This is only a preview of the February 2023 issue of Practical Electronics. You can view 0 of the 72 pages in the full issue. Articles in this series:
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Flavio
Spedalieri’s
Solid-State
Flame Discharge
Tesla Coil
This relatively small and simple device generates extremely high voltages,
enough to form a ‘flame discharge’ resembling a candle flame. It can also
demonstrate wireless power transmission by lighting up neon globes and
fluorescent lamps at some distance.
T
he inspiration for this project
came from a YouTube video of a
Plasma Flame Generator by Jay
Bowles of Plasma Channel in January
2021. I loved the simplicity of the circuit (tuning and operation is a challenge, though), its unique output, and
the fact that the resulting device is relatively small.
In this design, a solid-state oscillator
drives a primary coil which excites the
resonator (secondary) coil, producing
a high-frequency, continuous-wave
output. The discharge produced by
the Coil is a very interesting ‘flame
discharge’ resembling a candle flame.
The Coil can be used to demonstrate wireless power transmission by
lighting up neon globes and fluorescent lamps.
In the lead photo, you can see a
matrix I made using 100 neon lamps,
sections of which light up when placed
in proximity to a strong electromagnetic
(EM) field (such as generated by this
Tesla coil). Depending on the panel’s
orientation, it can display the amplitude of the EM field or the relative
shape. I think this is a really interesting way to observe such fields.
The first thing you might think of
looking at photos of this device is: ‘is
it safe?’ Yes, and no. It generates about
16
150kV, and given its operating frequency of around 10MHz, it can cause
RF burns.
Clearly, you need to be meticulous
in building, testing and operating such
a device. But we won’t tell you ‘don’t
try this at home’. Still, We Do Not Recommend that beginners assemble such
a device.
It is more suitable for someone
who, for example, has built several
mains-powered devices and is used
to the safety precautions involved in
working with 230V AC. That’s because
such people normally have the required
mindset of ‘hands off when power is
applied’, double-checking everything
before switching power on and thoroughly insulating all high-voltage conductors. So without further ado, let’s
get into it.
Tesla Coils
This Tesla Coil is based on a Class-E RF
power amplifier that’s tuned to oscillate at around 10MHz. It drives a tap on
an auto-transformer; the transformer’s
secondary is excited by the oscillator
to produce a high-frequency, continuous-wave output.
You might be used to seeing Tesla
Coils with a doughnut-like metal toroid
on top, from which the discharge
emanates. This one is simpler, with a
dome instead, but it’s still a Tesla Coil
(we’ll describe a larger and somewhat
more complicated Tesla Coil with a
toroid in a later article).
The Tesla Coil is a loosely coupled
resonant transformer invented by
Nikola Tesla in 1899. It is capable of
producing high-voltage, low-current,
high-frequency alternating current.
The voltages produced by Tesla Coils
result from resonant voltage rise in the
secondary and are not proportional to
the turns ratio between primary and
secondary windings as with traditional,
tightly-coupled transformers. That
allows exceptionally high voltages to
be produced with a practical circuit;
in some cases, over 1MV!
The Tesla Coil comprises two L-C
resonant tuned circuits. The primary
tank circuit consists of the primary
capacitor and a coil. The secondary
coil (and often, high-voltage toroid)
and the surrounding air form the secondary L-C circuit. The two circuits are
connected in series and tuned to resonate at the same frequency for efficient
energy transfer.
The classical Tesla coil uses a spark
gap arrangement to switch the energy
stored in the primary capacitor into the
primary coil.
Practical Electronics | February | 2023
This device generates hazardous voltages!
Although the unit operates from a low-voltage DC supply, its high-voltage output will cause
RF burns if you come close to or contact the discharge terminal, even when no discharge is
apparent. The flame produced is a plasma, which is extremely hot and capable of melting
copper wire (not to mention flesh!). Without the brass/stainless steel breakout point, it can
begin to melt the wire at the discharge point.
