Step By Step Plans to Building a 250,000 Volt Tesla Coil. (REVISED VERSION)

In this Step-By-Step process I will explain

1. How a Spark Gap Tesla Coil works.
2. The parts you will need.
3. The price of each part.
4. Safety.

Step 1: The Parts That You Will Need.

The parts you will need to build a tesla coil:

1. 6500 volt 23 milli amp transformer found at amazing1.com

2. 10,000 volt capacitor found at amazing1.com

3. Spark Gap found at amazing1.com

4. PVC Pipe 5-6 inches wide 3 feet long Found At The Home Depot

5. Copper tubing (refrigerator tubing) 1/4th inch diameter 30 feet found at The Home Depot

6. Toriod Found at Amazing1.com

7. 24-26 AWG magnet wire electronixexpress.com

8. Safety Glasses

9. Drill

10. 1/8 Drill Bit

11. Masking Tape

Comments

[The Asian Cow]

Do the direction, spacing, and shape of the primary coil matter? It sounds like you can "tune" it for maximum spark length but if I just set it up in a coil or helix with no measurements will it still produce something?

[studiobil]

DANGER -- DANGER - DANGER

!!! THIS COULD KILL YOU !!!

PLEASE REMOVE!!!

[KylerKraus]

so?

[clevelandstorms]

can i use a flyback transformer driven with a 2n3055 driver for a tesla coil

[LaserDave]

Any electrical project "could kill you" if you make the right mistakes.

Everyone has the right to have access to this material. Why remove it simply because there *may* be a few people that fail or get hurt as a result of not knowing what they are doing? That's called CENSORSHIP!

Drinking too much water can kill you, crossing the street can kill you, eating (and choking on) a meatball can kill you. Life is full of deadly risks every single day. It's ENTIRELY your job to choose for yourself those tasks you are capable of doing, in a manner that will minimise the risks.

It's all about choices, and living (or not) with the results of those choices.

Peace!

[skatattookid]

so can lots of things....you just have to know what your doing.

[DANAN99]

your secondary can also look like this

[stu2theMax]

Easier to make and almost as efficient

[plasmaniac734]

thats not a secondary, its a primary

[Xellers]

I know that it has been a while since this was posted, and quite a while since I last visited this page, however, I feel the need to point out that this Tesla Coil does not work and following these plans is dangerous. The author claims that he has achieved sparks that were a few inches in length. Unfortunately, given his apparent understanding of his device and given how poorly it was constructed, even these mediocre results seem somewhat far-fetched. At the moment, I am trying to communicate with an admin to have this instructable temporarily removed until it is made to be up to par with the community standards of this website. Posting dangerous instructions about topics which one does not completely understand not only does you disservice by slandering your name, but it also puts the entire community at risk. Attaching warnings such as "IT WILL KILL YOU INSTANTLY THERE IS NO SECOND CHANCE!!!" does not help.

[LaserDave]

Now THIS is why innovation and information suppression is alive and well - it's from some people believing that they are entitled to censor others because there is the possibility that a small handful of people *may* make a mistake, causing potential personal injury. Why do you feel that someone's lack of ability should ruin it for everyone else, especially those who CAN safely work with high voltages?

This is a situation where some feel the need to remove other people's freedom to make choices for themselves, catering to those who cannot (or will not) take responsibility for their own actions. If someone decides to build this project, that same someone needs to understand their own limitations before starting, then choose to build it if they feel they are within those capabilities - and does so at his own peril. Even those fully qualified to work on this sort of thing DOES SO AT HIS OWN PERIL, accidents happen to everyone.

I like the project, I am quite capable of working with high-voltage safely, why should I not have the the freedom and opportunity to benefit from this idea, merely because there are a handful of people that *MAY* attempt it and fail.

If someone is not qualified to drive a car, drives anyway and kills themselves, do we get rid of cars because this is a real possibility? Do we outlaw swimming because those who are inexperienced might drown? If the citizens of some countries weren't so quick to assign blame and sue another for their own misfortunes - a result of their own poor choices, clumsiness or simple stupidity - this "Nanny State mentality" would not be required. To shift the onus and responsibility for a hobbiest's safety onto the shoulders of those presenting the ideas and material to the masses, to the extend that it does, is almost unheard of in other countries. These people need to be aware of their own abilities or lack thereof.

And yet, prior to these last few decades of being legally responsible for others if they follow your suggestions, it was already a natural-developed tradition, out of common courtesy and care for his fellow man, that potential risks and dangers were pointed out in the interest of safety, that may not have otherwise been apparent.

