“TESLA COIL”

A PROJECT REPORT

SUBMITTED BY

1) SHAH VISHALKUMAR J. 110230109006

2) RAUT ANKIT S. 110230109009
3) KHALASI GAURAV K. 110230109034
4) DEGADAWALA MAYUR K. 120233109011

IN FULFILLMENT FOR THE AWARD OF THE DEGREE

BACHELOR OF ENGINEERING

IN

ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING

DR. S. & S. S. GHANDHY GOVERNMENT ENGINNERING COLLEGE,

SURAT -395001
GUJARAT TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY, AHMEDABAD
MAY, 2015

i
 DR. S. & S. S. GHANDHY GOVERNMENT ENGINNERING COLLEGE, SURAT
ELECTRICAL DEPARTMENT
2014

CERTIFICATE
Date:
This is to certify that dissertation entitled “TESLA COIL” has been carried out by

SHAH VISHALKUMAR J. 110230109006

RAUT ANKIT S. 110230109009
KHALASI GAURAV K. 110230109034
DEGADAWALA MAYUR K. 120233109011

under my guidance in partial fulfilment of the degree of Bachelor of Engineering

inELECTRICAL ENGINEERING (8th Semester) of Gujarat Technological University,
Ahmadabad during the academic year 2014-2015.

GUIDED BY: HEAD OF DEPARTMENT

Prof. K. M. PATEL Prof. J. I. PATEL

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

We feel profound pleasure in bringing out this project report for which we have to go from pillar to
post to make it a reality. This project work reflects contributions of many people with whom we had long
discussions and without which it would not have been possible. We must first of all, express our heartiest
gratitude to respected PROF.K.M.PATEL (Dept. of ELECTRICAL) for providing us all guidance to
complete project. It would be unfair if we do not mention the invaluable contribution and timely co-operation
extended to us by staff member of our department. And especially we can never forget the most worthy
advices given by PROF. J.I.PATEL (H.O.D., Dept. of Electrical), that would help us the entire lifetime.
Last but not the least we express our sincere thanks to the institute Dr. S. & S. S.Ghandhy GEC, Surat for
providingsuch a platform for implementing the ideas in our mind.

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Abstract:

This report explicates the simple design of the solid state Tesla coil that has
advantages compared to the typical Tesla coil, which normally has mobility
issues due to their size. The proposed design will be able to produce medium
voltage with high frequency current at the secondary circuit side. The significant
part of the design is that it does not use spark gaps. This work concentrates on
the design and construction of a SSTC that can be easily used for measurements
and general research. Firstly, the general idea of the tesla coil is elaborated
followed by the different possible arrangements and the advantages of the SSTC
are discussed. Then, the design considerations of SSTC are made keeping a
broader view in context. And lastly, the design and working of the coil that we
designed is discussed.

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 LIST OF TABLES

1 Types of primary coil 15

2 Types of toroids 17
3 Pin description of Tl494 40

LIST OF FIGURES

1 Tesla's first air cored transformer 9

2 Another version of Tesla’s air cored Transformer [2] 9
3 Block Diagram of SGTC 12
4 Simplified diagram of SGTC 13
5 Picture of completed secondary Coil 16
6 Block diagram of SSTC 24
7 Quarter wavelength distribution 27
8 3/4, and 5/4 wavelength distribution 27
9 Coil with no inter winding distance 29
10 Coil with interewinding distance 29
11 Helical Coil 33
12 Archimedes coil 33
13 Inverse coil 34
14 Control Circuit of SSTC 39

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LIST OF SYMBOLS, ABBREVIATIONS AND NOMENCLATURE

MV Megavolts

kA kilo-amps

L Inductance in henries

r Radius of turns

l Length of coil

n No. of turns

f0 Resonant frequency

f Operating frequency

µ0 Permeability of free space

K Nagaoka co-efficient

A Area of cross section

Xc Capacitive reactance

TC Tesla coil

SGTC Spark Gap Tesla Coil

SSTC Solid State Tesla Coil

DRSSTC Dual Resonant Solid State Tesla Coil

AWG American wire gauge

SWG Standard wire gauge

RMS Root mean square

GND Ground

MOSFETs Metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor

IGBTs Insulated gate bipolar transistor

W = the secondary coils wire length

F = the quarter wave length frequency of secondary

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λ = wavelength of resonant frequency

C = propagation speed of wave-front in free space

f0 = resonant frequency of coil

L = length of wire

T = number of turns

D = diameter of secondary coil form

d = diameter of wire with insulation and inter-winding distance

H = height of winding

Dw= diameter of wire with insulation

Ls= induction of secondary coil

A = =radius of coil

Cs = self capacitance of secondary coil

DCΩ = total DC resistance of winding

ACΩ = total AC resistance(skin effect) of winding

NS = number of layers of wire used

Ds = depth of current penetration

FL = multiplier used to calculate

Q = ratio of d to Di

Qs = quality of secondary winding

W0 = resonant frequency in radius/second

Rt= total resistance of secondary winding

δs= decrement of secondary winding

Ct = terminal capacitance

Zs= AC impedance of secondary circuit at the resonant frequency

R = average radius of primary coil

W = width of primary coil

v
L1 = helix factor

L2 = spiral factor

X = rise angle of primary inverse coil

D1 = large diameter of top-load

D2 = smaller diameter of top-load

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Table of Contents page no.
Acknowledgement 1
Abstract 2
List of Figures 3
List of Tables 3
List of Abbreviations 4
Table of Contents 7
1 Introduction 8
2 Previous Work 9
3 Tesla Coil Theory 12
3.1 Introduction 12
3.2 Simplified theory of Operation 12
3.3 Topologies 13
3.3.1 Spark gap tesla Coil 13
3.3.2 Solid State Tesla Coil 14
3.3.3 Dual Resoanant Tesla Coil 14
3.4 Construction 15
3.4.1 The Primary Coil 15
3.4.2 The Secondary Coil 16
3.4.3 Top loads 17
3.4.4 Primary Capacitors 18
3.5 Tesla Coil physical dimensions 18
3.6 Advantages of SSTC over the Conventional SGTC 19
3.7 Applications 20
4 Block diagram and descriptions of SSTC 22
4.1 Solid State Tesla Coil 22
5 Design of Tesla Coil 25
5.1 Designing of SSTC 25
5.2 Quarter wave length frequency 26
5.3 Calculating the secondary characteristics 28
5.4 Calculating the primary characteristics 32
5.5 Top load calculations 35
5.6 Calculations for SSTC 36
6 Circuit Diagram and Description of SSTC 39
6.1 Introduction 39
6.2 Driver Circuit Configuration 39
6.3 Power circuit confirguration 42
7 Hardware implemantation and results 44

References
conclusion

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Chapter: 1:Introduction
Tesla coils are electrical devices designed to produce high frequency, high voltage alternating
currents named after Nikola tesla. Originally tesla used them as power supplies for his high
frequency electric lamps. Around 1900, Nikola tesla used tesla coil for the development of a maritime
wireless system, he adapted them for use as a major component of specially designed radio
transmitting and receiving sets. He also used the same principle (Resonant transformer) in the
construction of two very large oscillators used to conduct fundamental experiments in the global
propagation of radio signals.
The tesla coil evolved out of a need to produce radio frequency signals more effectively. The
principle of resonance as seen in LC circuits was fairly well understood and accepted within the
scientific community. The experiments by Hertz with simple tuned circuits responding to the waves
produced by induction coils would hint at the possibilities of long distance transmission of signals
through the air. But it was tesla who used tuned and grounded induction coils to produce devices
efficient enough to use in the age of radio.
Tesla began his experiments with the device also, known as a Disruptive discharge coil.
Within three years , He was able to use it to demonstrate the transmission and reception of strong
signals without the use of wires. In order to refine the apparatus and further carry out his experiments
in radio propagation, tesla built a Giant version of his oscillator at Coloradosprings known as The
magnifying transmitter. In addition to providing radio signals, he felt that his system could be adopted
for the transmission of electrical energy. Although we still rely upon power transmission lines for the
distribution of electricity, the fundamental principles of earth resonance that where first established in
colorado springs were the product of genius and the design astounds researchers even today. Tesla’s
pioneering work in the areas of electrical and mechanical engineering served to establish a number of
prototype models that are available to be recreated and improved upon today. The tesla coil is just one
an example.
A tesla coil is a resonating air core transformer which produces bursts of high voltage, high
frequency current that can emanate from it’s top in the form of loud and long lightning bolts. Here
high frequency means 50000Hz to 1MHz. And high voltage means from 50000VAC to millions of
VAC. A tesla coil is an effective means of obtaining high voltages at high frequencies, but
efficiencies seldom exceed 50%.

