World's Simplest Solid State Tesla Coil (SSTC): The Full Guide (w/ Plasma Channel + ThePlasmaPrince)
Вставка
- Опубліковано 19 чер 2024
- Enjoy this video? Be sure to check out my latest and greatest Tesla coil tutorial, which shows you how to build your own audio-modulated, class-E musical Tesla coil: • Inventing the Ultimate...
Wanting to build this circuit in a 220-240V region? Check out this video instead! The circuit is nearly identical, but is properly designed for the higher voltages:
• How to make a Tesla co...
Ever wish you could build an amazing, high-performance solid-state Tesla coil without using fancy parts or tons of money? Are you tired of seeing the same old slayer exciter circuits and mini SSTC's with weird voltage demands? Do you dream of something BETTER? WELL DREAM NO LONGER! After perfecting this circuit for a few years, I'm finally ready to share it's secrets with the world! No longer will you suffer from those non-informative, demo-what-I-built videos. By the end of this video, you'll know everything that I know about this super-simple Tesla coil and be able to design and build one of your own! And if that wasn't enough, I also posted my own Instructable on this very circuit, which I encourage you to check out:
www.instructables.com/Simples...
I didn't mention this in my video, but if the coil doesn't work when you power it up, try switching the connections on the primary coil. This will almost always solve the issue!
For this special project, I teamed up with the great minds from Plasma Channel and ThePlasmaPrince to present you with the most information possible about this illusive circuit. Many thanks to both of them for their help! ThePlasmaPrince filmed his own video for this collaboration, which you can watch here: • DIY Easy Solid State T... .
Wanna watch some other wicked science videos? Check out these fine channels!
Plasma Channel:
/ plasmachannel
ThePlasmaPrince:
/ @theplasmaprince8651
Circuit parts used:
IRFP460 (500V, 280W MOSFET):
Digikey ($3.21 per): www.digikey.com/en/products/d...
eBay ($16.05 for 10): www.ebay.com/itm/10pcs-IRFP46...
10A10 diode ($6.45 for 10):
www.ebay.com/itm/10-Pieces-10...
100nF (0.1uF) capacitor ($0.98 per): www.digikey.com/en/products/d...
45.3k 1/4W resistor ($0.10 per): www.digikey.com/en/products/d...
2.2k 1/4W resistor ($0.10 per): www.digikey.com/en/products/d...
1.5ke12 12V TVS diode ($0.59 per): www.digikey.com/en/products/d...
14AWG coated wire (10 feet, $5.41): www.digikey.com/en/products/d...
30AWG magnet wire (783 feet, $10.25): www.digikey.com/en/products/d...
Aluminum 5”x4”x3” enclosure (optional, $10.10): www.digikey.com/en/products/d...
Useful links:
JavaTC Tesla coil designer:
classictesla.com/home/javatc3d/
uzzors2k.4hv.org/
www.loneoceans.com/labs/
stevehv.4hv.org/SSTCindex.htm
www.richieburnett.co.uk/tesla....
0:00 Start
0:28 Circuit intro
1:02 What is resonance??
2:08 How does it work?
4:00 SSTC parts info
7:33 Coils, coupling, and optimization
10:01 Jay talks safety
12:21 Coil demo: Let's LIGHT 'ER UP!
13:44 Colored sparks with chemicals!
14:12 Conclusion and thanks
15:19 Credits
Music used:
"Epic Hard Rock Background Music Intro - Royalty Free Music"
Link: • Epic Hard Rock Backgro...
By Wolf Music
"The Entertainer" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
License: CC BY (creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
Download: incompetech.filmmusic.io/song...
"Red Mist (Thrash metal) Copyright Free Music"
Link: • Red Mist (Thrash metal...
©NADA Copyright Free Music - Наука та технологія
That’s an impressive result! I thought it was an amazing build and great flow of the video.
Thanks Jay, glad you enjoyed it! I'll be optimizing this coil in the next video (and building an adjustable interrupter for it). Feel free to reach out and collaborate again some day, this was a really amazing experience that I'll never forget!
Why didnt you poast a video about this?
hello I can only do 1cm plasma
at 150W what do I have to do to get more plasma?
I have 450 secondary windings of 0.4 mm
and primer 5 turns 2.1mm. That's how I get the best results.
Impressive ?? WTF?! I've seen ppl get several times the output from a 12-24V battery driven version drawing a fraction of the power of this mains powered one, check hyperspace pirate! Yes he did add some gate drive(just two transistor, no chip) and an interrupter though, but still.
3:25 - important safety issue - the secondary and the top load are connected to mains via just the 2k2 resistor, and if the gate isolation breaks down also via only the rectifier.
I recommend using a Class Y safety capacitor to make it not horribly unsafe in case of an accident with the mosfet or when live and neutral are switched. Not all plugs/sockets are polarized properly, and outside of the USA often all plugs are non-polarized.
Correct. By the time I remembered, though, this video had been uploaded, so I just had to settle on posting an updated version to the accompanying Instructable.
Just finished building this coil and it works great! I have about a 2 1/2 - 3 inch spark -Still have to mess around with some of the components to get it working at its best but this def the best video/ instructable on Tesla coils I’ve seen so far- keep up the great work and thank you!
Been looking everywhere for something with a reasonably sized spark, but also an introductory level circuit. This is excellent, thank you!
Really cool video LabCoatz, well done. Awesome to see you guys surpassed 1k subs. Keep putting these videos out and you will be at 1M in no time at all.
