Assembling a Tesla coil at home. Do-it-yourself Tesla transformer - the simplest diagram Do-it-yourself Tesla installation

25.10.2023

A Tesla coil is a resonant transformer that produces high voltage at high frequency. Invented by Tesla in 1896. The operation of this device causes very beautiful effects, similar to controlled lightning, and their size and strength depend on the supplied voltage and electrical circuit.

It is not difficult to make a Tesla coil at home, and its effects are very beautiful. Ready-made and powerful such devices are sold in this Chinese store.

Without using wires, using the proposed high-frequency transformer, you can maintain the glow of gas-filled lamps (for example, fluorescent lamps). In addition, a beautiful high-voltage spark is formed at the end of the winding, which can be touched with your hands. Due to the fact that the input voltage on the presented generator will be low, it is relatively safe.

Safety precautions when operating the presented Tesla coil circuit

Remember not to turn this device on near phones, computers and other electronic devices, as they may be damaged by its radiation.

A simple Tesla generator circuit

To assemble the circuit you need:

1. Enameled copper wire 0.1-0.3 mm thick, 200 m long.

2. Plastic pipe with a diameter of 4-7 cm, a length of 15 cm for the secondary winding frame.

3. Plastic pipe with a diameter of 7-10 cm, a length of 3-5 cm for the primary winding frame.

4. Radio components: transistor D13007 and a cooling radiator for it; variable resistor 50 kOhm; fixed resistor 75 Ohm and 0.25 W; power supply with an output voltage of 12-18 volts and a current of 0.5 amperes;
5. Soldering iron, tin solder and rosin.

Having selected the necessary parts, start by winding the coil. You should wind the frame turn to turn without overlaps or noticeable gaps, approximately 1000 turns, but not less than 600. After this, you need to provide insulation and secure the winding; it is best to use varnish for this, which is used to cover the winding in several layers.

For the primary winding (L1), a thicker wire with a diameter of 0.6 mm or more is used, the winding is 5-12 turns, the frame for it is selected at least 5 mm thicker than the secondary winding.

Next, assemble the circuit as in the figure above. Any NPN transistor is suitable, PNP is also possible, but in this case it is necessary to change the polarity of the power supply, the author of the circuit used BUT11AF, from domestic ones, which are in no way inferior, KT819, KT805 are well suited.
To power the camera - any 12-30V power supply with a current of 0.3 A.

Parameters of the original Tesla winding

Secondary - 700 turns of wire 0.15 mm thick on a 4 cm frame.
Primary – 5 turns of 1.5 mm wire on a 5 cm frame.
Power supply – 12-24 V with current up to 1 A.

Video of the “How-todo” channel.

In this article I will talk about the Tesla transformer device I assembled and the interesting effects that were observed in it during its operation.

I’d like to dot the i’s right away, this device works with high voltages, so compliance with basic safety rules is MANDATORY! Failure to follow the rules will result in serious injury, remember this! I would also like to note that the main danger in this device is the ISKROVIK (discharge arrester), which during its operation is a source of wide-spectrum radiation, including X-rays, remember this!

Let's begin. I’ll tell you briefly about the design of “my” Tesla transformer, in common parlance “Tesla coil”. This device is made on a simple element base, accessible to everyone. The block diagram of the device is shown below.

As you can see, I did not reinvent the wheel and decided to stick to the classic Tesla transformer circuit, the only thing added to the classic circuit is an electronic voltage converter - the role of which is to increase the voltage from 12 Volts to 10 thousand volts! By the way, this voltage converter can be assembled by a housewife. In the high-voltage part of the circuit, the following elements are used: The VD diode is a high-voltage 5GE200AF diode - it has high resistance - this is very important! Capacitors C1 and C2 have a nominal value of 2200 pF, each designed for a voltage of 5 kV. As a result, we get a total capacitance of 1100 pF and an accumulated voltage of 10 kV, which is very good for us! I would like to note that the capacitance is selected experimentally; the duration of the pulse in the primary coil depends on it, and of course on the coil itself. The pulse time must be less than the lifetime of electron pairs in the conductor of the primary coil of the Tesla transformer, otherwise we will have a low effect and the pulse energy will be spent on heating the coil - which we do not need! The assembled design of the device is shown below.