Always ensure that you are nowhere near the breakout point when powering the
unit up. Keep all parts of your body (or anyone else’s) clear of it until power has been
switched off and the discharge stops. And remember that a high voltage can still be present even when no discharge
is visible. The potentiometer specified has a plastic shaft; use caution if substituting a pot with a metal shaft. At a
minimum, you would need to use a plastic knob and ensure that the knob fully covers the shaft.
For added safety, the coils (L2 and L3) and the breakout point can be encased in a 150mm diameter transparent
plastic film or Perspex surround, with an open top 50mm higher than the breakout point.
Electromagnetic interference warning
This Tesla Coil is an RF generator. The input power can be up to 240W (48V <at> 5A) and the Class-E
amplifier is very efficient, converting a considerable amount of input power to RF energy. That
said, when breakout is occurring, most of that energy is converted into light and heat.
Be aware that it can cause RF interference when operating, mainly in the HF (3-30MHz)
band. That includes shortwave radio, multiple amateur radio bands, aviation and maritime
communications and CB radio. The operating frequency of this unit is very close to the
amateur 40m band, so be careful, or you might make some radio hams very unhappy!
The energy in the primary circuit, moving back and forth
between the capacitor and primary coil, transfers (couples)
some of the energy to the secondary circuit. The voltage
in the secondary continues to rise until the electrical field
strength exceeds that of the insulating property of air surrounding the large surface areas of the top load and breaks
out as an arc.
Tesla coils can be scaled up to produce many millions of
volts. Currently, the world’s largest Tesla coil is the ‘Electrum’ designed by Eric Orr in New Zealand (see www.
gibbsfarm.org.nz/orr.php) and built by Greg Leyh of Lightning on Demand (www.lod.org).
Excitation methods
There are three main types of excitation methods for Tesla coils:
Spark gap Tesla coil (SGTC)
Includes static gap, triggered gap and rotary gap types. This
type of excitation may also be referred to as ‘disruptive’. A
high-voltage source is typically used.
Solid-state Tesla coil (SSTC)
Includes single resonant and dual resonant solid-state
(DRSSTC) types. A DC power supply is used to charge the
capacitor, with a power semiconductor such as a MOSFET
or IGBT replacing the spark gap.
A continuous-wave coil operates at 100% duty cycle,
resulting in silent operation. An interesting property of a
high-frequency, high-voltage output is its ability to produce
a flame discharge, in which the ionised air (plasma) takes
on the appearance of a candle flame. However, producing a
stable flame is tricky and requires a fair bit of tuning.
Circuit description
As shown in Fig.1, the circuit uses a simple Class-E RF
power amplifier to provide an RF drive current for the oscillator. This amplifier design dates back to the mid-1960s.
Unlike a typical RF amplifier, which drives a 50W resistive
The Tesla Coil
when operating can
produce a flame
discharge which
loosely resembles
a candle. Care
should be taken
when operating
the Coil as the
flame produced is
extremely hot and it
produces very high
voltages!
Vacuum tube Tesla coil (VTTC)
A similar topology to that used in radio transmitters. The
main difference is that VTTCs operate in continuous-wave
mode instead of the pulsed output of the previous excitation
methods. The VTTC also requires a high-voltage supply
such as specially configured microwave oven transformers.
The Tesla Coil described in this article is interesting, as it
falls within the solid-state coil (SSTC) category. However, it
operates in continuous mode, not dissimilar to a VTTC, but at
a much higher frequency of around 10MHz (rather than several hundred kHz to several MHz). We call this an HFSSTC.
The main advantages of the HFSSTC are that it can be
powered from a low-voltage DC supply, it doesn’t make
much noise and you don’t need to deal with high-voltage
primary power supplies.
Practical Electronics | February | 2023
17
load, the Tesla Coil (secondary resonator) is a high-Q filter network.
This type of circuit can achieve
highly efficient switching using a MOSFET with zero-current switching (ZCS).
This high efficiency is required to produce enough output power for a sustained discharge. ZCS means that the
MOSFET is switched when the current
flowing through it is at a minimum.
