| Author |
Message |
|
Joined: June 21, 2002
Posts: 1682
Submissions: 72
Location: Idaho
|
| Built a new Tesla Coil (large pics) |
|
| Posted on Sun Jan 01, 2012 5:35 pm |
Link to Post:  |
|
I figured I'd share this for the fun of it. I built this coil several months ago, and finally got some decent pictures. These are long-exposure images, and don't reflect the actual functionality of the coil, but they sure do look cool!
The sparks reach out to ~28", 2x the resonator winding length, which I suppose is respectable for such a small (450 Watt) coil. The whole thing, including its base, stands about 30" tall.
I'll post different images as they come.
~Mical~  |
|
|
kaeru
 [ Big Voice ]
Joined: November 16, 2009
Posts: 161
Submissions: 3
Location: Finland
|
|
|
| Posted on Sun Jan 01, 2012 6:39 pm |
Link to Post: |
|
OHHHH, Eyegasm!!
My husband wants to build one, but the insurance company keeps telling him no 
Only one word can make me angry, and trust me dear, you can't pronounce it. |
|
|
Joined: September 02, 2010
Posts: 380
Submissions: 16
Location: Freiburg (Germany)
|
|
|
| Posted on Sun Jan 01, 2012 8:01 pm |
Link to Post: |
|
| Do want ^^ reminds me of the good old computergame 'red alert' i loved those tesla coils... |
|
|
Joined: July 23, 2006
Posts: 2146
Submissions: 95
Location: Standish, Michigan, USA
|
|
|
| Posted on Sun Jan 01, 2012 8:31 pm |
Link to Post: |
|
That is really cool, Mical!!
|
|
|
stitchy
 [ Voice ]
Joined: April 18, 2011
Posts: 63
Submissions: 15
Location: Quitman, Texas
|
|
|
| Posted on Sun Jan 01, 2012 11:54 pm |
Link to Post: |
|
| That is so awesome!! I would love to have something like that in my house!! |
|
|
Joined: June 21, 2002
Posts: 1682
Submissions: 72
Location: Idaho
|
|
|
| Posted on Mon Jan 02, 2012 11:39 pm |
Link to Post: |
|
Thanks for the uplifting comments, guys.
For the last few years, I've fiddled around with several shapes and sizes of these things, and they're not terribly difficult to make. There are lots of resources on the internets available to anyone. I'll make myself a resource if anyone wants a personal contact.
One big thing to note if you'd like to build your own would be that these things can be dangerous in many ways. The sparks aren't terribly dangerous, believe it or not. I've touched them, and even allowed hundreds of thousands of volts to go across my heart, and haven't died (so far as I can tell) BUT the sparks are hotter than the surface of the sun and can cause little burns to bare flesh. The biggest danger is the flat spiral coil near the bottom. When the machine is energized, touching the flat coil (aka primary coil) can cause instant death. Other dangers include huge amounts of UV light, very loud noise and clouds of ozone gas.
Other than that stuff...they're great!
I've been wanting to get more pics up, but the memory card for my camera took a dump, so we'll have to wait for a short bit. |
|
|
savagepastry
 [ Ringlet ]
Joined: January 1, 2012
Posts: 14
Submissions: 0
Location: in my own little world...
|
|
|
| Posted on Tue Jan 03, 2012 2:09 am |
Link to Post: |
|
| ~Mical~ wrote: | | The sparks aren't terribly dangerous, believe it or not. I've touched them, and even allowed hundreds of thousands of volts to go across my heart, and haven't died (so far as I can tell) |
actually, the volts are harmless. it's the amps you need to worry about.
sounds tasty |
|
|
Joined: June 21, 2002
Posts: 1682
Submissions: 72
Location: Idaho
|
|
|
| Posted on Tue Jan 03, 2012 5:33 am |
Link to Post: |
|
| Quote: | | actually, the volts are harmless. it's the amps you need to worry about. |
That phrase is a huge load of crap. Volts cause Amps. Please watch this video: http://www.afrotechmods.com/videos/its_not_the_volts_that_kill_you.htm
[edit] I'm going to go ahead and clear this up now to avoid guff later. A TC is nothing to be toyed with. Without taking the proper precautions, even a small one can kill you. I've been studying them for years now, and that study includes LOTS of high voltage safety procedure. I know what I'm doing. For anyone considering building one, I highly recommend learning ALL you can about them before even starting to buy supplies. Your pain is not my fault.
