How to build a Tesla Coil

This Instructable will walk you through building a medium sized Tesla coil.

Step 1 DANGER

Unlike some other high voltage experiments, a Tesla coil's streamers can be very harmful. If you are shocked by the streamers, you will not feel pain, but your circulatory and nervous system can sustain severe damage. DO NOT TOUCH IT WHILE ON UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES.

Also, I don't take any responsibility for you hurting yourself.

This isn't to say that you shouldn't get into high voltage though, its just that if you are planning for this to be your first HV project, its a little to involved. Instead, try out a nice microwave oven transformer, and be safe!

Comments

[Catahoula]

Can someone give a specific (non-bidding, ex. ebay) website that I could get an NST?

Which model did you use in your's DevCoder?

[Catahoula]

Also, is there any trick to wiring the top conductor?
Does it change if I am using a toroid, sphere, or semishere?

[disappearingshadow]

I was wondering if I could please have a copy of the PDF file please. I'm gonna make this for my high school engineering class :)

[DevCoder]

File -> print

[Mastermates]

http://www.calorserv.ro/produse/Piese-de-schimb-Centrale-Termice/Transformatoare/transformator-trk2-30PVD-cofi-COFTRK230PVD
is this one ok?
(use google translate)

[DevCoder]

No, you need an older iron core style transformer. Look for shipping weights of 10-20 lbs. Your best bet is eBay.

[Mastermates]

I really need some help. I have to build a tesla coil until 18-19th this month for science festival. I have gathered all the materials, I have all building plans printed out, but I have one problem. I do not know what transformer to use and how many capacitors. I have to mention few things:
1. The electricians here never heard about NSTransformer or the other transformer you have mentioned, so I have no idea what to buy, I could use some pieces of advice (money doesn't matter). (an easy thing would be an example around the house (like some part of a tv or so..) so I could buy from a tv repairing shop (for example).
2. I can get any capacitors I need but I don't know which type, I got one, just to familiarize me with them, which is a 680 uF (and other details wrote on it like : I (or 1) PRS, eg 7475, +VN 63, and on the last row "1 1978")
3. I have a 8-9cm diameter pvc tube which is 1-1.1m long (coiled).

I would like to know for the first coil too, if the 2nd coil is that which I mentioned upper, how should I build the first one? (how long,, coil..)

[Rebreg]

Could I use capacitors instead of bottles

[disappearingshadow]

When i wrap the glass bottle with foil do i also cover the bottom? What can i do to avoid using a aluminum tray? can I just attach a piece of wire to the aluminum foil of each of the bottles?

[R.A.T.M]

So what do u do with the botom of the secondary coil just let it sit there or what do u attach it 2

[FreezeNotice]

Excuse me, my NST doesnt have a pull cord to turn it on its just something like this http://www.ebay.com/itm/Allanson-9000-V-9KV-30ma-Neon-Sign-Transformer-NST-Tesla-Coil-Jacobs-Ladder-/180857678565?pt=BI_Circuit_Breakers_Transformers&hash=item2a1bf52ae5

how do i turn it on or off?

[prussell3]

Couldn't using salt water in the capacitor have the potential to cause a build up of explosive hydrogen gas? With high voltage sparks flying around, explosive gases would not be a good thing.

Thanks for hearing my worry

[ccoote]

Is it possible to make it produce different sounds and possibly make music?

[Mudbud]

If you can't figure out how to wire this from the diagram, you should NOT be playing around with high voltage. Please take the time and learn how.

[smoothisfast1]

I am getting a nice spark gap and EM field, but no sparks out of the top. I am using a 12kv neon transformer and ten saltwater capacitors. Someone said that it won't work with a solid state transformer. Is this my problem. Or am I hooking up something wrong. The instructions say to hook up the positive to one end of the primary coil and the negative to the other end of the primary coil. I only get a spark gap when I hook the positive to one end of the primary coil and nothing to the other end. What am I doing wrong?

