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Building a solid state tesla coil

by spark light on November 28, 2010

Table of Contents

License: Attribution Share Alike (by-sa) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Intro: Building a solid state tesla coil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

step 1: The overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

step 2: Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

step 3: Parts in parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

step 4: The Voltage Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

step 5: The interupter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

step 6: Antenna section . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

step 7: Gate drive section . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

step 8: Gate drive transformer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

step 9: Mounting mosfets to heatsink . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

step 10: The half bridge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

step 11: Primary coil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

step 12: Setup/test! Yay!!!! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

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http://www.instructables.com/id/Building-a-solid-state-tesla-coil/
License: Attribution Share Alike (by-sa)

Intro: Building a solid state tesla coil

!This instructable is meant to give detailed instructions on building a solid state tesla coil based off of steve ward's mini sstc schematic.
Ok, here's the disclaimer.
*********************************************************
I do not hold any responsibility or your use or misuse of this information, in any way. I am not a trained professional and I cannot protect you from the
voltages that are part of this project, and any damage this project may cause, wether it be to animal or material. The user assumes all responsibility for the
actions they take.
*********************************************************
Well, now that that's over, lets get on to what a tesla coil actually is.
A tesla coil usually has these key components:
*power source
*Switching circuit
*Resonant Capacitor (only for drsstcs, some vttc,s and regular spark gap type coils)
*Primary coil
*Secondary coil
The tesla coil was invented around 1891 by Nikola Tesla. His original intention for the device was to create a wireless energy distribution system. Unfortunately, his
design could not send power at even close to reasonable efficiency, as the power was almost all being wasted on corona and arcing. Today, we coilers take this to an
advantage.
But what males the tesla coil truly magnificent is the voltage it produces. A typical spark gap type coil takes (usually) the voltage from your wall socket, and steps it up
to a couple thousand volts, where it then goes through the switching circuit, through the primary, and is seen on the secondary side as more that 200,000 volts! But how
did tesla do this?
The answer is resonance. A resonant circuit, usually consisting of a capacitor and inductor, is much like a slinky. (stretched out) When you give it a push, it bounces
back and forth losing momentum with each pass. However, if you keep hitting it every time it comes back, it will start to move really far back and forth at the same speed.
(Or frequency) The frequency at which you hit it is it's resonance.
The secondary coil is like our spring. But how do we get voltage from it? Certainly not by hitting it. No, you have to use an oscillating magnetic field from the primary coil
to excite it. A normal spark gap type TC would use a resonant capacitor and a spark gap to produce the oscillation, where as our coil (sstc) will use feedback from the coil
itself to drive the primary. (using an antenna.)
~~for more info on how a tesla coil works, head on over to Richie Burnett's site or the wiki.

Image Notes
1. Sparkz!

step 1: The overview

Our coil will be a solid state type. The schematic we are using was made by steve ward, and belongs to him. This circuit is a relatively simple circuit as far as tesla
coils go, and is a good place to start for a coiler that is new to solid state drive. I will say that you should only attempt this if you are confidant that you can work with
mains voltage, as this coil does have direct mains voltage running through part of it.
Unfortunately, I cannot currently put up the steps to wind the secondary coil, but I will put up an intractable as soon as possible. But generally, what you need to do is
wind many tight turns of thin magnet wire around a pvc form. Don't make it too tall. A good ratio for height is that the height is about 3 to 5 times the diameter.
Anyway, what you will get out of this coil is approximately 7-8 inch sparks. (Depending on how you set the interrupter) I'll go over this later, but for now, that is what you
can expect. Trust me, you'll have fun.
*****EDIT: That mystery symbol appears because instructables cant handle the µ and ? symbol in pictures. go figure! it works here.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Building-a-solid-state-tesla-coil/
step 2: Equipment
A tesla coil is a very interesting, and fairly complicated device. Aside from building this coil, There is some special equipment I highly recommend using if you power
this little beast up. There are dangers involved in a mains-powered-hundred-thousand-volt-producing machine, as it turns out. :D
We wil be doing a lot of soldering for this coil. And I mean a lot of soldering. I used up about five feet of solder at least! So, with that considered, our first items are a
soldering iron and a desoldering iron/desoldering pump/soldering wick of some sort, that is, unless you can solder perfectly. Now, unless you have a fancy super durable
soldering iron, It is likely that you will be using a radioshack iron. It has been my experience that the tips on these things, even with the most obsessive cleaning, these
tips just get eaten away. So, buy an extra tip. ;) You will also want some flush lead clippers to trim down component leads. In case you don't have a store near you, here
are some links:
******************
Soldering iron
Desoldering iron
Extra tip
Lead clippers
******************
Now, As I said before, there is more to the coil than building it. When we test it, we should not just go and jam the plug into the wall socket. The equipment I say you
must have before you power this thing up is a variac, or switch of some sort two protect yourself from full mains. What a variac is is basically a variable transformer. It
allows you to alter the voltage that flows from the wall socket to your device, much like a gigantic kilowatt volume dial. You can find a good variac for around 80 dollars at
a local electronics store, assuming they haven't completely turned ti consumer electronics, but I'd recumbent getting one online from say, Fry's electronics. They have two
models. A low power one and a high power one. The low power on was enough for me to use on this project.
********************
Low power variac
High power variac
********************
While this Is all the equipment I would require myself, It is nice to have an oscilloscope for measuring gate drive waveforms and looking at interrupter input. It is also
nice to have a variable DC power supply for testing the low voltage electronics, but again, it is not required.

