable, &DEFINITELY NOT within the timeframe I am working with, FOR SURE!!! I have a tiny preassembled tesla coil that works for all intents &purposes but I need to write a 6-page paper and with no constructing it myself I will have little to write about since without building myself, I can't explain it very well, or include my process of building it any why I did what, if i use the preassembled 1 anyhow (also b/c of COVID-19, we have not had a SINGE on campus lab so i never have even seen ANY OF THERE THINGS (a resistor, capacitor, NOTHIN except in pictures in our book or ONLINE. YET we still are expected to DO this TERM PROJECT and 1. I am a girl and 2. This is my 1st EVER attempt at ANY TRADEWORK at all whatsoever, so EVERYTHING IS NEW TO ME CURRENTLY. So the HV DC POWER SUPPLY IS NEEDED... BUT WHAT is the VOLTAGE NEEDED TO RUN this tesla coil?? Ooorrrr what is the Voltage ON THE SECONDARY, with its 750turns in this particular video, if were to replicate it??? If I can not make or have that power supply at my disposal is there anything a bit smaller so it wouldn't be DEEMED TOO DANGEROUS to bring into y college laboratory and run it (I Will USE JAVATC as you recommended (As well as people in other videos), and isn't there a place to put in the dimensions of the room that the coil will be ran in? I'm not sure if YOU use it in this particular video (I think it was someone else who used that part of the JAVATC- as I know we won't be completing every single thing that can be determined using that site. Any tips would be GREATLY RECOMMENDED!!

[@LucasWills]

This is the best how to make a tesla coil video I've seen so far, I think I might be able to get my tesla coil to work. 😀

[@milespeterson5049]

dude I NEED THAT STINKIN POWER SUPPLY I DON'T WANT TO MAKE IT! CAN I BUY IT? 😥

[@RimstarOrg]

I don't sell them but you can buy high voltage DC power supplies from here www.amazing1.com/hv-dc-power-supplies.html

[@milespeterson5049]

@@RimstarOrg I don't have the money... 😥

[@waterfuel]

Send me specs for Tesla coil secondary for about 15,000 volts, 1.3Mhtz frequency + whether full length or quarter wave type please.

[@foruzeshpatrick2053]

I connected 20 Maxwell 2.7V super capacitors in series and I want to spark, but with each spark the voltage decreases a little from the capacities, the total charger of these 20 capacitors is 55V DC and when I connect them in parallel Their output voltage is 2.7 volts, how can I connect them to get 300 volts output?

[@duncanmaybee]

How much voltage and amperage would you get if you connected the secondary coil to ground?

[@RimstarOrg]

I don''t know.

[@duncanmaybee]

@@RimstarOrg you should try lol

[@EdwardTriesToScience]

I found that calculation was not nescesary unless you wanted it to be super efficient, I just would my coil based off if I think it looks right and after some messing around with the spark gap and input voltage, I got it to make some pretty massive arcs, without a ground wire, jumped into the air directly

[@CedsBritishBrass34]

Hey can you please help me ? When my tesla coil is running i placed a fluoricent ligtbulb near it and it's ligting up but i have no arcs flying off the toroid :)

[@WayneLambrightIII]

How many volts did this put out? I need to make something that is 100,000 volts or more. low amps. Would this do it?

[@RimstarOrg]

I didn't have any way of measuring it rigorously. Based on the spark length and the dimensions and shapes of the electrodes (sphere and needle), it was likely much less than 100,000 volts.

[@janno288]

Those capacitors are a bad choice since those are not meant for Radio Frequencies and they heat up due to that changing their capacitance / causing a high internal resistance. I would advise using Foil Capacitors (Polyprop Caps)

[@RimstarOrg]

Thanks for the suggestion. I did try some DIY capacitors too, a flat plate foil one kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZmbJZ42XjNKlbrM and some bottle ones kzbin.info/www/bejne/gZScfp2wm9SqmdU (not so good though since the foil was not glued firmly in place).

[@ravichandran.p.kravichandr5406]

Cool buddy great job 🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂

[@atlas9401]

If you check the 'Auto-Tune' option before you click 'RUN JAVATC', it'll solve for the matching resonant frequency of the primary and secondary.

