30mm Tesla Coil Project

Written By Flavio Spedalieri November 2020

Abstract – This document details the project II. The Tesla Coil – Overview
undertaken to construct a small Tesla Coil
with focus and considerations to many of the
design elements and materials to achieve a
functional and high-quality instrument.

I. Introduction
The construction of a Tesla coil has been a long-
standing desire for many years, however I first
came to hear of a Tesla Coil much earlier in
1990, around the same time as my own interests
and study in the fields of photonics and LASERS FIG 1 – Tesla Coil Circuit
had commenced, where I was shown the circuit
A Tesla Coil is a Resonant Transformer [5], invented
diagram of Tesla Coil System. Some 24 years
by Nikola Tesla [6] where low voltage AC
would come to pass before I commenced
currents are transformed to very high voltages,
building components for a larger 100mm (4-
low current, high-frequency alternating currents.
Inch) Tesla Coil.
[7]
As many things in life, I came against limitations
A Tesla Coil comprises of two L-C (inductor –
of where to run a coil of this size, storage,
capacitor) tuned (resonant) circuits [8] that are
acquisition of high-quality materials, design
inductively (loosely) coupled.
considerations including design and
construction of RF earth systems, the project The primary L-C circuit comprises of the ‘tank’
remains on the boil. capacitor, primary coil (inductor), and a ‘switch’
to complete the circuit.
In late August 2020, my motivation again had
started to peak when I decided to build a Slayer Switching of the primary circuit can be achieved
Exciter [1] circuit. Around the same time, I also by several methods; In a ‘classic’ Tesla Coil, a
viewed a project by Jay Bowles’s [2] Plasma basic spark gap arrangement is used. Other
Channel [3] on using an arc lighter as a high topologies include; vacuum tube and in modern
voltage power source for a small Tesla Coil [4]. Dual-Resonant Solid-State Tesla Coils
(DRSSTC), solid-state transistors (IGBT) are
The use of a small battery powered high voltage
employed & require complex control
power source was very inspiring and this led me
electronics.
to sit down and begin engineering my own build.
The secondary L-C circuit comprises of the
secondary coil (the large central tower that is
iconic to a Tesla Coil), and the ‘Top Load’ which
provides the capacitance.

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When power is applied to the primary circuit, the the coil form and finally applying these theories
capacitor will begin to charge, eventually the to winding of the secondary coil.
voltage across the capacitor will increase
At hand, I had several main components
sufficiently to short across the spark gap. The
available;
energy of the capacitor will discharge through
the spark gap and into the primary coil. The Capacitor(s): 3000pF (3nF) 20kVAC
energy will oscillate back and forth between the ‘doorknob’ ceramic capacitor.
capacitor and the primary coil at a (high)
frequency that is determined by the capacitor Winding Wire: Available spool: 0.25mm
value (µF) and the primary coil’s inductance (30AWG) ~ 25gms / 58 meters.
(Henry, H). Aluminium Toroid: 107mm (major) x 27mm
A Tesla Coils ability to generate very high (minor).
voltages and long arcs (streamers), is due to a High Voltage Supply: Arc lighter or 6kV /
process known as Resonant Voltage Rise 30mA Neon Transformer.
occurring in the secondary LC circuit. [9]
In summary; the basic operation of a Tesla Coil
may be described is most simple form, as a IV. Software Design
person pushing a child on a swing;
With some of the basic parameters in hand, the
The energy in the primary circuit, moving back design concept(s) were then modelled in JavaTC
and forth between the capacitor and primary coil [11] and TeslaMap [12] design programs.
(like a mechanical pendulum), transfers (couples)
some of the energy to the secondary circuit, at
each “push”, the voltage in the secondary V. Inspired Design Elements
continues to rise until the electrical field strength
exceeds that of the insulating property of air One major aspect of the project was starting
surrounding the large surface areas of the top with components that had on hand and or
load and breaks out as an arc. accessible through local supplies prior to
embarking on a larger project.
Tesla coils can be scaled up to produce many
millions of volts. Currently the world’s largest In the very early stages of the project a 50mm (2
Tesla coil designed and built is the ‘Electrum’ inch) secondary had been designed, however the
designed by Eric Orr and built by Greg Leyh required lengths of wire, would have required a
(Lightening on Demand). [10] special order for a large spool.
Revising the available wire from our local
electronics store (Jaycar Electronics), they had
III. Design Concept available a small spool of 0.25mm enamelled
copper wire.
The initial inspiration and design brief for a tesla
coil: To design a small unit, using an arc lighter Given the available length of wire, and
power supply as the high voltage source. confirmation of readily available diameters of
PVC tube, the next several hours was spent in
In part, the motivation of the project was to gain
calculating a secondary form that would allow
a ‘feel’ and experience for researching magnetic
for around a 4:1 aspect ratio.
wire sizes and coil form material to use as the
secondary. Much of the research focused on the
design parameters of wire sizing, preparation of

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The final design resolved a coil of 33.5mm
diameter with a winding height of 132mm, with
the coil wound on a 30mm PVC form.

Photo 1 – Completed Secondary coil

Over the next several days, the secondary was
coated and sealed with several coats of clear
varnish.

FIG 2 – Secondary Coil Data (JavaTC)

With the secondary design completed in JavaTC,
construction commenced in Ernest.