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Chapter: 2:Previous work
The first record of Tesla’s air-cored transformer is dated 1891 and appeared in one of
his patents[1], where the high voltage developed was intended to be used for electric lighting.
The circuit converted low frequency currents into “currents of very high frequency and very
high potential” which then supplied single terminal lamps (Figure 3). A much more refined
version of the same circuit appeared in a subsequent patent[2] , where the spark gap had been
moved in parallel to the feeding power supply and the primary capacitor had been split in two
(Figure 4). Nikola Tesla, as he quoted in some of his patents, tested a huge number of
circuital variations along several years, but patented only a few of them.
The first mathematical analysis of Tesla’s air-cored transformer is due to Oberbeck[3] he
treated the transformer as two air-coupled resonant circuits and covered thoroughly the case
where the two circuits are tuned to resonate at the same frequency. In a later paper, dated
1904, Drude[4] pointed out the conditions required to achieve the maximum voltage at the
secondary circuit (that is, a unitary tuning ratio but a coupling coefficient of 0.6).A series of
presentations of the air-coupled resonant circuits theory appeared in a number of books and
papers all along the last century. These analyses are basically similar to each other, differing
only in the level of detail or the degree of clearness. Some of the classical references are
listed below:

Figure 2 Another version of Tesla’s air cored

Figure 1 Tesla’s first air-cored Transformer [2]
Transformer [1]
• Terman[5] , with a pragmatic view of the influence of Q factor and coupling coefficient on
the energy transfer efficiency.

9
• Smythe[6] , giving a thorough (but someway complicated) analysis of loss and lossless
circuits.
As only the case of ideal (i.e. lossless) circuits could be solved in a closed form, the
lossy case was always tabulated or presented as family of curves[5] , only recently produced
by using computer algorithms .
The search for an optimal working point of the Tesla Coil evolved along two axis,
targeting either the maximum output voltage or a complete energy transfer from the primary
to the secondary circuits. In 1988, Reed [7] observed that an 18% increase in voltage could be
obtained by using a tuning ratio less than unity and a suitable amount of coupling.
Reed’s work was generalized in 1991 by Phung et al. that provided a set of equations
in order to calculate all tuning ratio and coupling coefficients pairs that achieved a (local)
maximum output.
In 1966, Finkelstein[8] identified the general conditions required for a complete
energy transfer from the primary to the secondary circuits: in all cases, a unitary tuning ratio
was required. The Drude’s conditions turned out to achieve complete energy transfer in the
least time, but other values of coupling coefficient could also be used, while the transfer
completion got simply moved to a later time instant.
Finkelstein’s work was continued and extended to three coupled resonance circuits by
Bieniosek and eventually generalized to any number of circuits by de Queiroz. The
importance of these works is that they can be easily applied to the particular case of the Tesla
Coil (two-circuit case) in order to obtain complete energy transfer and, therefore, a better
efficiency.
The previous work dealing with Tesla Coils provides only partial views of the whole
theory of operation involved. All the papers aimed at maximizing the voltage developed at
the top terminal, or at achieving a complete energy transfer, use a simple lumped-element
model for the secondary circuit. In some rare case the coil and its top load have been modeled
using transmission line theory [9] both approaches have shown (or pretended to show) a good
match with experimental results, while starting from a controversial view of the phenomena.
This difference of view has started a long debate among different parties, involving merely
hobbyists and being ignored by the scientific community.
Descriptions of TC construction details can only be found in material written by
hobbyists and justification of the solutions adopted is often missing or based on rules-of the-
thumb. A reference that encompasses all the parts of a TC, following the energy
transformations from the power supply to the leader inception into free air is missing.
Extremely short, pulsed laser beams having energy in the mJ region, have non

10
linearpropagation in air. Long plasma filaments also known as birkeland currents (Much of
Nikola tesla’s research and experimentation was in the plasma region of guided energy and
power) having electron density of 1016-1018 cm3 are able to be generated due to dynamic
competition the non-linear Kerr self focusing (which eventually collapses the beam) and
plasma defocusing (which tends to halt the collapse of a beam). The laser ionizes the air and
causes this effect [10].
The resonance transformer technology offers the capability not only of high voltages
(in the megavolt range) with high peak powers, but also power processing with high average
power levels [11]. The latter might be appropriate for driving relativistic electron beams in a
mode where they repetitively pulse a channel through the air, i.e., hole boring. it was
demonstrated that lumped circuit analysis (which is entirely appropriate during the energized
primary regime) totally fails to describe true resonance transformers during the distributed
regime. This important aspect of high voltage technology has been overlooked by previous
investigators, including the soviets in their open literature.
C.A TUCKER[12] in his work described that a resonant transmitter–receiver system
is described for the wireless transmission of energy at a useful distance for grid-coordinate
power and information. Experimental results are given showing delivery of power of an
unmodified Tesla resonator contrasted with a modified version achieving improved efficiency
over a 4 m range. A theoretical basis is provided to back up the experimental results obtained
and to link the study with previous research in the field. A number of potential routes are
suggested for further investigations and some possible applications of the technology are
considered.
Tesla Coil as a military base Defence Project[13], acting as the First Line of Defence
against enemy attack so as to guard “Critical Base Structures” against Enemy vehicles or
infantry. The focus of the Project is to harness the destructive power of the Tesla Coil, as an
effective way of eradicating overwhelming Enemy Forces threatening a given space of
potential importance. Another, Phenomenon noticed along with wireless energy transfer, is its
ability to provide a stray electromagnetic field around its striking radius. This tends to effect
delicate electronic circuitry causing them to malfunction, if sufficient electromagnetic
shielding is not provided.

11
Chapter: 3: Tesla coil theory

3.1 Introduction
The tesla transformer is a fascinating device capable of creating spectacular effects, it
emits electrical discharges that easily extend for several meters and remind natural lightning.
The tesla Transformer has been known for more than a century to the scientific
community and also used in several applications. A significant amount of papers, articles and
books have been written about its theory of operation and its practical construction.
Still, nearly every university high-voltage laboratory and technology museum strives to own
a Tesla Transformer, because some of the effects involved with its operation are pretty
unique to this kind of device and the theory underneath them still deserves a certain amount
of research to be fully explained and justified.
The purpose of this chapter is to give an overview of the many ways a tesla coil can
be built, the constructional features and the basic understanding of the operation. First, a
simplified theory of operation of the Tesla coil is presented, together with the typical three
topologies. Then, the general construction of the Tesla coil is given. Finally, the influences of
the Tesla coil physical size are discussed.

3.2 Simplified theory of operation

A tesla coil can be built by using only a few basic components as shown in the block
diagram of the tesla coil.

Fig 3 block diagram of Spark Gap Tesla Coil

A transformer generates a high voltage (typically 5-30kV) from the supply mains that
charges the primary high voltage capacitor C through the primary coil. The primary coil is
composed of few turns of heavy copper wire having a very low resistance. When C is sufficiently
charged, the potential difference between the spark gap electrodes becomes sufficient for the gap

12
to fire and allow current to pass through (In an SSTC, instead of the spark gap, an inverter is used
to feed the primary capacitor and the primary coil, the detailed description of the Solid State
Tesla Coil is given in the next chapter). While the gap is conducting C is connected in parallel to
the primary coil and gets discharged into it. C and primary coil form a parallel resonant circuit
with a resonant frequency defined by their capacitance and inductance values.
The magnetic field generated by the primary coil is partly induced into the secondary coil.
The secondary coil is composed of about 1000 turns of thin copper wire and its tod lead is
connected to a spherical or a toroidal terminal with a capacitance of typically 15-30pF. Secondary
coil and its top terminal form a resonant circuit. If the resonance frequency is near to the one of
the primary circuit, an extremely high potential is developed at the top terminal.
As the secondary can easily reach potentials ranging from 100 kV to several MV, the
electric field generated is usually to breakdown the surrounding air dielectric releasing a leader
inception.Once the capacitor C gets completely discharged, the spark gap stops conducting and
the same process already described repeats again. The more detailed operation of the SGTC can
be found in the reference. []. The operation analysis in the lumped and the distributed parameter
assumptions is presented in the reference. []

3.3 Topologies
3.3.1 Spark gap tesla coil
A tesla coil is a resonant transformer containing a primary and secondary LC circuit.
These are loosely coupled together. Power is supplied to the primary circuit to a transformer
which charges a capacitor. The capacitor will discharge through the spark gap into the
primary coil. The energy will oscillate between the primary inductance and primary capacitor
at high frequencies. The primary is coupled to the secondary inductor which is attached to a
top load. That provides capacitance for the secondary LC circuit. A high voltage, low current
field develops around the top load and arcs of lightning discharge occur. The primary and
secondary LC circuits must oscillate at the same frequency to achieve maximum power
transfer.