[@RimstarOrg]

I didn't check 'Auto-Tune' at this stage of the construction but I did make use of it later when changing the coil to a flat spiral coil. I used it to check if the coil had enough turns to be tunable to the resonant frequency. That video is here kzbin.info/www/bejne/i4i5hnh_ndV5bNk.

[@KAFKUBA]

When I first started watching this video I assumed the power supply was AC and hence the spark gap tesla coil...This is more like a slayer coil that uses transistors but it also has the spark gap to establish resonance vice transistors...can you explain the difference in tuning spark gaps for an AC input source and how to tune caps that are charging AC vice DC?

[@SamuelPutnam-h6u]

Great video! Would a plain microwave transformer (with current limiter) work as the supply, or should I add a rectifier to convert it to dc? First time making a spark gap tesla coil, I'm used to solid state ones haha

[@RimstarOrg]

Thanks! It works with both DC and AC as input, though I've only used DC myself. A microwave transformer puts out AC. I guess you're already aware of how dangerous a microwave transformer can be since you mention a current limiter. Be very careful if you're using the output of the high voltage, high current winding.

[@emir4707]

You need faraday cage for not frying electronics

[@damianosplay9457]

Imma just eyeball everything

[@DataLog]

4.20 gangsta nano farads

[@jaredevans8518]

I made one that is similar, but with a driver circuit from a bug zapper that runs on 3 volts. And I barely see any sparks coming of the top load even thought it works good. I also made the top load out of a spring of 12 gauge copper wire that I made. Could a voltage multiplier work to increase the power?

[@thenarrowgate3063]

Hey chief thanks for the video, i have a question tho, that secondary wire that you connect to ground, does it recieve power? Im just so used to the slayer exciter where the secondary start wire is connected to source or emmiter of a mosfet, yes i am a noob but i enjoy being a hobbyist 😉Edit: So im ecstatic! Pun intended that my coil is finally working..so cool however i stil have the caps arcing problem..it is a problem yes? anyhow thanks, i tried making the slayer and the mosfet coil, but none worked but yours 💪👍

[@RimstarOrg]

I've heard of the slayer but don't know details. But in this Tesla coil, the secondary wire connected to ground doesn't receive power directly. The only power it receives is what's induced into the secondary by the primary.

[@Mateo-vl3zv]

I made mine and it runs on only one lipo 3.7v battery and gives about an inch long sparks!!!!

[@joitotheworld2134]

Hello can i ask for a javaCT data for 12v power supply mini tesla? Or is there possibly one?

[@RimstarOrg]

12v is too low a voltage to power the spark gap. However, you could use the 12v to power a high voltage power supply that puts out a high enough voltage. That's what I'm doing in this video. The power supply on the left is a low voltage one and that powered the dark, cube shaped power supply that converts to high voltage.

[@YTTIGOR]

I have dc machine i can use in this project

[@randomperson-vb8xp]

is it bad to have a low value (~200-300 kHz) for the resonant frequency on the java tc calculator?

[@RimstarOrg]

No, that's a pretty typical frequency range for Tesla coils.

[@michaelt3172]

What voltage transformer should I buy if I don't make a homemade PSU?

[@RimstarOrg]

I don't know you can get a high enough voltage normal step-up transformer. Some people use neon sign transformers which can produce a high enough voltage.

[@emled99]

What if we input 220AC Voltage ? Any significant changes...?

[@RimstarOrg]

That depends on what you mean. My high voltage power supply takes 110AC, but ouputs high voltage to the Tesla coil. For 110AC, you'd just need to modify the power supply. But if you're talking about applying 110AC volts directly to the Tesla coil then that's too low a voltage. You need at least a few thousand volts.

[@scraw3]

Hi, im building a tesla coil and need the spark gap to fire at 40khz to get the primary to resonate at natural frequency 24.6mhz. Is there a way i can measure the bps/frequency accurately without damage to the device?

[@RimstarOrg]

I you have an oscilloscope, you could put an oscilloscope probe near it. You don't need to make contact. The sparks create enough electromagnetic radiation that the scope probe acts like an antenna and you might see some spikes the frequency of the sparking on the oscilloscope.