The design of the spark gap deserves special attention; most modern Tesla transformer circuits have a special spark generator design driven by an electric motor, where the discharge frequency is regulated by the rotation speed, but I decided not to follow this trend, since there are many negative aspects. I followed the classic arrester circuit. The technical drawing of the arrester is given below.

A cheap and practical option that does not make noise or light, I will explain why. This arrester is made of copper plates 2-3 mm thick with dimensions 30x30 mm (to act as a radiator, since the arc is a heat source) with threads for bolts in each plate. To prevent the bolt from unwinding during discharge and to ensure good contact, it is necessary to use a spring between the bolt and the plate. To dampen the noise during a discharge, we will make a special chamber where the arc will burn, my chamber is made from a piece of polyethylene water pipe (which does not contain reinforcement), the piece of pipe is clamped tightly between two plates and it is advisable to use sealing, for example, I have a special double-sided tape for insulation . The gap is adjusted by screwing in and unscrewing the bolt; I’ll explain why later.

Primary coil of the device. The primary coil of the device is made of copper wire type PV 2.5mm.kv and here the question arises: “Why such a thick wire?” I'll explain. The Tesla transformer is a special device, one might say anomalous, which is not of the same type as ordinary transformers, where the laws are completely different. For a conventional power transformer, self-induction (counter-EMF) is important in its operation, which compensates for part of the current; when a conventional power transformer is loaded, the counter-EMF decreases and the current increases accordingly; if we remove the counter-EMF from conventional transformers, they will flare up like candles. But in the Tesla transformer it’s the other way around - self-induction is our enemy! Therefore, to combat this disease, we use a thick wire that has low inductance, and therefore low self-inductance. We need a powerful electromagnetic pulse and we get it using this type of coil. The primary coil is made in the form of an Archimedes spiral in one plane in the amount of 6 turns, the maximum diameter of a large turn in my design is 60 mm.

The secondary coil of the device is a regular coil wound on a polymer water pipe (without reinforcement) with a diameter of 15 mm. The coil is wound with enamel wire 0.01mm.kv turn per turn, in my device the number of turns is 980 pcs. Winding the secondary coil requires patience and endurance, it took me about 4 hours.

So, the device is assembled! Now a little about adjusting the device, the device consists of two LC circuits - primary and secondary! For proper operation of the device, it is necessary to introduce the system into resonance, namely into resonance of the LC circuits. In fact, the system is brought into resonance automatically, due to the wide range of frequencies of the electric arc, some of which coincide with the impedance of the system, so all we have to do is optimize the arc and equalize the frequencies in terms of power in it - this is done very simply - we adjust the gap arrester. The arrester must be adjusted until the best results appear in the form of arc length. An image of the working device is located below.

So the device was assembled and launched - now it works for us! Now we can make our observations and study them. I want to immediately warn you: although high-frequency currents are harmless to the human body (in terms of the Tesla transformer), the light effects caused by them can affect the cornea of the eye and you risk getting a corneal burn, since the spectrum of the emitted light is shifted towards ultraviolet radiation. Another danger that lurks when using a Tesla transformer is an excess of ozone in the blood, which can lead to headaches, since large portions of this gas are produced during operation of the device, remember this!

