The Tesla Coil . I’d love to have one of my own that I could use to impress my friends, or at least get them to yell at me to turn the durned thing off. I imagine there must be at least a handful of people here that have experience in building one.
I’m a fourth-year electrical engineering student, so I have a little experience in circuitry. However, the most complex project I’ve undertaken here at school is a multi-stage amplifier in one of my labs. I understand that I probably have much to learn about Tesla Coils before I’m even able to design one, let alone build one.
What I want you to do, fellow Dopers, is point me in the right direction. How did you learn the ways of the coil? Is there any literature I can read for help? Will it even be possible for me to take on this project alone, or will I need direct guidance from someone that is more experienced?
Wow, finally something I can relate to. Well it was years ago, but I built a Tesla Coil for my 8th grade science fair. It really had no purpose in the science fair so I had to create a use for it. I went on to explain how it excited the particles in a florescent light and thus made it turn on even when it was not powered.
I spent weeks study Tesla and his ideas. I spent even more time researching how to build a coil. My father was a big help.
The first thing you will want to do is research this in depth. Then find a nice neon sign transformer, the bigger the better. I never had good luck with the capaciters thus was never able to produce a great coil, only a modest one.
I won my science fair, went onto state, won, went to regionals and got honorable mention. I was on the front of IPL’s (Indianapolis Power and Light) news letter one month for it. e-mail or IM me at the contact info in my profile and I’ll help with what I can.