The heart of the circuit is the LC
oscillator formed by L2 (2.4μH) and
C1 (150pF). The values of these components determine the oscillator’s frequency. In this case, around 10MHz
(give or take).
The voltage divider formed by VR1
and its 1kW series resistor generates a
5-10V signal at the gate of IRFP260N
MOSFET Q1 to start the circuit oscillating. Feedback via capacitor C1 triggers
and sustains the oscillation.
The 4.7nF shunt capacitor and TVS
diode provide some protection for the
MOSFET; however, you may lose a few
MOSFETs during testing and operation.
ZD1 and TVS both aim to prevent
the voltage at the gate from exceeding
the gate-source voltage specification of
the device, which is 20V. A 15V zener
diode may also be used.
L1 (10μH) is hand-wound with 24
turns of 0.5mm diameter enamelled
copper wire on a cylindrical former.
A 10μF capacitor is used for supply
filtering, rated so that the circuit can
be driven from a supply up to 63V
(although 36-48V is sufficient).
The primary coil (L2) consists of five
turns of 1.32mm-diameter enamelled
copper wire wound on a 35mm-high,
57mm-diameter former. The resonator
coil is installed inside the primary and
is modular, so it can be easily removed.
In my Coil, the 150pF and the primary inductance of 2.4μH gives a theoretical primary resonator frequency
of approximately 8.34MHz. However,
the interconnecting wires will increase
inductance. The measured frequency
of my oscillator is 7.42MHz, dropping
slightly when the discharge is ignited,
to 7.37MHz.
The voltage rating on the 150pF
capacitor needs to be a minimum of
4kV, so four 2kV capacitors are used in
a series/parallel arrangement to double
the voltage rating while maintaining the
same capacitance.
MOSFETs have a fair bit of parasitic
capacitance and non-zero switching
time, and therefore ‘dislike’ operating
at high frequencies. However, the use
of zero-current switching (ZCS) operation helps in this respect.
Secondary resonator
The second resonant circuit is based
around the secondary coil, L3. This
18
develops a high voltage at the top of
the Coil when it is excited at the same
resonant frequency. The secondary
comprises approximately 150 turns
of 0.5mm diameter enamelled copper wire wound on a 25mm (ID) x
106mm-tall PVC pipe former. An M4
x 12mm stainless steel bolt and a brass
Output from the software
JavaTC, which is used for
designing Tesla coils.
DOME
COIL WINDING DETAILS
HF Solid-state
Tesla Coil
L1: 24 TURNS OF 0.5mm DIAM. ECW
ON A 22mm DIAM. FORMER
L2: 5 TURNS OF 1.32mm DIAM. ECW
ON A 57mm DIAM. FORMER
L3
SECONDARY
L3: 150 TURNS OF 0.5mm DIAM. ECW
ON A 27mm DIAM. FORMER
IRFP260N
ZD1
A
G
K
F1
12–63V DC
(4A LIMITED)
+
–
10A
D
D
S
PTC1
150pF
q
RXE250
10mF
80V
L2
2.4mH
PRIMARY
L1 10mH
4kV (C1)
1k W
2W
ZD1
12V
K
1W
A
D
1kW 2W
VR1
10k W
G
4.7nF
2kV
0.5W
15V
TVS
Q1
IRFP260N
S
Fig.1: the circuit of the Solid-state Tesla coil is simple and elegant, with
SC feedback capacitor C1 causing MOSFET Q1 to drive C1 and L2
150pF
Ó2022
at resonance. The inductances are chosen so that C1/L2 resonate at the
same frequency as L3 and the stray capacitances around it (including the
breakout point at its top). This results in extremely high voltages being
efficiently generated at the top of L3, creating a flame discharge.
HF SOLID STATE TESLA COIL
Practical Electronics | February | 2023
acorn nut is used as the breakout point
or ‘top load’; it also influences the overall resonant frequency of the Coil.