Let's start observing a working Tesla coil. It is best to make observations in complete darkness, so you will most of all experience the beauty of all the effects that will simply amaze you with their unusualness and mystery. I made observations in complete darkness, at night and for hours I could admire the glow that the device produced, for which I paid the price the next morning: my eyes hurt like after a burn from electric welding, but these are trifles, as they say: “science requires sacrifices.” As soon as I turned on the device for the first time, I noticed a beautiful phenomenon - this is a glowing purple ball that was in the middle of the coil, in the process of adjusting the spark gap, I noticed that the ball moves up or down depending on the length of the gap, my only explanation for the phenomenon at the moment impedance in the secondary coil, which causes this effect. The ball consisted of many purple micro arcs that exited one area of the coil and entered another, forming a sphere. Since the secondary coil of the device is not grounded, an interesting effect was observed - purple glows at both ends of the coil. I decided to check how the device behaves with the secondary coil closed and noticed another interesting thing: an increase in the glow and an increase in the arc emanating from the coil when touching it - an amplification effect on the face. A repetition of Tesla's experiment, in which gas-discharge lamps glow in the field of a transformer. When a conventional energy-saving gas-discharge lamp is inserted into the transformer field, it begins to glow, the brightness of the glow is approximately 45% of its full power, which is approximately 8 W, while the power consumption of the entire system is 6 W. Just a note: a high-frequency electric field appears around the operating device, which has a potential of approximately 4 kV/cm2. An interesting effect is also observed: the so-called brush discharge, a luminous purple discharge in the form of a thick brush with frequent needles up to 20 mm in size, reminiscent of an animal’s fluffy tail. This effect is caused by high-frequency vibrations of gas molecules in the field of a conductor; in the process of high-frequency vibrations, gas molecules are destroyed and ozone is formed, and the residual energy manifests itself in the form of a glow in the ultraviolet range. The most striking manifestation of the brush effect occurs when using a flask with an inert gas, in my case I used a flask from a HPS gas discharge lamp, which contains Sodium (Na) in a gaseous state, and a bright brush effect occurs, which is similar to the burning of a wick only with very frequent formation of sparks, this effect is very beautiful.

Results of the work performed: The operation of the device is accompanied by various interesting and beautiful effects, which in turn deserve more careful study; it is known that the device generates a high frequency electric field, which causes the formation of a large amount of ozone, as a byproduct of ultraviolet glow. The special configuration of the device gives reason to think about the principles of its operation; there are only guesses and theories about the operation of this device, but no objective information has been put forward, just as there has been no thorough study of this device. At the moment, the Tesla transformer is collected by enthusiasts and used only for entertainment for the most part, although the device in my opinion is the key to understanding the fundamental basis of the universe that Tesla knew and understood. Using a Tesla transformer for fun is like hammering nails with a microscope... Super single effect of the device..? perhaps..., but I don’t yet have the necessary equipment to determine this fact.

Nikola Tesla, is a coil or resonant transformer capable of delivering high voltage at high frequency. In order to imagine the operation of this device, you need to know the principle of operation of the Tesla coil.

Tesla transformer: principle of operation

The operating principle of this device is comparable to the operation of a conventional swing. In forced swing mode, the maximum amplitude is in proportion to the applied effort. If the swing is performed in a free mode, an even greater increase in the maximum amplitude occurs.

In the coil, the swing is the secondary oscillation circuit, and the applied force is provided by the generator. They operate at a strictly designated time.

Tesla coil design

The simplest transformer has two coils - primary and secondary. In addition, the design includes a spark gap, a capacitor and a terminal. Ultimately, two oscillation circuits are formed, interconnected. This is the main difference between a Tesla coil and a conventional transformer.

In order for the coil to work fully, both oscillation circuits are tuned to the same resonance frequency. The adjustment is made by adjusting the primary circuit to the secondary one, changing the capacitance of the capacitor and the number of turns. As a result, maximum voltage is generated at the output of the coil.

To operate the Tesla transformer, a pulse mode is used. At the first stage, the amount of charge on the capacitor should be equal to the voltage causing the breakdown of the spark gap. In the second stage, high frequency oscillations are generated in the primary circuit. At the same time, a spark gap is switched on, closing the transformer and removing it from the general circuit. Otherwise, losses may occur in the primary circuit, which may affect its performance. In a normal circuit, the arrester is usually installed in parallel with the power source.