[@scraw3]

@@RimstarOrg thanks, i will do that!

[@sandesh7043]

His voice was like Liam Neeson !!

[@generbantugan9925]

Can i use a 220v transformer

[@Rudy97]

JAVATC hates me for some reason, need a manual for that.

[@MrKiller1250]

my power supply has around 7kv i made it with a yback but i took the yircujt from a fluo bulb and connected one end to the 220v ac and the other end to the primary lf the flyback i plan to make a tesla coil of around 1500 turns and i am wondering will it work ok? and can it be dangerous if you would touch the top load since there shouldnt be much current there? thank you

[@arbaazshirani9045]

Sir how do you know capacitor value or calculate and also no. Of turn secondary coil , gauge ..?

[@RimstarOrg]

For measuring the capacitor value, I have a capacitance measuring feature on my multimeter. Many meters these days can measure capacitance. You can also get a rough estimate for some capacitor shapes, cylinders and flat plate capacitors for example. I talk about doing that in this video about making low voltage capacitors (but it works for high voltage ones too) kzbin.info/www/bejne/fafIemydja6mftk . For the secondary coil, I use the online calculator that I talk about in the video.

[@itzyash4359]

Plz Suggest Any Other Power Source for this Tesla Coil..

[@zahariburgess3660]

i used a zvs circuit for the high voltage supply with a flyback instead of building it by soldering it together and it works pretty well

[@fedrick0079]

Nah i love this man

[@ericcruz9167]

I really enjoy your videos sir & i have a question that i hope u can help me with. I suck at reading schematics so i was hoping that maybe u could draw me a wiring diagram that would show me how to connect my dual mot power supply with voltage doubler to my cap bank & asrsg then to my tesla coil.

[@germain505]

i think you said take wire from primary to ground, but meant the secondary. :/

[@RimstarOrg]

Ah, so I did. Good catch! Nothing I can do about it now, and it's harmless since it's clear what I meant, but too bad there's no way to edit these videos once uploaded. A few years ago I could have put an annotation but there's no way to add those anymore.

[@guitarguy3688]

Make musical Tesla coil

[@moonmatthew]

Is spark gap neded?

[@RimstarOrg]

Yes, the spark gap is needed. The alternative is to make a solid state Tesla coil but it's very different. I haven't made one of those.

[@moonmatthew]

Thank you

[@ElIsraelJijijiji]

Hey, um gerat video, um can you touch the output of the secondary?

[@RimstarOrg]

With my small one you can, provided you don't have any heart conditions. With larger ones, probably best not to.

[@ElIsraelJijijiji]

@@RimstarOrg Thanks man, im on very good conditions

[@Tripp77]

Okay.. so I took a microwave transformer.. (I know, not the best but this was just to test a wireless lightbulb to see if it worked in general at all; before I would move on to an actual more practical circuit) I wired my tesla coil exactly like this with nothing more than a spark gap. transformer positive to spark gap, then to primary coil, then to ground on transformer. Secondary was earth grounded while other end I just left for time being. Lightbulb does not light up at all nor do I get a spark from secordary top wire. So I flipped the primary coil. Still absolutely nothing. I spent hrs on it until I gave up. Even threw in a capacitor at one point.. Still nothing... so I switched methods.. I got a double AA bug zapper racket. This time a smaller tesla coil. Wired it the same way. Transformer Lead to primary, primary to transformer ground. Secondary earth grounded, top wire was left alone. Again absolutely nothing.. no wireless power or spark from top wire. Flipped primary coil again. Still nothing at all.. please help..

[@RimstarOrg]

+Powertripp Productions Firstly, if you're trying to make a spark gap Tesla coil then you need the capacitor. Did you get sparks at all at the spark gap with your microwave oven transformer (MOT)? If you didn't then the problem is with the MOT side of things - that side wasn't working. Secondly, keep all wiring for the Tesla coil as short as possibly, like I did. Also, did you use exactly the same values and dimensions that I did? If not then you need to go to the JavaTC online calculator I talked about in the video and put in your values and adjust them until the calculator shows you you're getting close to the same resonant frequencies for the primary and secondary coils. And then you need to tune it like I showed.