Fig 4 Simplified diagram of SGTC

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3.3.2 Solid state tesla coil
The solid state tesla coil operates differently from a classical spark gap in that it
implements bi-polar junction transistors (BJTs), metal-oxide semiconductor field effect
transistors (MOSFETs), or some other form of solid state device to create oscillations. Figure
10 shows a simple Tesla Coil driver circuit using two of these switches.
This design creates a switching cycle during which the two switches alternate between
off and on while a sinusoidal wave current is passed through the system. In the first stage the
first switch is on while the second is off, causing current to flow into the load through T1.
Then the first switch is turned off while the second is turned on, causing the current to flow
out of the load through T2. During this cycle the sinusoidal load current passes through zero
at two points, halfway through the cycle when switch one turns off and switch two turns on,
and at the end of the cycle when they switch back. It is very important that the switch occurs
at these points in order to reduce the switching losses and any voltage spikes or unwanted
ringing. This also helps to improve the load sharing between parallel switches, and reduces
the amount of avalanche stress on series switches. The driver can also be built with a variable
circuit using a timer circuit or a pulse width modulation (PWM) controller. These types of
controllers will be covered in later sections.
The advantage of a Solid State Tesla Coil over a classical spark gap Tesla Coil is that it is
easier to modulate the frequency using PWM controllers or timer circuits. Also, the spark gap on
a classical Tesla coil is very loud, sometimes louder than the discharge from the secondary coil,
and it can produce intense UV light which is harmful to the eyes.

3.3.3Dual Resonant Solid State Tesla Coil.

A Dual Resonant Solid State Tesla Coil (DRSSTC) operates much like a conventional
spark gap Tesla Coil in that it has a similar corona discharge and implements a capacitor bank.
However, instead of the spark gap, a DRSSTC implements a half-bridge of MOSFETS or IGBTs.
The combination of the capacitor bank and solid state switches, both of which are resonators,
gives the DRSSTC its name. This combination leads to better control over the length appearance,
and sound of the spark than a classical Tesla Coil, which means that like a SSTC a DRSSTC can
be audio modulated. One main difference between SSTCs and DRSSTCs is that SSTC can
operate safely in steady state without much danger, while DRSSTC that are driven for extended

14
periods at resonant frequency run the risk of blowing the IGBTs or causing overvoltage of the
primary capacitor. Thus, more precautions must be made with a DRSST in order to achieve
longevity. Although audio modulation is possible with a DRSSTC, this project will focus on the
SSTC design as it will be easier to produce with the available resources and time.

3.4 Construction
The basic setup incorporates 2 major parts: Primary coil and secondary coil. The
secondary coil has many more turns then the primary coil and is placed inside of the windings of
the primary coil.
The transformer of this type will transform a small voltage across the primary coil into a
voltage on the secondary coil. The voltage on the secondary coil is directly proportional to the
ratio of the windings on the secondary to the winding on the primary. It should also be noted that
no electrical connection exist between the primary and secondary coils, they are magnetically
coupled.
On the primary side the circuit consist of the primary coil itself, a capacitor, and a high
voltage source. By properly connecting the capacitor and primary coil, a resonant circuit is
obtained.
The secondary side consists of the same circuit elements as the primary side. There is one
distinct difference in how they are connected. The capacitor and secondary coil are connected
together at the top of the secondary. The bottom of the secondary is connected to ground. The
capacitor used is unique. Almost all capacitors have two terminals, The capacitors in the
secondary circuits uses only one terminal. Now by properly selecting the values for the capacitors
and the number of turns of the secondary coil, the resonant frequency of the secondary circuits
can be made identical to that of the primary circuit.

3.4.1 The primary coil

The primary coil forms an essential part of the tesla coil. It is fed from the supply mains
and its primary objective is to setup an alternating field which links with the secondary at the
desired resonant frequency. There are different topological arrangements available that can be
used as the primary coil. Some of them are as listed below.
Sr. no Name Figure

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1 Flat spiral coil

2 Helical coil

3 Conical coil

Table no 1. Different types of primary coils

The primary coil is usually flat. A cone shapes,or conical primary is also very common.
Some smaller Tesla coils can use a vertical helix shaper primary. Generally, larger tesla coil use
flat primaries and smaller coil use cone shape primaries.

3.4.2 The secondary coil

The secondary coil is the heart of the tesla coil and one of the most prominent visual
aspects of the tesla coil. There are a few things to keep in mind- we want to have good coupling
but not too much so that arc-over (from primary to secondary or racing sparks on secondary)
occurs. The tesla coil’s have secondary aspect ratio (coil diameter:coil height) from 1:1.5 to 1:3
for SSTCs and from 1:4 to 1:6 for normal SGTCs. The picture depicting the secondary wound
coil is as shown below.

Fig 5 Picture of completed Secondary coil

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 They are usually quite fat in diameter (this increases primary inductance because the
primary is usually wound as a tight coil around the secondary coil). From the equation of
Inductance of an air-core coil as above, we see that increasing the turns increases L to the square,
and increasing the diameter of the coil also increases the inductance by the square (since area
increases by the square of linear dimension). The secondary is very thin typically thin (22 AWG
to 32 AWG) magnet wire. Magnet wire is solid copper wire with thin coating of varnish as an
insulator. The secondary coil is usually wound on PVC pipe, although cardboard and many other
non-conductive materials can be used. Before beginning the winding the secondary coil,you
should calculate how many turns you can wind with the given weight of magnet wire and how
long the coil will be. This can be calculated easily with the help of software available such as
JAVATC or TESLAMAP.

3.4.3Top loads
The Top load acts as a capacitor in the secondary circuit. The shape of the top load will
help to determine where the arcs will breakout.
The doughnut or toroid is the preferred shape for the top load. A sphere will have an
evenly distributed field strength over its entire surface. By flatting the sphere into a toroid the
field strength will increase around the radius of the toroid. The arcs will breakout where the field
strength is greatest. The benefit of concentrating the field around the radius is to help direct the
arcs outward.
The size of the top load and amount of power applied will dictate the size and the number
of simultaneous arcs that the tesla coil produces. Placing a sharp pointed object like a thumb tack
or a small metal ball on the toroid will create a disruption in the field and allow the arc to escape
from the breakout point. The most common method of toroid construction is to wrap aluminium
dryer duct around an aluminium pie pan. A top load can be practically anything with a smooth
shape covered with aluminium foil. It is important to physically attached the toroid to the top of
the secondary coil. A good way to connect the toroid to the secondary coil is to get a PVC end
cap for the secondary coil and insert a nylon bolt in it.
Table 2: Types of Top loads

Spherical

17
 Torroidal

Multiple Toroids

Toroid made from aluminum

ducting

3.4.4 Primary capacitors:

The primary capacitor is used with the primary coil to create a primary LC circuit. The
primary capacitor is usually made of several capacitors wired in series-parallel configuration. A
single pulse type capacitor can also be used instead.