[wzheng1]

I have experimented with wine and beer bottles. but when I hook them up with my 4kv NST, the electricity leaks between the bottle and the alumnium foil outside. any body knows why?

[smoothisfast1]

Either your foil is too close to the positive lead, or your oil isn't keeping the charge from arching out of the top. Probably the former.

[wzheng1]

I made my capacitor like the one in the middle of image. I tried with wine bottles and beer bottles and snapple bottles. all experience the same phenomenon. The outside foil has a 3 inch gap to the top lead which goes to the inside.
should I use aluminum tape instead of foil?

[smoothisfast1]

I used aluminum tape, simply because it was easier to work with. Not sure that is your problem though.

[fun bags]

Make sure there all together tightly and make sure there in something all metal or you could just have to much salt.

[wzheng1]

too much salt breaks the caps too?

[makincoolstuff]

you tube geek group bucket capacitor. these work fantastically.

[djbaha]

Hey,what's that black box in the left down corner? I need its voltage to make tesla coil. I think it's kinda transformer.. Message me please.

[fun bags]

it is a transformer but dont get A SOLID STATE TRANSFORMER IT WONT WORK

[MRBADASS]

i have a question, how did u ground the secondary coil??

[fun bags]

hook it up to the capiciters

[bigdog19952]

im confused wher does the secondary get attatched?

[kve23]

it doesnt get attached the primary creates some kind of electronic field absorbed by the secondary

[fun bags]

exactly

[adamnsmith]

ya bigdog19952 is right it doesn't say anything about where to connect the secondary. and not much description for the primary )=

[jj.inc]

The schematic really helps, I had no idea either before it. Basically attach the primary across the two neon sign transformer HV outputs and the primary you. The secondary has one end attached to the base plate, and the other goes to the discharge dome.

[adamnsmith]

wait i forgot but is the base plate the nst because my dad made his transformer from scratch and that only has one outlet and i have to hook up the ground seperately from an extention cord and like devcoder said that if you hook the primary to the secondary then your whole house will get fried. after i posted those comments before i thought that the primary connects to the top load (circular metal discharge thing), and the topload then connects to the secondary coil and the secondary coil would connect to the ground. but then i thought that then the secondary would be useless. other than that everything i got is fine. i need to know the wiring before friday because that is when my presentation is due. please reply. thanks

[jj.inc]

Here is a complete schematic I made and it should be made to fit your situation perfectly. For the start I recommend doing it as I have shown, but if it doesn't work connect the first two grounds. I threw this together really fast in paint so if you have any questions or if something is not the same as what you have please tell me, I am really happy to see you do this as a project. Be sure not to connect anything across the big red line I made, that will fry your house. The final thing is that you need to not worry about the base plate. I was wrong with it. I just meant the little metal thing the PVC screws into to keep it upright. Good luck!!!
Click the photo and if it doesn't get bigger right away click the link with the highest resolution.

[smoothisfast1]

Whenever I hook up a wire from the negative side of the capacitors to one end of the primary coil, the spark gap fails to fire. It only works if I only hook one lead to the primary coil - the positive.

[jj.inc]

You, Sir, are brilliant and just solved all my problems. Now, I just need to buy some capacitors to replace the one I threw away and rewind my primary.

[smoothisfast1]

Happy to help

[fun bags]

What type of transformer do i need i already know that its a 9kv and all but i ordered one for about 45 dollars and it wont power my tesla coil because it is a solid state transformer. Can someone help me please?

[geofisiks]

How do you test a salt water capacitor? I have a multimeter but it doesn't read any capacitance when i connect the two leads. This MM has micro and nano capacitance readings.

Thanks.

[smoothisfast1]

You have to charge them first with a power source. As soon as you connect your multimeter, the capacitors will quickly lose their charge, so your first reading will be the capacitance.

[smoothisfast1]

I can generate an EM field, but I can't get sparks to come out of the top load.