shermanator 3 #1 March 28, 2008 I got my hands on a neon transformers. the large one says says it is 7500 volts. .. though I am not sure if it is 7500 total, or 7500 off each lead. anyways.. anyone have experience making tesla coils and jacob's ladders? for the j. ladder, what is the best metal to use for the rods. any suggestions for the tesla coil? as well, anyone know where I can get some high voltage capacitors for cheap? maybe ya have some extras laying around you could donate.. heck, can even take a poll if i will kill myself making this contraption!CLICK HERE! new blog posted 9/21/08 CSA #720 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Feeblemind 1 #2 March 28, 2008 QuoteI got my hands on a neon transformers. the large one says says it is 7500 volts. .. though I am not sure if it is 7500 total, or 7500 off each lead. anyways.. anyone have experience making tesla coils and jacob's ladders? for the j. ladder, what is the best metal to use for the rods. Copper is what I made mine out of Fire Safety Tip: Don't fry bacon while naked Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shermanator 3 #3 March 28, 2008 Quote Copper is what I made mine out of that is what I was thinking. Gold would be too expensive to get a hole of.CLICK HERE! new blog posted 9/21/08 CSA #720 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
quade 3 #4 March 28, 2008 When I was in Jr. High School I made a Jacobs Ladder. Just used straightened out coat hangers. It's not like at those voltages the minor difference in wire resistance is going to make a whole lot of hoo-ha difference. As for the Tesla Coil, the gauge of wire going to depend on the size you're making. I don't remember any of the formulas off the top of my head, but it's well (WELL) documented on-line in a number of places anyway.quade - The World's Most Boring Skydiver Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jumpervint 0 #5 March 28, 2008 My wife makes neon for a living. She says it's 7500 volts total and it's probably a 30 milliamp, and coat hangers work just fine and that you won't kill yourself, it'll just knock you on your butt. Test the transformer by attaching an insulated wire to one of the leads and touch it to the case (with it on of course) and slowly pull the wire away from the case and see how big an arc you get - should be able to get 2-3". Vint. . . . . "Make it hard again." Doc Ed “A person needs a little madness, or else they never dare cut the rope and be free” Nikos Kazantzakis Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shermanator 3 #6 March 29, 2008 QuoteMy wife makes neon for a living. She says it's 7500 volts total and it's probably a 30 milliamp, and coat hangers work just fine and that you won't kill yourself, it'll just knock you on your butt. Test the transformer by attaching an insulated wire to one of the leads and touch it to the case (with it on of course) and slowly pull the wire away from the case and see how big an arc you get - should be able to get 2-3". Vint I know it works just fine... the neon sign i took it out of was working just fine. ... nonono, i didn't steal a random transformer from a sign. I was retrofitting it to led.CLICK HERE! new blog posted 9/21/08 CSA #720 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jasonRose 0 #7 March 29, 2008 QuoteMy wife makes neon for a living. She says it's 7500 volts total and it's probably a 30 milliamp, and coat hangers work just fine and that you won't kill yourself, it'll just knock you on your butt. Test the transformer by attaching an insulated wire to one of the leads and touch it to the case (with it on of course) and slowly pull the wire away from the case and see how big an arc you get - should be able to get 2-3". Vint Make sure your using high voltage wire i.e. GTO or you are going to feel the voltage. Another way you can do it.... Power off hook up your primary power and unplug Take two coat hangers and clean them really good. Hook one hanger to one of the secondary leads and the other hanger to other secondary lead. Shape the hangers in a V shape (Vertical and not touching anything conductive) so the botoms are almost touching but not and about a 1" gap at the top. Get a insulated screw driver. Turn power on if arc ladder doesn't start, use the srew driver to bridge the gap and establish the arc then remove. Once things get warmed up and adjusted correctly the arc will climb up the ladder every few seconds. Tesla Coil: Buy lots of wire and read more, you can increase the heck out of your voltage by transforming the secondary side of your 7500. Some day I will have the best staff in the world!!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jumpervint 0 #8 March 29, 2008 RETROFITTING TO LED???? BLASPHEMY!!!! Vint. . . . . "Make it hard again." Doc Ed “A person needs a little madness, or else they never dare cut the rope and be free” Nikos Kazantzakis Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shermanator 3 #9 March 29, 2008 the company i work for says to retrofit,so i retrofit. lil red leds inside the sign which used to be neon. saves the company bundles of business with the sign bundles of money. apparently LED's are the new thing hmmm, I'm having trouble getting my ladder to arc up. i think i just need to spend more time on it. .. I decided the transformer was not enough volts, so I connected another one *a little different type* to it to get more volts. I'm gonna have to play with this more tomorrow, when my wife is at work. *she was wanting to watch tv, but i was causing the tv to get interupted* I'm having so much fun with this. and only got a small 'bite' from the touching the exposed wire. ooops. haha, i have a 'hot stick' when i turned it on, it started yelling at me from 2 feet away. now that is fun! CLICK HERE! new blog posted 9/21/08 CSA #720 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MikeForsythe 0 #10 March 29, 2008 I work on a couple of 800 MW 128,000V turbines, think that will be enough? Time and pressure will always show you who a person really is! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shermanator 3 #11 March 29, 2008 rub it in why don't ya! I've applied for the linemens union apprenticeship, just have to wait like 5 months for an interview.CLICK HERE! new blog posted 9/21/08 CSA #720 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
1969912 0 #12 March 29, 2008 I took an old Chevy distributor and spun it with an electric motor to trigger a regular automotive coil. Used wire for the ladder. Got the arc to jump over two inches between the wires. Vertical travel of the arc was maybe a foot. You don't need a Tesla coil, but 7.5 kV might not be enough for a decent arc You could drive the neon transformer with a variac and increase the output voltage, but don't (you could die). There should be some simple power supply designs on the web. Check here first: http://www.repairfaq.org/ Don't die. "Once we got to the point where twenty/something's needed a place on the corner that changed the oil in their cars we were doomed . . ." -NickDG Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
