My 900 VA Tesla Coil! (Resonant Transformer) Lightning Machine

[ikinner]

Dude.. that setup is tits! You do induction with style. What is your resonant freq? How the hell did you wind that copper tubing so perfectly? Well done man,, thanks for sharing.

[unknowxe]

Now THAT is cool!!! I am a 12th grader and I would like to build a tesla coil like yours by the first week of April for a science fair. Do you think I would have time to build one? (that is if I can because like 4230020 said: "suddenly i don't feel so smart.")

[bgjnat56]

how do you get your hands on these parts?

[highvoltagefeathers]

@bgjnat56 Ebay. They're all over the place.

[012Wallace]

I wanted to build one but know little about electricity. Hearing this guy talk about how a tesla coil works made me give up.

[littlemidid]

wow... little Tesla has resurrected.... hahahah...lol gd job kid.... :)

[4230020]

suddenly i don't feel so smart.

[TheSkinnzer]

How much did this cost?

[mw2rules1999]

so were do we put the Flux capacitor?!?!?!

[foiwater]

The peak in the AC stator wave in your motor and the voltage induced in your hall effect sensor if you had one, wouldn't be coincidental as you said, rather they would occur simultaneously. Unless you meant, coincide** ?

[highvoltagefeathers]

@foiwater I could be wrong, but I am fairly certain that for two actions or occurrences to happen simultaneously, it could be said that the two actions or occurrences are coincidental.

[krisofamericas]

cool man nice creation :P

[FaustTeufel]

Hmm, can't seem to pronounce the parts needed for assembly?

[highvoltagefeathers]

@FaustTeufel I'm bad on camera, sorry.

[TheTruthArmy]

ur a genius

[MACHINEIRON]

The main disc-shaped copper coils are very well made. How did you wind them so beautifully?

[highvoltagefeathers]

@MACHINEIRON A few preliminary measurements and a lot of patience! I drilled 2 sections of PVC pipe all the way through, then cut the pipe in half along the center of the holes to get the notches that the copper tubing sits in, then drilled holes for zip ties which hold the copper in place. They've held tight for 2 1/2 years now.

Thanks!

[Drmanbearpig]

your capacitors are doomed to explode within a week

[highvoltagefeathers]

@Drmanbearpig These capacitors have lasted just fine for a collective 35 hours of runtime over the course of 2 1/2 years, but thanks for the heads up. Constructive criticism only please.

[Drmanbearpig]

@highvoltagefeathers You are lucky then. I used two 15kv rated caps to get a rating of 30kv voltage rating for a 15kv neon sign transformer, and literally after the 8th or 9th run, it destroyed itself. Luckily it didn't take out the secondary when it exploded... Just be careful when using series capacitors, and maybe encase the caps in some sort of plastic shielding

[highvoltagefeathers]

@Drmanbearpig I'm aware of the dangers, and did you use a filter circuit? You can get large spikes running around through the system if you don't have MOT's to ground the main HV lines from the transformer through a small spark gap.

[815shakyshawn]

@highvoltagefeathers can you build one to power a house? 70% of the population would buy one and you would be rich and could give me 25% for giving you this excellent idea

[highvoltagefeathers]

@815shakyshawn No. It can't generate electricity from nothing. It uses energy from the wall to make a lightning show. Thats about it.

[oku23CH]

Magnifique construction ! BRAVO a toi

XD

[highvoltagefeathers]

@oku23CH Thanks!

[JessieDNikkie]

have you tried powering anything with this?? other then florescent tubes... also is there anywhere in particular you got the blueprints from?

[highvoltagefeathers]

@JessieDNikkie You can't "power" anything with it any better than you would be able to power it by plugging it into the outlet. This is not a generator, free energy device, etc.

And I did not use blueprints. I don't use plans or blueprints for any of my projects.

[Oggestaden]

i don't understand a fucking thing of what he is saying!! xD

[AxelWiresmith]

Tis a thing of beauty..... Now make his flying machine *kidding*

Thanx for show and tell, nice work with the opto,... You can maybe see why this is one of those things utube DIY noobz should prolly steer clear of XD That said: Howz about a schematic?

