Solid state tesla coils sstc learn, build and help. A lowvoltage demonstration tesla coil using a solidstate photovoltaic relay to replace the conventional. Class e solid state tesla coil bens science wonderland. Hi everyone, i am have been looking here for a long time, but today is my first day registered. For someone who dabbles in solid state tesla coils, it was high time i built a. They use the power from the outlet rectify it then pulse it through some 200 volt fets into the primary coil. In many ways, cheap modern fets do make a perfect tesla coil driver. Most solid state tesla coils are really more like a radio transmitter.
Exploding power transistors can spew glowing metal chunks resulting in secondary fires. High voltage for more information on this project and similar others. A lot of other coilers have replicated this circuit with great success and therefore it is easy to find information how it works and how to troubleshoot it. The corums present the necessary solution technique in their manual 3 and also the. Tesla coil design, construction and operation guide. The most common method for switching power into the resonator is a halfbridge or fullbridge of transistors typically mosfets or igbts for their high power capabilities. As an introduction to the world of solid state coiling, i have chosen to replicate steve wards class e tesla coil. Simple circuit theory is used to analyse the nature of the load presented by a tesla coil. It has several advantages over the more common spark gap tesla coil.
The design was very simple, yet he seemed to have achieved good results, so i thought it would be a good first solid state coil. Tesla invented his coil with the intention of transmitting electricity through the air. Lossy capacitors 1 dielectric loss kansas state university. Here, i explore the solid state option which may be preferable in some situations. This paper discusses many of the factors that influence the design of a solid state resonant coil driver. For purposes of discussion we will consider three broad types, that. To really be a tesla coil you need a high voltage source, a spark gap. I was teaching a senior elective course at kansas state university where we talked about power mosfets and topics related to high voltages and currents. The authors prototype of the solidstate tesla coil was put together as several subassemblies perfboard which contains the majority of the electronic components, driver, sparkgap, pancakecoil li, the primary coil, towercoil l2, the secondary coll, tuningenergystorage assembly c3, and a highvoltagerectifier assembly. Its possible to lay all the parts out on the floor as i use to do and run the tesla coil without any chassis, but using a chassis has many advantages. They are less noisy than conventional tesla coils, yet they can still achieve a respectable output.
Now here links to actual circuits by a few others who have achieved solid state tesla coils with the low impediance primary feed method. The fundamental difference is that they use the zerostate response of the system instead of the zeroinput response. Dual resonant solid state tesla coil 1 for someone who dabbles in solid state tesla coils, it was high time i built a drsstc. A large unit can produce a continuous spark of a length exceeding the height of the coil. The solid state tesla coil is sold as a minimal kit requiring the purchaser to assemble the device in order to make it operable. A solid state tesla coil is one of the kinds of tesla coils available. Our solid state tesla coil can produce sparks as long as 8 inches with a peak output of about 100,000 volts. Abstract the solid state tesla coil is a recently discovered high voltage power supply.
They dont require hefty transformers or thick insulation on all conductors, unlike spark gap tesla coils. A tesla coil is a highvoltage aircore resonant transformer. Building a tesla coil is something everybody should do once. Please note that building a solid state tesla coil is not easy. Here we can see the solid state tesla coil working in its best configuration.
In fact both the design and construction present significantly different and far more complex challenges than those encountered in conventional tesla coil work. The first is the primary transformer, which is a highvoltage ironcore transformer. Designing your tesla coil introduction when i was in the process of designing my first tesla coil in may of 2002, i was hardpressed to find one source that comprehensibly described the. The solid state tesla coil is a device which is capable of producing extremely high voltage. As my first post, i would like to know about the basics and advice about the solid state tesla coil. You can get some big sparks that way, but is it really a tesla coil. Power conversion coursework using a solid state tesla coil. The tesla coil is a device invented by the brilliant scientist nikola tesla born 1856, died1943. Design of solid state tesla coil using 555 timer and irfp460n. The difference between a conventional sstc and the drsstc is the use of dual resonance. Dual resonant solid state tesla coil drsstc the circuit is similar to the double tuned spark excited circuit, except in place of the spark gap semiconductor switches and an external mediumvoltage power supply are used. Solidstate tesla coil the schematic diagram for the solidstate tesla coil is shown in fig. It is suggested to not operate this solid state tesla coil in denslypopulated environments, such as cities, for purposes of radio interference or if this device is to be operated in such an environment, it is suggested that a faraday cage be built to block electromagnetic emissions plans on building a faraday cage are included with all versions of the solid state tesla coils.