Photo 2 – Measuring Approximate Turns

VI. Winding of Secondary
The approximated (averaged turns); 38 turns /
Preparation and winding of the secondary cm ~ 500 turns total.
commenced on 7th September 2020.
A 160mm length of PVC tube was cut allowing
for approximately 10mm clear at each end. The
PVC was then sanded, and the surface sealed
with two coats of UltiMeg 2000 electrical varnish.
[13]
The winding process commenced, using a hand
drill to hold the form and slowly guiding the wire
onto the form. The winding process was
completed in around two and a half hours.

Photo 3 – Secondary & Toroid.

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The ends of the secondary form have been Initial baseline characterisation conducted on
sealed using FR-4 (uncladed PCB). the secondary coil with an CRO and sig-gen;
The construction techniques for the secondary DC Resistance: 19.2 Ω
have been adhered to as would with much larger
(high performance) coils [14], no part of the Resonant Frequency: 1708 kHz (with toroid)
winding penetrates the form. The ground end of 2489 kHz (Without)
the winding is terminated using a copper tab
construction, while the top of the coil supports
a nylon screw that has been epoxied to the top
plate prior to sealing of the secondary form.
The ends of the windings have been finished
with black electrical tape and the secondary
given several more coats of clear varnish.
A coupling method was utilised that would allow
the secondary to “plug-in” to the system, this
would allow a modular approach and safe
storage of the secondary when not in use.
The coupling also serves as the electrical ground Photo 5 – Secondary Resonance Freq Tests
connecting point at the base of the secondary.
VII. Project Direction
Following the completion of the secondary coil,
it was clear the project was taking on a more
‘serious’ build in that this no longer was a
“stepping stone” to gain knowledge and
experience, but rather a project to build a high-
quality (museum grade), instrument where the
aesthetical presentation is also a key design
element.
The change of goal also moved to using a Neon
Sign Transformer (NST) which I had available,
rated at 6,000V at 30mA (180W).
Running additional calculations, a resonant
capacitor size was calculated at 0.0159uF, with a
larger than resonant (LTR) capacitor at 0.24uf.
The initially selected 0.003uF (3nf) will continue
to be used as will also provide flexibility to
Photo 4 – Secondary & Support Coupling increase capacitance if needed.

The secondary form was completed on 11th Using a Neon sign transformer, some additional
September 2020. components needed would be the protection
filter (‘Terry Filter’), power factor correction
capacitor and EMI line filter.

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VIII. Primary Coil Design & A copper capillary tube with a diameter of
construction 2.14mm is selected and an inter-turn (edge-edge)
spacing of 5mm (7.14mm centres) is designed,
The next phase of the project involves the design allowing for a total of 10.5 turns for flexibility in
and construction of the primary coil, supports range of tuning.
and platforms to mount all the main coil
components. The mounting platform of the primary coil may
be adjusted to fine-tune the coupling with
One of the important criteria when working with respect to the secondary if required.
high-voltages and high-frequency is
consideration to clearances (to minimise arcing Construction of the primary coil commenced on
and insulation breakdown), selection of 15th September with construction of the 4
appropriate materials suitable for electrical work support wedges, which have been cut and
and finally, methods and techniques of fastening prepared from hardwood.{1}
the components together.
The design of the primary commenced on 14th
September 2020, with the selection of material
for supporting the coil components.

The main support material selected is

‘SwitchPanel Type X’ [15], a fibre reinforced,
impregnated phenolic resin, designed for
electrical insulation purposes.
For the coil, three sections were ordered from
Vale Plastics, 180mm x 180mm, with one panel
cut with a 50mm central hole to allow it to clear
the coupling. This would become the support
plate for the primary coil.
The design of the primary took considerable
analysis of the best approach with considerations
to electrical parameters, size, and design (flat
spiral, vertical and conical).
Spending several days researching, a discussion
topic was found on the design of the primary coil
[16].
With additional understanding of the way the
primary coil’s electromagnet flux is presented to
Photo 6 – Primary Coil Support Wedges
the secondary coil, a conical primary with an
angle of 30° degree is selected. The next day, work continued with additional
measurements, and final design parameters for
The conical primary coil field distribution is coupling mounting of secondary form.
more uniform over the secondary coil’s aspect.
At the widest point (outermost turn), the
primary width is set approximately the same as
the secondary is tall (~ 140mm).
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The mounting of the support wedges to the
SwitchPanel was achieved using Loctite® two-
part epoxy resin adhesive.
Loctite® two-part epoxy was selected due to is
new formulation & gap filling characteristics.
One of the most important considerations is that
no metal screws or nails would be used, with all
fixed components, glued or fastened using nylon
fixings. Photo 9 – Making of Support Caps
Initial Shaping of the copper capillary The method to affix the primary coil to the
commenced on 17th September 2020, with supports and structure is with the use of
completion of the primary coil on 22nd Loctite® two-part epoxy adhesive and a final
September 2020. wood cap also glued into place to increase
mechanical support and add to the aesthetical
design element.

Photo 7 – Shaping of Primary Coil

Photo 10 – Final Assembly & Gluing of

Primary coil & caps.
The central coupler is also glued into place. A
copper strip, central brass screw, nut and acorn
are used to complete the grounding termination
Photo 8 – Shaping of Primary Coil - Detail
for the secondary.

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 At this point the major construction of the
Primary and secondary components are almost
complete.