I was looking for an easy tesla coil circuit, and by sheer luck i fell on this video. LabCoatz; you're an awesome guy and i cannot thank you enough for this informative and helpfull video. You are truly a legend. Hopefully, il upload a SSTC video on my channel *soon* haha
HUGE thanks bro)
Hey Zach, So i build my new coil. 1900 turns of 0.1 mm wire on a 50mm (diameter) pipe. It has a frequency of 380khz it's resistance is 650 ohm, didn't measure the impedance. The sparks i get from a 65 watt ballast are now over 10 cm in continuous mode (i still have alot room left for adding ballasts :D). Been experimenting with caps, primary turns/ height, ..... Now i found the sweet spot, i'm building the interrupter for it and then i will add a connection for audio input. So for anyone wanting bigger sparks at lower power consumption. More turns, bigger diameter, finer wire,.... it all contributes to that. So my piece of advice build a good secondary then build the circuit. I failed alot in the past just because i was to eager to try these circuits and neglected the secondary coil itself. That was a big mistake. It all starts with the secondary coil and not the circuit. So torturing yourself for hours will pay off in the end. If the secondary is no good. You can fiddle with the circuit all you want. It will not make a big difference as it will with a good secondary. Also the lower frequency the less stress for the components and especially the mosfet. I am going to try to parallel 2 mosfets with this circuit so power consumption is shared. It works wonders in a slayer exciter circuit so i will try with this one too. Just make sure all wires and lenghts to the mosfets are the same for both. I also found metal pill boxes and metal candy containers are good toploads. The 3d printed ones, taped in aluminium where no good and they destroy my rectifier diode every time. Surprisingly the mosfet and other components don't blow up. Always the diode this is ??? to me.
Finished my circuit and it ran for about 2 minutes and died. I assume the MOSFET died but it doesn't look damaged. I will order some new ones and try again. This is great fun and you have been very helpful! This is one of those rare instances where I didn't have to do tons of research to get an "easy" circuit to work.
This circuit is simple yet effective, I love it.
This is a lot of really great information, I once tried making a coil like this but failed because all the information was on some sketchy Russian site. It's great to have someone explain the circuit and all its parts.
Thank you! I just got mine to work today and was very happy.
You really deserve far far more recognition.
Thanks for adding the chemistry component to your demonstration that got me thinking about using my own coil to demo light emissions in my chemistry class. Well done!
Glad I could help inspire you and others! I must say, however, that the colors are best seen with the thick, power sparks from an SSTC. The thinner sparks from a spark gap coil (or an interrupted SSTC variant) don't have the energy or density to produce much noticeable color, as my collaborative partner ThePlasmaPrince found out when he tried it on his SGTC.
Seriously one of the most informative tesla coil channels on UA-cam. Thank you so much for all your help!
No problem! I just feel like the coil community needs how-to's more advanced than the common slayer exciter, you know? Sometime in the future, I hope to combine the dual-resonant SSTC (DRSSTC) and Tesla magnifier to make the world's first TRIPLE resonant SSTC. We'll see what the Internet thinks of that!
@@LabCoatz_Science What kind of properties would that have?!
@@BackMacSci Bigger lightning bolts, my friend! I don't know when I'll be making that though, since I'm currently busy working on my bachelor's degree in chemical engineering and college just got back in session.
@@LabCoatz_Science triple resonant ssctc ?
Wow💯💯💯
Ryan from Magneticitist also does very well on his own as he's deeply rooted into those Tesla coils.
In most of countries (Like mine!), the provided home electricity is 220 V-AC. So, it is convincing that you make a 220V SSTC and introduce its corresponding circuit diagram. Thanks for such an amazing videos.
Nice Build! Well put together video collaboration. Looking forward to seeing more.
Awesome video and collaboration! All I could think while watching was LIGHTNING.🎆👍🏻💪🏻
Was really looking forward to this! Awesome man!
Glad I didn't disappoint! My next video: optimizing this SSTC and building it a universal interrupter!
LabCoatz never disappointed! you’re super thorough with your instructions! I enjoy how you answer allll the important, relevant questions, that likely anyone doing a diy build will end up having, then endlessly searching the internet, just to find the wrong or inaccurate information! 🤪 keep it up brrotherr!
Accurate, detailed and concise explanation.
Very nice guide. Thanks to you my sstc power on again after long time. Thank you vm.
Glad I could help!
this is great! keep up the good work!
Super impressive, dude! Not sure how you don't have more subscribers... but keep up the great work!
Thanks! Next video's coming soon, it'll be the biggest coiler collab on UA-cam! I'm making full-detail video on building a "real" H-Bridge SSTC that can produce 12" sparks and shouldn't cost many people more than $75 to make. I'll even be giving away some PCBs when that vid comes out, so stay tuned!
Informative stuff and a great result. I would just add that to improve safety, you should really use an isolating transformer at the input. Could mean the difference between getting a nasty jolt and cardiac arrest....
Thanks! Later on, to eliminate the risk of getting a mains voltage shock from the secondary coil, I added a small (470pF) capacitor between the base of the secondary coil and the rest of the circuit. The capacitor passes the HF energy so the coil resonates, but blocks DC or lower frequency AC so it can't travel up the coil to give you a shock.
Nice will try this
Hi..! great video, great job.
