Projects:2017s1-186 Playing Music Through a Tesla Coil

Introduction

This project aims to design, test and present a system comprising of two Tesla Coils and a Control Interface. Each Tesla Coil will utilise a different switching technology allowing experimental comparison in the performance of the differing types. The control panel will be used to send audio information to both coils in a format suitable to each coil type.

Project Team

Supervisor:

Dr Wen Soong [1]

Co-Supervisor:

Dr Andrew Allison [2]

Project Members:

Matthew Roylance

Stephen Samarzia

Luke Gaskin

Background Theory

A Tesla Coil is a resonant air core transformer capable of producing very high voltages. While there are many different topologies for Tesla Coils the general principle remains the same for each. A Tesla Coil is comprised of several elements; a high voltage power supply, a capacitor C1 and primary coil L1 which form a tuned resonant circuit and a switching device SG (traditionally a spark gap). A secondary coil L2 tuned with the primary coil L1 to form an air cored resonant transformer. A capacitive electrode or ‘top-load’ E is used to suppress premature corona discharge (high voltage arcing) which serves to improve the quality factor and increase the output voltage. On the diagram below C2 is a representation of the capacitance of the secondary coil windings in parallel with the capacitance of the top-load E

During operation the coil operates a repeating cycle as follows; C1 will charge and then discharge through the spark gap creating a pulse through the primary coil L1 which excites the secondary coil L2 producing high voltages.

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