Photo 11 – Secondary Coupler & Grounding

FIG 3 – JavaTC 3D Rendering.

IX. Terry Filter & Safety Gaps

With the consideration to using a Neon Sign
Transformer (NST), the secondary windings are
made with very fine wire and typically the
insulation is not very good at handling fast, high-
voltage transients that are generated in Tesla Coil
application each time the spark-gap fires, which
can lead to shortening the life of the NST.
Photo 12 – Secondary Grounding Point [17][18]
A method to protect the transformer’s
secondary windings is the implementation of a
low-pass R-C filter network known as a “Terry
Filter” [19][20].

Photo 13 – Completed Primary & Secondary

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 three Aluminium blocks have been repurposed
as the supports.
The ends of each block were predrilled and
tapped with an M4 thread to allow for mounting
onto FR-4 substrate and the existing holes
redrilled and tapped with an M4 thread. The two
left/right balls can be adjusted for correct
operation of the safety gap.

FIG 4 – Terry Filter Circuit (JavaTC)

Construction of the Terry Filter commenced on
28th September 2020, together with additional
elements including the main spark gap and safety
gaps.
Photo 14 – Safety Gap Construction
The main capacitors & MOVs are mounted on
FR-4 board. The component positioning layout
and marking for drilling was completed using a
piece of ‘Perf board’ (prototyping PCB), and the
holes drilled by hand using 1mm drill.
Soldering of the components utilised a special
soldering technique called “ball soldering”
where the joints
are made as
smooth spherical
finish to minimise
on corona losses at
high voltages.
Photo 15 – Layout of Terry Filter Design
The high voltage cables that connect the inputs
Fig 5 – Ball Soldering
and output to the coil itself have been
constructed using 7.5mm2 OFC stranded power
cable, which two layers of PTFE tape are
Construction of the safety gaps consisted of 3 applied, followed by heat shrink tube,
brass draw knobs, each ball had to be sanded and
with fine wet & dry sandpaper to remove the followed by an additional layer of PTFE tape
clear lacquered coating. Each ball was predrilled and a final layer of heat shrink tube.
and tapped with an M4 thread.

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The use of readily available white PTFE
(plumbing tape) makes use of PTFE’s high
dielectric strength of around 60kV to 70kV/mm
[21]. Common high-density PTFE plumbing
tape has a density of around 0.3g/cm3 and
nominal thickness of 0.1mm [22].

Photo 18 – Completed Filter Module - Detail

Initial testing of the Terry filter was completed,

and initial setting of the safety gaps set.

Photo 16 – Building of High Voltage

Insulated Interconnecting Cables

The Terry Filter & safety gaps were finally

mounted together on a plate of SwitchPanel
Type X measuring 150mm x 250mm x 12mm
and completed on 6th October 2020.

Photo 19 – Testing & Setting of Safety Gaps

X. Main Spark Gap & Tank

Photo 17 – Completed Filter Module Circuit
The electrical connections to the filter As the Terry filter construction was finalised,
completed with brass hardware and acorn nuts. work continued with the main spark gap and
Connection to the Tesla Coil is via the two layout of the tank circuit components.
aluminium blocks on the left and right. The performance of a Tesla Coil is determined
by the performance of the spark gap, which is a
momentary switch that connects the capacitor to
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the primary coil, and when the gap is closed, the no longer be sustained, and the air within the gap
capacitor’s energy is discharged into the primary has cooled enough to prevent arc over as the
coil. voltage begins to rise again on the next cycle.
A spark gap may be a simple device; however, Total energy transfer time is the number of half-
the dynamics of its operation are rather more cycles at the resonant frequency to transfer all
complex. the energy from the primary circuit to the
secondary (not including energy losses). Ideally,
The voltage breakdown of the spark gap is set by
we would like to trap all the energy within the
the width between the electrodes. With a static
secondary, as any energy that returns to the
gap, the width would be set at the power supply
primary will contribute to energy loss (and less
line voltage, in this case, 6,000V and would be at
energy available for output arcs).
the correct setting with the gap firing at the full
applied voltage of the transformer. The only way to trap the maximum energy
within the secondary is to stop the gap
This project utilises a Static Gap arrangement,
conducting when the current in the primary
however much larger coils employ rotary spark
circuit first reaches zero.
gaps which do offer better control and
performance. A coil of the size designed in this Known as the ‘first (primary) notch’, this period of
project would me a slight over-kill. time is very short and the amount of energy still
within the primary is sufficiently high, keeping
The main spark gap consists of the electrode
the gap conducting.
holders, and the actual electrodes themselves.
For this project, 6.35mm diameter, parallel faced As the gap continues to conduct, the next
tungsten rods are employed. Tungsten is a available opportunity to open the spark gap is at
favoured material to make spark gaps due to its the next point the current returns to zero (next
high melting point therefore more resistant to available primary notch) and so on.
burning and pitting.
When the gap closes, the arc will ionise and heat
the air within the gap which in turns makes the
gap highly conductive, and once a gap conducts,
it will continue to conduct even when the
capacitor’s voltage has dropped below that of
the breakdown of the gap. With a conducting
gap, this can allow the energy from the
secondary to return to the primary, thus energy
will be lost within the gap and primary
components as heat, sound and light, and
overall, the coil’s performance is lost.
The ability to extinguish a conducting spark gap
is known as “quenching” and is significantly
important so to maximise the energy that is
retained in the secondary. Fig 6 – Primary & Secondary
Quenching is the action of the spark gap going Waveforms (JavaTC)
open circuit and ceasing to conduct, and can
only occur when the current through a
conducting gap falls to a point where the arc may

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 Fan control implementation change:
A PWM fan speed control was going to be
implemented to allow for speed adjustment of
the fan, however, in testing, the controller
offered little control and therefore abandoned.
The fan is operated at full speed.

