# Any Tesla Coilers here? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 18, 2006, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-tesla-coilers-here/345074 "2006-02-18T10:50:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![some\_white\_dude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b487fb/32.png) [@some\_white\_dude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/some_white_dude)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2006, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-tesla-coilers-here/345074/1 "2006-02-18T10:50:11Z")
[The Tesla Coil](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/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? ---
**Author:** ![Dryfreeze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dec6dc/32.png) [@Dryfreeze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dryfreeze)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2006, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-tesla-coilers-here/345074/2 "2006-02-18T11:03:25Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2006, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-tesla-coilers-here/345074/3 "2006-02-18T16:06:01Z")
It seems to me that you are looking for facts and not opinions, so I’m moving this thread from IMHO to Greneral Questions. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2006, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-tesla-coilers-here/345074/4 "2006-02-18T16:11:44Z")
Start here: [http://amasci.com/tesla/tesla.html](http://amasci.com/tesla/tesla.html) ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2006, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-tesla-coilers-here/345074/5 "2006-02-18T16:18:45Z")
Check out this site, created by an acquaintence of mine, for some interesting information: [http://www.drmegavolt.com/](http://www.drmegavolt.com/)