An outside source hooked up to a transformer powers the whole system. You will also learn about how to safely handle highvoltage dc circuits and ultrahigh voltage radio frequency circuits. A two stage transformer which creates high voltage at high. A solidstate lowvoltage tesla coil demonstrator donald g. Named after the inventor nikola tesla, tesla coils are electrical devices designed to produce high frequency, high voltage alternating currents. Some guy at albany spin jam b why play with solid state tesla coils. Solid state tesla coils and their uses sean soleyman electrical engineering and computer sciences university of california at berkeley technical report no.
One thing that makes our tesla coil unusual is that the coupling to the secondary coil is by a direct electrical connection rather than by magnetic fields. The first being the classic spark gap tesla coil that used a spark gap as part of the primary rlc circuit to create the high voltage build up in the secondary. My tesla coil top page and links to the tesla coil web ring preliminary cautions, notes, warnings, etc. Introduction to theory, design, and construction of aircore resonating transformers. Tesla coil project in this project, youll learn about resonant circuits and how to build oscillators that zero in on a desired region of the resonance. If you are here to learn how to build a sstc, you have come to the right place. Nikola tesla s coil is alive and well today, living in school labs and hobbyists workshops as a tool for learning and experimentation. Tesla coils have been around for almost 100 years and, with the exception of vacuumtube driven coils, not much has changed from the way nikola tesla invented them. Solid state tesla coils and their uses uc berkeley eecs. A very fast 100mhz oscilloscope and a large bag of mosfets are essential. The schematic we are using was made by steve ward, and belongs to him. Lossy capacitors 1 dielectric loss capacitors are used for a wide variety of purposes and are made of many di. You ought to have some skills in building things, as well as electronic knowledge to. This is a simple mechanical assembly, but necessary to stay in compliance with fcc regulations which allow any entity business or individual to assemble up to 3 radio transmitters without requiring a license.
Introduction this is my first solid state tesla coil, so i went with a sturdy and proven schematic made by steve ward. This circuit performs very well for a low power and simple sstc. Tesla coils are always a blast to see and are relativity simple to build. Instead it uses a 555 timer to more efficiently drive a single mosfet. Hey i made tesla coil refring with above circuit diagram when. This circuit is a relatively simple circuit as far as tesla coils go, and is a good place to start for a coiler that is new to solid state drive. A solid state tesla coil does not require this, as it works with mains voltage. They are less louder than conventional tesla coils, yet they can still achieve a respectable output. A tesla coil is a resonating aircore transformer which produces. The design is a clone of steve wards minisstc circuit.
Bruns 5195 hearthstone lane, colorado springs, colorado 80919 received 18 october 1991. What this means is both the secondary circuit the topload. Schematic for the instructablles 8 step solid state tesla coil. With this coil, tesla was able to generate voltages of such magnitude, they would shoot out of the apparatus as bolts of lightning. All the individual components that make up a tesla coil the nst, mmc, spark gaps, etc should be mounted in some sort of chassis, frame, or enclosure. While there are plenty of sites on the subject, michaels newest instructable breaks building a solid state tesla coil. The second is the tank capacitor, which is a highvoltage capacitor that is usually homemade, but can be purchased for a high price from commercial suppliers.