XI. Main Gap Construction

The construction of the main gap commenced
Fig 7 – Secondary Waveform (JavaTC) with the appropriate mounting methods and
materials.
Early quenching of the spark gap may be
achieved through various methods, including A phenolic resin plinth was cut that serves as the
magnetic quenching [23], air-blast [24], vacuum mounting base for both the spark gap assembly
(sucker) [25], forced air (fan) and most and the connections to the capacitor.
commonly with the use of a rotary spark gap
arrangement. The gap itself was formed by mounting the
electrode holders onto two phenolic support
The use of forced air (or vacuum) or a rotary gap blocks which then affixed to a strip of FR-4
allows for the cooling of the gap and a method substrate and then affixing the assembly to the
to remove hot ionised air from the gap which phenolic base.
reduces the chance of the gap re-igniting.
For this project, a centrifugal blower fan is
employed as they have the advantage of
generating high pressure air flows compared to
an axial fan.

Photo 21 – Main Spark Gap Under Test

A copper buss bar is used to form the support
for the capacitor, and a short connection using
copper tube to connect to one side of the gap.

Photo 20 – Gap Quenching Blower Fan

Fan Specifications:
Supply voltage: 12VDC@860mA
Dimensions: 97mm x 94mm x 33mm
Air Volume: 0.74m3 / 26cfm
Rotational Speed: 3600 RPM

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Photo 22 – Assembled Tank Circuit & Fan

Photo 25 – Tesla Coil Overview.

XII. Strike Rail

A last detail for the coil is the addition of a strike
rail, this is used to protect the primary coil and
primary circuit components from any strikes.
The ground rail presents a low impedance path
to RF ground.
The rail is constructed using 2.3mm capillary
Photo 23 – Capacitor / Gap Connection copper tube. It is important this ring does not
physically form a closed loop as will present as a
shorted turn.
The strike rail supports are constructed from
9mm x 9mm x 46mm wood sections. A 2.5mm
hole drilled through each support. A final sand
and stain were applied prior to gluing into place
with Loctite® epoxy.
The copper tube was then slid into place and
heat-shrink used to cover the open section.

Photo 24 – Safety & Main Gap, Primary coil

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 XIII. Primary Tap Point

One of several challenges was the method to

construct the primary tap connection.

Early in the project, four clearance holes had

been drilled with the idea to bring the tap wire
up through the bases, however, this later proved
to cause issues with flexibility and once
constructed, difficult to disassemble. The tap
Photo 26 – Completed Strike Rail. wire was simply brought up from the side.

The clip was constructed using a M205 fuse clip

and reduced to create a firm and snug fit. A
length of copper braid was used to strengthen
the clip and provide firmer connection.

Photo 28 – Primary Coil Tap Connection

Photo 27 – Strike Rail & Grounding Post
A clip was manufactured using a copper saddle Capacitor Bleed Resistor Notes:
and fitted to make a snug fit onto the strike rail.
As of 12th October 2020, Much of the Tesla Coil
A grounding post was added to terminate the project has been completed, however was still
secondary ground and strike rail. This post will awaiting arrival of the high-voltage bleed
be used to then connect the system to RF resistors (10MΩ / 10kV) for the capacitor.
ground.

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Due to delays with the 10MΩ resistors, an A good earthing system is key to a good
alternate resistor was needed. Researching Digi- performing coil as it’s the earth that forms the
key, a 100MΩ 2.5W Maxi-Mox resistors from return path for the secondary side of the LC
Ohmite was found, Digi-Key PN: MOX1FE- circuit.
100M-ND, (MOX-1-121006FE). This resistor At the time of writing this document (23rd
offers a 10kV rating. October 2020), research is still being undertaken
Another deciding factor to move to a 100MΩ to provision a suitable dedicated earth.
value was in calculation of the required power Update: 2nd November 2020:
rating, at 10MΩ this would have required a 7.2W
19mm x 2.4-meter earth rod sunk, 1.8 meters.
resistor, however increasing to 100MΩ, this only
A second “domestic” size rod sunk 1.2 meters.
required a 1W resistor and still maintaining a
Rods bonded together.
discharge of the capacitor to a safe 50V level in
1.5 seconds.[26] An order with Digi-Key was Connection to coil via 25mm2 welding cable.
placed on 23rd October 2020.

XV. Measurements
Initial measurements undertaken on the Tesla
Coil to determine tuning parameters and
confirm resonant frequencies against the
calculated design.

Photo 29 – Almost Completed. Awaiting

Bleed Resistors – 2L Bottle for Scale.

The bleed resistors together with a 2A circuit

breaker and EMI line filter arrived on 27th
October 2020. The bleed resistor was wired Photo 30 – Secondary Streamer Simulation
directly across the capacitor. Test.

