In this Instructable you will learn how to make a High Voltage High Frequency power supply in 5 minutes and for less than $20.
All you need is a compact fluorescent light (CFL) and a flyback transformer.
Flyback transformers are found in TVs and CRT monitors. They make the high voltage, high frequency current necessary to trace the electron beam across the screen. They are small and compact, and you can take them out from an old computer monitor or TV.
CFLs are very popular high efficiency fluorescent lights. They are similar to their ancestor the fluorescent light tubes but use electronic ballasts instead of the big and heavy ballasts in the old technology.
The electronic ballast works by generating high frequency currents that are fed to a tiny high frequency transformer that boost the voltage and run the fluorescent tube. It is the high frequency that makes the assembly compact.
The electronic ballast generates less than 1000 volts. But by replacing the fluorescent bulb of the CFL with a flyback transformer, spectacular voltages can be achieved.
All you need is a compact fluorescent light (CFL) and a flyback transformer.
Flyback transformers are found in TVs and CRT monitors. They make the high voltage, high frequency current necessary to trace the electron beam across the screen. They are small and compact, and you can take them out from an old computer monitor or TV.
CFLs are very popular high efficiency fluorescent lights. They are similar to their ancestor the fluorescent light tubes but use electronic ballasts instead of the big and heavy ballasts in the old technology.
The electronic ballast works by generating high frequency currents that are fed to a tiny high frequency transformer that boost the voltage and run the fluorescent tube. It is the high frequency that makes the assembly compact.
The electronic ballast generates less than 1000 volts. But by replacing the fluorescent bulb of the CFL with a flyback transformer, spectacular voltages can be achieved.
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Signing UpStep 1: Some Info on CFLs
CFLs can come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Generally the bigger the wattage the larger the voltage output. For this Instructable I got a 65 Watts light bulb.
Most CFLs have a similar circuit topology. All of them have 4 wires coming out of them. The wires are in pairs, and each pair connects to a filament inside the light bulb.
The CFLs I came across have the high voltage on the outer wires. You only need to connect the outer wires to the primary coil of the flyback transformer.
You will find a comprehensive description of CFL circuits on this page
Most CFLs have a similar circuit topology. All of them have 4 wires coming out of them. The wires are in pairs, and each pair connects to a filament inside the light bulb.
The CFLs I came across have the high voltage on the outer wires. You only need to connect the outer wires to the primary coil of the flyback transformer.
You will find a comprehensive description of CFL circuits on this page
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4 pins 2 on each side i have
J5-6 on a pair
J3-4 on the other pair.
I have NO idea what to do now. Any help please?
I am using spokes from bicycle for ladder. should that be made out of copper wire or welding rod?
It is normal that the transistors get hot. But if they are very hot they will break down. So attaching a piece of thick metal to their heat sink, will improve performance and protect the circuit.
"With a simple ohmeter this is very simple, you will find easily the primary inputs because the coil resistance is about 1 ohm"
My flyback has 10 pins. I got these results:
Pins ..... Resistance
1 + 5 .... 2 ohms
1 + 9 .... 1.8 ohms
5 + 9 .... 0.9 ohms
2 + 8 .... 0.9 ohms
3 + 4 .... 0.8 ohms
3 + 6 .... 0.8 ohms
4 + 6 .... 0.6 ohms
All the other combinations (i.e; pins 1 + 3) produced no resistance, so that means that pins 1 + 3 are not connected. Conversely, this means that pins 1+5+9 are connected; pins 2+8 are connected; pins 3+4+6 are connected; and pin 7 and pin 10 are not connected to any other pins.
The first problem is that many of these gave me a resistance close to 1 ohm, so I still don't know which pins to use for the primary coil.
The second problem is that a flyback should have two sets of connected pins; pins that connect to the primary coil, and pins the connect to the secondary coil. However, I seem to have 3 sets of connected pins (or five sets, depending on how you count). Does this mean something is disconnected inside my flyback?
I didn't know what to do, so I just went ahead and connected it to the CFL circuit. I tried pins 5+9, 2+8, and 3+4 as the pins to the primary coil, along with every combination of the 4 pins on the CFL circuit, but did not get a single arc for any of them. Does this mean that my flyback is bad?
http://www.amazing1.com/transformers.htm
It is the 28K089 7000v model for a mini jacobs ladder. Will hooking the CFL up to the primary wires still work??????????????????????
Alright all praise aside, I want to make a portable version of this project running off of a 12v rechargeable battery (DC). the bulb is sylvania 23watt micro cfl
I researched a power inverter that converts 12v dc to 110v but that seems impractical.
do you think i could somehow wire the 12 volt directly to the board via dc to dc step up converter?
I am looking for a circuit board diagram but i cant find any. the board looks like the Bigluz 20W.
If you can help me find any way to make this project portable ASAP I would be forever in your debt. I'm running a time sensitive project (3 days left give or take) so a quick response would be great!
Thank you man! once again great project!
I had built a layden jar with foil tape the same night which didn't work as I thought so I attached the flyback to it and the results improved by double. It still won't be enough to power a jacobs ladder but I think I'm on the right track. I hope this helps. BTW look at the circuit board that the flyback was attached to for hints as to what pin is what. I at the very least found a pin labled B+ and a few labeled "G" which helped me choose the primary ground pins....
I am done playing around with single transistor drivers as they cannot handle more than 36 volts DC battery , i am sticking with CFL or EB's and also i use homemade capacitor to make brighter sparks.
UNFORTUNATLEY I DONT HAVE THEM ANYMORE, AND EVEN IF I DID I AM NOT SURE IF I CAN OPEN THEM WITHOUT DAMAGE TO THE CASE, I SUGGEST YOU GO AND BUY ONE TO DO THIS, AND YOU CAN ALWAYS TEST IT YOURSELF ON DIFF FBT'S.
LET ME KNOW OK.....
I have mentioned many times now to you about Jimmyproton because he has an instructable that uses the same electronic ballasts we are discussing, i was hoping you would have checked his instructable, it is called How to get 100KV out of your flyback!!! VERY SIMPLE SETUP, or just type 100kv in the search box and look for this tittle.
what he says in his instructions is that the electronic ballasts will only work with FBT's that have at least 11 pins on bottom, he said he tried several 10 pins but they do not work well.
I used a 23 watt CFL bulb (FEIT Electric Conserv-Energy) and didn't cut off the wires to the tube. I found that pins A1 and A3 were the powerful pins. I connected those to my flyback transformer, and it worked! However, after running it for one minute, a component on my flyback driver exploded. I think it was because the flyback transformer was demanding too much electricity from my CFL.
Long story short, try to find a CFL bulb over 23 watts.