3.5 Tesla coil physical dimensions

The performance of a Tesla Coil, intended as the peak potential developed at the
secondary top terminal, is related to a number of factors including losses in components,
losses in connections, component value selection and operational environment conditions
(moisture, elevation from ground, etc.). Some of these factors are directly influenced by the
TC physical dimensions:
1. Inductance of primary and secondary coils. Potential developed is directly
proportional to the square root of the secondary and primary coils inductance ratio.
2. Resistive losses in the primary coil.
3. Resistive losses in the secondary coil.
4. Internal capacity of the secondary coil. Coils shaped with lower height to width ratio
exhibit a lower self-capacitance.
5. Distance between top terminal and primary coil. A taller secondary allows for the top
terminal to sustain higher potentials before arching to the primary or to the floor.
6. Top terminal size. The minimum radius of curvature of the top terminal influences directly
its leader inception threshold voltage: a bigger radius results in a higher threshold potential.
On the other hand, a higher radius usually produces also a larger terminal and, therefore, a
higher capacitance to ground. Because an increase in top terminal capacitance results in a

18
reduction of the voltage developed at the secondary7, top terminal size selection is actually a
trade-off.
Thus, the geometry of the secondary coil is a compromise between the above factors
and is partly driven also by empirical evidence. In general, bigger TCs imply a smaller
voltage transformation ratio; on the other hand, they are capable of handling a higher top
terminal potential and therefore suitable to produce a higher voltage. The detailed design and
the influence of these factors, is discussed in the next chapter.

3.6 Advantages of Solid State Tesla Coil over the Conventional Spark Gap
Tesla Coil
There are several advantage of SSTC over the SGTC. Some of them are listed below.
 Less noise: The conventional tesla coil produces sparks in the spark gaps and these sparks
are quite noisy in operation. These can be quite bothering in application requiring quarter
operation. The SSTC does not involve spark gaps and hence are very quite in operation.
 Absence of spark gaps: The spark produced in the spark gaps are very high intensity
(more intense than the secondary output itself) . Thus a bright light appears at the spark gap
during operation. As the spark gaps are absent and hence no such problem occurs.
 Less interference: The spark gap tesla coils produces large amount of radio interference
and hence proper shielding that reduce the radio and television interference. The SSTC proves to
be better as compared to SGTC, less radio frequency noise is radiated, and Due to its continuous
electronic source the RF and TV are reduced.
 The SSTC produces higher RF power. The RF spectrum of SSTC is quite stronger as
compared to SGTC of similar ratings.
 The solid state coils are great for the corona displays and lightning near tube at distance
without the use of wires.
 The desires for the SSTC can be modulates to provide variable frequencies and as the
output of the tesla coil is dependent on the deliver frequency. A wide variety of spark
characteristics from forked lightning to flames by modulating the RF generator in different ways.
 The SGTCs use capacitor banks and hence the probability of failure of capacitor is quite
high also thus can cause severe shocks and burn to the operator has smaller capacitors and hence
the rise of failure and shock is reduced.
 The SSTC output can be very precisely controlled over a wide range and hence are very
famous as among the scientific community for research and development.
 The SSTCs are more compact and hence can be transported easily thus, provide portable
high voltage source.

19
 The SSTC do have many advantages but it does have some disadvantages. And hence
should be considered before considered which type of Tesla coil suits better. Some of the
disadvantages of the Solid State Tesla Coil are discussed below.
 The RF generator or the control circuit of the SSTC is quite complex and sophisticated
and hence the user and designer should have good working knowledge of power electronics
 The RF circuit should be carefully screened form outside unwanted signals and the layout
should also be designed carefully.
 The SSTC require a variety of semiconductor from MOSFETs or IGBTs to fast recovery
diodes and also drivers and oscillator chips. Such parts can be quite expensive and difficult to
find and replace.
 The semiconductors used in the SSTC are still quite fragile and hence proper protection
and heat-sinks should be provided to avoid any damage to the parts. Also, the connection should
be properly made to avoid any unwanted consequences.

3.7 Applications
 TESTING OF INSULATING MATERIALS
Insulation materials used in high-voltage switched-mode power supplies are exposed to high
frequency high voltages. Traditional tests performed with high DC voltages might not reveal the true
aging effects occurring during rated operation; successful experiments have been conducted using
high-frequency, high-voltage power sources.
Cored transformers are not preferred for generating high test voltages at high frequencies, since they
must employ ferrite instead of iron and therefore are quite costly for the power required by these
applications. Furthermore, the reactive power needed by the capacitive load of the sample under test
has to pass also through the transformer and be supplied to it.
Ferrite-cored resonance transformers have small dimensions but a comparatively high stray
capacitance that is in the order of the sample capacitance. The ferrite core also produces high flux
non-linear effects that result in unacceptable harmonics. The Tesla Coil avoids non-linear effects
because it is air-cored. As the size of its coils is bigger, the distance between its windings can be
bigger as well, so that the stray capacitance becomes smaller. Options are available to increase the test
voltage level and to modify the voltage frequency.
 TESTING OF INSULATORS
Although it is difficult to control the generated wave-shapes, the damped high frequency oscillations
of Tesla Coils are somewhat similar to typical transient disturbances found in power systems (e.g.
caused by switching operations or by arcing to ground).

20
 Manufacturers of ceramic insulators are still using TCs as a test source in routine tests for puncture
withstand. They are also employed for generic insulator testing and synthetic testing of circuit
breakers.
 GENERATION OF HIGH VOLTAGE PULSES
Sources of short high-voltage pulses with high repetition rate are considered to be of interest for a
number of problems. For instance, they can be used to generate electromagnetic radiation to measure
objects to a high precision or powerful microwave pulses with 3-cm wavelength.
Numerous papers have been published with particular emphasis on the use of a TC in relativistic
electron beam generators: Its main advantages over the Marx generator are high repetition rates of
operation and low cost because of the lower number of capacitors used.
Tesla Coil use is also reported in a series of compact and portable devices to drive cold cathode e-
beam tubes and X-ray tubes; applications include express spectral analysis of minerals and jewels, as
well as rapid radiography on-field.
 RESEARCH ON LIGHTNING DISCHARGES
Research on natural lightning has been motivated by the desire to prevent spectacular Accidents, such
as occurred in 1969 during the launch of Apollo 12 and in 1987 during the launch of Atlas-Centaur
67.While cloud-to-ground lightning has been studied more extensively, cloud-to-cloud and cloud-to-
air discharges still need to be understood more thoroughly as they are more difficult to be measured.
Field observations of lightning can reveal directly little of the physics of the phenomenon; the
propagation process and the leader velocity are best studied by scaling of laboratory sparks. In pre-
war work Allison and Meek had succeeded to demonstrate the existence of a laboratory analogue to
the lightning stepped leader discovered by Scotland in 1933.

21
Chapter: 4: Block Diagram and
Description of SSTC
The Solid State Tesla Coil is similar to the classical Spark Gap Tesla Coil, but one major
difference is that, in SSTC the spark gap is not used to transfer energy to the primary capacitor,
rather a sophisticated switching arrangement is utilised to switch on and off the power fed to the
capacitor at the desired switching frequency. In the earlier years, the unavailability of the fast and
reliable switches limited their use and hence the Solis State Tesla Coil then used the valve
converters. But these valves had very short lives and not that efficient and hence the Spark Gap
design was more preferred.
Recently, the advancements in the field of power electronics gave us the choice from a
large group of switching devices made up from semiconductors. These switches are fast, efficient
and more reliable and hence provide a good alternative to the Spark Gap Tesla Coil and hence,
the use of SSTC over SGTC is increasing day by day.
This chapter describes the Solid State Tesla Coil, its construction, operation and the
design steps used to design a SSTC. Firstly, the general idea about the Solid State Tesla Coil is
provided along with is working and the difference in its construction compared to the SGTC.
Then, the design details of the Solid State Tesla coil and the necessary steps required in the
design process are also discussed. And lastly, the advantages and the disadvantages of the Solid
State scheme over the classical scheme are listed.