Thus, the voltage value at the output of a Tesla coil can be several million volts. With the help of such tension, in, reaching a considerable length. Their appearance is literally mesmerizing, and in many cases the transformer is used as a decorative item.

The principle of operation of the Tesla coil helps to find practical applications for this device. As a rule, it is assigned a cognitive and aesthetic role. This is due to certain difficulties in controlling the device and transmitting the data received over a distance.

I already had this article once on a website dedicated to the brilliant Nikola Tesla. But the site no longer exists, I just didn’t have enough hands to do everything. However, there were interesting articles there, they have been preserved, and I will slowly publish them here.

The published article is intended FOR INFORMATION ONLY!

I’d like to straight away dot the i’s, this device works with high voltages, so compliance with basic safety rules is MANDATORY! Failure to follow the rules will result in serious injury, remember this!

I would also like to note that the main danger in this device is the ISKROVIK (discharge arrester), which during its operation is a source of wide-spectrum radiation, including X-rays, remember this!

I’ll tell you briefly about the design of “my” Tesla transformer, in common parlance “Tesla coil”. This device is made on a simple element base, accessible to everyone. The block diagram of the device is shown below.

In this article I will talk about the Tesla transformer device I assembled and the interesting effects that were observed in it during its operation.

In the high-voltage part of the circuit, the following elements are used: The VD diode is a high-voltage 5GE200AF diode - it has high resistance - this is very important! Capacitors C1 and C2 have a nominal value of 2200pF, each rated for a voltage of 5 kV. As a result, we get a total capacitance of 1100 pF and an accumulated voltage of 10 kV, which is very good for us!

I would like to note that the capacitance is selected experimentally; the duration of the pulse in the primary coil depends on it, and of course on the coil itself. The pulse time must be less than the lifetime of electron pairs in the conductor of the primary coil of the Tesla transformer, otherwise we will have a low effect and the pulse energy will be spent on heating the coil, which we do not need! The assembled design of the device is shown below.

The design of the spark gap deserves special attention; most modern Tesla transformer circuits have a special spark generator design with an electric motor drive, where the discharge frequency is regulated by the rotation speed, but I decided not to follow this trend, since there are many negative aspects there. I followed the classic arrester circuit. The technical drawing of the arrester is given below.

To dampen the noise during a discharge, we will make a special chamber where the arc will burn, my chamber is made from a piece of polyethylene water pipe (which does not contain reinforcement), the piece of pipe is clamped tightly between two plates and it is advisable to use sealing, for example, I have a special double-sided tape for insulation . The gap is adjusted by screwing in and unscrewing the bolt; I’ll explain why later.

For a conventional power transformer, self-induction (counter-EMF) is important in its operation, which compensates for part of the current; when a conventional power transformer is loaded, the counter-EMF decreases and the current increases accordingly; if we remove the counter-EMF from conventional transformers, they will flare up like candles.

But in the Tesla transformer the opposite is true: self-induction is our enemy! Therefore, to combat this disease, we use a thick wire that has low inductance and, accordingly, low self-inductance. We need a powerful electromagnetic pulse and we get it using this type of coil. The primary coil is made in the form of an Archimedes spiral in one plane in the amount of 6 turns, the maximum diameter of a large turn in my design is 60 mm.

In fact, the system is brought into resonance automatically, due to the wide range of frequencies of the electric arc, some of which coincide with the impedance of the system, so what we can do is optimize the arc and equalize the frequencies of the power in it.

This is done very simply - we adjust the gap of the arrester. The arrester must be adjusted until the best results appear in the form of arc length. An image of the working device is located below.

Another danger that lurks when using a Tesla transformer is an excess of ozone in the blood, which can lead to headaches, since large portions of this gas are produced during operation of the device, remember this!

