How to make a high voltage "singing" arc

Simple to build circuit for making singing arcs. ERROR note: the film cap across the the MOSFET should be .01uf, not .022uf as shown. You should scope the signal across the transistor to determine best value.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• singing
• arc
• high
• voltage
• pulse
• width
• modulation
• 555
• timer

[powermaks]

@vegmatic1966 using the circuit a did a couple mods (im putting it together in a project) which include a scrap 7806 voltage regulator, 12V 9.4A power supply, 5k pots, and irf 840. how many amps does yours draw? i got much bigger (noisy) arks from 12V 1A power wart (not using the open 9A power supply yet, its all exposed). what about a neon lamp instead of a capacitor?

[vegmatic1966]

@powermaks Not sure on max current, maybe 1.5 amps. This was 2 years ago so I forget the details. A neon lamp has too low of voltage - a proper snubber circuit tuned so the peak voltage is about 75% of the mosfet's max voltage is best.

[vegmatic1966]

You will need to learn how to read schematics. That is the best way to understand this stuff. Too many people want to understand electronics overnight. It takes practice and lots of learning.

[MrJustbecuase]

@vegmatic1966 how much wattage does it put of? and can i use a 12V plug adapter for the power

[friedman1962]

TOUCH THE ELECTRIC ARC! THAT'S HOW YOU FEEL THE MUSIC!

[Khurzable]

can make some cool headphones with it, and after you listen some electronic music

[vegmatic1966]

@Nivicoman I've not tried an IGBT, but don't see why it wouldn't work. They are expensive and really not necessary for driving a TV flyback when a properly set up MOSFET circuit will work fine.

[Nivicoman]

@Nivicoman Ah yes forgot about snubber networks. The ones I see in UPS inverters are a simple RC affair sometimes with a properly rated GMOV across that to grab the excess pulse amplitude. In your opinion would IGBTs would work in the singing arc better than a MOSFET? The majority of the UPS's I see have IGBTs with the built in reverse (flyback) diode . Only the smaller ones use MOSFETS again with built in flyback diodes. All our models work in PWM mode not linear sinewave.

[vegmatic1966]

@Nivicoman MOSFETS have the reverse diode inside to conduct the big negative going pulse which helps with output. There is still a large positive going pulse that can reach several hundred volts. This pulse should be snubberized just to the point that its peak voltage must not exceed that of the transistor's max voltage rating. It should not be reduced much more or the arc will be weak. The 3055 Vce is not high enough to be a good choice for these circuits. MOSFETS are easier to drive.

[Nivicoman]

@vegmatic1966 It needs a reverse connected diode across it. The flyback pulses will go through it and help the magnetic field collapse more quickly instead of going through the 2N3055. CRT TVs and monitors use that setup to save the horizontal output transistor and help the high voltage generation.

[Alex1M6]

I wish my MOSFET's stayed cool, they always get hot fast with 555 based drivers.

[vegmatic1966]

@HighVoltageProjects Sounds like you may be over driving it. CRT flybacks aren't meant for large power. Arcing at the pins can kill your driver components.