This is a simple Tesla Coil design. The neon sign transformer provides current to the capacitor which stores a charge. As the voltage and current reach their peak, an arc forms across the spark gaps which allows all the stored energy to transfer to the primary coil. The primary coil creates a magnetic field which is absorbed and stepped up by the secondary coil. The magnetic field in the primary then collapses and its energy is transferred back to the capacitor and the process repeats until resistance in the circuit depletes all the stored energy. This transfer of energy from the capacitor to the primary is called resonance and it's frequency is determined by the values of both the capacitor and the primary (inductor). For every arc, which occurs 120 times a second (one for every positive and negative sine wave) there are thousands of cycles of charging and discharging between the primary and capacitor, so not only does the Tesla coil step up the voltage, it also steps up the frequency as well. Tesla coils can operate in the range of 50,000 to 500,000 Hertz depending on how they are tuned.
The secret to creating the greatest output is in tuning. A person on a swing mimics a Tesla coil in operation. If you give someone a push they will swing back and forth until resistance due to friction causes them to stop. If you push them on every cycle the amplitude of the swinging will increase each time provided that each push is greater then friction which causes them to slow down. If you can time the arc in a Tesla coil to coincide with the waves in the resonant circuit, you will increase the output exponentially. This is done by adding or decreasing the number of turns in the primary, changing the value of the capacitor, or increasing the frequency of the neon sign transformer. In our classroom design, the easiest way was to use an alligator clip on the end of the wire to attach to the primary. Depending on where we attached the wire to the coil varied the size of the coil and therefore changed the tuning of the coil.
The secret to creating the greatest output is in tuning. A person on a swing mimics a Tesla coil in operation. If you give someone a push they will swing back and forth until resistance due to friction causes them to stop. If you push them on every cycle the amplitude of the swinging will increase each time provided that each push is greater then friction which causes them to slow down. If you can time the arc in a Tesla coil to coincide with the waves in the resonant circuit, you will increase the output exponentially. This is done by adding or decreasing the number of turns in the primary, changing the value of the capacitor, or increasing the frequency of the neon sign transformer. In our classroom design, the easiest way was to use an alligator clip on the end of the wire to attach to the primary. Depending on where we attached the wire to the coil varied the size of the coil and therefore changed the tuning of the coil.
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