[Youcansuckme69]

If you have 11 2kv caps in parrallel in surprised they survive the overvoltage of 12kv. lol

[highvoltagefeathers]

@Youcansuckme69 They are in series. I apologize if I misstated the arrangement in the video :P. a 2Kv cap bank would last about .0000000001 seconds with 12 Kv at 60 mA :P

[GenMinion]

DAMN NATURE, YOU SCARY!

[ralphisok1]

It's a good ozone freshener!

[highvoltagefeathers]

@ralphisok1 It is. The ozone produced while I was testing it for several weeks almost every day, gave me a cough that persisted for several months. By the time you can smell ozone, the recommended safe concentration for breathing has long been reached.

[DerekP2050]

@highvoltagefeathers high ozone concentrations can damage lungs.

[elflordbob1]

you should touch it that would make a great vid

[highvoltagefeathers]

@elflordbob1 Check out my channel, there's a video where I do.

[akaacmeinc]

haha..True lightning in the basement (as cool as it is) wont save the World, but sharing Tesla knowledge on YouTube might, and does..People with the need for energy, for other then "lightning", may apply similar techniques in the future, if influenced by others to do so.. It is all up to young people like you to "pass-the-word" (so to speak) on such topics and other hidden knowledge. peace

[akaacmeinc]

thanks for helping to save the world for us. At the least, thanks for trying.

[highvoltagefeathers]

@akaacmeinc Not trying to save the world. Trying to make lightning in my basement.

[deadmenlimping]

nerd hahahaha

[PSNteam501]

@deadmenlimping Nerds will one day rule the world, then people like you are going to have tesla coils shoved up your ass

[deadmenlimping]

@PSNteam501 wow im a nerd hahahaahahahahaha lolz i play world of warcraft

[deadmenlimping]

@PSNteam501 im a nerd hahaha i play world of warcraft

[HLANGEL100]

ITS BUZZ LIGHTYEAR ;-)

[dougspair]

...Ran out of characters on the last comment. I'd think the color of the wire insulation is directly related to the composition, not anything related to the colors liked by the engineerrs...LOL. on that one.. So, you know the relationship of motor speeds/poles to the 60 hz..? And the 3 phase stuff..? And the relationship of this, to Nikola Tesla..? The Elecrtic Motor tech I went to was a 9 months deal, 1-3 phase motor repair, control circuits too. 24 volt DC, 120 AC, 240-480 3-phase AC..

[highvoltagefeathers]

@dougspair Absolutely! The speed of the modified motor is dictated precicely by the 60Hz cycle. It has 4 poles, which means 1 rotation per every 2 AC cycles. It is locked to the phase of the driving current, so the angular position of the shaft corresponds directly and repeatably with a point in the 2 phases! And of course tesla invented the technology behind the motor, and the transformers, the variac, the lights in my shop, etc. (allegedly the motor/alternator idea came via halucination) :P

[highvoltagefeathers]

@highvoltagefeathers An interesting man with amazing and revolutionary ideas, who is hardly recognized for it.

[highvoltagefeathers]

@highvoltagefeathers I also noticed that the green enamel on the speaker wire for the secondary winding stores a charge. It will give me a bunch of little, nasty shocks wherever I touch it for awhile :P

[dougspair]

@highvoltagefeathers Are you grounding the secondary? It could be acting as a capacitor, with all the metal up top.I've always connected the base of the secondary to the bottom of primay. Ignore the negative comments, I know it's hard not to reply in a similar negative way, but your stuff is about the best in Teslacoils.

[dougspair]

@highvoltagefeathers Surprising how many posters here don't know the speed/freq relationship. Tesla is said to have invented 3 phase when thinking/dreaming of hamsters running in the wheel, don't know how it got to be squirrel. All the the auto-motive alternators I've ever seen are 3phase, likely for smoothing the curent pulses, and have a slip-ring rotating field. Others here have replaced the rotary winding with perm magnet, but now you cannot control output. AND, it's still not free energy.

[dougspair]

I only worked at the Electric Motor Repair shop for about a year, but I did also go to a tech-school for that stuff..after high school, in 1965. however, the motors are still much the same. I see a lot of stuff on youtube from Motor makers, about the same as I did..40+ years back. Long ago, the first copper wire was a very dark brown enamel, then in the late 1950's a lighter reddish color, a synthetic enamel called Formvar. I'm sure the green is just a different type of material.