I loved your tutorial, everything seems simple. 😍
I would like you to make a HFSSTC (plasma candle) circuit with an explanation of his style; it would be great 👍
I'd love to try that sometime! Can't make any promises though, those plasma flame circuits are quite sensitive. I'd love to power one off 120V mains though, THAT would be wicked! I'd also like to make a QCW DRSSTC tutorial one day, but that seems even harder, lol!
😎 Awesome work. Great.
Thanks! My next SSTC video will hopefully be even better (giveaway coming up for it's PCBs)!
I look forward to seeing your interrupter circuit for this SSTC.
Hopefully I won't keep you waiting too long! It really is quite interesting and amazingly simple, if I do say so myself!
Not gonna be able to build this right now sadly but this is neat af.
Such a large collab😲😲💯💯💯
...and the next one will be even bigger!
Watching your videos are always so helpful and enjoyable to watch!
I have a few questions though:
1)can i use a 20-30volt dc source instead? if so do i just remove the ballast, 10A10 diode and it should be good to go?
2.) how many volts dc is the rectified ac voltage?
3.) would using 2 bulbs increase the power?
Hey! I just built this coil and I am LOVING it!! I can’t believe such a simple circuit is making these 4” arcs. Both of your Tesla coil vids have helped me out a ton, and I honestly can’t thank you enough! Also, I don’t mean to be rude or pushy, but do you have an idea as to when you’ll be posting the interrupter tutorial? I’d love to get mine playing some tunes lol. Thanks again! :)
Thanks, glad you like my videos! I'm not sure when the interrupter/upgrade video will be done, I have a few other videos in progress right now, so it may be a while. My next video (as of now) is a tutorial on a "true" SSTC (it will also be UA-cam's biggest Tesla coil collaboration as of yet!), and that will feature an interrupter and hopefully music-playing capabilities. After that, my next video should be about real plasma weaponry (not the showy, ineffectively weak stuff most UA-camrs like to show off), so stay tuned!
Sound great! Looking forward to it ⚡️⚡️
May I ask what are you using for your ballast?
@@tzakl5556 I used an old toroidal transformer from an audio amplifier. It works well, but the mosfet instantly dies when you touch the arcs. I added an SPDT switch to allow me to switch between the high power audio transformer ballast and a 12v transformer from a wall adapter, which makes smaller arcs.
The skin effect is doing nothing for humans at this frequency: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tesla_coil#Skin_effect_myth
You don't feel it because nerves don't react to HF.
It's a very, very common myth.
Excellent video by the way! Talking about why components need specific ratings, and what those ratings need to be, is really great.
Exactly, skin effects don’t work on humans. You won’t feel it because it’s high frequency but It still can cause permanent nerves damage
@@mathysgobeil1592 I got some nice pinprick burns along with the smell of burning flesh from a 12v powered slayer - and it made me jump (or at least pull my finger away pretty quickly).
Hey lab coats, I hope you read this. I’m trying to re create your coil and have had some issues. At first my voltage divider wasn’t outputting the calculated voltage I got, and I attributed that to my input voltage having a drop over the diode which slightly skewed my results. I then started working backwards and testing other components, and shortly noticed something interesting. My input diode wasn’t rated for as much voltage as yours, but still should have held up to mains voltage, so I decided to put 2 in series. After some tests I noticed that the solder between them started to melt when I tested it. I then took one of them out and that seemed to fix the heat issue. Now my voltage after the diode is around 2 volts instead of 120 ish. I thought I might have killed the diode so I tried the other one and still got the same results. My projects dead in the water as it stands and I don’t know what to do. I re built the circuit on new perf board thinking I could have made an issue wiring it the first time but got the same results. Do you have any advise?
Really enjoyed the video guys! Great work! :)
thanks for share your project. before i lost more mosfet.. better i add a 12v zener to the mosfet gate as seen in this video. greet from indonesia
You are awesome 👌 👍im from india...
Hey! Where is our updated SSTC video? Was hoping it would be out by now, patiently waiting!
College is a cruel mistress, my friend. Rest assured, the video is still on it's way, it's just been delayed somewhat by my educational workload. Most of the filming is done, but I'm waiting on some video from my collaborators. I'm also going to be releasing my video at the same time as ThePlasmaPrince and Coil Labs, so my schedule also depends on them. With luck, we should be done in the next month! Don't worry, I'll make it worth the wait! ;)
Hello fellow Zach! I was curious, you had mentioned that your provided circuitry can be distributed by a 17-Amp ballast. You said that the Mosfet heats substantially, does this mean that I should use a different Mosfet? Can I use your given circuitry without upgrading anything? I want a big spark for a Physics 2 demonstration! Great content. Also, what is the recommended diameter of PVC for a 17-Amp Ballast?
I'm looking at making a solid state tesla coil with the secondary being a double cone shape and the primary being a torus wrapped around the middle. I really like the idea of the mosfet gate controlling the resonance but my design makes connecting it a bit tricky.
If its at the tips then that will be the last place the EM field changes, and if it's at the center the primary is likely to interfere with the wire leading to the gate, what part of the secondary coil should be connected to the mosfet gate in this design? Does it even matter since the voltage is responsible for controlling the gate? Thank you.
Great video ⚡⚡
Glad you liked it, hopefully my next coil will put this one to shame, lol!