4.1Solid State Tesla Coil

As previously discussed, the SSTC differs from the conventional SGTC as it does not
consists the sparks gaps as was used in the classical Tesla coils. In place of the spark gaps the
SSTC implements sophisticated switching circuitry which switches the power on and off. This on
–off process decides the operating frequency of the Tesla coil. Hence, in the SSTC basically any
operating frequency can be implemented the only limitation being the switching capacity of the
switches involved. The SSTC thus provides a more flexible high voltage transformer and hence is
becoming popular against the SGTC.
The Solid State Tesla Coil also basically operates with the same principle of the normal
Spark Gap Tesla Coil. It consists of a primary coil having lumped capacitor which forms the
primary resonant circuit. The power to the primary circuit was fed by the spark gap arrangement
but in the case of SSTCs the primary resonant circuit is energised by a sophisticated switching
circuit. Thus, the spark gaps are eliminated and thus the problems caused due to the spark gaps
are eliminated. The secondary side consists of the secondary coil and the top load which forms
the secondary resonant circuit. The secondary coil acts as the inductance and the top load
22
connected to the top of the secondary coil acts as a capacitor. The capacitor in the secondary is
distributed while that in the primary the capacitor is lumped.
When the switching circuit operates the pulses are produced across the capacitor which
charges the capacitors. The capacitors then get discharged across the primary inductance and
hence a energy oscillates in the parallel resonant circuit. The flux produced due to the alternating
field links with the secondary coil and as the secondary coil is made up of a large number of turns
of very small diameter the voltage induced on the secondary side will be very high. This high
voltage is taken up by the secondary capacitor and discharged in the air when the energy density
on the top load exceeds a sufficient value.
The switching circuit discussed above is the most important part deciding the operating
frequency of the Tesla coil. Thus the circuitry must be carefully designed so that the desired
operating range can be easily obtained. The simple block diagram of the parts involved the Solid
State Tesla coil is as shown in the fig below.
As can be seen from the fig, the switching devices used are MOSFETs. But instead of MOSFETs,
other switching devices such as IGBTs, GTOs, Power Transistors can also be used. Their use
depends upon the frequency of operation and the power level. The IGBTs serve the better choice
for the high voltage level but the frequency range is quite low. Also, the IGBTs have
higherswitching losses which can be quite a issue for the low power circuits. The MOSFETs have
high frequency range and hence are generally used for high speed switching. But the MOSFETs
do not have high voltage ratings and hence are generally applicable for the low power circuits
having high switching speeds. These switches form a H-bridge if two switches are used. The H-
bridge produces only one pulse across the primary. Other arrangements involve 4 switches which
form a Full Bridge. The use of full bridge doubles the amount of energy fed to the primary and
hence the size of the coil can be reduced. These switches require a sophisticated circuitry for the
gates. This can be obtained by the PWM converters. The PWM controllers produce high going
and low going pulses which when applied to the gate of the switches produce the alternating field
across the primary. The Tesla Transformer then steps up the voltage and as seen in the block
diagram. The output of the Tesla coil can be fed back to the control circuit so that a closed loop
control can be implemented to make the Tesla coil auto-tuned. As described earlier the maximum
energy transfer takes place when the frequency of both the resonant circuits is the same, and
hence the closed loop control will change the operating frequency of any one of the coil
(generally the primary coil) and hence the coil will remain in the auto-tuned state at all the time.

23
 Fig 6 Block diagram of SSTC
The control is a low power circuit and requires a low voltage generally 12V DC for its
operation. Thus, the SSTC provides a better alternative for the SGTC.

24
Chapter: 5: Design of Tesla coil

5.1Designing of a Solid State Tesla Coil

The SSTC designing is quite different from that of the normal Spark Gap Tesla Coil in
which the design is dependent primarily on the rating of the Fly back transformer. The SSTC is
quite
First assumption on which to base calculations of other elements is made by deciding on
thewavelength of the disturbances. This in well designed apparatus determines the λ/4 or length
ofsecondary wound up. The self induction of the wire is also given by deciding on the
dimensionsand form of coil hence Ls and λ are given.
-Nikola Tesla. Colorado Springs Notes: 1899-1900, p. 56
Tesla determines the resonant frequency of a new secondary winding. The resonant
primary circuit is typically tuned to the resonant of the secondary circuit. The oscillating current
in the primary winding is coupled to the secondary winding through the mutual inductance of the
air core resonant transformer producing an oscillating current in the secondary winding. This
oscillating current produces a high voltage in the secondary winding’s resistance and is usually
accumulated in the terminal capacitance until the surrounding air is ionized and a spark breaks
out.
There are two ways to start the design of the Tesla coil. One can first choose the value of
primary capacitance or rather choose the secondary resonating frequency. In the choice of
capacitor of the desired value involves availability of that value of capacitance. A commercial
capacitor has the advantage of using the best materials, quality engineering and testing in its
design. Very thin, hard-to-work with materials are used in the plates and dielectric to yield the
most capacitance and dielectric strength per volume. Air and other contaminants are removed
from between the plates during construction and some are even filled with insulating oil. The
other alternative would be to build a capacitor by own. Home made capacitance can be build to
perform adequately when carefully constructed.
The suggested ranges of capacitors generally used in Tesla coil are as under:
 0.001 μF to 0.01 μF for a small coil using a current-limited transformer in the 100-W to
1-kW range, e.g., neon sign transformer.
 0.01 μF to 0.05 μF for a medium coil using a non–current-limited transformer in the 1-
kW to 5-kW range, e.g., potential transformer.
 >0.05 μF for a large coil using a non–current-limited transformer in the 5-kW and above
range, e.g., distribution transformer.

25
 The design does not have to begin with the capacitor if a large varity of capacitors are
available to choose from. The other way might be to have a desire primary or secondary winding
geometry in mind and select the primary capacitance value that produces a resonance. However,
this is not recommended for first time coilers.
The most common way to start the tesla coil design is to choose a suitable value of
secondary resonant frequency and calculate the other parameters accordingly.

5.2Quarter wave length frequency

For a long time, it has been believed that Tesla coils are governed by the principles of the
quarter wavelength theory. Much work has also been done in the recent years to model the
secondary coil using transmission line theory. Both models seem to deviate from measurements
others have taken. The lumped component model used for designing Tesla coils works well, but it
is not capable of describing the internal behaviour of the secondary coil. Modelling the operation
of the secondary coil is not a simple task. Some complexities of the secondary coil are the
magnetic coupling between adjacent turns, the distribution of capacitance between turns,
capacitance to ground, capacitance from windings to toroid, and the added lumped capacitance of
the toroid to ground. The secondary coil and toroid compose a system, which by itself deserves
attention. Modelling of this system will explain the uneven voltage distribution along the coil and
the phase angle between current at the base and top of the coil that has been observed by some
people. Accurate models will provide greater insight into this part of the Tesla coil and aid in
optimizing design. The following is a basic introduction to 1/4 wavelength theory for antennas
and how it may relate to secondary coiloperation. It is not necessary to design a Tesla coil to
resonate at the 1/4 wavelengthfrequency of its windings.
A monopolar antenna most efficiently radiates its RF energy when it is operating at its 1/4
wavelength frequency. The output of the antenna is at its peak when the maximum voltage is at
the top of the antenna while maximum current is on the bottom. Maximum current occurs at the
point on the sine wave when voltage is at a minimum, and minimum current occurs at the point
when voltage is at a maximum. The graphic below depicts the voltage and current waves on a
monopolar antenna. These waveforms do not represent the actual instantaneous RF waves
flowing through the antenna, but rather their peak values at each point along the length of the
antenna. These are called standing waves.

26
 Fig 7 Quarter wavelength distribution
Monopolar antennas can also operate at odd multiple harmonics of the 1/4 wavelength
frequency. Harmonic waveforms are shown on the two antennas below.

Fig 8 3/4 wavelength and 5/4 wavelength distribution

An analogy to this condition would be the waves that can be induced into a rope. One end
of a long rope is fastened to a pole (or anything), while a person holds the other end in his hand.
If the person swings the rope from side to side very rapidly at an appropriate frequency, standing
waves can be seen in the motion of the rope at harmonics to the frequency that the person is
swinging it.
If the antenna was not operating at its 1/4 wavelength frequency or a harmonic, then when
the point of maximum current was on the bottom of the antenna, the point of maximum voltage
would either be before or past the end of the antenna. This results in a decrease in radiated
energy.
Electricity travels at the speed of light. If a coil has a length of wire "X", then the quarter
wavelength frequency of that coil will be the frequency at which 1/4 of its cycle is completed
when the electricity travels the distance "X".
Below is a formula for calculating the ¼ wavelength frequency of an antenna. Simply
solve for frequency or length. The variable 'W' is multiplied by 4, because 4 times the ¼
wavelength of wire is the distance spanned by a full cycle of the 1/4 wavelength frequency. The
wavelength of a single cycle multiplied by the number of cycles per second (1/4 wavelength
frequency) will be the distance travelled by electricity in one second.

