Re: New to tesla coils

["Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>]

Original poster: Mark Broker <mbroker-at-thegeekgroup-dot-org> 

I see the other two Wisconsinites have already posted in detail (Dave Weiss 
and Dr. R). :)

The MMC caps on our site are arguably the best performance per dollar 
option.  Beer bottle or wine bottle caps will work very well, but the 
streamers will be a bit shorter and more purple than an MMC.  Our beer 
bottle Bucket Caps are just about the right size for a 12/60 or 15/60 
NSTs.  Info on our Bucket Cap and MMC sales is at:
http://www.thegeekgroup-dot-org/projects/bucketcap
http://www.thegeekgroup-dot-org/mmc

I would recommend using a 4" PVC pipe for the secondary with about 1400 
turns of 26 gage wire.  Quite a few others have used it, and is "about the 
right size" for 60mA NSTs.  In fact, my current TC project uses this design 
with a 12/60....  I wouldn't push a 4" secondary past about 1.2kVA intput, 
so if you want more power later, you'd probably have to build a new 
secondary and perhaps even a new primary coil.  (You'll probably want to 
build new ones before long anyway ;)

Variacs aren't a necessity, but are a really good idea, especially for the 
initial tuning process.  FWIW, a variac can usually be pushed to about 
twice its rating with a low duty cycle.  If you can't find or afford one 
(check out swap meets and ham fests), a standard incandescent light bulb in 
series with the NST input makes a suitable replacement.

As for total cost, it all depends on what output you want, what materials 
you want to use, how much of this you have in the workshop, and how much 
time you're willing to devote to getting inexpensive parts.  It's amazing 
how quickly $8.00 parts add up...

With a 15kV/30mA  NST, a good static gap (check out Gary Lau's 
vacuum/sucker gap), MMC and careful tuning, you should expect about 
20"-25".  With 60mA, probably 35"-40".  The "optimum TC" would give about 
36" and 52", respectively, but it takes experience and the right parts to 
get there....

Cheers,
Mark Broker
Chief Engineer, The Geek Group


On Thu, 25 Sep 2003 21:36:06 -0600, Tesla list <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com> wrote:

>Original poster: sean <sean-at-nc.rr-dot-com> Hi, I haven't built a tesla coil 
>yet, but I am fascinated by them, and
>would love to make one.
>Right now I am attempting to get a 15kv transformer.  I'm in the
>Raleigh, NC area.  If anyone nearby knows where I can get one, please
>let me know!  Also, knowing how much one should cost would be helpful if
>I get one on ebay.
>I also would be interested in how much a tesla coil costs overall.  I
>know it would depend, but what should I expect for one powered with 15kv
>30ma?
>Is it a bad idea to use wine bottle capacitors?  Is it a best bet just
>to buy some and do the series/parallel bank?
>Also, is it possible/recommended to build your own toroid?
>Any other beginner info, or what you would recommend I do is greatly
>appreciated.
>Thanks.