Build a Mini Tesla Coil

Scientist Nikola Tesla invented Mini Tesla Coil. Inventor Nikola Tesla contributed to the
development of the alternating-current electrical system that has widely used today and
discovered the rotating magnetic field (the basis of most AC machinery).

Scientist Nikola Tesla

Mini Tesla Coil is a very interesting model, which is a very

high frequency wireless power transmission system.

Materials Required:

1. PVC Pipe
2. Insulated Wire
3. Wire
4. PN2222 Transistor
5. 22K Ohms Resistance
6. 9V 6F22 Battery
7. Snapper
8. ON-OFF Switch
9. Card Board.
10. LED
11. CFL Lamp
12. Vero Board
13. Solder Wire
Fig-1. Shows the circuit diagram of a mini Tesla Coil.

Working of a Tesla coil:

Before we start building the Tesla coil, it is very important to know how it works. Only then, we
will be able to build and debug one successfully. The Tesla coil works with the principle of
Electromagnetic Induction. According to which, when a conductor is placed under a varying
magnetic field, a small current will be induced inside the conductor. For a Tesla coil, this
conductor will be called as the secondary coil and the varying magnetic field will be produced by
the primary coil by passing an oscillating current through the primary coil.

It might sound a bit confused, but let us proceed with the circuit diagram where things will be
made much clear.
Circuit Diagram:
The circuit diagram of Mini Tesla Coil Project given below is very simple. So let us understand
how it works and learn how to build it. The main component in this circuit is the secondary coil
(golden color), which is made by winding a magnetic wire (enameled) around a cylindrical object
(any non-conductive object will work).
A high current high frequency transistor like 2N2222 is used to supply current through
the primary coil (violet color). A 9V battery as shown above powers the whole set up. The
positive end of the battery reaches the collector of Transistor through the primary coil, and the
emitter is grounded. This means that whenever the transistor conducts, current is flown through
the primary coil. The LED diode and one end of the secondary coil is also connected to base of
transistor to make the circuit oscillate, this way the transistor will send a oscillating current into
primary coil. If you want get more technical and learn how the current oscillates, we can Google
for “Slayer Exciter Circuit”.

So, with this arrangement we have a primary coil, which will have an oscillating current, and
hence will produce a carrying magnetic flux around it. Now, this coil is wound around the
secondary coil and hence a according to law of electromagnetic induction a voltage will be
induced in the secondary coil. Since the number of turns in the secondary coil is very large than
primary coil, this voltage will be a very high voltage and hence this coil will have a very strong
electric flux around it that is powerful enough to glow normal CFL bulbs and is used in Wireless
Power Transmission.
Winding the Secondary Coil:

One very important step in this project is winding the secondary coil. It is a time consuming
process and hence do not rush ourselves in this part. First, we will need a magnetic coil, which is
also called as enameled coil wire. These wires can be found inside relays coils, transformers and
even motors. We can either reuse one or buy ourselves a new one. The thinner the wire is the
better the results will be.
Once we are ready with the magnetic wire, we will need a cylindrical object. The only rule while
selecting this object is that it should not be conductive, we can select PVC pipes, cardboard roll
or even stack 4-5 A4 sheets together and roll them up. The diameter of the cylinder can be
anywhere between 5cm to 10cm, and the length should be at least 10cm. The longer the object
is more number of turns it can fit in.
After getting the coil and cylindrical object, it is time to start the winding process, just wind few
turn and use a tape to secure the winding initially and then proceed with the complete winding.
Make sure we follow the below tips while winding
1. Wind the coils as close as possible
2. Do not overlap one coil turn over another
3. Try to get a minimum of 150 turns; a value of 300 turns will be typically good.

Procedure:
 Take one PVC pipe nearly 5-6 inch length and make one solenoid using the insulated
copper wire (33 no,).
 Turns will be nearly 600 to 700 for better result and one end is to be connected to the
base of the transistor as shown in the figure.

Fig 3 shows the materials required for the experiment.

 Take one wire and make the primary coil (3 turns only). Connect one LED in reverse bias.
 Complete the circuit as shown in the diagram.
 Switch ON the circuit and hold a CFL lamp near the coil.
 Lamp will glow without and direct connection.
 If it does not works change the direction of the primary coil.
Real life application: HV voltage generator, Spark Plug in automobile, High Frequency R.F
Generator, Vacuum system leak detectors, tesla coil also induces high-density flux etc.