[@Tripp77]

So resonance really has that big of a factor in this? Can't just build one and it will work.. right?

[@RimstarOrg]

+Powertripp Productions Without resonance you'll get some step-up transformation, but a resonant Tesla coil does more than that. It's more of a cumulative pumping effect.

[@Wolf-yp2qk]

Hey, I like your tesla coils, and I would like to suggest something you could try a circuit called a slayer excited and it might work well, I haven't tried it yet, but I'm building one now. Some people on KZbin say it's amazing, I think you should take a look at them. 😀

[@davidrabensburg4954]

I have a question. .tesla coils are really cool and all that, but has any one ever tried to set 2 coils next to each outher, powered one and hooked up the 2nd one to a meter to see if any reading come out of the 2nd one ?

[@RimstarOrg]

If the coils are identical then you should get a reading on the second one. Being identical they would have the same resonant frequency and so the energy transfer would be fairly efficient.

[@aleksandarrodic2066]

how many volts are on sparkle electrodes?I am trying to make it.

[@RimstarOrg]

I'm assuming you mean the voltage at the spark gap. It's difficult to measure and so I didn't but a rough estimate based on the shape of the electrodes and the distance between them is that it's less than 10kV probably even less than 5kV. This trick though, is to have a power supply that can provide a lot of current when the spark happens and to be able to produce sparks at a reasonable frequency. For example, I tried with this electric fly swatter kzbin.info/www/bejne/pJq1dH6Loc6EjdU which can produce the necessary high voltage but the current in each spark is small and it takes the fly swatter's power supply a few seconds each time to build up enough voltage to create a spark. I don't have the precise voltage and current specifications needed but I just didn't want you to think that voltage was the only issue since many things, even rubbing your feet against a carpet, will produce enough voltage, but only for one weak spark every now and then. The power supply I used is my Cube power supply kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y3ypmXWMm9WZetk. Ones that use neon sign transformers are another option but I don't have anything about that.

[@chandraprakashgupta61]

Please tell about the batteries and those two other things from where voltage comes(cube)

[@RimstarOrg]

No batteries were involved. I show how to make the Cube power supply here kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y3ypmXWMm9WZetk. The Cube is plugged into a lower voltage power supply which I've documented on my website here rimstar.org//equip/24v_pwr_supply.htm. The red thing is a VARIAC for controlling the voltage going into the low voltage power supply.

[@pavan.kumar.n]

What's the input voltage??

[@RimstarOrg]

I don't know, I didn't measure it. The input voltage is determined by the spark gap size and the geometry of the electrodes on either side of the spark gap. It may have been somewhere between 1kV and 10kV. You do need a power supply with a decent amount of current though, otherwise the sparks will be too infrequent. For example, I tried a power supply from an electric fly swatter/bug zapper and the spark was only every few seconds so it was no good.

[@goforgreenliving]

You made it look very simple but I'm unsure about the power supply. If I'm wrong please correct me but is yours just for looks or does ut pull the power out of the ground or air? I want to build one to see if the light or residual voltage will show up as anything in darkness on a solar panel Thank you great video.

[@RimstarOrg]

goforgreenliving The power supply is my Cube one here kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y3ypmXWMm9WZetk which is based ona flyback transformer and gets its power from the wall socket. The light from the sparks and streamers should have some effect on a solar panel but the output would be very small. Just thinks about how much the Tesla coil's streamers and sparks light up a room, not much.

[@goforgreenliving]

Thank you for the info I it would have to be large i have seen one about 4 foot it put off decent blue light but maybe sence you have one could you try it sometime just to see a little bit is better than nothing

[@draftartmart8069]

Hi Rimstar, I have bought the parts for a 120w zvs driver i will be powering it with a 12v 7a supply(84W) and it will be powering a flyback transformer i also have will have a 800 - 1000 turns with 28AWG 150m of wire. Which is the best material to wind the secondary on? Will my tesla be able give 5cm sparks with a 4.5cm diameter pipe of_______. Awesome video

[@RimstarOrg]

The pipe can be anything that's not electrically conductive, usually a plastic of some sort, though cardboard works too. PVC and ABS pipes are easy to find at hardware stores.