@@LabCoatz_Science Haha you have to start somewhere. My first coil was so happy to see 1/2in of plasma output then the addiction happen and haven't stop since 😂👍⚡⚡
@@ArcAngelTeslaCoil I hear that! This model was fine, but the FETs pop way too often for my liking at the power levels I want. This circuit is really best for mini SSTC's with discharges only a few inches. We'll see what kind of trouble I can get into with a mid-size SSTC!
Thank u for this video. Such a simple but powerful sstc. How do u add the 555 interrupter? Do u use a driver?
No problem! In this circuit, I didn't add any interrupter (yet...that's in my next video)! The output is self-interrupted, in a way, since the electricity powering it is rectified 120V at 60Hz. This means that the negative half of the alternation is cut off, leaving basically a 50% duty cycle input to the coil without any interrupter circuitry! The only components in this bad boy with silicon are the diode and the MOSFET!
I have a question: in 5:26 by (volts applied) you mean 120v^2 or DC after rectification?
Hello, please do a video on making your own home chemistry set that you could use along with a book such as "all lab no lecture". Like a whole periodic table would be sic as part of it. Think about it
Fantastic! Very nice. Complimenti vivissimi dall' italia. Adoro questi esperimenti e voi avete creato un tutorial molto buono.
This is great but would really like more information about the ballast and where to buy one
If the voltage drop across the ballast is the entire pulsed DC voltage itself, does that mean that the rest of the circuit is shorted? I used a multimeter and tested my circuit and it had a resistance of zero, but I individually tested each component and it was fine.
What changes do I need to make to the circuit if I need to build it using 240v AC in my country?
Hi, i have a MOT (Microwave oven transformer) i was thinking of using it for my tesla coil as the ballast but when i check the resistance on the primary is 1.6 ohms
HI, great video! if i were to build this in the uk, what differences will i need to make other than the balast?
If you want to build it to work in a 220-240V region, I suggest using this version: ua-cam.com/video/MG-pD43i_6A/v-deo.html. It's essentially the same circuit, but it works reliably at higher voltages. Hope that helps!
Cool. I liked Teslista555's 48V 'katcher' a lot and am surprised to see this basic direct gate feedback running at those voltages. Those voltage suppressors are impressive little devices I need to get more of. They do make a nice bang when overworked though. The ebay mosfet struggle is real, pretty sure I've bought from the same vendor as you multiple times and recognize those mosfet markings. Always wondered what difference I might see spending $3.50 a pop or so from digikey. Ebay ones work well when they aren't obliterating tho. I got one of those '027H's on a single fet SSTC, wasn't impressed with them originally til realizing for whatever reason it holds up like a champ at over 220V when the '918's I had wanted to pop.
Nice! My FET's kept blowing up almost every time too, until I realized it was the fault of the resistor/potentiometer I was using. Turns out if you go above 50k or so, the MOSFET blows really quick! Now, with a 47k array, it works like a champ, even with my cheap eBay FETs! They still get quite hot when operated above 1A average current, so in my next video, I'm stepping everything up. I'm going to use a bigger, 3"x14" secondary, 1kW IXYS MOSFETs, an interrupter, and the biggest ballast I can conjure up (if I feel lucky, I might even build it a voltage doubler!). Hopefully I get some nice +12" sparks, stay tuned for that project tutorial!
@@LabCoatz_Science Yea those dividers become a bitch at high voltages. Good luck with the new coil though I'll make sure to check it out.
@@LabCoatz_Science The higher resistance network feeding the gate is likely not able to charge the mosfet gate fast enough, so it never fully turns on by the time it's switched off again. Therefore the gate-drain resistance is much higher than it should be, which would heat it up super fast given the currents passing through it and it would probably quickly burn out. Decreasing the resistance means the mosfet becomes more conductive, but it's possible that it's still not fully turning on given the heat you're seeing.
The RDS(on) for the IRFP460 is 0.27 ohm, and passing 10 A through it fully turned on should see a power dissipation of only 27 W. If the mosfet is getting really hot, either the resistance network feeding the gate can be lowered further to ensure it turns on fully, or the switching losses must be super high. Maybe a mosfet with much lower gate capacitance to lower switching losses might be a better choice, like the 12N60, which has 1/4 the capacitance of the IRFP460. It has a higher a higher RDS(on) of 0.8 ohm, which yields a resistive power loss of 80W, but given the switching losses seem to dominate maybe that tradeoff is worth it?
I assume you tried other mosfets though?
you can also use 555 timer to get precious frequency
Nice sparks
Great tutorial! I just don't get what is a ballast. Can someone explain?
Great video! Except for not going into any details about the ballast except that its necessary. Please put out another video explaining using a transformer or light bulb as a ballast.
Glad you liked it! I put all of the ballast details that you need in this video: it needs to be rated for mains voltage and draw less than 10A when powered (2A to 4A, if you want to be safe). You can use almost anything with those specifications, although my personal recommendation is this heater element from Amazon (or eBay), which pulls just under 10A when connected to 120V:
www.amazon.com/Camco-02583-Screw-Foldback-Element/dp/B0006JLVC6/ref=sr_1_8?crid=3RJEDI3YEAVMG&keywords=heater+element&qid=1653534285&sprefix=heater+element%2Caps%2C98&sr=8-8
And if you look at the circuit diagram, you'll see just how to wire such a ballast (in series with the power source). Hope that helps!
@@LabCoatz_Science You're right. I think I was just upset I could never get it to work. However... now it does! Once again, great video. Loved the collaboration. I follow all three of your channels pretty religiously. Thanks!
