The ZVS Driver

Intro: The ZVS Driver

Everybody who is interested in high voltage herd about  the zvs driver for the flyback transformer.
Parts:
2x IRFP250 n-fet
2x 12v zenner diodes
2x 470ohm resistors
2x 10kohm resistors
2x 400v fast diodes
1x inductor 200uH
1x 250v capacitor 0.68uF or higher

STEP 1: Assembly

Mount mosfets on a large heatsink,
Solder everything togather

STEP 2: Fineshed Assembly

Everything ready to be connected to power supply.

STEP 3: Use for the Driver

It can be used as a power supply for the tesla coil or it can be used as an inductin heater ( for the induction heater try a 300v with 1uF or higher)

Comments

[gdawg98]

could this support a 70V 200A DC power supply for a induction heater to make a induction furnace

[103]

no DEFINITELY not what the heck do you want with a 14000 watt inductionheater? This circuit can handle a maximum power of around 600 watts

[NoelA11]

the other obvious use for this circuit is for a induction heater

[YunusK20]

i want to build step down circuit.
input voltage, about 5-15 volt, 2 ampere or less.
output voltage, about 1-0,5 volt (or less), but producing 10-40 ampere.
i want to build a phyrography soldering iron by short circuiting the output.
i was made one using ohmic heating but not satisfied, the heat cannot be focused on tip.

can you guide me the modification of your circuit please?

can the flyback driver to be turn on/off rapidly?
I want to combine it with PWM driver so the power can be adjusted easily.

[Wolf6774]

I recently made a zvs driver, and I am using a 400w power supply, I hooked up the circuit to the 12v rail, and it doesn't produce any arcs, but one of the transistors heats up, could anyone possibly help? I've checked all of the connections, and an open to any advice given.

[aclark17]

I've heard of this problem being related to not enough voltage to drive the MOSFETs, have you tried going over 12v?

[GyurikaK]

Hello, my zvs works perfectly with 2 irfp260n's but they heat up pretty quickly, my question is could I put 2 more of them in parallel so the zvs could deal with more current and voltage or it will just blew up everything?

[SallahS]

You can use up to 4 transistors in parallel (that is the maximum I tested, more is surely possible). Be sure to take a bunch out of the same batch. Add a 0.1Ohm resistor in series (at the source of the transistors). Reduce thermal resistance to lower the temperature of the transistors: Use heat conduction paste between the transistors and their cooling surfaces. Sooner or later (more sooner :) ) the coil will be the hottest part of the circuit. So, for higher powers I would recommend to go for a completely different design using a full bridge driver based on a IRS2543 or similar.

[aclark17]

I think its power supply related. I use IRFP250n MOSFETs and used the same schematic you did but I power it with a Variac running through a full bridge rectifier to get the DC power I need and I have zero issues with heat, the only problem I have is the flyback arcing to itself and the voltage getting so high it arcs through wire jackets lol

[rah187]

This circuit actually worked well for me the first time around when I placed the components on a breadboard, then it stopped working. I thought my connectins were sloppy so I etched a board and it still didn't work. It is quite possible I blew the MOSFETS. However, this circuit was great while it was working.

By the way: great 'Ible!

[Alex1M6]

Nice guide. Have you ever tried yours on 24v or higher? I find there is quite a difference between running a ZVS on 12 and on 24V.

[theVader75]

no i didn't but now i want to build a supply for it

[Alex1M6]

Lead acid battery's work well for this, that is what I used.

[cccp3]

I put a 300A meter across a 7Ah 12v accu and read 300 for 5 seconds straight

[FriXs]

anyone tried rc accus yet with 60c/120c max? would they get destroyed?

[theVader75]

yes they do but i dont have so much money to spend on a project

[GioC1]

i'm planing to use power supply from my old xbox(360) to power my ZVS, that i haven't finished yet, but

will this be the proper power supply for it or not?

[GyurikaK]

Yes it will be :) but... I think you might want to add another one in series to increase voltage to obtain longer arcs, since the xbox psu is just 12v...the amperage is ok :) I think it is 14,5A

[RedstoneM]

Can I use a 1N4007 for that or do I need a UF4007?

[RedstoneM]

BA159-E3/73 works as a fast diode, 500ns recovery time. Makes nice induction heater (needs some work for a smelter)