Image Notes
1. Damp paper towel for tip cleaning Image Notes
2. Soldering and desoldering irons 1. GIANT DIAL OF AWESOMENESS
3. Tip 2. Power in.
4. Lead trimmers 3. Controllable output

http://www.instructables.com/id/Building-a-solid-state-tesla-coil/
 Image Notes
1. Osilloscope

Image Notes
1. Yup.
2. Voltage control.
3. Current control
4. Voltage out.
5. Current used.
6. Ground
7. Voltage plus.

step 3: Parts in parts

As you can see from the schematic, there are plenty of parts to this circuit.
So, lets get starter with the
fundamental power components:
******************************
25v 2a transformer
bridge rectifier
lm7805
lm7812
50v 2200 µF capacitor (X2)
25v 1000 µF capacitor
5.6k? resistor
2.2k? resistor
Blue LED (X2)
******************************
Now, the Interrupter components:
********************************
0.1 µF decoupling capacitor
NE555
10k? linear potentiometer (X2)
1n4007 diode (X2)
2.2k? resistor
0.1 µF capacitor (This can actually be any value you like, It will simply alter the arc appearance/interrupter speed.)
*********************************
Next, we move on to the antenna section:
***********************************
0.1 µF decoupling capacitor
74hc14 hex inverter
6-8 inch long piece of wire
1n60 diode
0.1 µF capacitor
***********************************
http://www.instructables.com/id/Building-a-solid-state-tesla-coil/
Now, we move on to the gate drive components:
*********************************
UCC37322
UCC37321
1 µF decoupling capacitor (X2)
0.1 µF capacitor
2 foot long strand of wire (X3)
Ferrite toroid
*********************************
Now, for the scary mains filter:
******************************
Bridge rectifier
200v 680 µF capacitor
******************************
Finally, the muscle of this circuit, the half bride:
*************************************************
IRFP260N mosfet (X2)
200v 0.68 µF capacitor (X 2)
5? 2W resistors
Insulating thermal pads (X2, TO-247 type)**
Heatsink with two matching screws and holes*
Thick non-stranded wire, about five feet
*************************************************
ALMOST FORGOT! don't forget
****************************************
SOLDER
****************************************
These are the necessary components. I used digi-key because they are easy to use.
*I got my heatsink from an old atx power supply. There are full of useful stuff!
**Usually also found in tax power supplies.
I also recommend getting some terminal connectors. They make everything so much easier.
***********************
Terminal connectors
***********************