The design and construction a solid state tesla coil a tesla coil powered by transistors instead of a spark gap is not a trivial task. Make a simple solid state tesla coil sstc using our power pulse modulators. Design of solid state tesla coil using 555 timer and. A solidstate lowvoltage tesla coil demonstrator webtuyau. Helpful hints for building solid state tesla coils. Aron koscho has spent much of his life studying the works of nikola tesla. The tesla high frequency coil, its construction and uses.
Unlike the other circuit, this one does not use two huge power transistors and high wattage resistors. Our spheres ship with a 14 20 threaded nut, and that will falicitate mounting to the l2 via an end cap that can fit the l2. As opposed to a basic solidstate tesla coil sstc which. Johnson manhattan, kansas some years ago i developed an interest in tesla coils. Build a solid state version of tesla s famous coil. The subject matter in this file assumes you already have some electronic project knowledge and skills. Tesla coils have been around for almost 100 years and, with th exception of vacuumtube driven coils, not much has changed from the way nikola tesla invented them. They can also be made to play music through its spark, which is a cool effect. Pdf design of solid state tesla coil using 555 timer and irfp.
Designing and building the vermonster mini dualresonant solid. Make a simple solid state tesla coil with a pwmocxi. Micro tesla coil makes a perfect stocking stuffer hackaday. It has similarities to both the traditional tesla coil and to the modern. They are also expensive as they are large and heavy. The difference between a conventional sstc and the drsstc is the. Similar to the two transistor solid state tesla coil already on this site, this solid state tesla coil design uses a normal flyback transformer to generate its high voltage output. Solid state coil driver theory richies tesla coil web page. Infact, nikolateslaalsoconceived amoreadvancedtypeof coil, the magnifying transmitter, which is made of three coils instead of two and which operates in a slightly morecomplicatedmanor. About 100 years ago nikola tesla invented his tesla coil.
As per tesla, the sphere is better for wireless transmission of power. On this website i will explain my recent sstc solidstate tesla coil effort, resulting in a reliable, highly controllable, userfriendly coil that can be configured to put out an astounding variety of different spark effects up to 9. More recently, solid state power electronics have been used to drive tesla coils, allowing much greater control over the arcs and permitting the production of music. Btc3 250 kv tesla coil lightning generator first published by information unlimited transcribed to the electronic media by thallion of swedish infomania a tesla coil is one of the most fascinating electrical display devices to see in operation. About applied tesla technology, inc atti tesla coil. Tuning if the sparkgap is operating, but either a weak discharge or none at all appears at the top of l2, the coil will have to be. The acoustics of tesla coils worcester polytechnic.
We will only discuss the conventional tesla coil, consisting of a spark gap and two tank circuits and called spark gap tesla coil sgtc. Solid state tesla coils, in their earlier stage see my old projects were basically just a power amplifier driving a secondary coil at resonance. Solid state tesla coil schematics and construction notes. The solid state tesla coil is one of the types of tesla coils available. Its a miniature solid state tesla coil thats based on the.
Essentially, the tesla coil is two open electric circuits connected to a spark gap. Pdf the tesla coil is an air coiled transformer which gives high frequency current and voltage output. The purpose of the top load is to act as an antennacapacitor. Pdf wireless power transmission using solid state tesla. The solid state tesla coil is a device which is capable of producing extremely high voltage, high frequency and low amperage alternating current electricity. Solid state tesla coil downloadable plans information. Solid state variac 2005 a variac is a variable transformer used to supply adjustable power for many projects and is invaluable. Secondly, there is the solid state tesla coil design. As the technology developed three general forms of tesla coil emerged. It has several advantages over the more common sparkgap tesla coil. It assumes that the reader has basic knowledge of circuit theory and is primarily aimed at those with some experience in the field of power electronics. Finally, the two fets are driven by the driver chip through an isolating gatedrive transformer, t1. In that updated version of the tesla experiment, an 18volt, 2ampere transformer t1, a bridge rectifier circuit consisting of d1d4, and filter capacitors c1and c3 supply operating power for the coil circuitry.