Tabletop Tesla Coil

Step 8 How it works

I was fortunate the coil worked the very first time I tried it. I was frankly startled at how easily and well it performed. After a few tests, I burned out a capacitor or two and learned my first model simple spark gap wasn't adequate. I have since run the coil with a bank of 12 or 14 handmade Leyden jar capacitors with varying success.

Update 9/14/09: The capacitor array has been upgraded to 18 Leyden jars, total capacitance 8.05 nF.

At its best, the bipolar coil makes loud, thick arcs when the electrodes are closest together (a gap of 2.5 inches). With an insulated wand I have pushed the electrodes as far apart as six inches and had a continuous arc. Beyond six inches I get lively brush discharges--purplish coronas around both brass electrodes. An ordinary clear incandescent light bulb, mounted on a insulated rod, is filled with violent, fiery streamers when placed between the terminals. Fluorescent tubes glow several inches away, though oddly enough they glow brightest at about four o' clock low instead of up close to the terminals.

Cooling the spark gap with a stream of air intensifies the arcing, making it louder and brighter. Merely switching to the multi-point spark gap array had much the same affect.

So that's my bipolar Tesla coil. I will continue to experiment with capacitors and spark gaps and report my results in updates to this page.

Comments

[teslacoilguitaramp,helpmeplz]

i wanted to know how you connected the capacitors? wich is how i found this, i need some capacitors, and i want to play it safe and make 2 or three large ones that could hndle the output almost alone but for safety and emergency measures..

[Mr. Apol]

For a basic Tesla coil circuit diagram, see:

http://home.gallatinriver.net/mhammer/coil.htm

This is the circuit I use, though I don't use a safety gap in such a small coil.


Paul

[kevinstuartfr0st]

good post thanks for your time

[Mr. Apol]

Glad you liked it. Let us know if you build a coil yourself. Paul