I'm absolutely in favour of including a paragraph that clearly draws one's attention to areas where potential dangers and unique risks may be lurking within the idea or project, including personal observations or experiences, and suggested ways to minimise those risks. But it has gone WAY TOO far when it's required that someone sharing an idea has to nervously state he is not responsible, the publication is not responsible, the company and it's shareholders are not responsible etc. if you have an accident. GET REAL!! Handholding and babysitting that extreme and overprotective stifles innovation and creativity because many are too scared of being liable for another's actions... ruining it for everyone, including those enlightened countries able to enjoy such information.

*As an example (in an entirely unrelated field) - there exists an arrangement of huge, outdoor machines that move with such speed and force that you would be instantly killed if you got too close. That situation is prevented with elaborate gate and fence configurations of an exact height and grid spacing, including locking mechanisms and signage. In Europe, however, the exact same arrangement exists, but without the fences and paranoia - people there ARE responsible for their own actions and misfortunes. The machines?? Amusement rides at the carnival.

Sometimes people have to be able to skin their knees to understand that you need brakes on a go-kart. Making people walk through life in sheets of bubble-wrap and sewn-on mittens is not fair to those who won't fall-down-go-boom.

I'm not attacking anyone, especially you. I'm merely pointing out to those calling for the removal of this article that even the "scary and dangerous" projects deserve to exist for the overwhelming majority, and those who want to use them.

Everyone, please be careful when working with high voltages, and recognise whether or not you are experienced enough to safely build such devices. There is NO shame in asking for assistance from those who do have the experience needed to successfully and safely build and learn from this device, and others like it. If you are unclear about something, ask - but if you have the slightest doubt of your capabilities, try a similar project that is less risky to develop the skills you need to move up to a more challenging one.

Bottom line - BE SAFE - but the plain reality is, if you do mess up, it's your own fault.

Thanks for listening. Peace!

~Dave

[DevCoder]

I highly agree, everything about this coil looks dangerous. Please, for your own safety, make a proper Tesla Coil, meaning not having the power switch next to the primary, which can more than easily kill you.

[Xellers]

This instructable needs to be removed before someone kills themselves.

[minh634]

will it work with a flyback transformer?, also if it doese i need to know what wires hook to wat and how its getting electricity? batteries, mains?

[Dero.von.Hesse]

This design looks frighteningly dangerous. I'm not sure on exactly what would happen once activated, but I'm sure an event similar to the climax of Raiders of the Lost Ark wouldn't be far from it.

[tesla man]

or world domination...


MUHAHA!!!!!!!!!!

[Bumba Lodh]

Hi,I built a TESLA COIL with 5kv 30ma nst.Primary coil made with 4mm
copper tube with 10 turns secondary made with 2inch PVC pipe.Winding
height 10.2inch(0.315mm enameled copper wire used) also made Capacitor
bank with 2kv 0.15uF polyester film capacitor.But the problem is my
Capacitor burnt several times but the coil works with LEYDEN JAR
capacitor.Why the capacitor burning??????


Please Help Me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[sudhanshu529]

hii .... actually this is my first attempt to tesla coil ... i m doing it for my college project ... i use a secondary coil 63mm in dia , with wire .3mm thick and 1000 turns... my primary is made of 10 SWG wire with 6 turns with first dia being 160 mm and consequent turns 5mm apart .. i had ordered a transformer 220/4000V and 35mA ... i dont noe whether it is current limiting or not ... i made toroid using a 4inches aluminium duct .. 22 inches in circumference ... now a few questions :-
1) can i use a series of 400V capacitance for primary ?
2) what should be the value and current rating of my bleeder resistance ( connected accross capacitance)
3) how do i limit the current ; provided i dont noe whether my transformer can limit the current or not ... ?? if using a choke what would be a good value of the choke and its rating ??

4) how do i tune my tesla coil ... i have no access to occilioscope :( :(

thanx alot BTW for sharing your experience !!!

[The MadScientist]

See this.

[TheNuclearWatermelon]

amazing1.com is WAYYY overpriced. Make your own parts and this will cost around 20 bucks

[Jimmy Proton]

Or just use eBay, I working on a 4" Tesla coil that WAAY bigger than this, I already have all the parts just haven't put them together yet and I have only paid about $130.

[sudhanshu529]

hiii ..... i had a question .... can we wind the primary on a wooden structure ??? can the wood withstand the high voltage and current

[acmefixer]

I see the big 'gotcha' here in "Get the magnet wire" above.  The pipe diameter is 6 inches, and that's more than a foot and a half per turn, times 3000 turns, or about 4720 feet of wire.  At 1.223 pounds per kFt, that comes out to 3.86 pounds of wire.  At $15 to $20 for a half pound spool, that comes to over  $117 not counting shipping, probably closer to $150.00.