XIV. RF Earth System

One of the more overlooked and important
areas with any RF systems is the provisioning of
a suitable low impedance earth system.
Tesla coils generate heavy RF currents which
must be appropriately distributed to earth.

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 XVI. Tesla Coil Specifications

Primary Circuit:
Primary Capacitor: 3nF / 20kVAC
Primary tap Frequency: 1527kHz
Primary tap turn: T4.25
Inductance @ tap: 2.23uH
Total primary Inductance: 13.5uH
Secondary:

Photo 31 – Primary Resonance Waveform Resonant Freq with toroid: 1708khz

Test. Resonant Freq w/out toroid: 2489kHz
DC resistance: 19.2Ω
Inductance: 1.720mH
The Resonant waveform measured as Calculated No of Turns: ~500
approximately 124uS corresponding to the total Toroid:
energy transfer time, first notch approximately
8.2uS. Major Diameter (d1): 107mm
Minor (Ring) diameter (d2): 27mm
Calculated Capacitance: 4.62pF
Calculated Breakout V: 80.62kV
Neon Transformer Measurements:
Input: 240VAC
Output: 60kV / 30mA (180W)

R-primary: 11Ω
R-secondary: 12.7kΩ (6.3kΩ to CT)
Impedance: 199039.75Ω

No PFC:

Photo 32 – Primary Resonance Waveform 0.084A, PF: 33% (open circuit)

Test, 124uS. 0.810A, PF: 21% (drawing arc)

Interesting observation made during the tests of 10uf PFC:

the Tesla coil on the Cathode-Ray Oscilloscope, 0.727A, PF: NA (open circuit)
was an eventual interference from the coil 0.212A, PF: 72% (drawing arc)
saturating the amplifiers, this causing strange
behaviour from the oscilloscope (with believe
there was a fault developing), however on other
uses, the oscilloscope was stable,
Additional tests conducted with a small Digital
Oscilloscope.

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XVII. Power Supply Module & A small SMPS to provide 12V 1.2A for the
control box quenching fan supply.

On 2nd November 2020, building and The box features a main switch to supply power,
completion of the high voltage supply module. switch for the fan and the main switch to supply
power to the transformer (using a rocket cover).
The NST mounted to a 12mm base of
SwitchPanel, 200 x 300. Two wood stand-offs Indicator lamps also used to confirm active
used to manufacture the mounting point for the power to the circuits. A 2A thermal magnetic
Terry Filter module. circuit breaker has been installed.
This control box is used together with a variac
to provide full adjustable control to the coil.

Photo 33 – High Voltage Supply Module

(NST & Terry Filter). PFC Capacitor Not
Visible.

Photo 35 – Control Box

Photo 34 – HV Module & Primary Circuit XVIII. First Light Tests

Following on close to three months of
The control box consists of a EFI/RFI line filter development through theoretical design and
construction of the coil and its components, an
which has been selected to prevent outgoing
generated interference from the equipment. initial momentary test was conducted on 3rd
November 2020 using the NST power supply
The TE Connectivity 3A EMC series has been and the variac (prior to construction of the
selected for the purpose. control box).

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First Test Results: quantity and with dimensions suitable in a
timeframe. A consideration would be the use of
Noted a flashover occurred from the end of the
Switch panel Type-X, however, to create the
primary winding to the strike rail, this flashover
smaller parts, they would need to be cut from a
occurring several times at the same location
larger sheet and required a greater deal of time.
causing a tracking burn to occur.
On inspection, found an oversight, the end of
the primary was not smoothed off and sealed. XIX. Low Power Test
The sharp edges contributing to the breakdown
and arcing. On 8th November 2020, a second light test was
conducted.
Also noted that another overlooked area was
not sealing off the supports with varnish such An ignition coil circuit powered from 12V was
as Ultimeg to increase the insulation. employed as the high-voltage power supply.

Completed repair of the area, smoothing off The spark gap was ‘closed down’ to around 3-4
the copper end and applying both an epoxy mm for the test.
resin to seal. The tracking burns also cleaned The low power test was successful, with nice
and subsequently sealed. break-out occurring.
Additional build-up of epoxy added to all key
areas at the primary junction and supports.
In addition, the application of several coats of
Ultimeg electrical varnish to the timer supports.
The primary coil assembly was left to cure over
the next several days prior to performing
additional tests.

Photo 36 – Arc-Over Burn.

{1}: In hindsight;
The pulsed nature of the high-voltage present on
Photo 37 – Low Power Run.
the primary coil, wood is not the best material
option, A more suitable material would be
phenolic resin, however its expensive in small
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XX. Power Test – NST Supply
Following completion of the control box on
12th November 2020, A test was conducted
using the primary Neon Sign Transformer
(NST) supply module.
Gap Set to ~ 5mm.
Run was successful, however some flash-over
between the final turn of the primary to the
strike rail randomly observed.

Photo 39 – Powered run

Photo 38 – Powered Run ~ 200V Input

(Variac Setting)

Photo 40 – Grounded Arcs

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XXI. Improvements XXII. Full Power Test
Following the first successful power run, Following remediation work on improving the
additional work will focus on building up the insulation at the junction points of the primary
insulation between the strike rail and the final coil and its support points, a full power test was
turn of the primary coil. On 13th November completed on 24th November 2020.
2020, commenced application of additional
The full 240VAC applied to the Neon
layers of Ultimeg varnish in addition to
transformer via a variac.
installation of short lengths of clear vinyl tube
(CVT) around key point on the strike rail and Additional work to adjust the parallel alignment
final primary turn. of the spark gap electrodes.
Final coats applied on 18th November 2020. The full power test was very successful with no
The varnish allowed to cure over the next week. arcing issues at the support points.