[@AMITBUBU]

Hello dear Rimstar! I understand this Tesla coil use about 15-20 v with about 2 Amp. I would like to ask you if this machine can be harmful to people and to other electronics Thank you for your nice video

[@RimstarOrg]

+AMITBUBU A Tesla coil can interfere with electronics whenever there's a spark. This small on isn't harmful to people but you can get a harmful shock from a more powerful Tesla coil. But as long as you don't get a shock from it then you're okay.

[@AMITBUBU]

Thanks for your answer ! one more question , if I increase the frequently to around 2000 kh , what should it will change? Will it make the power of every cycle to be lower maybe?

[@akokJ619]

Can you please tell me how much voltage of power i need to resonant a coil of 2200khz

[@ahmadhajjhussein5549]

what happens if i changed the distance between the two electrodes of the spark gap?

[@RimstarOrg]

+ahmad hajj hussein If you increase the distance between the electrodes then the capacitor will have more time to build up more energy so that when the spark happens there's be more current and I think you should get a better result from the Tesla coil. Just make sure you don't allow the voltage in the capacitor to build up so much that you damage the capacitor. That's what the voltage rating on a capacitor is all about. If you decrease the distance between the electrodes then the voltage will be lower and so will the energy and the result from the Tesla coil should be less, I think.

[@syedadnan7521]

you are awsme

[@peterzingler6221]

Toilet paper roll is 43mm diameter ....with 50m of wire you can make around 1000 turns ...dont know how you come to 105 meters of wire

[@RimstarOrg]

My wire diameter is 0.459mm. Given a diameter of 43mm (I used 44mm in the video, see 3:21), the circumference of a single turn is pi x 43mm = 3.14159 x 43mm = 135.088mm. So each turn uses 135.088mm of wire. For 750 turns, that's 750 x 135.088mm = 101316mm = 101.316m, which is close to the 103.672 meters which the online told me I'd need (again, see 3:21 in the video). Maybe you started with a thicker wire? (I just noticed that in the video I wrote on the screen 12 AWG while I said 26 AWG. I used 26 AWG.)

[@peterzingler6221]

RimstarOrg ah thats it , i didnt had in mind that you used such a thick wire :) btw im using kitchentowel roles too , in combinqtion with superglue they get rock solid and its easy to work with

[@jackl7731]

Can I just use a battery instead of all this other stuff for the power supply

[@RimstarOrg]

No, you need the high voltage, thousands of volts.

[@MrZurikato0]

how many votls are you supplying to the coil?

[@RimstarOrg]

Zuriel Cevada I don't know. I don't have any good way of measuring it.

[@daveandrews6670]

I,ve seen a few videos on this,yours is the best.You show how to tune one also,which I haven't seen before.I,m going to start making my first one in a couple of weeks.cheers

[@rotor_rush]

Hey great poject i wanted to ask if it is dangerous?

[@RimstarOrg]

This small one isn't dangerous. Larger ones can be. However, the power supply that I'm using as input to the Tesla coil can be dangerous.

[@NitroPcb]

How many tesla generated?.I need to test a battery for 3 tesla field but do not know how to do it?

[@RimstarOrg]

I don't know either. The first place I'd look though is whatever formula calculates the amount of teslas. The variables in that formula would be hints as to what things need to be adjusted and by playing around with the values in the formula you can see how to build whatever you need to build. I'm guessing you really just want to build an electromagnet using values from the formula.

[@NitroPcb]

Yes i want to build electromagnet

[@ellasingapore5497]

According to the calculator, I should have my secondary coil be 46cm, but the 600 coils needed only stack to around 25 cm. Would it be really bad to space the first 50ish coils slightly apart from one another to take up the extra height?

[@RimstarOrg]

It sounds like you gave the calculator the wrong wire size (AWG or Wire Dia). Try it with the correct size and see what it says.

[@emled99]

What happens when 10 100pF/3kV capacitors are connected in parallel ? Will the output voltage be 30kV and capacitance be 1000pF (0.001uF) ?

[@RimstarOrg]

You'll have a 1000pF, 3kV capacitor. Only the capacitance adds up when in parallel. To increase the breakdown voltage (that's what the voltage represents) you'd need to connect them in series but I don't know he formula off-hand.