Image Notes Image Notes

1. 2200uF 50v capacitors 1. NE555
2. 1000uF 25v capacitor 2. 0.1uF decoupling capacitor
3. LM7812 12 volt regulator 3. 2.2k resistor
4. LM7805 5 volt regulator 4. 1n4148 diode
5. LEDs 5. 1n4148 diode
6. Low power bridge recitier 6. 10k potentiometer
7. Terminal 7. 10k potentiometer
8. 2.2k and 5.6k resistors were supposed to be here. 8. 0.1uF capacitor

http://www.instructables.com/id/Building-a-solid-state-tesla-coil/
 Image Notes Image Notes
1. Actual antenna 1. UCC37322
2. 74HC14 2. UCC37321
3. 0.1uF capacitor 3. 0.1uF capacitor (I actually used a 0.4 one.)
4. 1N4148 diodes 4. 2.2uF decoupling capacitors
5. Not pictured: 0.1µF decoupling cap

Image Notes
1. 0.68µF capacitors were supposed to be here.
2. 5.0 2W resistors
3. 680uF filter capacitor
4. High power bridge rectifier
5. Mosfets were mounted with... ---->
6. these to the | | V
7. Heatsink

step 4: The Voltage Supply

So, the first part of the circuit I chose to solder was the voltage supply. This was primarily because it is connected to every other part of the circuit. Anyway, I first soldered
in the terminal for connecting the transformer in, right next to it, the low voltage bridge rectifier. Luckily, they match up!
*A tip for soldering long or high current connections: Lay down a piece of metal wire to the path you want to solder. It makes it much easier to apply.
PARTS:
******************************
25v 2a transformer
Bridge rectifier
LM7805
LM7812
50v 2200 µF capacitor (X2)
25v 1000 µF capacitor
5.6k? resistor
2.2k? resistor
Blue LED (X2)
******************************

http://www.instructables.com/id/Building-a-solid-state-tesla-coil/
 Image Notes
1. Transformer
2. Bridge rectifier
3. 2200µF cap.
4. 12 volt regulator
5. 5 volt regulator
6. I actually used 2200µF
7. 1000µF capacitor

Image Notes
1. 2200uF 50v capacitors
2. 1000uF 25v capacitor
3. LM7812 12 volt regulator
4. LM7805 5 volt regulator
5. LEDs
6. Low power bridge recitier
7. Terminal
8. 2.2k and 5.6k resistors were supposed to be here.

Image Notes Image Notes

1. Terminal block 1. Mah' getto solder wires
2. Bridge rectifier 2. Bridge rectifier
3. 2200µF cap
4. 12v regulator
5. 2200µF capacitor
6. 1000µF capacitor
7. 5v regulator
8. LED indicator. Showing 12v is OK.
9. LED indicator. Showing 5v is OK.
10. Terminal

http://www.instructables.com/id/Building-a-solid-state-tesla-coil/
 Image Notes
1. Terminal
2. Ground
3. 2200µF capacitor
4. 12v regulator
5. 2200µF capacitor
6. 5v regulator
7. 1000µF capacitor
8. Bridge rectifier
9. Filtered transformer voltage.
10. Filtered 12 volts.
11. Filtered 5 volts

step 5: The interupter

Next, we move to the interrupter. This is the part that turns the coil on and off. (we need to limit the onetime so that we don't completely wear out those mosfets. The
reason we have chosen to make this part before the rest (After the power supply) is so that we can test it before finalizing any connection to turn on the coil.
PARTS:
********************************
0.1 µF decoupling capacitor
NE555
10k? linear potentiometer (X2)
1n4007 diode (X2)
2.2k? resistor
0.1 µF capacitor (This can actually be any value you like, It will simply alter the arc appearance/interrupter speed.)
*********************************

Image Notes
Image Notes 1. NE555
1. I used 0.1µF 2. 1N4148 diode
2. 'Scope this 3. 1N4148 diode
3. Potentiometers 4. 0.1µF capacitor
4. 1N4148 diodes 5. 0.1µF decoupling capacitor
5. 0.1µF decoupler capacitor 6. 2.2k? resistor
6. 2.2k? resistor 7. 10k? potentiometer
7. NE555 brain 8. 10k? potentiometer
http://www.instructables.com/id/Building-a-solid-state-tesla-coil/
 Image Notes Image Notes
1. NE555 1. NE555
2. OUTPUT 2. capacitor
3. 2.2k? resistor 3. potentiometers
4. 1N4148 diode 4. OUTPUT
5. 1N4148 diode
6. 0.1µF capacitor
7. 10k? potentiometer

