I'm looking for some guidance for a tesla coil build.

[Matt71]

Hi all,
I am an amateur with a healthy fear of electricity.
I am wanting to build a tesla coil that would supply a steady stream of power to a florescent bulb, not flickering.
I understand that there are a few types of TC's so I would like some advice and guidance.

[Mads Barnkob]

Hi Matt and welcome to HVF!

I will recommend everyone starting on Tesla coils, to build a SSTC as their first coil. It's fairly simple and most importantly, it teaches you the fall pits of working with high frequency high voltage. More advanced types like DRSSTC, QCWDRSSTC should first be done as a second project.

Some people like the older topologies, like SGTC, they are easy to make, but very loud and noisy from the spark gap, other issues with high UV generation and spark-gap transmitters are illegal in many places. Another old school type is VTTC, if you like working with vacuum tubes.

Wikipedia has an excellent description of the different types: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tesla_coil#Types

For frequently asked questions, I collected a few that mostly goes around DRSSTC topology: https://kaizerpowerelectronics.dk/tesla-coils/drsstc-design-guide/drsstc-faq-frequently-asked-questions/

First project I would recommend you to make: https://kaizerpowerelectronics.dk/tesla-coils/kaizer-sstc-i/ or if you feel like going for a full-bridge inverter: https://kaizerpowerelectronics.dk/tesla-coils/kaizer-sstc-ii/

[Matt71]

Thanks for the input. I have built 5 different Tesla coils, the basic ones from Amazon or Temu with the pronounced copper coil. I found them to have a weak output, being only 24v max. I also found that they didn't last very long.
I bought an assembled set up from Amazon with a spark gap, but it is very noisy and only illuminated the bulb when the spark hit it.
I am looking for a stable system that can easily illuminate a florescent bulb.
Any suggestions?

[jturnerkc]

If you're just looking for the 'wireless power' effect, I would encourage you to start with a very simple "Slayer Exciter" or "Kacher Brovina" circuit. YouTube is loaded with Slayer Exciter diy build videos and they are ridiculously simple circuits to build and reproduce.

[mayviary]

I have built sstc a while ago it work with sparks around 300mm, im now buildind a much bigger one using  skm200gb128d bricks, hoping to run at around 100 khz.
Parts are.
7200 bus cap
30 uf snubber
5uf dc blocker this is a snubber cap.
My problem is with the driver, i bought a dr  skip driver from aliexpress with optical remote. But i think its faulty if i feed in about 6 volt 100kcs sine wave i get sine wave at the gdt output, maybe i broke it or it came faulty  my eyesight  is not good enough to make a driver from scratch. Should i buy another or is there another type?