[@143Ereka]

why does it need a high voltage power supply?

[@gyorgykomaromi994]

Ereka Bergantinos Because of the spark gap, this isnt a solid state Tesla coil, that is able to work with lower voltage:)

[@sorsorscience0787]

Ssoooo incredibly helpful. Im on a difficult adventure of making a tesla coil with not too many good materials. This really helps

[@mohamedasif1680]

hi! ur model was fab... will it lightup a bulb if brought closer to the primary coil?? Please explain me about the power supply used!! how all have you use as a power supply n clear tell other huge elemnts n their role!.. Im interested to do one such model! help me out...

[@RimstarOrg]

+mohamed asif I didn't do any tests for the affect of the bulb near the primary so I can't say. Regarding the power supply, it's this one kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y3ypmXWMm9WZetk. It's also here on my website rimstar.org/science_electronics_projects/high_voltage_power_supply_w_flyback_transformer_builtin_diodes.htm

[@mohamedasif1680]

Thanks!

[@Jeff-ml2ek]

My Tesla coil won't work .I used a self-made high voltage transformer(it outputs 1,500v high frequency arcs).Then I connect it to a voltage multiplier circuit.The spark gap works .But I don't see anything on the secondary

[@RimstarOrg]

Have you gone through the calculator I point out in the video when designing your primary and secondary? Also, keep in mind the tuning I mention near the end of the video. Are you hearing rapid, loud sparks? You setup sounds like you should be but if you're getting only infrequent or weak sparks then your power supply might not be powerful enough. Also, make sure your capacitors are not damaged.

[@Jeff-ml2ek]

@@RimstarOrg thank you for replying.It works now ,one of my HV diodes were broken,thats why my voltage multiplier converted it only to 900 volts and most of the output of the transformer was shorted.Tuning also helped a lot, I don't have the tool to measure things like inductance just tried random number of turns and already found on 10th try the perfect height and number of turns.

[@RimstarOrg]

I'm glad to hear it's working. Thanks for letting me know. Yeah, I too have some multiplier boards with busted diodes and/or capacitors, in my case. I'd let the insulating oil get too low.

[@singhonlo67]

Thanks for the tutorial. I have learnt from the hard way that it is not a good idea to use those blue ceramic HV capacitors in your video. The 25KV or 35KV 1nF ceramic capacitors are actually rated 10KV in air and the manufacturer rating is based on operation in oil pot. As a beginner, I only found out about it in a very costly failure as there is no information about it from the ebay seller. Secondly ceramic capacitors have poor performance for tesla coils; there are lots of power losses at high frequency resulting over-heating and sudden failure. I ran my ZVS driver at 26V DC to a connected a TV flyback with DC HV output and it instantly destroyed a MMC bank of 12 x 35KV 1nF in parallel. It was the brightest, loudest and scariest spark that I have ever seen. Operating in air, a thick arc jumped across the 35KV ceramic caps killing them all. Maybe it worked in your case because your HV supply voltage and current is much lower than the ZVS driver. Also my coil and primary capacitance were much bigger.

[@RimstarOrg]

Thanks for the info. It sounds like the 35kV rating is more for the distance between the leads than for the actual capacitor inside. But mine did degrade in capacitance without arcing and I ended up making some homemade flat plate ones instead kzbin.info/www/bejne/e5zZgHehgbFshck.

[@jackbenner1013]

I made this but I used a bug zapper circuit that supplies 400V DC and runs off of 4 D cell batteries. Would I get longer sparks if I instead used a 400V DC power supply that uses more current but connects to the wall plug because would have more power (watts)? Also what would happen if you got both coils to exactly the same resonant frequency, I know that a the voltage on the secondary circuit is like having a kid on a swing but you push the kid at exactly the right time each time, so in a tesla coil if its exactly the same the voltage gets higher and higher each time until it gets so great that it jumps off the needle at the top. So would the voltage off the top load get so great that you could get sparks as long as you want? Or would the sparks just max out at some distance due to the winding ratio of the coils?

[@RimstarOrg]

I'm not sure if a 400VDC power supply that puts out more current would give you longer sparks. I think it would because there would be more energy for the coils to resonate with and it would last longer. If both primary and secondary circuit had the same resonant frequency then that should max out your sparks.