Image Notes
1. Ontime
2. Off time
3. about 55% ontime
4. This is why I recommend an oscilloscope.

step 6: Antenna section

Now, we will put together our antenna section. This part of the circuit is designed to capture feedback from the secondary to keep the circuit resonating. Because we use
feedback to provide the signal to our halfbridge, the coil is always in tune! No worrying if you have that pesky 555 on the right frequency.
***********************************
0.1 µF decoupling capacitor
74HC14 hex inverter
6-8 inch long piece of wire
1N4148 diode
0.1 µF capacitor
***********************************

http://www.instructables.com/id/Building-a-solid-state-tesla-coil/
 Image Notes
1. Actual antenna
2. 74HC14
3. 0.1uF capacitor
4. 1N4148 diodes
Image Notes 5. Not pictured: 0.1µF decoupling cap
1. un-inverts the signal
2. Inverter/buffer takes the analog signal and turns it into a digital one, inverts the
wave.
3. Clamp the input to the rails so as to protect the IC.
4. Limits input
5. 0.1µF decoupling capacitor

Image Notes Image Notes

1. 74HC14 1. 74HC14
2. Capacitor 2. Decoupling capacitor
3. Antenna goes here 3. 1N4148 diode
4. 1N4148 diode 4. 1N4148 diode
5. OUTPUT 5. 0.1µF capacitor
6. POWER and GROUND 6. Antenna

http://www.instructables.com/id/Building-a-solid-state-tesla-coil/
step 7: Gate drive section
In this step, we will assemble the part of the circuit that combines and amplifies the interrupter and feedback signals to drive the gate drive transformer. These parts can
fail more than others, so it's not a bad idea to instal sockets.

*********************************
UCC37322
UCC37321
1 µF decoupling capacitor (X2)
0.47 µF capacitor
*********************************

Image Notes
1. UCC37322
2. UCC37321
3. The 0.1µF capacitor, but I chose 0.47µF instead. It improves gate drive!
4. 1.0µF decoupling capacitor
5. 1.0µF decoupling capacitor

Image Notes Image Notes

1. UCC37322 1. where the gate drive transformer connects
2. UCC37321 2. 0.1µF capacitor
3. 1.0µF decoupling capacitor 3. UCC37322
4. 1.0µF decoupling capacitor 4. UCC37321
5. 0.1µF capacitor 5. Interrupter in
6. Ground rail 6. Signal in
7. 12v rail

http://www.instructables.com/id/Building-a-solid-state-tesla-coil/
step 8: Gate drive transformer
The gate drive transformer does exactly what it's name implies. It takes the signal from the UCC's and sends it to the mosfets, as well as isolating the low voltage side
from the high voltage side. To make the transformer, first, take your three pieces of wire, and twist them together. This creates a trifler winding. Next, wind the wire
around the ferrite toroid 16 times. (Each time the wire passes through the center is one turn) after that, cut the wire so there is about 2 inches on each side of the
transformer. Now, take two ends of wire of the same color, and solder each to one output of the gate drive section.
********************************
2 foot long strand of wire (X3)
Ferrite toroid
********************************

Image Notes
1. Ferrite toroid
2. Wires

http://www.instructables.com/id/Building-a-solid-state-tesla-coil/
 Image Notes
1. Primary (one wire)
2. Secondary 1
3. Secondary 2
4. Toroid

Image Notes Image Notes

1. Twisting wires together. 1. Tightly twisted.

Image Notes Image Notes

1. That's a nice looking transformer. 1. ~2 inches, separated out.
2. ~2 inches, separated out.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Building-a-solid-state-tesla-coil/
 Image Notes Image Notes
1. GDT connected to the gate drive section. (pin 6+7 of one ucc, and same 1. where the gate drive transformer connects
through a capacitor on the other.) 2. 0.1µF capacitor
2. Transformer 3. UCC37322
4. UCC37321
5. Interrupter in
6. Signal in

step 9: Mounting mosfets to heatsink

Now, when you switch 120 volts at hundreds of thousands of times per second, It is almost indefinite that you will generate some heat. We use a heatsink to channel that
heat away from the mosfets, and into the air. To mount them is simple, but DO NOT FORGET YOUR THERMAL PADS. they keep the mosfet drains from shorting out.
PARTS:
**********************************
Mosfets
Thermal pads
Heatsink and matching screws
**********************************

Image Notes Image Notes

1. Mosfets 1. Thermal pads
2. Mounting screws
3. Thermal pads
4. Heatsink

http://www.instructables.com/id/Building-a-solid-state-tesla-coil/
 Image Notes Image Notes
1. Mosfets tightly screwed on 1. The mosfet pis are a lithe fat, so I drilled the holes out a little bit where I wanted
to place my mosfets.