[dougspair]

..Thanks for the reply...again, I comment highly in your favor for the workmanship, and great video presentation.. You're right about milling flats on the motor rotor as that makes it a synchronized motor, instead of the slightly lagging 'normal' speed of induction motor. I worked in a motor repair shop after high school...the larger synchronous motors often have wire wound rotor, with brushes to energize. And the green wire, do you know what kind of insulation that is..?

[highvoltagefeathers]

@dougspair What an interesting job! I love working with induction/brushless motors. And I don't know what kindof enamel that is... I just picked it for the color, to make mine a bit original. I just wish the blue had been cheaper!

Thanks for the feedback!

[vikramhooda1990]

i am guessing u dont go to college, otherwise u wouldnt be this smart??.... good job nonetheless :)

[highvoltagefeathers]

@vikramhooda1990 I'm a senior in high school :). Thanks,

[vikramhooda1990]

@highvoltagefeathers dudeee, bloody bloody impressive.... stay safe during this year, keep up the good job

[dougspair]

...Very Nice craftsman-ship..and the green wire...like everyone else says..the red wire is a bit old.. The rotating member of the motor is the 'rotor'...soft iron laminations, and the "winding" is actually die cast aluminum...trust me on this..I've been around that stuff for over 60 years...but you're close enough on the description..

[highvoltagefeathers]

@dougspair Yup! I know its made of the aluminum "squirrel cage". I've taken several apart, their rather like big striated cylinders. I had to mill four flats 90* apart eachother in order to get it to lock to the AC cycle.

[dougspair]

@highvoltagefeathers ..the slightly 'twisted' laminations in the rotor I think are to reduce 'cogging' and accoustical noise...but also cause the motors run slightly slower than the 60 (or 50 in Europe)...AC line frequency. I'm not 100% positive on that though...I could be mistaken.

[highvoltagefeathers]

@dougspair exactly! If the laminations were straight, and all the motors in the US locked to the line frequency, there would be lots of weird re-inductive cancellation and amplification, probably blowing some fuses and tripping some breakers. I just had to peel these layers of engineering off in the form of the flats to get it to lock again :).

[AvidAngels]

Are you an electric engineer?you earn my respect bro!

[arctictimberwolf]

Sweet work!! Very impressive! How many hours did it take to build? I like what you did in modifying the induction motor. The future is now bro. Have you studied Otis T. Carr's work? He worked directly with Tesla. You do excellent work, I bet you will graduate with honors!!

[Gigascodex]

Awesome dude! Keep it up! Sweden..

[jonnyb666999666]

hey could you send me an instruction guide to build one of these please

[highvoltagefeathers]

@jonnyb666999666 Your instruction guide is right in front of you, and between your ears. I didn't build this from an instruction guide.

The internet has all the information you need,

Your mind needs to do the rest.

[jonnyb666999666]

@highvoltagefeathers erm thanks i think lol

[weeardguy]

Wow! The secondary has a nice color! Something fresh besides the so common brown ones. And it works good to ;)

[highvoltagefeathers]

@weeardguy Thanks! I liked the look of the color, was a little sick of the ugly orange-brown too.

[markrsg]

I wish i was rich i would love to fund such endeavors.. People like you should be given the backing to keep going ..

[TunioMir]

Great Video! can tell alot of effort went into it!

[rwg42985]

Nice work! Looks clean and works well! ~Russ

[EndNuclearAgenda21]

I have heard that William Lynn had great info about Teslas work,, thanks for the video

[atiseru]

9:00 if you want to see it in action;p yw

[highvoltagefeathers]

@atiseru I'm trying to have this comment restored.

I don't know why it was flagged, If I'd had half a mind to I would have included something like this myself for those not interested in everything else :P

[AshSechler]

amazing. I just got done reading Tesla's "colorado springs notes" from when he was developing coils to transfer power thru the ground. interesting stuff...

[weslingm]

I have read that when a tesla coil runs backwards it collects energy from the energy field that is all around us.

[highvoltagefeathers]

It will only run "backwards" when excited by a radio frequency that it is tuned to. It is no more than a radio antenna. There are many types of energy flowing all around us, not necessarily in a "field".

There is no machine that can reach out and "grab" it all at once. Harnessing this energy takes alot of work

(solar pannels, wind turbines, hydroelectric dams, etc.)

