The Physics Dept of the Uni of Western Australia had this Tesla coil which dates back 40 years. Made in Germany according to the nameplate. Apparently runs at 1 MHz but lots of problems with the Leyden jar caps. It still not functioning despite various attempts so despite the historical interest it was felt a new one was needed of more modern design. So I put my hand up.
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The Tesla Coil 4-Inch Ver 1 is the earliest version of the 4 inch diameter secondary coils and is shown here in early grainy low light photographs. How things have changed! Still, a wondrous moment to see bigger sparks for the first time.
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Neon sign transformers are the starting point for many beginners Tesla coils. They are a handy 12 kV peak unloaded and 30 mA into a short circuit which is current limited.
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Tesla coils produce high frequency AC which is passed through a diode and capacitor to produce DC. This Tesla coil rectification is a difficult task as very high voltage diodes capable of running at several hundred kHz are not easy to come by.
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The second version 4 inch diameter Tesla coil uses much higher power components.
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This high voltage lifter was developed for a public display. It has custom argon tubes for the upright high voltage wire supports. In addition it has small neon indicator globes at the corners of the lifter itself. Very impressive at night. Not really a high flier however due to the reduced voltage available after the argons plus the added weight of the small neon tubes which were later removed.
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DC sparks from my flyback supply with a 0.2 uF capacitor providing a spark energy of perhaps 10 joules at 10 kV. In air this spark will jump less than 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) but water surface tracking means that this will be many times longer and gives a widely branching long spark suggesting a much higher voltage.
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A “water bridge” sustained with about 9 kV DC with two drinking glasses filled with deionised water. It extends about 12 mm.
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A 100 W LED has enough power to burn stuff. And this is “cold” light with no infra red at all.
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My sentimental favourite power supply was made in 1971 and was developed over the years. It appeared in the local newspapers 8 times as a backdrop to photos about two of four state wide talent quest prizes I won between 1970 and 1973.
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