I appreciate very much this rare well-done video since online information about SSTCs is always fragmentary and incomplete. I'm building an SSTC by myself following the circuit of Loneocean's SSTC 2, and I wonder how many transistors have you burnt after trying this circuit?
Another question: is light bulb ballasting a good enough alternative to buying a variac (high power ones are always expensive)?
Thanks for the comment! Absolutely, this SSTC doesn't require any variac, just straight mains voltage with something to limit the current (which the lightbulb does nicely). However, to get larger discharges, the lightbulb ballast should be switched out for something that draws more power, like a microwave transformer or heater element (which I used to get those 5" sparks).
I blew up over twenty MOSFETs testing this circuit, but all the deaths stemmed from the same source: my resistor array was larger than 50kohms! Once I lowered the total resistance of that array to under 50k, everything worked AMAZING! That's why I stressed using resistors under 50k: excessively high resistance leads to MOSFET deaths. If you build this circuit and use a resistor array under 50kohms, then it should work on basically the first try without dying, no matter the size of the other components. Hope that helps, I highly recommend building this circuit. I'll be posting another video in the future in which I hook this circuit up to an interrupter, optimize its design, and hopefully get 12" sparks from it. Stay tuned for that!
@@LabCoatz_Science Thank you!
Waiting for the Interrupter 🤩🤩
At 3:25 3-4 turns of primary directly connected to 120 volt live line, could it not have created a short circuit and blowing up your fuse?
Can u say how to connect ballast with the circuit and further process plss
Hi can you explain why the preferred gate voltage is around the 5v threshold. Souldn't a Mosfet be driven to saturated voltage instead of the minimum. I don't understand why in this circuit we must reverse this method??? Also i use a capacitor in parallel to the primary coil for back emf and better current. The same method they use brushed, dc motors.
If you fully saturate the MOSFET, it will simply be "on", and no switching will occur. You want the voltage at the gate to be right around or just over the threshold (I can't give an exact number, since every FET is slightly different, but 5V seems like a good number...although I have seen 12V used in other circuits) so that the relatively small signal from the secondary coil base will be able to pull the gate above and below threshold easily. The capacitor across the primary coil is definitely a good idea, although I've never tried it myself. If I recall correctly, this circuit was quite fussy when I tried altering the capacitor, so to protect the MOSFET, I just used a 400V TVS diode across the drain and source (my updated schematic for this build can be found on Instructables). This actually worked wonders, and every time the MOSFET would have blow, the cheaper TVS diode blew instead.
Hi there. I just wanna ask whether I can use 1 micro Farad CBB caps instead of those 0.82/600v caps? Coz I have only got some 1uF/600V CBB only.
Sure. Like I said in the video, most capacitors between 0.1uF and 5uF will work in this simple circuit. The voltage can also be quite a bit lower with this circuit; my capacitor was only rated for 250V.
can I use IRF640 Mosfet as a replacement to IRFP460 connected to the main 220v ?
IRFP460 is rated VDSS = 500V, VGS = 20V
IRF640 is rated VDSS = 200V, VGS = 20V
can this circuit light up a 12v bulb as well?
100% awesome
Glad you enjoyed it! I'll be making it even better in the next video!
@@LabCoatz_Science hey labcoatz i was wondering if we could do a collab video together, maybe a complete guide on how to build a TEA nitrogen laser out of garbage?
thanks,
Walden from NerdLabs
@@NerdlabsSci I'd love to collaborate with you Walden! I might even have a COOLER idea for us to work on. If your parents are alright with it, you can send me an email at zlabcoatz@gmail.com, and we can begin planning from there!
Fantastic video.
Would it be possible to run two or more fets in parallel with a larger balast to increase output power and spark length? If so, would the other component values have to be modified or would they still work?
Putting FETs in parallel is generally a bad idea, since slight differences in switching time can cause one FET to take the brunt of the energy and die. That's not to say that this circuit can't be scaled to massive proportions though! In my next video, I'll be jamming a 1kW MOSFET into this circuit (which can be bought on Digikey for $7); adding an interrupter, larger secondary, and maybe even a voltage doubler; and hopefully getting over 12" sparks from this circuit. Stay tune for that, hopefully it will answer most of your questions!
@@LabCoatz_Science Oh that sounds perfect. When can we expect the next video?
@@nicklee8907 Hopefully within the next month or so. I already have all the parts, I just have a lot of building, filming, and editing to do! I'm hoping to get the final product looking very sleek and professional, extremely powerful, and super user-friendly (somewhat of a rare combination among most SSTC builds, in my opinion). Hope it gets shared around when it comes out, I think the Tesla coil community could really use such a tutorial!
Hey very nice video, i've learned a lot from it and i have a doubt. How does a ballast increases the output? Doesn't it decrease the current?
It doesn't increase the output, it is used to limit the current entering the device so the MOSFET doesn't explode. A larger ballast with less resistance/impedance will lead to more current flow and therefore more output compared to a smaller ballast though, if that's what you're referring to.
@@LabCoatz_Science Oh i see, thats what i was referring to, thank you
Zack, are you using a 2 wire 120v power cable with the hot connected to the diode > cap connecting to the gate? With the neutral connected at the source pin on the mosfet? Also, just to clarify, the power input of the primary coil is connected to the gate of the mosfet, and ending at the drain?
Im using a 50k 3 lug pot, is the left ground terminal not used? Btw your vid and guide has been extremely helpful!