27
 4WF = (5,280)(186,000)
W = the secondary coil's wire length in feet
F = the quarter wavelength frequency of the secondary coil in hertz
186,000 = the speed of light in miles per second
5,280 = feet in a mile
It is critical to the efficiency of a Tesla coil to have all the components properly in tune
with each other. Having just a little too much or too less of any electrical value can have a drastic
effect on the output of the coil.

5.3Calculating the Secondary Characteristics:

The secondary winding of many turns produces a high-Q circuit possessing a high self-
inductance, a small self-capacitance, and a resistance. It is generally wound as a single layer helix
of many turns. The impedance at resonance is equal to the DC resistance of the winding plus the
skin and proximity effects of the high-frequency oscillations.
The secondary characteristics determine the resonant frequency of the Tesla coil and the
frequency the primary oscillations are tuned to; therefore they will be evaluated first. Usinga
fixed resonant frequency and coil form diameter the remaining secondary parameters can be
calculated. The secondary at resonance will act as a quarter wavelength (λ/4) resonator orantenna.
The secondary wire length is therefore proportional to this quarter wavelength.

𝜆 𝑐
=( )
4 𝑓𝑜
Where: λ/4= One quarter wavelength of resonant frequency in feet = secondary wire
length = cell, calculated value.
c= Propagation speed of wave-front in free space (vacuum) = 9.84 × 108
feet/sec, or 2.998 × 108 meters/sec.
f o = Resonant frequency of coil in Hz = cell (B10); enter value in kHz. Converted
to Hz in cell using a 1e3 multiplier.
The wire length per turn in the secondary is calculated:

L/T = Dπ + d

Where: L/T = Length per turn of wire in inches = cell, calculated value.
D = Diameter of secondary coil form = cell (B8), enter value.
d = Diameter of wire with insulation and inter-winding distance (if used) =
cell, calculated value from NEMAWire Standard:
28
Wire diameter in inches = 0.0050 *1.1229322(36−AWG#)
Inter-winding distance for close wound magnet wire = insulation thickness.
To form a helically wound coil each turn of wire must have a slight angle (pitch) to place
it on top of the preceding turnas it is wound up the form. To account for this additional length per
turnthe diameter of wire with inter-winding distance is added to the circumferenceof the form (D
× π).

Fig 9 coil with no inter-winding distance Fig 10 coil with inter-winding distance
The required number of turns in the secondary can now be determined:
𝜆
4
𝑁= L
T

Where: N = Required number of turns of wire

λ/4 = One quarter wavelength of resonant frequency in feet
L/T = Length per turn of wire in inches

And the winding height:

𝐻 = 𝑁 ∗ 𝐷𝑤
Where: H= Required height of winding in inches
N = Required number of turns of wire
Dw = Diameter of wire with insulation in inches
Now that the physical dimensions of the secondary winding are known the electrical
characteristics and can be determined. First calculate the inductance of the coil using the Wheeler
formula:
𝐴2 𝑁 2
𝐿𝑠 =
9𝐴 + 10𝐻
Where: Ls = Inductance of secondary coil in μhenries ± 1.0%
A = Radius of coil form in inches
N = Required number of turns of wire
H = Required height of winding in inches
Next calculate the self-capacitance of the winding using the selected resonant frequency:

29
 1
𝐶𝑠 =
4𝜋 2 (𝑓𝑜2 𝐿𝑠 )
Where: Cs= Self-capacitance of secondary coil in farads
𝑓𝑜 = Resonant frequency of coil in Hz
Ls= Inductance of secondary coil in henries

The DC resistance of the winding can also be calculated:

𝜆 Ω
4
∗ 𝑓𝑡
𝐷𝐶Ω = ∗ (1 + [𝑇𝐴 − 20𝑜 𝐶] ∗ 0.00393)
𝑁𝑆
Where: DCΩ= Total DC resistance of the winding in ohms
NS = Number of layers (strands) of wire used
λ/4 = Total length of wire in winding (one quarter wavelength of resonantfrequency) in feet
𝑇𝐴 = Ambient temperature in ◦C = cell, enter value. Converted to ◦F in using
theconversion: ◦C × (9/5) + 32Ω/ft = DC resistance for one foot of selected wire gauge ,
calculated value = 10.3 Ω/cirmil ft. The wire diameter (d) =0.0050 *1.1229322(36−AWG#). The
diameter in cirmils = (d *1000)2.
The 10.3 Ω/cirmilft DC resistance is for an ambient temperature of 20◦Cwith a
temperature coefficient of 0.393%/◦C.
Now that the secondary dimensions and electrical characteristics are defoned the skin and
the proximity effects can be determined. These effects (AC resistance) increase the total
resistance beyond the DC resistance calculated. When only the skin effect is considered a typical
formula for calculating the AC resistance is:
9.96 ∗ 10−7 ∗ √𝑓0
𝐴𝐶Ω =
𝑑
Where: ACΩ = Total AC resistance (skin effect only) of the winding in ohms
fo= Resonant frequency of coil in Hz
d= Diameter of wire, calculated value from NEMA Wire Standard.
However, to properly evaluate the coil performance the proximity effect cannot be
ignored. To evaluate this effect the depth of current penetration (skin depth) at the resonant
frequency must first the calculated:
𝐷𝛿 = 7.5𝑓𝑜 −1/2

Where: Dδ= Depth of current penetration in centimetres

f o= Resonant frequency of coil in Hz
Next, calculate the copper layer factor:
𝑁
0.866𝑑 𝑁𝑆
𝐹𝐿 =
𝑙𝑒

30
Where: FL= Multiplier used to calculate Q’
d= Diameter of wire in inches
N = Required number of turns of wire
NS = Number of layers (strands) of wire used
le= Magnetic path length of winding = height of secondary winding
Now calculate Q’, a figure of merit denoting the ratio of the wire diameter (d) and its
associatedlayer factor (FL) to the depth of penetration (Dδ):
1
2
0.866𝑑𝐹𝐿
𝑄′ =
𝐷𝛿
Where: Q_ = Ratio of d to Dδ
d = Diameter of wire in inches
FL = Multiplier used to calculate Q’
Dδ = Depth of current penetration
Once the total winding resistance at the resonant frequency is determined the quality (Q)
ofthe secondary winding can be calculated:
𝜔0 𝐿𝑠
𝑄𝑠 =
𝑅𝑡
Where: Qs = Quality of secondary winding (figure of merit)
ωo = Resonant frequency in radians per second
Ls = Inductance of secondary coil
Rt= Total resistance of secondary winding in ohms
Sinusoidal oscillations at the resonant frequency begin in the secondary once the primary
oscillations are quenched. These oscillations would continue indefinitely if the Q were infinite. In
equation the numerator (ωoLs) is equivalent to the inductive reactance of the coil at resonance
(ωoLs= 2π f oL). If the total resistance from equation was zero the Q would be infinite and there
would be no damping of the secondary oscillations. However, there is always resistance in a
resonant circuit and each oscillation is of smaller amplitude than its preceding oscillation. This
damping effect is known as the decrement and is inversely proportional to the Q:
𝜋
𝛿𝑆 =
𝑄𝑠
Where: δS= Decrement of the secondary winding
Qs = Quality of secondary winding (figure of merit)

The peak voltage developed in the secondary winding will determine the length of the
spark and the decrement affects how bright and thick (intensity) the spark is. There are published
references to this decrement characteristic being logarithmic, linear, or exponential; the correct
decrement being of academic interest only. Reference (4) cites the decrement as logarithmic and
reference (5) as either linear or logarithmic.
31
Observation of operating coils indicates that adding a terminal capacitance to the top of the coil
effectively combines in parallel with the coil’s self-capacitance. This changes the resonant
frequency of the secondary winding. As more capacitance is added, the lower the resonant
frequency becomes. The resonant frequency of the secondary winding with the terminal
capacitance is:
1
fso =
2π√Ls(Ct + Cs)
Where: f so = Resonant frequency of secondary with terminal capacitance in Hz
Ls = Inductance of the secondary winding in henries
Cs = Self-capacitance of the secondary winding in farads
Ct = Terminal capacitance in farads

The total impedance of the secondary at the resonant frequency is:

𝑍𝑠 = √𝑅𝑡 2 + (𝜔𝑠0 𝐿𝑠 − 1/(𝜔𝑠0 (𝐶𝑠 + 𝐶𝑡))2

Where: ZS = AC impedance of secondary circuit at the resonant frequency in ohms
Rt= Total resistance of secondary winding in ohms
ωso = Resonant frequency in radians per second
Ls= Inductance of the secondary winding
Cs = Self-capacitance of the secondary winding
Ct = Terminal capacitance in farads

5.4Calculating the Primary Characteristics

In contrast to the secondary winding the primary winding of several turns and series tank
capacitor produce a low Q resonant circuit. The values of primary inductance and capacitance
determine the frequency of oscillations, which typically are close to the secondary resonant
frequency.The primary coil should be wound from thick conductor with a large surface area, such
as copper tubing. The spacing between turns in the primary coil must be large enough to prevent
arcing between turns. Spacing should usually not exceed 1/2 inch between turns.