[ytmachx]

@weslingm Yes, that is why you should always wear your tinfoil hat.

[hardstyle905]

I don't think you need to spend 90% of the video explaining what a tesla coil is. Most people clicking on this video will already know that.

[highvoltagefeathers]

@hardstyle905 Thats why youtube is so handy! You see when you encounter a part you don't want to see, you just click to another spot on the progress bar, and the seeker appears there, and the video continues at that point! Such an elegant process would allow one to skip my explanation alltogether!

You learn something every day!

[johnknoefler]

@highvoltagefeathers Well gee. I thought I HAD to listen to the lecture.... hahha.

[DrWoodyII]

Great vid, thanks for posting. Question: why a horizontal primary coil instead of vertical?

[highvoltagefeathers]

@DrWoodyII You can construct it either way, personal preference with regard to appearance in my case :P.

Different shapes yield different inductive characteristics, so its a tuning point as well. Many use cone-shaped coils.

[newstart49]

Get the frequency up to 2k and it won't hurt.

[1Bob4All]

Does a static discharge create ozone ?

How much ozone does this produce?

[duf101101]

Never made a Tesla Coil. Do you really need the induction motor. I was thinking more along the rectifier lines.

[highvoltagefeathers]

@duf101101 Sounds like you know what your talking about :).

For a DC rectified rotary spark gap coil, most people use a DC motor hooked up to a dimmer or speed control circuit. I am not an expert on these types of coils, but I do know that a variable-speed dc motor controll is necessary for tuning.

With my AC coil, I need an induction motor to phase-lock and tune my spark gap, or else things get really nasty really quick. You will not need this kind of accuracy with yours.

[highvoltagefeathers]

@duf101101 I actually secretly wish that I had built a more powerful DC coil...

[ElectricalRevolution]

Brilliant explaination!

[geshbeddin]

very nice consistent arc well done!

[nolifeguy1]

make a vid of you touching it when its on

[highvoltagefeathers]

@nolifeguy1 I won't, because the arc will burn skin.

[iEugene1994]

@highvoltagefeathers You can wear special rubber gloves with little piece of metal , that connected to ground with wire .

[nolifeguy1]

@nolifeguy1 then make a tesla cannon off of fallout...that would be sick

[venom1234afi]

u smart rich bastard lol

[highvoltagefeathers]

@venom1234afi not rich!! lots of lawnmowing for these parts!

[venom1234afi]

@highvoltagefeathers lol ima start mowing more lawns lol

[nlcjhon]

When the coil its ready, how can u make free energy in our house, what else do you need?

[highvoltagefeathers]

@nlcjhon Free energy is impossible, and a tesla coil is not a free energy device.

[mrgalleria]

@highvoltagefeathers

THEN WHY DO YOU GROUND OUT (throw away) THE SECONDARY OUTPUT?

[highvoltagefeathers]

@mrgalleria because this is not a bipolar tesla coil, and it will not function without a ground.

[Jebus495]

@highvoltagefeathers Drive the ground 50 meters into the ground and tune it to 6-8hz? :o

[mrgalleria]

@highvoltagefeathers

Of course.

But who on earth builds a transformer, then does not use the secondary power for something?

Energy is not free because it is already present around us. The sun gives it, and you are creating a spectacular way of demonstrating that fact.

Study Donald Lee Smiths Tesla type devices, and see my energy video.

[highvoltagefeathers]

@mrgalleria @mrgalleria I think you need to look to more reputable sources than your imagination for some very basic laws and rules. You seem to think that the tesla coil is simply "willing" electricity towards it. The charge oscilates within the torroid, secondary, and ground. When the torroid experiences an excess of charge that it can no longer contain, it breaks down the air around it and emits an arc. When the torroid becomes highly positive, electrons jump out of the air to fill the void.

[OKMUNWURX]

What gauge is the green wire? How many turns; diameter is 4 or 6"?

[highvoltagefeathers]

@OKMUNWURX I can't remember. That, however, isn't necessarily as important. There are all sorts of resources and how-to websites on tesla coil building and tuning. Chances are if you just ask for building specs without understanding how they work, your project will dissapoint you.

[OKMUNWURX]

What gauge is the green wire?

[9tree1]

nevermind... I'm going to be a horrible parent... Don't worry! We will be horrible parents with you!