Thanks in advance
Glad I could help! Yes, the hot is connected to the diode side and the neutral is connected to the source. It will work no matter how you connect the hot and neutral, but this way is the safest. The primary coil is connected to the drain of the MOSFET, but not directly to the gate (its only contact with the gate is through the resistor array). Instead, its other end is connected to the positive input from the power source and the top end of the capacitor (as shown in the schematic).
If you are using the 50k pot as the sole resistor in this circuit, all 3 terminals are used. If you want to see the schematic with a potentiometer in it, I'd recommend checking out ThePlasmaPrince's half of this collaboration: ua-cam.com/video/9b9QqnwCchU/v-deo.html.
@@LabCoatz_Science Zack, thank you for the reply! Got it. If I were to use a 3 wire AC cord could I connect the cord ground to the pot ground? I have an awesome circuit updated. Ill find you on FB and send you a few pics!
@@KDewees91 No problem! If you use a three-cable cord, the ground isn't used. Connecting it to the pot ground wouldn't help any, and if anything, it would just trip your home's GFCI or burn up the pot.
I wonder why in this particular configuration the inductive voltage spikes when turning off the FET aren't a problem.
Try to do this with rectified voltage and interrupter, the FET will blow up instantly, even with 1200+V ratings and TVS diodes across the source/drain at mere 140V DC supply voltage 🤔
I have. In fact, that's my next video in line: adding an interrupter I built into this circuit and making it even bigger! I've tested it with the interrupter and the results are impressive to say the least. I also tested the voltage peaks during operation using my oscilloscope, and they all tend to fall below 300V. I imagine when they do jump above 500V or so, the MOSFET's internal flyback diode kicks in and neutralizes most of the more powerful voltage transients. That's just my theory though!
Great video. Since I've built sgtc i wanted to build sstc, but with less components. I live in 220v outlet country, so I'm asking should i first make 220v to 120v inverter or I can just use components with double rating (except capacitor capacitance and mosfet). I've found some similar circuit diagrams, with same mosfet, but I think this one is better than others.
Glad to hear it! For 220V or 240V countries, I recommend this design: ua-cam.com/video/MG-pD43i_6A/v-deo.html. It is almost identical to my own, but modified to make it operate off of the higher voltages (and with improved output). Hope that helps, good luck!
Thanks on fast reply. It should help!
You would get a better output if you added an electrolytic capacitor to your film capacitor. The film capacitor is not good at reducing ripple currents at maims frequency but can filter the spikes caused by high frequency pulsed intake from the circuit. Adding an electric cap of 200V about 100uF will help maintain a more stable current and the film cap will handle your high frequency interference. Also, the circuit couldn't work without the cap because without it you have a half wave pulsed DC. So the voltage goes to zero occasionally. So if you switch at the high resonant frequencies, you will have multiple cycles with no power. So the circuit can't really work.
Hi again, I'm thinking to try your setup. But I'm living outside of USA and we have 220 V on wall socket. So my question is: do I need to have/buy different voltage and current values of the circuit parts from you used? Thanks in advance.
Yes, you will need slightly different component values. This video actually explains what you'll need to do very well: m.ua-cam.com/video/MG-pD43i_6A/v-deo.html
@@LabCoatz_Science Thank you vey much for your quick reply. I just came across this morning the website you mentioned. We are in resonance mentally as well :)) Greetings..
What are the calculations for a snubber Network, i want to protect my MOSFET
can i use multiple weaker mosfets im paralel? or do i have to use a big one, i was planning om using 5 TIP31C mosfets
TIP31C will not work in this circuit, since the maximum rated voltage of this transistor is 100V, and this circuit is designed to operate well above that. Additionally, you CAN put weaker MOSFETs in parallel, but that is generally not a good solution (differences in switching time tend to cause one MOSFET to take most of the abuse, leading it to die almost as fast as it would alone).
@LabCoatz thanks for letting me know, great channel btw!
hello I can only do 1cm plasma
at 150W what do I have to do to get more plasma?
I have 450 secondary windings of 0.4 mm
and primer 5 turns 2.1mm. That's how I get the best results.
the coil isnt very good you need to use thinner wire for secondary 0.4mm is too much
Can i use a voltage doubler with 1N5408 diodes and 1uf polypropelene cap?
In theory, if significant modifications are made to the resistor array and the circuit is heavily ballasted, thoroughly heatsinked, and designed correctly. In practice, this circuit rarely survives over 300V like what would come from a simple doubler.
Great vid
Do u think a 1k pot will work
@@bebored9420 Only if your running below 50V or so, like with Keystone Science's version of this circuit.
Yo thanks a lot for replying to my comment! What potentiometer value would you recommend with running the coil off of 120 v?
@@bebored9420 Anything between 25-50K should be fine, with lower resistances working best! I'd recommend a wattage rating of 1/4W or more (more is better!).
Thanks!
I have a poliester capacitor 0,33uf 600V , it will work?
Sure will!
Nice
Glad you liked it, I'm a personal fan of your channel and work!
@labcoatz_science does the coil work with 110v as well?
You could just use a arduino and pulse JUST the Primary LC circuit with a capacitor and coil at the same or CLOSE to the same values as possible with a ground TAP or Connection In between the coil and capacitor and pulse the lc circuit at the right Frequency you could get higher voltages in the primand even more higher voltages in the secondary. I.e. Nicholas Tesla's magnifying transformer.