Another important reason for having
this sort of discharge point is that the
temperature produced by the discharge
is enough to melt copper wire!
Before constructing the secondary
coil, I modelled the coil parameters
in a Tesla Coil design software tool,
Parts List – Tesla Coil
1 double-sided PCB coded 26102221, 56 x 107mm, from the PE PCB Service
1 double-sided PCB coded 26102222, 56 x 25.5mm, from the PE PCB Service
1 12-60V DC 3-8A current-limited supply
1 5A trip PTC thermistor (PTC1) [eg, RXE250]
2 M205 fuse clips (F1)
1 10A fast-blow ceramic fuse (F1)
1 heatsink with flanges [Jaycar SY4085 recommended]
1 plastic knob to suit potentiometer VR1 [Jaycar HK7010]
1 pair of red and black cables with inline bullet connectors [Jaycar WC6018]
1 2-way screw terminal with 5.08mm spacing (CON1) [Jaycar HM3172]
1 3-way vertical pluggable header [Jaycar HM3113, Altronics P2533]
1 3-way pluggable terminal block and vertical socket
[Jaycar HM3113+HM3123, Altronics P2533+P2513]
1 120 x 100 x 3mm sheet of unclad PCB material (FR-4) or acrylic sheet
(for coil base)
1 25mm length of 20mm inner diameter PVC pipe (former for L1)
1 35mm length of 55mm inner diameter PVC pipe (former for L2)
1 106mm length of 25mm inner diameter PVC pipe (former for L3)
1 25mm PVC coupling (to mount L3)
4 6mm-long untapped Nylon Spacers [Jaycar HP0930]
4 32mm-long untapped Nylon spacers (tap with M4 threads)
[Jaycar HP0988]
4 M4 x 10mm Nylon machine screws [Jaycar HP0160]
4 4mm ID Nylon washers [Jaycar HP0166]
4 M4 x 10mm panhead machine screws
1 M3 x 10mm panhead machine screw and flat washer
1 M4 x 12mm stainless steel machine screw (for breakout point)
1 M4 brass acorn nut (for breakout point)
1 15m length of 0.5mm diameter enamelled copper wire
(for winding L1 and L3) [Jaycar WW4016, Altronics W0405]
1 1m length of 1.3mm ◉ diameter enamelled copper wire (for winding L2)
1 150mm length of cable tie (for mounting L1)
various lengths and colours of insulated hookup wire
epoxy glue (Loctite brand recommended, eg, Bunnings 1210127)
clear polyurethane varnish (for coating the secondary coil)
nail and flat wooden ice lolly sticks (to make breakout starting tool)
◉ 1.25mm diameter ECW could be used, but some adjustments might need to
be made to the design [Jaycar WW4024, Altronics W0409]
Semiconductors
1 IRFP260N ▣ 200V 50A N-Channel MOSFET, TO-427AC (Q1)
[Digi-Key IRFP260NPBF-ND, Mouser 942-IRFP260NPBF]
1 12V 1W zener diode (ZD1) [Jaycar ZR1412, Altronics Z0632,
Digi-Key 1727-1946-1-ND, Mouser 512-1N4742A]
1 1.5KE15CA 15V 1500W transient voltage suppressor (TVS)
[Digi-Key 1.5KE15CALFCT-ND, Mouser 603-1.5KE15CA/B]
▣ It’s a good idea to buy a few, so you have spares in case they fail during
testing, the IRFP460N rated at 500V, 20A also works
Capacitors
1 10μF 80V+ electrolytic [Jaycar RE6078, Digi-Key 493-4781-1-ND,
Mouser 647-UCA2W100MHD1TO]
1 4.7nF 2kV plastic film [Digi-Key 399-12555-ND,
Mouser 80-R73UN14704000J]
4 150pF 2kV plastic film [Digi-Key 1928-1172-ND,
Mouser 505-FKP1150/2000/10]
Resistors
2 1kΩ 2W * 5% [Digi-Key A138277CT-ND, Mouser 279-RR02J1K0TB]
1 10kΩ 24mm ½W potentiometer with plastic shaft (VR1)
[Digi-Key 450D103-3-ND]
* Increase the power rating for supply voltages greater than 48V
Practical Electronics | February | 2023
‘JavaTC’ (shown opposite). This calculated the resonant frequency of the Coil
and allowed me to make adjustments
as required.