PSA: Don't do anything, at any time, for any reason. You might get hurt. |
|
|
savagepastry
[ Ringlet ]
Joined: January 1, 2012
Posts: 14
Submissions: 0
Location: in my own little world...
|
|
|
| Posted on Sat Jan 07, 2012 2:51 am |
Link to Post: |
|
if the volts cause amps, how could you have allowed hundreds of volts to shock you and live?
sounds tasty |
|
|
Joined: August 30, 2008
Posts: 2590
Submissions: 20
Location: Mississauga, ON, Canada
|
|
|
| Posted on Sat Jan 07, 2012 4:59 am |
Link to Post: |
|
Volts don't quite cause Amps, but they have a symbiotic relationship.
I=V/R
That is... Current (Amps) equals Volts Divided by Resistance.
Go read http://www.allaboutcircuits.com/vol_1/chpt_3/4.html to find out just how little current (MILLIamps) is required to kill you from a 120v circuit.
|
|
|
Joined: September 02, 2010
Posts: 380
Submissions: 16
Location: Freiburg (Germany)
|
|
|
| Posted on Sat Jan 07, 2012 8:07 am |
Link to Post: |
|
| ~Mical~ wrote: | | Quote: | | actually, the volts are harmless. it's the amps you need to worry about. |
That phrase is a huge load of crap. Volts cause Amps. Please watch this video: http://www.afrotechmods.com/videos/its_not_the_volts_that_kill_you.htm
[edit] I'm going to go ahead and clear this up now to avoid guff later. A TC is nothing to be toyed with. Without taking the proper precautions, even a small one can kill you. I've been studying them for years now, and that study includes LOTS of high voltage safety procedure. I know what I'm doing. For anyone considering building one, I highly recommend learning ALL you can about them before even starting to buy supplies. Your pain is not my fault.
PSA: Don't do anything, at any time, for any reason. You might get hurt. |
This is a really good advice that should be kept in mind by anyone who wants to have something like this.... i dont thimk that i would actually build something like this, but after this warning, it is a definite no. With my two left hands (when it comes to heat and electricity) this thing could be called a kleriker-selfkill-device -.-'' damn shame, so pretty |
|
|
Joined: June 21, 2002
Posts: 1682
Submissions: 72
Location: Idaho
|
|
|
| Posted on Sat Jan 07, 2012 6:14 pm |
Link to Post: |
|
| Quote: | | if the volts cause amps, how could you have allowed hundreds of volts to shock you and live? |
Even a little static shock can be several thousand volts initially. It doesn't kill people because the voltage drops -very- quickly, and when voltage drops, current drops. During the first instant of a little static shock the current can be as high as several amps, but drops to zero within the tiniest fraction of a second, so fast in fact that it doesn't cause damage.
A small TC is similar. It has such a high internal resistance, and the impulses are so fast, that even though the current may initially be 100A, it drops off so quickly it doesn't kill. Larger TCs can more easily kill and even a small one can if one really screws it up.
If Amperage was the only thing to watch out for, car batteries would carry big electrical shock warnings. In a circuit involving a car battery and a starter, the current can be 100A or more, so why doesn't this kill people? People don't (normally) die from touching 12V batteries because the voltage is too low to overcome your body's internal resistance enough to cause a lethal current. Now, if you lower your body's resistance by jabbing the battery terminals into gaping holes in your arms, you can potentially kill yourself with a 12V car battery.
Ultimately, the deadliness of a shock has to do with the total resistance of the circuit involved, and the duration of the shock impulse.
| Quote: | | Volts don't quite cause Amps, but they have a symbiotic relationship. |
Actually, yes, they do. It's impossible to have a current that's not being pushed by volts. Voltage is like electrical pressure, and if the pressure is zero, there can be no current.
Thanks very much for that link too. It's a good'n. |
|
|
savagepastry
[ Ringlet ]
Joined: January 1, 2012
Posts: 14
Submissions: 0
Location: in my own little world...
|
|
|
| Posted on Mon Jan 09, 2012 2:33 am |
Link to Post: |
|
ahhh i get it... how much wire did you use to make that?
sounds tasty |
|
|
Joined: June 21, 2002
Posts: 1682
Submissions: 72
Location: Idaho
|
|
|
| Posted on Mon Jan 09, 2012 3:58 am |
Link to Post: |
|
| The flat spiral of wire at the bottom is ~27' of 6ga copper. The tall, thin secondary coil is a single layer of ~573.3' of 28ga enameled copper on a PVC form. |
|
|
Joined: May 08, 2010
Posts: 1112
Submissions: 11
Location: Chesapeake, VA, USA
|
|
|
| Posted on Mon Jan 09, 2012 6:55 pm |
Link to Post: |
|
| Awesome pictures Mical! I too would never build one because I'm slightly terrified of electricity...but I LOVE looking at them. So pretty.... |
|
|