[@davidrabensburg4954]

so you can move electricity through the air with out wires.

[@raffmaxi]

Yes you can but this is very unefficient. Nikolai Tesla had the same idea around 100 years ago

[@electronicworld5958]

why this hv power supply is called cube?

[@RimstarOrg]

Because the case is a cube. It's as good a name as any I guess.

[@TimothyOng98]

What happens if u don't use capacitors?

[@RimstarOrg]

Without capacitors, the only energy for the spark is from the capacitance across the spark gap. It's far less energy to make the Tesla coil work. The result will be much smaller and you may not detect it at all. If you're having trouble finding the capacitors then they're easy to make. See my video about making flat plate capacitors for this Tesla coil kzbin.info/www/bejne/e5zZgHehgbFshck If that's too difficult then I also show how to make some out of soda bottles kzbin.info/www/bejne/n4eaeqWtltaYadk

[@abuanaschowdhury4646]

Can we use polarized capacitors?

[@RimstarOrg]

No, you can't use polarized capacitors.

[@two_number_nines]

for more power and efficiency increase the capacity of the capacitors so you can transfer more magnetic field energy for the same spark

[@johnnewcomb4386]

if i make this same circuit with an AC power will it still work?

[@RimstarOrg]

+John Newcomb Yes, it will. Keep in mind that you'll still need thousands of volts AC. That's usually done with a high voltage transformer like a neon sign transformer. I haven't done that myself though.

[@snaj9989]

Hi, how you measure the capacitance as 4nf. There is a formula but you can't calculate it if you dont know what is the outputs of your transformer.

[@RimstarOrg]

I didn't calculation the capacitance. I had 4nF worth of capacitors so I used that as one of my starting points. I calculated most everything else from there.

[@snaj9989]

RimstarOrg Thats nice, I build a giant flat capacitor than roll it. It was 16nf so I cut it in half and made two 10nf capacitors. I will try to put them in parralel and series to find the best results.

[@erikmuller9222]

Where I can buy the Capacitors ?

[@RimstarOrg]

I bought them from here www.amazing1.com/pages/hv-parts/capacitors-rectifiers-diodes.html. However, they didn't last long so maybe the voltage was too high so I made this one instead kzbin.info/www/bejne/e5zZgHehgbFshck.

[@ximoura]

is this dangerus for a human if he get hit by those sparks?

[@RimstarOrg]

+ximoura It's not a danger with this small Tesla coil, unless maybe you have a heart problem or pacemaker. But with bigger Tesla coils it can be dangerous.

[@supercreations1593]

just remove some turns from primary coil .do it around 3 to 4 turns for better results.

[@michaelt3172]

I just finished mine and its looking pretty good. Im gonna make a new one with a better power supply/transformer later.

[@Xonk61]

I've not read the comments on this video yet, but I'm wondering if it's advantageous to make the spark gap adjustable. With a smaller gap, the discharge voltage would be lower, but the frequency would increase. As part of the tank circuit, the frequency of the spark is going to influence the resonant frequency of the secondary, perhaps more than the adjustment of the position of the primary coil to the secondary coil.

[@RimstarOrg]

Xonk61 The resonant frequency is far, far higher than the frequency of the sparks, such that there are many cycles of the tank circuit after each spark. So my guess is that changing the frequency of the spark wouldn't matter that much, except that the current of each spark is greater with a wider gap, since there's more time for charge build-up, and so there would be more energy available for the resonance and possibly larger streamers, except that there would be less streamers. But that's all just my guess.

[@Xonk61]

RimstarOrg to a point, yes. But since it's a resonant circuit, achieving a frequency in the primary that relates well to a harmonic frequency of the secondary will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the circuit

[@RimstarOrg]

Xonk61 Good point.

[@shailjavyas6220]

Sir whatvis the work of the aluminium foil covered ball

[@CedsBritishBrass34]

Hey thank you for helping me i placed a small aluminium needle on top of the toroid and i changed the capacitors sort That you use and i turned it on and i was surprised there were arc's flying off my toroid i was so happy thank you very Much :) Ps i opened my settings but i din't find the question who can comment your Posts ?