As soon as I turned on the device for the first time, I noticed a beautiful phenomenon - this is a glowing purple ball that was in the middle of the coil, in the process of adjusting the spark gap, I noticed that the ball moves up or down depending on the length of the gap, my only explanation for the phenomenon at the moment impedance in the secondary coil, which causes this effect.

The ball consisted of many purple micro arcs that exited one area of the coil and entered another, forming a sphere. Since the secondary coil of the device is not grounded, an interesting effect was observed - purple glows at both ends of the coil.

I decided to check how the device behaves with the secondary coil closed and noticed another interesting thing: an increase in the glow and an increase in the arc emanating from the coil when touching it - the amplification effect is obvious.

A repetition of Tesla's experiment, in which gas-discharge lamps glow in the field of a transformer. When a conventional energy-saving gas-discharge lamp is inserted into the transformer field, it begins to glow, the brightness of the glow is approximately 45% of its full power, which is approximately 8 W, while the power consumption of the entire system is 6 W.

Just a note: a high-frequency electric field appears around the operating device, which has a potential of approximately 4 kV/cm2. An interesting effect is also observed: the so-called brush discharge, a luminous purple discharge in the form of a thick brush with frequent needles up to 20 mm in size, reminiscent of an animal’s fluffy tail.

This effect is caused by high-frequency vibrations of gas molecules in the field of a conductor; in the process of high-frequency vibrations, gas molecules are destroyed and ozone is formed, and the residual energy manifests itself in the form of a glow in the ultraviolet range.

The most striking manifestation of the brush effect occurs when using a flask with an inert gas, in my case I used a flask from a HPS gas discharge lamp, which contains Sodium (Na) in a gaseous state, and a bright brush effect occurs, which is similar to the burning of a wick only with very frequent formation of sparks, this effect is very beautiful.

The special configuration of the device gives reason to think about the principles of its operation; there are only guesses and theories about the operation of this device, but no objective information has been put forward, just as there has been no thorough study of this device.

At the moment, the Tesla transformer is collected by enthusiasts and used only for entertainment for the most part, although the device in my opinion is the key to understanding the fundamental basis of the universe that Tesla knew and understood.

Using a Tesla transformer for fun is like hammering nails with a microscope... Super single effect of the device..? perhaps..., but I don’t yet have the necessary equipment to determine this fact.

Once again I warn you about the dangers of making your own device!

The article is not mine, here it is

In order to create a Tesla generator yourself, you need to have the following parts:

capacitor;
arrester;
the primary coil, which should have low inductance;
the secondary coil must have high inductance;
the capacitor is secondary and must have a small capacity;
wire of different diameters;
several tubes made of plastic or cardboard;
regular ballpoint pen;
foil;
metal ring;
pin to ground the device;
a metal pin to catch the charge;

Step-by-step assembly instructions

In order for the invention to work properly and not pose a threat, you need to carefully follow all instructions and be very careful.

Follow the guide carefully and you won't have any problems:

Select a suitable transformer. It determines the size of the coil you can make. You need one that can output at least 5-15 watts, and a current of 30-100 milliamps.
First capacitor. It can be created using smaller capacitors connected like a chain. They will evenly accumulate energy in your primary circuit. But for this they must be the same. The capacitor can be removed from a non-working TV, bought in a store, or made yourself using regular film and aluminum foil. For your capacitor to be as powerful as possible, it must be charged constantly. The charge must be applied every second 120 times.
Arrester. For a single arrester, you can take a wire whose thickness is more than 6 millimeters. This is necessary so that the electrodes can withstand the heat that will be released. The electrodes can be cooled using a flow of cold air, using a hair dryer, vacuum cleaner, or air conditioner.
Winding of the first coil. You need a special shape to wrap the copper wire around. You can take it from an old unnecessary electrical appliance or buy a new one in a store. The shape on which the wire will be wound should be either a cylinder or a cone. The inductance of the coil directly depends on the length of the wire. And the primary, as already written above, should be with low induction. There should be few turns, and the wire may not be solid; sometimes pieces are used to fasten them together.
You can now assemble the created devices into one whole, connecting them one to another, like links in a chain. If everything is done correctly, then they should create a primary oscillatory circuit that the electrodes will transmit.
Secondary coil. It is created in the same way as the first one, wire is wound around the form, there should be more turns. After all, the second coil is needed much larger and higher than the first. It should not create a secondary circuit, the presence of which could lead to combustion of the primary coil. Do not forget that these coils must be of the same frequency in order to work properly and not burn out when the device is turned on.
Another capacitor. Its shape can be either round or spherical. This is done in the same way as for the primary coil.
Compound. To create a secondary circuit, you need to connect the remaining coil and capacitor into one. But, it is necessary to ground the circuit so as not to harm the devices that are connected to the network. You need to ground as far as possible from the wiring that is located throughout the house. Grounding is very simple - you just need to stick a pin into the ground.
Throttle. It is necessary to make a choke so as not to damage the entire electrical network with the arrester. It’s easy to create – wrap the wire tightly around a ballpoint pen.
Put it all together:
- primary and secondary coils;
- transformer;
- chokes;
Both coils need to be placed nearby and connect a transformer to them using chokes. If the second coil turns out to be larger than the first, then the first one can be placed inside.

The device will start working after connecting the transformer.

Device

circuit of the simplest Tesla transformer

This device consists of several parts:

2 different coils: primary and secondary;
arrester;
capacitor;
toroid;
terminal;

Also, the primary composition includes a wire with a diameter of more than 6 millimeters and a copper tube. Most often, it is created horizontally, but it can also be vertical and in the shape of a cone. For the other coil, much more wire is used, the diameter of which is smaller than that of the first.

To create a Tesla transformer, they do not use a ferromagnetic core, and thus reduce the induction between the primary and secondary coils. If you use a ferromagnetic core, then the mutual induction will be much stronger. And this is not suitable for the creation and normal functioning of the Tesla device.

The oscillatory circuit is formed thanks to the first coil and the capacitor connected to it. Also, it includes one nonlinear element, namely a conventional gas spark gap.

The secondary one forms the same circuit, but instead of condensate, the capacitance of the toroid and the interturn gap itself in the coil are used. In addition, in order to prevent electrical breakdown, such a coil is coated with special protection - epoxy resin.

The terminal is usually used in the form of a disk, but it can also be made in the form of a sphere. It is necessary to obtain long discharges from sparks.

This device uses 2 oscillating circuits, which distinguishes this invention from all other transformers, which consist of only one. In order for this transformer to work properly, these circuits must have the same frequency.

Principle of operation

The coils you created have an oscillating circuit. If voltage is applied to the first coil, it will create its own magnetic field. With its help, energy is transferred from one coil to another.

The secondary coil creates, together with the capacitance, the same circuit that is capable of accumulating the energy transferred by the primary. Everything works according to a simple scheme - the more energy the first coil is capable of transmitting, and the second one is able to accumulate, the greater the voltage will be. And the result will be more spectacular.

As mentioned above, in order for the device to start working, it must be connected to the supply transformer. In order to direct the discharges produced by the Tesla generator, you need to place a metal object nearby. But do this so that they do not touch. If you put a light bulb next to it, it will glow. But only if there is enough voltage.

To make a Tesla invention yourself, you need to do mathematical calculations, so you need to have experience. Or find an engineer who can help you derive the formulas correctly.

If you have no experience, then it’s better not to start the work yourself. An engineer can help you.
Be very careful, because the discharges produced by the Tesla generator can burn.
Such an invention can damage all connected devices; it would be better to remove them away before turning them on.
All metal objects, which are close to the switched on device, can burn.