Photo 41 – Updated Primary With Additional

Insulation At Key Points & Several Coats of
Varnish.

Photo 42 – Full Power Run.

The Tesla Coil Project officially completed on

25th November 2020.

Flavio Spedalieri 25.11.2020

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XXIII. Topload Upgrade secondary coil to determine the resonant
frequency. The new resonant frequency
In October 2020, a larger toroid was ordered confirmed at 1,360 kHz.
from a US company, taking close to 2 months
to arrive, however their customer service left The primary tap was moved by one turn, which
little to be desired and therefore will not make also accounting for a loaded secondary, this
any references within the document other than placing the system back in resonance.
that the product was received.
Full power testing completed:
The specifications for the larger topload:
Toroid:
Major Diameter (d1): 152mm
Minor (Ring) diameter (d2): 38.64mm
Calculated Capacitance: 6.61pF
Calculated Breakout V: 114.74kV

Photo 44 – Large Toroid, Full Power Test.

The performance of the coil now increasing
significantly with longer streamers reaching the
strike rail and are of equivalent length to that of
the secondary coil.

Photo 43 – Small & Large Toroids.

The additional capacitance of the larger toroid
also required the re-tapping of the primary coil
to bring the primary into tune with the lower
resonant frequency of the secondary.
A further resonant test using an oscilloscope Photo 45 – Performance Test.
and signal generator was completed on the
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An additional experiment conducted with simply In May 2021, I was fortunate enough to find an
placing the two toroids on the coil, re-tuning of X-Ray Transformer from a local Australian
the coil was not required, however found that it seller.
also aided in the lengths of the streamers.
The transformer is rated for 120V input with a
1:360 turns ratio, or an output of 43.2kV (under
oil).
I tested the transformer with my Tesla Coil with
good success and only 20v input to the X-Ray
transformer.

Photo 46 – Dual Toroids.

On 17th March 2021, I had my three Toroids

welded, which I then further cleaned and Photo 48 – Driving with X-Ray Transformer.
sanded.

XXIV. Notes
Document Version: 3.3 (© Copyright Release)

1st Update: 3rd December 2020 (V3.1)

2nd Update: 28th December 2020 (V3.2)
3rd Update: 12th October 2021 (V3.3

Project Completion: 25th November 2020.

Larger Top Load Tests: 27th December 2020.

Photo 47 – Welded Toroids.

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 References
[1] Instructables Circuits – “How to build a Slayer Exciter” :
https://www.instructables.com/How-to-Build-a-Slayer-Exciter/
[2][3][4] Jay Bowles, Plasma Channel; -
https://www.instagram.com/plasma_channel_official/
https://www.youtube.com/PlasmaChannel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GRyxuRIPPo
[5][6] Tesla Coil, Nikola Tesla, Wikipedia; -
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tesla_coil
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikola_Tesla
[7][8] All About Circuits, AC and Resonance; -
https://www.allaboutcircuits.com/textbook/alternating-current/#chpt-6
https://www.allaboutcircuits.com/textbook/alternating-current/chpt-6/electric-pendulum/
[9] Electrical Resonance, Wikipedia; -
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrical_resonance
[10] Electrum Project; -
https://www.lod.org/gallery/electrum/electrum.html
https://www.gibbsfarm.org.nz/orr.php
[11] Bart Anderson, Classic Tesla, JavaTC; -
https://classictesla.com/
[12] TeslaMap design program; -
https://www.teslamap.com/
[13] Ultimeg 2000 Varnish; -
http://www.bew.com.au/files/372%20data2.pdf
[14] Lab-Tesla, ‘High Performance Tesla Coils’; -
https://lab-tesla.org/coilbld.html
[15] Insulec Australia, SwitchPanel Type X; -
https://insulect.com/products/switchpanel-type-x
[16] Lab-Tesla, ‘Tesla Coil Primary Design’ text from Richard Quick ; -
https://lab-tesla.org/primary.html
http://amasci.com/tesla/primary.txt
[17] An Experiment to Investigate Stresses on Neon Sign Transformers in Tesla Coil Primary Circuits
by Terry Fritz, 28/02/1998; -
http://www.classictesla.com/hot-streamer/TeslaCoils/MyPapers/primarycircuits/pricir.html
[18] Gary Lau Texts on NST Protection; -
http://www.laushaus.com/tesla/protection.htm
[19] Design of a Neon Sign Transformer Protection Network for Tesla Coil Primary Circuit Applications
by Terry Fritz, 01/02/1998; -
http://www.classictesla.com/hot-streamer/TeslaCoils/MyPapers/rcfilter/rcfilter.html
[20] Terry Filter; -
http://www.hvtesla.com/terry.html

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[21] Dielectric Strength of Polymers; -
http://polymerdatabase.com/polymer%20physics/Dielectric%20Strength.html
[22] Taegatech; -
http://taegatech.com/high-ptfe-thread-seal-tape/
[23] Tesla’s Spark Gaps: A Literature Review; -
https://waveguide.blog/teslas-spark-gaps-literature-review/
[24] Lab-Tesla, Air Blast gap; -
https://www.lab-tesla.org/airblast.html

