Comments on: Kaizer SSTC I

By: Mads Barnkob

Mads Barnkob — Wed, 02 May 2012 06:00:19 +0000

Hi Benjamin

It is possible to run it as you say, but be aware that you have to design it carefully to run at full voltage from day one, doing first light and testing and tweaking a variac will save you some headaches.

If you don’t have a variac, maybe use a 230v to 48v transformer or something in that manner, for testing, else you just risk a BOOM at full voltage and will have to rebuild and fault find on burned tracks.

Kind regards
Mads

By: Benjamin

Benjamin — Tue, 01 May 2012 19:24:58 +0000

Hello, I want to ask if it is possible to run this design without a variac?
The question is if it is possible to run this SSTC directly of the mains 230 VAC with a bulb as current limiting for charging the capacitor in the start, and after the capasitor is charged, just bypas the bulb and run the tesla coil directly from mains suply, without using a variac?

By: Alex

Alex — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 14:24:25 +0000

Thanks for that Mads.

About using mains power, I am waiting until I can find/source a variac before I start using mains power with my projects. I am fine using mains for small low voltage step down transformers or items that have been commercially designed and tested for mains use, I am just slightly wary of connecting homemade circuits to it without a variac.

Plus I have my parents who don’t like the idea of me doing any electronics, seriously if a light-bulb blows or something happens they always blame me and my electronics! Talk about ignorance right.

Anyway enough ranting and on to finding a decent piece of tubing to wind my secondary coil onto.

Alex.

By: Mads Barnkob

Mads Barnkob — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 05:26:45 +0000

Hey Alex

I have limited experience with low voltage SSTCs as I have no problem using mains supply, as an electrician I am comfortable with it.

You could omit the capacitors and make the half bridge as this http://webpages.charter.net/dawill/tmoranwms/Elec_IndBridge.gif

You should properly look for some 100V higher current rating MOSFETs

Kind regards
Mads

By: Alex

Alex — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 21:18:23 +0000

Hi Mads, I am looking to start experimenting with SSTC’s and was wondering if I could use a 36v supply for the half-bridge if I lowered the primary coil turns and perhaps made the secondary coil a bit smaller. I understand that I will get a much lower spark output from the secondary coil but I don’t mind too much as this would be my first time making a SSTC.

This 36v supply is 3 12v 7ah lead acid battery’s and I don’t need long runs from the SSTC whilst experimenting so I can afford to allow for a higher current draw in return for using a lower voltage.

Just wondering if that would work? And would I need to adjust anything else such as C8 and C9 in order to allow for more current to be drawn?

Thanks.

By: Mads Barnkob

Mads Barnkob — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 05:53:28 +0000

Hey Marshal

Its a DC blocking capacitor that should stop the heavy DC currents from flowing at the rather low DC voltages that the GDT sees. If you have problems with lower values, try using a larger, up to some uF and with a 100nF in parallel, this should take care of resonance in the GDT primary drive circuit.

By: marshal

marshal — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 05:35:30 +0000

I am wondering, what is c4 for in the schematic, is it a dc blocking cap or it it used for something else?

By: Mads Barnkob

Mads Barnkob — Mon, 17 May 2010 20:16:58 +0000

Hey Daniel

I am only working with his universal driver as Steve called his own older designs for obsolete compared to the new driver.

By: Daniel R

Daniel R — Mon, 17 May 2010 18:30:25 +0000

I wanted to ask you what you think of Steves DRSSTC schematic with the flip flop circuit, so that the interrupter never shuts off the UCC’s. I came up with a way to use another 555 with the feed back as part of its timing instead of the 74HC109.

does it actually need a “flip-flop” device? because some times the output wont line up and will send out a very short on time

http://www.stevehv.4hv.org/DRSSTC1.htm