Re: HV power source.

• To: tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
• Subject: Re: HV power source.
• From: Jim Lux <James.P.Lux-at-jpl.nasa.gov> (by way of Terry Fritz <terryf-at-verinet-dot-com>)
• Date: Mon, 31 Aug 1998 17:31:11 -0600
• Approved: terryf-at-verinet-dot-com

Tesla List wrote:
> 
> Original Poster: "Ben McMillen" <sammac-at-cobweb-dot-net>
> 
> Has anyone ever tried to use ignition coils (possibly several?) as an HV
> source for TC use? If not then does anyone have any ideas how this may or
> may not work? It seems like it should if one were to take the coil out of
> it's can and immerse it in oil. Thanks for any help.

It has been done... I believe that one of John Coture's books describes
a design using an ignition coil for step up. 
practically speaking, the secondary voltage is a bit high for use in a
TC (40-50 kV, when you really want around 20 kV). It is hard to get much
power through an ignition coil, due to the very high leakage inductance
(what they use in a standard ignition to get the voltage from Ldv/dt).
If you get 100W through an ignition coil you are doing well.

Finally, they are already immersed in oil inside the can.

If you also have a supply of cheap batteries and pizza trays, you could
build a stack of about 20-24 ignition coils (2 per deck) to make a 1
megavolt pulse generator. Not much power there ( a few 10's of joules
per pulse, maybe a kW total) , but it would be impressive.


Alternately, you could use the HV pulses from the ignition coil to drive
an impulse transformer (which could look very much like a tesla coil,
without the resonant aspect).

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