[101criminal]

Very nice how much did this whole project cost you if i may ask?

[highvoltagefeathers]

@101criminal about $300, you have to be pretty crafty with your resources on a budget.

[71296105195]

very nice

[CTR831]

That is an awesome video the description rocks... ! thanks for posting

[MrDANAN99]

can you make a video on how to make the filter

[CoolDudeClem]

I have a question, how come the primary is horizontal? I would have thought in one of these the primary would be vertical aswell and have the secondary wound around it or something like that.

[highvoltagefeathers]

@CoolDudeClem The primary coil is horizontal because this isn't just any normal transformer :P. It's actually hardly a transformer at all. The number of turns in the primary or secondary coils has no effect on the voltage produced. I rather think of it as a giant radio transmitter and reciever (the primary coil is an 800 watt transmitter, and the secondary coil and topload is the reciever). The primary needs to push pulses directly up and down the secondary.

[almonrah]

when the device is on have u ever felt different in personality and has ur mind ever altered. have u tried meditating while its on?

[highvoltagefeathers]

@almonrah Nope! I don't think my mind is attenuated to 278 Khz :P

I do develop a persistent cough when I'm working on it because of all the ozone, I need more ventalation in the basement.

[CrashByron]

You say you have your MMC capacitors hooked up in parallel? And they are only rated at 2Kv, yet you are feeding them 12Kv+!!! Think you might want to rearrange your MMC configuration. Just a thought :)

[highvoltagefeathers]

@CrashByron Its series/paralell, sorry if I confused you or said it wrong in the vid, I was tired.

[08Kutt]

hey really amazing tesla coil!! whats the size of the sparks???

[highvoltagefeathers]

@plasmaninjaa Since I shot the explanation video, I'd removed the shunts from the xformers and inductively ballasted them. Then I shot the running video. I measured amperage to the xformers with a clamp-style meter.

Observant though!

[o0OCognizanceO0o]

I want to see HVDC unidirectional impulses.

[highvoltagefeathers]

@o0OCognizanceO0o ? Never heard of it.

[TheWarcalf]

what happens if you get close?

[highvoltagefeathers]

@TheWarcalf You become a high-voltage wire to the ground. :)

[TheWarcalf]

@highvoltagefeathers that sucks

[kjbaran]

Really good job winding that primary. I used 1/4" copper tubing and it was a bitch to precisely wind and get it to stay. Bravo!

[highvoltagefeathers]

@kjbaran Thanks! I've learned that there are different "softnesses" when it comes to tubing :P Pure copper tubing is more flexible than cheap brands which have different, stiffer metals mixed in. Come to think of it, I probably could have used aluminum just as easily!

[MrFlathunter]

Very nice work, well done! I dont think ive ever seen such a professionally made DIY tesla coil. Have you played with any smaller oscillating coils? You may be surprised by how much power you can get from just 1AA battery. Check out youtube vids on ''slayer exciter''. Its basically a solid state mini tesla coil which uses a transistor to switch the currents in the primary and secondary, and runs on very very low input. 1 AA will do it.

[r66dTesla]

This a is a fantastically beautiful coil and you have a wonderful design.

Great job on this I will add it as a favorite to my channel ,very nice work.

Dr.Greene

[Orgwiz]

simply, a thing of beauty!

[highvoltagefeathers]

@Orgwiz thanks!

[PhxSt0rmz]

Ya you sound like you got confused on some stuff xD Good to see what yours did, I have a single 12KV 60mA NST and a terry filter. I dont have ASYNC motor for a sparkgap, so im just using a few copper pipes...I calculated these transformers need 19.8nF to run good. So, I did a bank for 20nF of those capacitors.

[highvoltagefeathers]

@PhxSt0rmz I'm terrible on the spot unless I have something prepared :P sorry, but a static gap will work great, let me advise you use a vaccume-cleaner-quenched sucker-gap, where air is drawn through two copper pipes that aren't quite touching. This method works excelent. Do you mean a-synchronous (not synchronous), or "A synchronous (a synchronous motor)? big difference, and you'd like "a synchronous" motor for an AC tesla coil :P

[PhxSt0rmz]

@highvoltagefeathers True but NSTS are fragile and its not best to use a normal motor as you risk damaging stuff. I do have a motor, that runs 3600RPM, and on my glass desk i hear it phase in/out. No idea if it would be able to run SYNC or not.