Image Notes
1. Soldered in place.

step 10: The half bridge.

Here is the muscle of this coil, the half bridge. what this is are two mosfets that alternate switching on and off to produce alternating current. They do this at a high
voltage, mainly so we can pump power trough the primary. this causes a magnetic field to be formed that excites the secondary coil (resonator) and the resonant rise
builds up the high voltage. Once it is high enough, it breaks out into air.
PARTS:
*************************************************
IRFP260N mosfet (X2) mounted to heatsink
200v 0.68 µF capacitor (X 2)
5? 2W resistors
*************************************************

http://www.instructables.com/id/Building-a-solid-state-tesla-coil/
 Image Notes
1. Mosfet's are connected opposite of each other.
2. Protecting/damping resistors
3. Mosfets
4. Not needed. The IRFP260s have built in protection diodes.
5. Bridge capacitors
6. Tesla primary
7. GDT
8. Terminal block

Image Notes Image Notes

1. Mosfet 1. Make sure the two mosfets are connected to the GDT opposite of each other!
2. Resistor 2. Mosfet
3. Make sure the two mosfets are connected to the GDT opposite of each other! 3. Resistor
4. Filter capacitor

http://www.instructables.com/id/Building-a-solid-state-tesla-coil/
 Image Notes Image Notes
1. Bridge cap 1. Mosfet
2. Bridge cap 2. Mosfet
3. Terminal 3. GDT connection
4. Mosfets+heatsink 4. GDT connection
5. Terminal 5. Bridge rectifier
6. Bridge rectifier 6. Filter capacitor
7. Filter capacitor 7. Terminal (AC input
8. Terminal (to primary)
9. Bridge cap
10. Bridge cap
11. Resistor
12. Resistor
13. GDT connection
14. GDT connection
15. HV ground
16. HV posotive

Image Notes
1. 0.68µF capacitors were supposed to be here.
2. 5.0 2W resistors
3. 680uF filter capacitor
4. High power bridge rectifier
5. Mosfets were mounted with... ---->
6. these to the | | V
7. Heatsink

step 11: Primary coil

The primary coil is where all of that work pays off. The signals are amplified and pushed through here to make the secondary make sparks. To make the primary, first,
find a circular object about the diameter of your primary, and wrap your thick wire around it five times, leaving ~6 inches on each end. then, using a twist tie, or you hands
(If you don't have an easy method of securing it) Hold it together. Get your secondary coil, and put the primary around the base of the secondary. ****As there will be
high voltages present on the secondary, (Hopefully) put some kind of insulator between your primary coil and secondary coil if at all possible. However, if you don't have
any, just keep the primary as close as possible to the bottom, possibly using hot glue.**** Once that is done, we can move on to our first test!

http://www.instructables.com/id/Building-a-solid-state-tesla-coil/
 Image Notes Image Notes
1. Wire stripped at each end 1. My circular object is delicious on cake!

Image Notes Image Notes

1. Nice and coily 1. OH Nooo! I let it go.

Image Notes Image Notes

1. Pressure is the only thing holding my primary together.... 1. It's hard to see, but I have a transparency there to protect the coil

step 12: Setup/test! Yay!!!!