Tuning
Dealing with such a high frequency,
it is surprising how minimal changes
can affect the operation of the Coil. A
slight tweak may mean that it doesn’t
work at all, produces more of a corona
discharge (rather than a flame) or blows
the MOSFET. Tuning the Coil properly
is therefore critical.
I was fortunate enough that after I
built my Coil, I managed to get it operating in the desired manner. But this
was not without its challenges.
Initially, I was cooking inductor L1. I
was originally using a 12V SLA battery.
I later learned that at a particular setting
of the control potentiometer, there was
a momentary current surge of more than
20A, which turned L1 into a fuse and it
took the MOSFET with it. Therefore, I
recommended using a current-limited
supply to run the Coil.
In case you still want to use a battery,
I have added a PTC thermistor and fuse
at the input of the final circuit, which
will hopefully prevent damage under
these conditions. Still, it’s best to use
some form of supply current limiting
if possible. In a pinch, this can be done
with a wirewound series resistor of a
few ohms, although that will reduce the
overall efficiency of the circuit.
Once you have achieved stable operation, tuning can be accomplished by
adjusting the number of turns of the
primary coil (L2), the interwinding
spacing and its overall position (height)
with reference to the secondary coil.
The most significant effect that I
found was the use of the stainless-steel
bolt and acorn nut. This ‘top load’ lowers the Coil’s resonant frequency, and
adjusting its position has a significant
effect. In my case, the final resonant
frequency of the secondary is 8.12MHz.
The calculated inductance for L3 is
168mH, which in theory should give
a resonant frequency very close to
10MHz. It’s likely 20% lower than this
due to stray capacitance.
Input current limiting
As mentioned earlier, I added the PTC
‘fuse’ (PTC1) because I found that it
is possible to make the circuit draw
so much power that it blows up the
MOSFET and burns out L1. PTC1 goes
high resistance if it conducts more than
about 5A. Once you switch power off
and let it cool, it should then work normally the next time.
I have also added a 10A fast-blow
fuse in case the PTC can’t act fast
enough. There’s no guarantee that it
19
will save the other components, but
it’s cheap insurance.
Neither of these components should
do much other than provide peace of
mind if you are using a 3.5A to 5A
current-limited supply as suggested.
But I expect many people will not
have such a supply. In theory, with
this final circuit, you can power it from
something like a battery that can supply many amps, and it should hopefully survive.
Construction
The first construction task is to prepare and wind the secondary resonator coil. The former is made from
standard 25mm inner diameter PVC
pipe available from any plumbing
or DIY supply store. I cut mine to a
length of 106mm, which was based
on my calculated winding data from
JavaTC and allowed for extra material at each end for mounting. The
outer diameter of the PVC tube is
26.9mm, and the winding itself is
82.2mm high.
I gave the surface a light sanding, followed by a light coating with
electrical-grade varnish; however, this
is not critical.
As mentioned earlier, the secondary
coil is wound using 0.5mm diameter
enamelled copper wire; for example,
from Jaycar, Cat WW4016 or Altronics, Cat W0405.
The secondary coil can be wound by
hand or with the assistance of a hand
drill. Once finished, apply several
coats of clear polyurethane varnish to
seal the coil. Another option is ‘Ultimeg’ electrical varnish, which I have
used; it is available from Hi-Wire (see:
https://www.hi-wire.co.uk/acatalog/
Varnish.html).
I built the base of the unit around a
large heatsink, Jaycar Cat SY4085. As
well as cooling the MOSFET, it’s heavy
enough that the Coil won’t fall over
The secondary coil was wound with the assistance of a
hand drill, but it can be done by hand.
easily. The central channel provides a
space to mount the driving electronics.