Using a pot on the gate is the way to go, just be sure to turn it to the off position before powering the circuit.
Dunno.... What's serving as a ballast? And getting a ballast versus an IC driver.... Is that really such a big difference?
I like the project though. Will definitely try it out.
I've used a lot of things as ballasts, although I usually recommend a 1kW heating element, as it is a simple resistive ballast. Definitely not as cheap/efficient as a IC-driven SSTC, but its simplicity makes this coil good for beginners or people looking for an easy Tesla coil project. I'm currently working on a class-E coil with a proper driver IC though, so hopefully I'll have an improved single-FET design out soon!
@@LabCoatz_Science Nice! Looking forward to it.
If you have it can you use 12 volt dc and not use the rectifier diode?
With some modification, yes. You'd basically just need to swap the resistors with a single 1K potentiometer. Keystone Science has an excellent video on this under "Desktop Tesla Coil" or something similar.
@@LabCoatz_Science thank you a lot I’ve been trying to figure this out before trying to make a Tesla coil and you are the only one who answered my question so thanks.
Hello dear friend, finding a TVS diode in my country is difficult. What diode can I use instead?
Basically any that is rated for 12V and as high a wattage/current that you can get. Or, like I said in the video, two 12V zener diodes wired in opposing directions. Just look up "12V zener" or "12V TVS", and you should find what you're looking for!
ua-cam.com/video/hYDHUbgvw08/v-deo.html
I finally managed to make it😍
What about 230v mains? It depends on ballast resistor?
I'll be posting the full details for a 240V model in my next video, when I equip this coil with a larger secondary, a super simple interrupter, and a voltage doubler (to convert my 120VAC to over 240VDC). I few more changes will be necessary besides changing out the ballast (the resistor array will need some adjustment, mostly).
You forgot having the secondary connected to GROUND
2. SPHERE On the top load with a very high vacuum to connect to the atmosphere. Which will allow the Tesla coil to connect to other Tesla coils.
Zack, how would you hook up a 120mm 12v fan to the heat sink? Does it just run wirelessly off of the Tesla coil itself?
Thanks in Advance
I didn't directly connect the fan to the heatsink, just to the metal body of the coil with some small screws I had lying around. It was powered by a 9V battery, which ran it fine even though it was rated for 12V. In order to run off the coil's wireless energy, it would've required an elaborate receiver circuit. If you want suggestions on how to connect a similar fan to a heatsink, I'd recommend either drilling holes into it, tapping them, and screwing the fan on (the hard approach) or using a strong adhesive (I recommend JB Weld) to more permanently bond the fan to the heatsink. Hope that helps!
@@LabCoatz_ScienceThank you for the quick reply! im looking at the 4 wire cooling master heatsink with the fan installed, mounting the MOSFET on top. I'll send you a link to it. My question would be how to run a 4 wire fan on a 9 volt?
www.ebay.com/itm/Cooler-Master-RR-212S-20PK-R1-Hyper-212-Black-Edition-CPU-Air-Cooler-4-120mm/264756799195?_trkparms=aid%3D1110006%26algo%3DHOMESPLICE.SIM%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D231066%26meid%3Daf7151b903dc40ce835d46ad3e6ae969%26pid%3D100935%26rk%3D2%26rkt%3D12%26mehot%3Dco%26sd%3D174629603405%26itm%3D264756799195%26pmt%3D1%26noa%3D0%26pg%3D2332490%26algv%3DSimplAMLv5PairwiseWebWithDarwoV3BBEV2b%26brand%3DCooler+Master&_trksid=p2332490.c100935.m2460
Also, can you run this setup with a 10 amp 1000w variac as a ballast, considering you have the right mosfet and cap?
@@KDewees91 That's a mighty respectable heatsink! Honestly, I'd be somewhat scared to get it! Aside from the ~$30 investment, it might be that it requires a specialized input from some kind of controller. I've found a few motors like that in the past, and I could never get them working off pure DC. I'd personally look for a DC motorized heatsink with only 2 input pins, but that's just me! And yes, I would think you could use a variac as a ballast.
@@LabCoatz_Science Thank you so much Zack!
Is that efficient?
What do you mean by coupling? Can you explain what is tight coupling and how to achieve it?
If you look up information on transformers, you'll find that coupling is essentially how much magnetic flux from the primary coil crosses paths with the secondary coil. You can used JavaTC to calculate it, as I clearly showed in the video, and it is mostly dependent on the distance between the primary and secondary coil centers and the primary diameter. If the primary is positioned close to the secondary coil's middle and it has a tighter diameter, then the coupling will be very high. A good range for coupling, as I mentioned, is 0.4 or less (under 0.3 to be safe). Any higher and the coils will tend to arc over.
@@LabCoatz_Science thank you!
I don't see a link for the 10A10 diode. Did I miss it? Digikey does not seem to have it.
Thanks for notifying me, I totally missed that component! I put a new link in my description to the 10A10's I used (you can get 10 off eBay for only $7). Hope that helps!
@@LabCoatz_Science I just purchased mine from Amazon.... BTW, I loved the the clip you had from Back to the Future! I have a DeLorean that I converted to eLectric power...
@@daviddelman9905 Nice! I didn't get a copyright strike for using it, so I'm super glad for that. For the life of me, I couldn't find any stock footage on UA-cam of people flipping switches or turning dials. Hope Spielberg doesn't mind, lol!
Oh and it has Tesla batteries...