[25] hvtesla.com, sucker gap; -

http://www.hvtesla.com/sucker_gap.html
[26] Capacitor Safety Discharge Calculator; -
https://www.digikey.com.au/en/resources/conversion-calculators/conversion-calculator-capacitor-safety-
discharge
Addendum

Tesla Coil Tuning

[A1] hvtesla.com, Tuning the Coil; -
http://www.hvtesla.com/tuning.html
[A2] Eastern Voltage Research, Measuring the Resonant Frequency of your Secondary Coil; -
https://www.easternvoltageresearch.com/tesla-coil-workshop/measuring-the-resonant-frequency-of-your-
secondary-coil/
[A3] OneTesla, Tuning a Tesla Coil; -
https://onetesla.com/tutorials/tesla-coil-tuning

Tesla Coil Design And High Voltage

[A4] Tesla Coil Design, Kevin Wilson; -
http://www.teslacoildesign.com/index.html
[A4] Kaizer Power Electronics, Mads Barnkob
https://kaizerpowerelectronics.dk/
[A5] Richie Burnett; -
http://www.richieburnett.co.uk/tesla.shtml
[A6] Tesla Universe; -
https://teslauniverse.com/
[A7] Tesla Technology Research (Bill Wysock), Electrotherapy Museum Archive; -
http://electrotherapymuseum.com/TTRCOM/index.htm

Nikola Tesla
https://nikolateslamuseum.org/en/
https://www.teslasociety.com/

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 Appendix 52.62 [m] = Length of Wire
3.94 [:1] = H/D Aspect Ratio
17.6699 [Ohms] = DC Resistance
J A V A T C version 13.5 - 18794 [Ohms] = Reactance at Resonance
CONSOLIDATED OUTPUT 0.024 [ kg] = Weight of Wire
1.848 [mH] = Les-Effective Series Inductance
21/10/2020, 1:20:23 AM
1.931 [mH] = Lee-Equivalent Energy
Units = Centimetres Inductance
Ambient Temp = 20ºC 1.882 [mH] = Ldc-Low Frequency Inductance
5.233 [pF] = Ces-Effective Shunt Capacitance
---------------------------------------------------- 5.009 [pF] = Cee-Equivalent Energy
Secondary Coil Inputs: Capacitance
---------------------------------------------------- 8.014 [pF] = Cdc-Low Frequency Capacitance
Current Profile = G.PROFILE_LOADED 0.0562 [mm] = Skin Depth
1.675 = Radius 1 3.997 [pF] = Topload Effective Capacitance
1.675 = Radius 2 88.3825 [Ohms] = Effective AC Resistance
30 = Height 1 213 [Q] = Quality Factor
43.2 = Height 2 ----------------------------------------------------
500 = Turns Primary Coil Outputs:
30 = Wire Awg ----------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------- 1619.5 [kHz] = Primary Resonant Frequency
Primary Coil Inputs: 0.08 [% low] = Percent Detuned
---------------------------------------------------- 30 [deg °] = Angle of Primary
Round Primary Conductor 164.71 [cm] = Length of Wire
3.2 = Radius 1 7.89 [mOhms] = DC Resistance
6.6 = Radius 2 0.523 [cm] = Average spacing between turns
28.7 = Height 1 (edge to edge)
30.7 = Height 2 1.884 [ cm] = Proximity between coils
5.35 = Turns 1.54 [cm] = Recommended minimum
0.214 = Wire Diameter proximity between coils
0 = Ribbon Width 3.219 [µH] = Ldc-Low Frequency Inductance
0 = Ribbon Thickness 0.003 [µF] = Cap size needed with Primary L
0.003= Primary Cap (uF) (reference)
0 = Total Lead Length 0 [µH] = Lead Length Inductance
0 = Lead Diameter 9.483 [µH] = Lm-Mutual Inductance
0.122 [k] = Coupling Coefficient
---------------------------------------------------- 0.121 [k] = Recommended Coupling
Secondary Coil Outputs: Coefficient
---------------------------------------------------- 8.2 [half cycles] = Number of half cycles for
1618.28 [kHz] = Secondary Resonant energy transfer at K
Frequency 2.51 [µs] = Time for total energy transfer
90 [deg °] = Angle of Secondary
13.2 [cm] = Length of Winding
37.88 [cm] = Turns Per Unit
0.00936 [mm] = Space Between Turns (edge to
edge)
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---------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------
Top Load Inputs: Static Spark Gap Inputs:
---------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------
Toroid #1: minor=2.7, major=10.7, height=45, 2 = Number of Electrodes
topload 0.25 [cm] = Electrode Diameter
0.45 [cm] = Total Gap Spacing
Disc #1: inside=0.6, outside=5.2, height=45,
topload ----------------------------------------------------
Static Spark Gap Outputs:
----------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------
Transformer Inputs:
---------------------------------------------------- 0.45 [cm] = Gap Spacing Between Each
Electrode
240 [volts] = Transformer Rated Input Voltage
8485 [peak volts] = Charging Voltage
6000 [volts] = Transformer Rated Output
8189 [peak volts] = Arc Voltage
Voltage
36395 [volts] = Voltage Gradient at Electrode
30 [mA] = Transformer Rated Output Current
18197 [volts/cm] = Arc Voltage per unit
50 [Hz] = Mains Frequency
240 [volts] = Transformer Applied Voltage 96.5 [%] = Percent Cp Charged When Gap
0 [amps] = Transformer Ballast Current Fires
0.965 [ms] = Time To Arc Voltage
----------------------------------------------------
1036 [BPS] = Breaks Per Second
Transformer Outputs:
0.1 [joules] = Effective Cap Energy
----------------------------------------------------
200405 [peak volts] = Terminal Voltage
180 [volt*amps] = Rated Transformer VA 104 [power] = Energy Across Gap
200000 [ohms] = Transformer Impedance 55.9 [Centimetres] = Static Gap Spark Length
6000 [rms volts] = Effective Output Voltage (using energy equation)
0.75 [rms amps] = Effective Transformer
Primary Current
0.03 [rms amps] = Effective Transformer
Secondary Current
180 [volt*amps] = Effective Input VA
0.0159 [ºF] = Resonant Cap Size
0.0239 [ºF] = Static gap LTR Cap Size
0.0415 [ºF] = SRSG LTR Cap Size
10 [ºF] = Power Factor Cap Size
8485 [peak volts] = Voltage Across Cap
21213 [peak volts] = Recommended Cap
Voltage Rating
0.11 [joules] = Primary Cap Energy
259 [peak amps] = Primary Instantaneous
Current
49.2 [Centimetres] = Spark Length (JF equation
using Resonance Research Corp. factors)
10.8 [peak amps] = Sec Base Current