Also, it has flanges to act as feet, with
holes to attach spacers for holding the
upper structure.
The base plate supporting the primary and secondary coils is made from
an off-cut of 3mm FR-4 substrate (basically a PCB without copper). Alternatively, you can also use an acrylic
(Plexiglas/PMMA) sheet.
The heatsink needs holes to be
drilled and tapped for the mounting
points, as well as the MOSFET.
I mounted the driving components
on a cut piece of unclad, punched laminate, 56mm x 107mm. We have produced a PCB design to make assembly
easier. I cut the board so that it fit snugly
inside the heatsink channel.
Our driver PCB is coded 26102221,
measures 56 x 107mm and is available
from the PE PCB Service. Mount the
parts on that now, using the overlay
diagram (Fig.2) as a guide to see which
parts go where.
The control potentiometer is
mounted on a PCB measuring 56 x
30mm, also available from the PE PCB
Service. This is mounted at 90° on the
end of the main PCB using tinned copper wire braces to produce a robust
mechanical support.
L1 is a 10μH inductor. In my design,
this is 24 turns of 0.5mm diameter
enamelled copper wire on a length of
20mm diameter PVC pipe. However, I
had to rewind this three times during
initial testing due to it burning up.
0.5mm wire will not handle 20A, which
I discovered during troubleshooting.
However, after moving to a current-limited power supply, I have not had any
problems with it.
If doing it all over again, I would consider using larger diameter wire.
To connect the base of the secondary
back to the driver, I used a 2mm banana
plug and socket so that I could remove
and disconnect the secondary to work
on the device.
The connections to the MOSFET
are terminated on the underside of
the board (the solder side). The wires
pass through holes drilled in the heatsink and are terminated to a threepole pluggable screw terminal. The
MOSFET is connected via the plug. I
highly recommend this approach, as
it is reasonably likely that you will
blow up a MOSFET at some point
during testing.
I also recommend purchasing a bulk
quantity (eg, 10 pieces) to ensure you
can continue to experiment.
I glued the primary coil (L2) former
and secondary (L3) plastic coupling to
the FR-4 fibreglass base using two-part
epoxy. I have begun to use the Loctite
brand (see parts list) over Araldite and
have not looked back. It works very well
and is also cheaper.
Fig.2: we designed this driver board based on Flavio’s, which he made on a piece of unclad, punched FR4 fibreglass
insulation. It’s pretty straightforward as there aren’t that many components, but we have kept the tracks well spaced
apart to prevent arcing.
20
Practical Electronics | February | 2023
MOSFET choice
I recommend using the IRFP260N
MOSFET, but I have also tested the
IRFP460N. This is a 500V, 20A device
(compared to 200V, 50A for the 260N).
So far, it has been working well.
In total, I have blown up three
IRFP260N and two IRFP460N MOSFETs and burnt out L1 twice in the
process of building and experimenting
with this device.
Testing
Before proceeding, make sure to keep
your body away from the secondary
coil at all times, especially the exposed
metal at the top. This sort of voltage at
such a high frequency can cause severe
RF burns. Always power the unit up
with the potentiometer would fully
anti-clockwise.
As mentioned earlier, the recommended power supply is a current-
limited supply delivering around
32V DC. A current rating of 3.0-3.5A
should be sufficient.
You can test the unit initially without
the secondary coil. Place a small neon
lamp near the primary (not connected
electrically) and power up the circuit.
The electromagnetic field will cause
the neon to light up if it is oscillating
correctly, as shown in the lead photo.
Remember that you will need to wind
the potentiometer clockwise a bit before
anything happens.
Power it down and place the secondary inside the primary. When powered
back up, you may be able to observe a
discharge. If you have a compact fluorescent lamp (CFL), bringing it near the
secondary should cause it to light up,
again due to the EM field.
While this Tesla Coil prototype was built on a veroboard, a manufactured
PCB is available.