[highvoltagefeathers]

@PhxSt0rmz They are very fragile creatures, let me advise you employ a filter designed by Terry Fritz (just google it). Its simple, and will protect your nst's. I use one. as well, your 3600 rpm motor means that it has two main windings, and runs at /about/ 1 revolution per cycle. What you need to do, is take out the rotor, and mill or grind 2 flats in the sides, on opposite edges. This changes the flux characteristics of the rotor, giving it "inductive handles" for each peak to pull on.

[bubetlog]

You are bubbling like a fool! Be more technical about your descriptions!

[highvoltagefeathers]

@bubetlog Sorry!! I could explain it much better in person, I'm not good on camera, most of the major points are in there though.

[highvoltagefeathers]

@bubetlog I do belive its "babbling". "Bubbling" means extatic. Either your english, or spelling needs work...

[stevemcd30]

excellent description of your coil. Nice to see vids of how it works rather than just the eye candy, which i must say is also in your design build. Very well spoken

[mongkokfatdog]

Hope you build one can chop the earth.

[chiminator45]

thats really complex and awsome, where did you learn so much about electricity and stuff, I'm currently working on a wireless electricity project for my year 12 EEI, got any tips on how to build a device that can light up a light bulb from a distance of about 1 meter through wireless electricity transfer

[highvoltagefeathers]

@chiminator45 ahh, tesla's your guy for wireless transmission! I don't know too much about the finer aspects of his research, just the big parts that involve lightning XP but some of his finer patents involved hundreds of thousands of watts of power, and miles between a transmitter, and an unpowered reciever lighting a bulb. great stuff. just learned everything I know on the internet and with a couple basic books! Study up. thanks for commenting!

[randommush]

@chiminator45 get 2 pancake coils (one smaller than the other) face them at each other and get a function generator and an amplifier and operate the function generator at the resonant frequency of the larger pancake coil and attach a light bulb to the smaller coil ta daa! you have wireless electricity PS. i used this method for wireless charging an iphone 3gs!

[chiminator45]

@randommush So the two pancake coils are exactly the same as in windings, just the receiving coil is say half the size as the transmitting coil, how do you find the resonant frequency of the coil? Did you use a capacitor in parallel with each coil? where can I get a cheap function generator from, and at what frequency was your one? Sorry about the 20 questions I'm kinda new to electronics I need to learn this stuff.

[highvoltagefeathers]

@chiminator45 Well, you'll need an amplifier for your function generator, schematics which can be found quite readily on the internet. The one you'll use would probably be pretty simple, not like you want to send any information :P

and generally the transmitter is larger than the reciever, but I dont see that this needs to be. All you need are inductor/capacitor circuits tuned to the same frequency (probably closer to 1 ghz). I'm not sure about the recieving circuit, but im sure there is more

[highvoltagefeathers]

@chiminator45 information out there! I'm sure theres a forum or board which talks exclusively about wireless power transmission.

[chiminator45]

@highvoltagefeathers I will start researching it, thanks for your help, I bought the book " the ultimate tesla coil design and construction guide" off ebay, after this project I was gunna have a go at building my own tesla coil.

[randommush]

@chiminator45 every time you make a coil 99.99999999999999999999% of the time the resonant frequency will be different a function generator (also known as a frequency generator) can be bought off ebay, if you want you can add a capacitor its really up to you I used a 0.2uf capacitor on each coil and the resonant frequency was about 26-28khz i dont have an oscilloscope or a frequency counter that works at such high frequencies so I dont know the exact frequency of it.

[randommush]

@chiminator45 you will need less windings in the receiving coil, experiment a bit and dont make the same mistake I did use a lower wire gauge than 30 AWG the coils will burn out, and to get the resonant frequency of the coil get your transmitting coil attach it to the function generator, and get the receiving coil and attach it to an oscilloscope (or a voltmeter) and adjust the frequency going into the coil with the function generator until you get a voltage spike on the voltmeter or osc-scope

[madmonty5]

nicely done you must have spent a decent amount on yours I was a limited on funds for mine again nicely done

[dionysus2008]

pretty gud sparks building my own tesla coil rite now