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 Chapter Index Photo 19 - Testing & Setting of Safety Gaps
Photo 20 - Gap Quenching Blower Fan
I. Introduction 1
II. The Tesla Coil – Overview 1 Photo 21 - Main Spark Gap Under Test
III. Design Concept 2 Photo 22 - Assembled Tank Circuit & Fan
IV. Software Design 2 Photo 23 - Capacitor / Gap Connection
V. Inspired Design Elements 2 Photo 24 - Safety & Main Gap, Primary coil
VI. Winding of Secondary 3 Photo 25 - Tesla Coil Overview.
VII. Project Direction 4 Photo 26 - Completed Strike Rail.
VIII. Primary Coil Design & Construction 5 Photo 27 - Strike Rail & Grounding Post
IX. Terry Filter & Safety Gaps 7 Photo 28 - Primary Coil Tap Connection
X. Main Spark Gap & Tank Circuit 9 Photo 29 - Almost Completed. Awaiting Bleed
XI. Main Gap Construction 11 Resistors – 2L Bottle for Scale.
XII. Strike Rail 12 Photo 30 - Secondary Streamer Simulation
XIII. Primary Tap Point 13 Test.
XIV. RF Earth System 14 Photo 31 - Primary Resonance Waveform
XV. Measurements 14 Test.
XVI. Tesla Coil Specifications 15 Photo 32 - Primary Resonance waveform Test,
XVII. Power Supply Module & Control Box 16 124uS.
XVIII. First Light Tests 16 Photo 33 - High Voltage Supply Module (NST
XIX. Low Power Test 17 & Terry Filter). PFC Capacitor Not
XX. Power Test – NST Supply 18 Visible.
XXI. Improvements 19 Photo 34 - HV Module & Primary Circuit
XXII. Full Power Test 19 Photo 35 - Control Box
XXIII. Topload Upgrade 20 Photo 36 - Arc-Over Burn.
XXIV. Notes 21 Photo 37 - Low Power Run.
References 23 Photo 38 - Powered Run ~ 200V Input
Appendix – JavaTC Output 25 (Variac Setting)
Photo 39 - Powered run
Photo 40 - Grounded Arcs
Photo Index Photo 41 - Updated Primary With Additional
Photo 1 - Completed Secondary coil Insulation At Key Points & Several
Photo 2 - Measuring Approximate Turns Coats of Varnish
Photo 3 - Secondary & Toroid. Photo 42 - Full Power Run
Photo 4 - Secondary & Support Coupling Photo 43 - Small & Large Toroids
Photo 5 - Secondary Resonance Freq Tests Photo 44 - Large Toroid, Full Power Test
Photo 6 - Primary Coil Support Wedges Photo 45 - Performance Test
Photo 7 - Shaping of Primary Coil Photo 46 - Dual Toroids
Photo 8 - Shaping of Primary Coil – Detail Photo 47 - Welded Toroids
Photo 9 - Making of Support Caps Photo 48 - Driving with X-Ray Transformer
Photo 10 - Final Assembly & Gluing of Photo 49 - Feature Photo
Primary coil & caps. Figures Index
Photo 11 - Secondary Coupler & Grounding
Photo 12 - Secondary Grounding Point Figure 1 - Tesla Coil Circuit
Photo 13 - Completed Primary & Secondary Figure 2 - Secondary Coil Data (JavaTC)
Photo 14 - Safety Gap Construction Figure 3 - JavaTC 3D Rendering
Photo 15 - Layout of Terry Filter Design Figure 4 - Terry Filter Circuit
Photo 16 - Building of High Voltage Insulated Figure 5 - Ball Soldering
Interconnecting Cables Figure 6 - Primary & Secondary Waveforms
Photo 17 - Completed Filter Module (JavaTC)
Photo 18 - Completed Filter Module – Detail Figure 7 - Secondary Waveform (JavaTC)

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