Fantastic video! I'd like to build such a coil but have 230V at home. I know you put the link to the video with the modified coil in the description, but the circuit diagram has some changes from the diagram on your website. I'd like to ask you if you could explain to me these changes. I am a beginner in Tesla coils and understand how dangerous they are, so I want to know exactly what every component does before even searching for them.
Honestly, I'm unable to explain everything, but I do know the function of a few things. The thyristor and its surrounding circuitry (a few resistors, a variable resistor, and a capacitor) are for interrupting the coil, which helps keep the power consumption lower and keep the MOSFET healthy. The two TVS diodes are for protecting the MOSFET (my newer renditions also include these...trust me, they're worth it), and I *THINK* the nearby diodes and resistors serve a similar purpose (D3, D4, R5, R6). Everything else is just part of the standard SSTC design like I showed in this video.
A quick note though: coils like this (single MOSFET, no driver) tend to die VERY easily, and are honestly a bit frustrating to work with. If you want to avoid wasting money blowing MOSFETs and get better results, I personally recommend checking out some of my newer SSTC models (which can all handle 240V easily) in more recent videos. I provide links to all of the parts, detailed instructions, and even the PCB files so you can order your own PCBs for easier assembly (only $5 from JLCPCB.com). Hope that helps, good luck!
@@LabCoatz_Science Thank you. If I may ask further, I see he has no capacitor on the secondary coil, but you do. What its purpose is? It feels to me like the coil will work without it the same.
@@tatrankaska2305 Since the secondary coil is connected directly to the main circuit instead of to ground like a standard Tesla coil, there is a risk that the 120V (or 240V) powering the coil will travel through the coil and into whoever is touching the sparks or the coil. To prevent this, I added a small capacitor (I think 470pF and over 250V in mine) to block DC and low-frequency AC, but allow the high frequencies from the secondary to still reach the MOSFET gate and cause resonant switching.
@@LabCoatz_Science so can be 470pF used in the 230V circuit? To stop current from entering the secondary coil, could a diode be used too?
@@tatrankaska2305 Nah, diode won't work since this we're dealing with AC signals. And yes, a 470pF should work fine at any voltage! In fact most capacitors below 0.1uF rated for the correct voltage should work!
Bro can i use igbt in this circuit i like to use 25n120 igbt
Maybe, I've never tried. Wouldn't really help this circuit much though, no matter how powerful the transistors are, this circuit always finds a way to destroy them if you're not running at low-power.
I know this is a risky experimental idea (what you do already is), but have you considered experimenting with plasma and propulsion? In other words, incorporating plasma with rocketry.
I have! Unfortunately, most plasma propulsion methods would only be effective in space, since they require a vacuum. And at atmospheric pressure, you'd probably use so much energy that it wouldn't be space-efficient (at least compared to propulsion methods that rely on chemical energy).
@@LabCoatz_Science Sorry for the late reply, I guess I should have said plasma assisted combustion of molecules versus solely a ion system. I have worked on such space systems..yes power is really the only thing holding us back from moving around larger things. I've been thinking about laser power transfer for that but having a straight enough laser for space is hard. On board heat driven turbines also
How did you put the chemicals on the end of the metal stick?
The easiest way is to slightly dampen the salts (powders work better than grainy crystals, fyi) and then roll the metal electrode tip in the paste. However, I wanted a more permanent setup, so I just blowtorched the chemicals until they melted and then fused the molten salts to the electrodes. Hope that helps!
@@LabCoatz_Science I tried the circuit with about 70 - 90 volt dc and the MOSFET heated very fast, so I added an interuoter with a simple 555 timer and a MOSFET and it works great, now I'm trying to add music
I would like to use a VPS230-570 class B transformer for a ballast but I am not sure how to wire it. Any suggestions?
Look at the schematics/datasheets and wire it up like this: both primaries in parallel, both secondaries in parallel. This should give you 120V out at about 1-2A (probably a little more, if you load it heavily). Hope that helps!
@@LabCoatz_Science That I think I understand but in your schematic, you only show one wire connecting to a "resistor" which represent your ballast and one out. If I do what you suggest, I have two wires on each side of the transformer. Thanks for the quick reply by the way.
@@denislanglais9434 The transformer you suggested outputs 120V, so in theory, hooking the coil directly up to the transformer's secondary should provide both ballasting and isolation from mains. I thought that's what you were going for.
Can we use Irfz44n Mosfet?
No, its maximum voltage rating is much too low (under 100V). It is also made for very low power circuits. IRFP460's are probably your best bet, but other options are certainly available. Just look for ones that meet the criteria I outlined, and you should be fine!
Where i live the voltage is 220v and not 120v, is there other way to obtain the 120v?
Well, you could buy a stepdown transformer to lower the voltage, but that would honestly be a bit expensive. If you live in a 220-240V region, I recommend checking out this circuit: ua-cam.com/video/MG-pD43i_6A/v-deo.html. It is essentially the same as my circuit, but it is designed for 220-240V use (and the spark output is bigger due to the higher input voltage!).
@@LabCoatz_Science oh thanks! I didn't expect that fast of a response jaja
I really like how electricity changes color the same way fire does
I'm adding the color red in tomorrow's video! ;)
@@LabCoatz_Science cool
How does one safely discharge the capacitors on a tesla coil after use?
No need, they will always discharge themselves since they are in parallel with the resistor array (or potentiometer), which automatically bleeds off the charge.
what if you added many more coils?