To start the Coil, slowly rotate the control pot until the circuit starts to pull current, then tap the acorn nut with an insulated metal tip. The Coil will not establish the discharge on its own; the arc
must be established using a small metal
tip quickly tapped on the acorn nut.
I made a simple little tool from flat
wooden ice lolly sticks and a nail for
this purpose. The tool is simply made
by sandwiching a nail between two
sticks, with the assembly held together
by epoxy glue. For a nice touch, cover
the sticks with heatshrink tubing.
Start the breakout by turning the
control pot to about halfway and tap
the breakout point with the tool. One
advantage of this approach is that it
The finished board is then
mounted comfortably inside the
heatsink. The adjacent photo
shows the mounting arrangement
for the MOSFET, which is located
on the other side of the heatsink
underneath the main board.
Operation
I have found my Tesla Coil to have relatively stable performance. I am driving my Coil from a dedicated 48V 5A
Mean Well switchmode power supply.
Practical Electronics | February | 2023
21
A front view of
the mounting
arrangement of
the Coil’s main
circuit board
gives a better
perspective of
how snug a fit it
is in the heatsink.
The coupling arrangement for the two
inductors (L2 and L3) as viewed from
the top of the Coil.
It is possible to run the Coil at
higher voltages and power levels, up to
60V/8A. I recommend you experiment
with care as it’s pretty easy to blow it
up at high power levels.
Adding some sodium bicarbonate
makes an especially interestinglooking flame.
minimises the loading on the Coil,
which can cause the arc to go out.
I was able to get a ‘flame’ just over
5cm long by supplying 32V DC at 3A
(96W). If you have an oscilloscope,
you can carefully probe the gate of the
MOSFET to check the oscillation frequency. It should be around 7MHz.
Scope 1 shows what you can expect to
see when probing the MOSFET gate (in
this case, during discharge).
Note the waveform is not a square
wave or a sinewave. You might expect
it to be a square wave, but there are all
sorts of resonances plus parasitic capacitances and inductances in the system
that conspire to make it look a bit messy.
At this sort of frequency, MOSFET
switch-on/off waveforms generally
have edges that look like ramps with
a step in them due to capacitive feedback within the MOSFET. So, a waveform like that shown in Scope 1 is not
unusual for high-frequency switching.
22
Experimentation
One interesting experiment you can perform is to place a tiny amount of elemental salt on the electrode. This will cause
the flame to burn with vivid colours.
I found that the best salt is simply a
tiny amount of common sodium bicarbonate (baking powder). This generates
a very aggressive flame that is very yellow (Sodium-D lines).
Finally, I would like to thank the
engineers at Coast Electric Industries
(http://coastelectrical.com.au) and Illawarra Transformers in Wollongong.
They have helped me immensely with
this and other related projects.
References
n F
or more reading about Tesla coils,
see: https://w.wiki/4Mt6
n
JavaTC is excellent and free software
used in Tesla Coil Design. Download
a copy from: www.classictesla.com/
java/javatc/javatc.html
n
The theory of tuning a Tesla coil is
covered at: www.hvtesla.com/tuning.
html (more so for classic coils, but still
relevant for measuring secondary resonant frequency in this design).
n M
y website: www.nightlase.com.au
n T
his project: www.nightlase.com.au/
?pg=hfsstc
n A
video of my Tesla Coil working can
be downloaded at: www.nightlase.
com.au/?pg=hfsstc#HFSSTC-Videos
Reproduced by arrangement with
SILICON CHIP magazine 2023.
www.siliconchip.com.au
Scope 1: the waveform measured at the gate of MOSFET Q1 relative to ground.
This is during discharge, and you can see the resonant frequency in this
condition is 7.37MHz. The gate waveform is roughly trapezoidal; parasitic circuit
capacitances (and especially those within MOSFET Q1) are pretty significant at
this sort of frequency, so you can’t expect a clean-looking waveform.
Practical Electronics | February | 2023
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