And another point that I would like to enquire about is how to splice the ends of the wire of the half pound spools.  I can see soldering the joint, but should it be insulated with shrink tubing or would coil dope be adequate?

Or should we go looking for a 5000 foot roll of magnet wire?  I have difficulty finding the half pound spools. There is a local store that carries a few, but not enough for a full 4720 feet or 8 rolls.  Mouser doesn't carry this wire - I couldn't find it in the Mouser paper catalog..

[bigrob121]

I just got 10 pounds of 24 AWG magnet wire for $90 (US). Call a local motor repair shop and ask who supplies their wire. They should carry 10 pound spools, or if you're lucky the motor repair shop might sell you some directly.

[matt1795]

i will not allow this

[LaserDave]

What is it that you "won't allow"?? If it's this project you "won't allow", it seems that it HAS been allowed for over two years. Just saying.

[t.twogood]

@okura, the tesla coil is quite safe if built right, you need to reeducate yourself.

[okura]

:O TESLA COIL??? Man...its the one way ticket to meet Tesla in person!! ''the power flows into the capacitor where it gets amplified then moves along to the spark gap" - indeed !!! Its time this killer coil is removed before it kills somebody.

[electronic boy]

i believe u were ment to say where the power got accumulated

[pauliebird1]

Hi what currency is this price list in.

[tristantech]

US Dollars. Because is says $

[notanemo]

$ as in USD, NZD, AU, etc...?

[cyg0r3]

 Ebay =D

[maverick31]

 hello sir can the secondary be less than two inches.. will it work with that capacitance
  

[gammaraptor]

Wow. You can make one for much cheaper, maybe 50 dollars. You can save a heck of a lot of money by making your own capacitors. Otherwise, nice job.

[Electric86]

I have seen what a trafo from a microwave can do, had a cat ones, that took a bite in the cable from trafo output, it was instant dead, and burned an 16 amp fuse, so also got  one zap my self, nastyst zap ever, and got 24 hours on hospital for observation, So be careful

[The Asian Cow]

Ok my friends and I have just finished our tesla coil using a 9kv NST and 6 salt water capacitors. It is not producing any sparks. Please tell if you have any idea why it isn't working I am doing this for a science project.

[The First Guy]

Hey. I have several questions. I haven't taken a class on electrical theory or anything, so I'm a little dumb. Please bear with me. I know that the secondary coil needs to be made out of really tiny wire, although I'm not sure what gauge. Doesn't that all depend on what the actual output voltage is? I also know that the primary coil has to be out of much larger wire, but is that copper tubing actually neccessary? The ones I've seen in catalogs don't have anything like that. They just have a thicker wire. That again is dependant on the actual voltage running through it, right? Also can I use coated or insulated wire for safety sake, or will that mess it up? Their primary coil isn't coiled in a conical helix, either. It usually runs up the outside of a tube inside which the secondary coil resides. Why did you do it your way? Can I do mine the other way? What's the difference? It seems that the proximity of the two coils would be more beneficial to inducing the voltage in the secondary coil if all the windings in the primary coil were equidistant from the secondary coil. Is their an optimum spacing between the two coils, and if so what is it? Next, how important is the material of the secondary coil's tube? Can it be PVC or cardboard? Does it really matter, as long as it's non-conductive? How about the diameter? Is that significant to the magnetic field that induces the voltage in the secondary coil, or may I choose a different size? Also, How do I determine what my output voltage will be? I know the input voltage is calculated and there's a formula relating to how many windings are in each coil, but I don't remember the formula. Do you have that? Also how would you reccommend varying the output voltage? I would like to have a voltage variable from about 5kV to about 100 or 150kV. In stead of being used just for pretty light shows, can I use the voltage from the secondary coil to power something else? And lastly, if the voltage is usable, can I hook it to yet another voltage multiplier? And either way, can I hook the outputs from two or more of these in series to get double the voltage? I think that's all my questions. If I have anymore, I'll post them one at a time. Sorry this was so lengthy. Darren

[ElectricUmbrella]

Hello. Copper tubing isn't necessary, but it works just as well. I suppose you could use insulated wire. I've seen it done before, but I've never seen it on a large coil. The material of the secondary coil's tube doesn't matter, as long as it's an insulator. I'm not sure if you can use it to power something else. Output from a Tesla Coil only needs 1 wire to work, so I'm not sure how well it will cooperate with conventional electronics. Plus, there is a possibility that it may fry what you are trying to power.

[UbuntuNinja]

Copper tubing is used because it is a relatively thick conductor but its also light weight because the center is hollow.  This is important in a Tesla coil because the primary coils wire must be able to withstand the high energy pulses generated by the primary capacitor.