Now, we're ready to set up for the test of our coil, or the "first light!"
1. Attach your transformer of variable dc power supply to the low voltage in, and set to above 15 volts.
2. Attach the two leads of the primary coil to your output terminal near the bridge
3. Grab an ac cord that you wont ever want and strip it open, putting the hot and neutral wires into the AC in terminal.
4. Connect the bottom wire of your secondary to the mains ground, if you do not happen to have a better earth growing connection.
5. Plug in your variac and DC power supply and set the variac to zero volts, turned off.
6. Turn on your DC power supply
7. Plug the ac cord into your variac.
8. Turn on the variac
9. cross your fingers and slowly turn up the voltage. If you did it correctly, you should see arcs coming out of the breakout point!
Good luck! And thank you for reading my first Instructable.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Building-a-solid-state-tesla-coil/
 Image Notes
1. Lovely lightning
2. My hand on the variac
3. Secondary
4. I did not use a top-load in this test.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Building-a-solid-state-tesla-coil/
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Comments
12 comments Add Comment

MROHM says: Dec 26, 2010. 12:30 PM REPLY

My personal opinion?? A very well designed circuit!! High voltage circuits have always amazed me since Middle School!! Job well done.

MROHM says: Dec 26, 2010. 12:26 PM REPLY

It's really good that you used mosfet's and mounted them to heatsinks too.Using those protection diodes didn't hurt either!! using transistors instead of
mosfet's would have been a disaster!

Its only one in thousands says: Dec 23, 2010. 4:34 AM REPLY
How many hours did you take to complete this ?
You're a real professional , i mean really .

spark light says: Dec 23, 2010. 5:16 AM REPLY

Thank you! I worked on this over the course of a week, ranging from half an hour to two hours a day. All in all, it was probably about 7 hours.

Its only one in thousands says: Dec 23, 2010. 7:27 AM REPLY
A Simple PCB involving controlling the whole house , Circuit would have took me 1 whole month .

spark light says: Dec 24, 2010. 3:42 AM REPLY

Probably helps that I've built it three times before. :D

Its only one in thousands says: Dec 25, 2010. 12:53 PM REPLY
Right now i am preparing to make a 5.1 amp , but i don't know where to start out first , i saw that FK667: POWER AMPLIFIER OCL
100+100W. STEREO R1% Kit from my local store , or the FK657: POWER AMPLIFIER OTL 30+30W. STEREO R1% because i only need
30W , my only worry is they do not make 70W subwoofer Amps , only , FK671: SUB WOOFER AMPLIFIER 48W. OCL.
Oh dear .
I am so confused , i need a tone control but i have got no clue how to that up though they do sell it .

XTY says: Dec 26, 2010. 9:14 AM REPLY

you can PM me and i'll show you some nice schematics, of course you have to buy and assemble the discrete parts correctly...

dr2chase says: Dec 26, 2010. 6:45 AM REPLY

I don't mean to be rude, but it looks like you used blobs of solder to form wires. Is there a reason for this? Having not constructed a Tesla coil myself, I would
not know -- my work is usually in low-ish voltage DC and low frequency AC. I know there are skin effects and induction+capacitance effects to worry about at
Tesla frequencies.

You can usually buy copper wire by the foot, in varying gauges, at hardware stores. The heavy stuff (12 gauge) is a little tricky to solder with the older,
wimpier soldering irons, but a 70W analog or digital iron makes the job pretty easy. If you're worried about overheating a part (soldering 12 gauge directly to
a MOSFET, e.g.) you can use a bit of thin stuff for the last few millimeters (not unlike "thermals" on a printed circuit board).

Also, though modern MOSFETs appear to be a bit improved along these lines, they also tend to come with instructions cautioning against static. I've never
gone so far as a wrist strap, but I do work barefoot, and tend to work in cotton -- a piece of synthetic (e.g., Polarfleece) rubbing on hair (yours, wool, or a cat)
can crank up quite a voltage.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Building-a-solid-state-tesla-coil/
 milkyapple says: Dec 25, 2010. 5:50 PM REPLY
Hey, could i use this circuit as a flyback driver too? I'd rather not wind the secondary.

LithiumOxide says: Dec 23, 2010. 8:08 PM REPLY

Hi, thanks for the intractable. I've seen some designs that use a transformer to get the feedback, how do you do that?

spark light says: Dec 23, 2010. 8:39 PM REPLY

Ah, secondary current transformer feedback. How this works is by detecting the current that flows from the secondary coil to ground. What you have to
do is wind about one hundred turns of medium gauge magnet wire on one of those ferrite toroids.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Building-a-solid-state-tesla-coil/