Mounting LCD CFL's around DRSSTC?

[fafler]

Hi. I have recently brought my very first DRSST, and want to build a nice base for it to make it look good and also make it easier to set up. I have some of those really thin CFL tubes used in LCD screens laying around that I would like to incorporate into the design. Is there anything that would make it a really bad idea so mount 6 or 8 of them vertically around the secondary from top to bottom, to have them light up when the tesla coil is active? Like they gonna burn out after a short while or mess with the resonance or whatever?

Also, which material is recommended for the base, containing the electronics? Is it preferable to shield it in metal or does it have to be something none-conducting?

[Mads Barnkob]

Anything in the vicinity of a Tesla coil will affect it resonant frequency.

You should place the tubes so far away from the secondary that no sparks will hit the tubes, else they will at some point punch through the thin glass.

I always use a non-conductive material for the base, most of it can be wood, directly contact to conductors should be plastic. Always put your sensitive driver circuits inside a metal enclosure for shielding for EMI. Inverter and power electronics can sit unshielded without problems.

You should read my DRSSTC design guide on my website, despite you bought a DRSSTC, there is still a lot to learn about how it works