There are 4 basic types of primary coil designs.

1. The single turn primary. It is a single turn at the base of the secondary coil, and usually has
a large diameter.
2. The helix primary. It is a single-layer, cylinder-shaped coil, just like the secondary coil, but
much shorter.
3. The inverse conical sections, or saucer coils. It is shaped like a V, and usually rises at a 30°
angle.
4. The Archimedes spirals, or flat pancake coils. It is a flat coil shaped in a spiral.
32
 The first two coils are not as efficient as the second two design. The saucer coil is good
for small to medium power tesla coils. The saucer coils are not suitable for high power coils,
because the sparks from the toroid are more prone to strike it since it is upraised. For high power
coils, the flat spiral is a best type of primary. The diameter of these two coils is usually about
equal to the length of secondary winding.
Here are the primary coil inductance formulas. They can be used for find the inductance
of the primary coil, or to design the dimensions of a primary to have specific inductance. The
inductance of the primary coil is required to calculate the resonant frequency of the tank circuit.

Helical Coil:

(𝑁𝑅)2
𝐿=
9𝑅+10𝐻
Fig 11 Helical Coil

L = inductance of coil in micro-henrys (μH)

R = average radius of the coil in inches
N = number of turns
H= height of the coil in inches

Archimedes Spiral:

(𝑁𝑅)2
𝐿=
8𝑅+11𝑊
Fig 12 Archimedes Spiral

L = inductance of coil in micro-henrys (μH)

R = average radius of the coil in inches
N = number of turns
W = width of the coil in inches

33
Inverse coil:
(𝑁𝑅)2
𝐿1 =
9𝑅 + 10𝐻

(𝑁𝑅)2
𝐿2 =
8𝑅 + 11𝑊

𝐿 = √(𝐿1 sin 𝑥)2 + (𝐿2 cos 𝑥)2

Fig 13 Inverse coil

L1 = helix factor
L2 = spiral factor
N = number of turns
R = average radius of coil in inches
H = effective height of the coil in inches
W = effective width of the coil in inches
X = rise angle of the coil in degrees

Inductive Reactance
𝑋𝐿 = 2𝜋𝐹𝐿
XL = inductive reactance in ohms
F = frequency in hertz
L = inductance in henrys

Capacitive Reactance
1
𝑋𝑐 =
2𝜋𝐹𝐶
XC = Capacitive reactance in ohms
F = frequency in hertz
C = capacitance in farads
The circuit will resonate at the frequency F for which XL = XC. So, by the combination
of these two formulas the resonant circuit formula is derived.

34
 1
𝐹=
2𝜋√𝐿𝐶
The resonant circuit formula can be used to find the frequency of a given LC circuit, or to
find the necessary inductance and capacitance to make the circuit resonate at a frequency F.

5.5Top load calculations

Toroid:
The toroid (discharge terminal) is just as critical as every other component in a Tesla coil.
The toroid is what tunes theresonant frequency of the secondary circuit. The toroid isone plate of
a virtual capacitor. The dielectric is air, and the secondplate is the earth itself.
The inductive reactance of the secondary and the capacitive reactance of the toroid need tobe near
the designedoperating frequency. The primary coil is then tapped at the appropriate number of
turns to exactly match the secondaryfrequency. The larger the surface area of the toroid, the more
capacitance it has. There is also another factor in determininghow much toroid capacitance you
need, and that is the virtual capacitance of the secondary coil itself. At these frequencylevels just
about everything becomes a significant capacitor, and theslightest amount of capacitance can
affect the frequencyof the secondary resonant circuit. The capacitance of the secondary coil needs
to be considered in finding the required toroid capacitance value.
The capacitance of the secondary coil is found by the Medhurst formula. This formula is
only a good approximation,and is fairly accurate for most coils. There may be a difference of 1 or
2 Pico-farads from the real capacitance, but this iseasily overcome by adjusting the primarycoil
tap. This formula is inaccurate for very small coils with a large number ofturns. TheMedhurst
formula is shown below.

2 𝐷
𝐷2 √2𝜋 2 (𝐷1 − 𝐷2 ) ∗ ( 2 )
𝐶 = 2.8 ∗ (1.2781 − ) ∗
𝐷1 4𝜋
C = self capacitance in Pico-farads
D1 = larger diameter in inches
D2 = smaller diameter in inches
1) Capacitance of a sphere:
The sphere is not generally used as the secondary capacitor, because it is not as space
efficient as a toroid. A toroid works batter than a sphere in reducing the intensity of the electric
field near the top of the secondary, thus preventing sparks from breaking out of the top of
secondary coil turns. Below is the formula for a spherical capacitance.
25.4𝑅
𝐶=
9
C = capacitance in Pico-farads
R = radius in inches
35
 Now that the component specifications have been calculated, a properly tuned Tesla coil
can be built. When making these calculations, it should be kept in mind that they are not
completely exact. The secondary coil inductance will have to be recalculated ones it is built due
to tolerances in wire thickness and coil form diameter.

5.6 Calculation for Solid State Tesla Coil

The general steps to design SSTC are described in the preceding chapter. Here the
practical approach is considered.

Step 1: Choosing the secondary resonant frequency

The secondary resonant frequency as discussed in chapter 3 depends upon the dimensions
of the secondary coil. The frequency should be such that the secondary dimensions are within
acceptable limits as well as easily obtainable through the driver circuit.
If we assume the secondary self resonant frequency is to be about 900 KHz.
𝑓𝑠 = 900𝐾𝐻𝑧
Step 2: calculating the length of the secondary wire.
We know that the maximum voltage occurs at the top of the secondary if the length of the
𝜆
secondary coil is equal to
4

𝜆 𝑐
=( )
4 𝑓𝑜
𝜆 9.84 ∗ 108
=
4 900 ∗ 103
𝜆
= 1090 𝑓𝑡
4
Step 3: length of mean turn of the secondary coil.
L/T = D*π + d
L/T = (3.3) π + 0.0114
L/T = 10.38 inches
Step 4: number of turns required for the secondary winding:
𝜆
4
𝑁= L
T
1090
𝑁=
10.38
𝑁 = 1260 turns
Step 5: height of the secondary winding:
𝐻 = 𝑁 ∗ 𝐷𝑤
𝐻 = 1260 ∗ 0.0114

36
 𝐻 = 14 𝑖𝑛𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑠
Step 6: self inductance of the secondary coil:
𝐴2 𝑁 2
𝐿𝑠 =
9𝐴 + 10𝐻
1.652 ∗ 12602
𝐿𝑠 =
9 ∗ 1.65 + 10 ∗ 14
𝐿𝑠 = 27.9 𝑚𝐻
Step 7: self capacitance of the secondary coil:
1
𝐶𝑠 =
4𝜋 2 (𝑓𝑜2 𝐿𝑠 )
1
𝐶𝑠 =
4𝜋 2 ((900 ∗ 103 )2 ∗ (27.9 ∗ 10−3 ))
𝐶𝑠 = 1.12 𝑝𝐹
Step 8: Dc resistance of the secondary winding:
𝜆 Ω
4
∗ 𝑓𝑡
𝐷𝐶Ω = ∗ (1 + [𝑇𝐴 − 20𝑜 𝐶] ∗ 0.00393)
𝑁𝑆
1090 ∗ 0.0114
𝐷𝐶Ω = ∗ (1 + [30𝑜 − 20𝑜 𝐶] ∗ 0.00393)
1
𝐷𝐶Ω = 116Ω
Step 9: self capacitance of the Top load:

2 2 𝐷
𝐷2 √2𝜋 (𝐷1 − 𝐷2 ) ∗ ( 2 )
𝐶𝑡 = 2.8 ∗ (1.2781 − ) ∗
𝐷1 4𝜋

2 1.5
1.5 √2𝜋 (6 − 1.5) ∗ ( 2 )
𝐶𝑡 = 2.8 ∗ (1.2781 − )∗
6 4𝜋
𝐶𝑡 = 6.6 𝑝𝐹
Step 10: resonant frequency with top load:
1
fso =
2π√Ls(Ct + Cs)
1
fso =
2π√27.9 ∗ 10−3 (6.6 + 1.12) ∗ 10−12
fso = 342.93 KHz
Step 11: Self inductance of the primary coil:
As we use the helical coil for the primary winding, the self inductance of the winding is
given by,
(𝑁𝑅)2
𝐿=
9𝑅 + 10𝐻
(18 ∗ 2.1)2
𝐿=
9(2.1) + 10(4)
37
 𝐿 = 24.25 µH
Step 12: Inductive reactance of the primary coil:
𝑋𝐿 = 2𝜋𝐹𝐿
𝑋𝐿 = 2𝜋 ∗ 350 ∗ 103 ∗ 24.25
𝑋𝐿 = 59. .9 Ω
Step 13: self capacitance of the primary coil:
1
𝐹=
2𝜋√𝐿𝐶
1
𝐶=
24.25(4𝜋 ∗ (350 ∗ 103 )2 )
2

𝐶 =0.0085 pF
Thus, by carefully following the design steps described above, the Solid State Tesla Coil
can be constructed. As can be noted, that the design steps and not complex but rather easy and
simple to understand. Thus, anyone having interest in tesla coils and having basic knowledge
about power electronics can design his own Tesla coil.
Programs and applications are available which can be used as a guide to simply the
calculation process. Programs such as JAVATC and TESLAMAP are very handy in the design
and calculation stages.

38
Chapter: 6: Circuit diagram and
Description of SSTC

6.1 Introduction
The different topological arrangements and the principle of operation of those tesla coils
have already been discussed in the preceding chapters. After going through all the types of tesla
coils and the pros and cons. of each configuration we decided to make out project on the solid
state tesla coil. The solid state tesla coil’s advantages and its theory of operation have been
described in the previous chapter.
This chapter deals with the design specification and the operation of the driver circuit
along with the design of the tesla coil. The first section describes the operation of the driver
circuit followed by the pin description of the TL494. Then, the designing of SSTC is reconsidered
keeping the practical approach in mind.

6.2 Driver circuit configuration:

The driver circuit forms an essential part of the tesla coil. The driver circuit produces the
necessary pulses for the switching of power fed to the primary winding. The output of the driver
circuit determines the nature of output of the tesla coil and hence the driver circuit has to be
carefully designed and tested to obtain the desired operating frequency.

The circuit diagram of the RF generator circuit is shown below.

Fig 14. Control Circuit

39
 This circuit provides the necessary pulses to drive the MOSFETs. The circuit should be
easily controllable and should be highly reliable also the frequency variation should be within
tolerable limits. The TL494 proves to a very good RF generator. These IC is quite easily available
and cheap in cost. The typical arrangement of the TL494 is as shown in figure.
The circuit is fed through a 6VA,240V/12V,50Hz transformer. The 12V AC is rectified
with the help of a full bridge rectifier formed by 1N4001 diodes. The diodes produce 12V DC
which is regulated through 7812 voltage regulator. The 7812 provide s a ripple free constant 12V
DC to the control circuit. The 7812 requires capacitor biasing at its terminals and are provided as
shown in figure. Two polarized electrolytic capacitor of 4700µF and 10µF are connected across
the input pin and ground and the output pin and ground respectively. The 12V DC produced by
the 7812 is applied to the control circuit.
The TL494 forms the most important part of the control circuit.The pin description of the
TL494 is shown below.

Fig 15 pin diagram of TL494

Table Pin description of TL494

The TL494 device incorporates all the functions required in the construction of a pulse-
width modulation (PWM) control circuit on a single chip. Designed primary for power-supply

40
control, this device offers the flexibility to tailor the power-supply control circuitry to a specific
application.
The TL494 device contains two error amplifiers, an on-chip adjustable oscillator, a dead
time control comparator, a pulse-steering control flip-flop, a 5-V, 5%-precision regulator and
output control circuits.
The error amplifiers exhibit a common mode voltage range from -0.3V to Vcc-2V. The
dead time control comparator has a fixed offset that provides approximately 5% dead time. The
on-chip oscillator can be bypassed by terminating RT to the reference output and providing a
saw-tooth input to CT, or it can drive the common circuits in synchronous multiple rail power
supplies.
The uncommitted output transistors provide other common-emitter or emitter-follower
output capability. The TL494 device provides for push-pull or single ended output operation,
which can be selected through the output control function. The architecture of this device
prohibits the possibility of either output being pulsed twice during push-pull operation. The
detailed description of the TL494 is given in APPENDIX B.
Based on the information obtained from the pin description of the TL494, the chip is
biased using the capabilities and resistors. The IC is supplied +12V DC at the pin numbers 8, 11
and 12. The pin number 6 is the RT, which is used to set the oscillator frequency is given a signal
from the high power circuit. Two tuning resistors of 10KΩ and 22KΩ are provided between pin 4
& 10 and other between pin 6 and ground. The 10KΩ resistor is used to adjust the duty cycle of
the square wave produced by the oscillator. The 22KΩ, 10 turns resistor is change to vary the
oscillator frequency. The pin number 9 and 10 are the ammeter terminals of the BJT1 and BJT2
respectively and are used as the output terminal of the TL494. The two outputs are usually
identical to each and each one of them can be used to drive two MOSFETs. Thus with two
outputs from pin numbers 9 and 10, a total of four MOSFETs can be drive. Thus the TL494 is
capable of driving a full bridge of MOSFETs. The output of the pin number 10 is intended with
the help of VN190KM, which is an N-channel Enhancement-mode MOS transistor.
The output of the TL494 is not capable of to drive the power MOSFETs and hence an
arrangement has to be made in order to increase the current level of the signal. In order to meet
the current requirements, push-pull amplifiers are incorporated. The NPN transistor ZTX450 and
PNP transistor ZTX550 form one push-pull amplifier. Two such amplifiers are required for the
two outputs. Four UF4001 diodes are placed next to the push-pull stages to limit the reverse
pulses. Then the pulses obtained can be directly fed to the gates of the MOSFETs. But in case of
any fault on the MOSFET circuit, the heavy fault current might flow through the gates of the
MOSFETs, thus frying the low power circuit.
So, in order to achieve isolation between the high power and low power circuits two gate
drive transformers are used. These GDTs are 1:1 ratio transformer and their prime goal is to
41
provide electrical isolation. The GDTs are provided with three windings, one primary and two
secondary windings. The two secondary windings are connected opposite to each other and drive
the MOSFETs. Generally, 16 turns of 24AWG are enough for the gate drive transformers, but the
number of turns and the gauge can be varied as per the requirements. On the primary sides two
capacitors of 100nF (polarized) and 10µF ceramics are connected in parallel. These components
serve two purposes. Firstly, they provide the necessary impedance of the GDT primary to limit
the current. Secondly, they produce the phase shift in the two transformers output so that the
MOSFETs conduct in the desired firing sequence. The outputs of the four secondaries of the two
GDTs are applied to the four MOSFETs forming the full-bridge.

6.3 Power circuit configuration

The schematic diagram of the Power Circuit is shown below,

Fig 16: Power circuit

The power circuit is comprised of a full bridge of MOSFETs. As discussed in the second
chapter, IGBTs can also be used in the place of MOSFETs. Their choice depends on the
operating frequency and the voltage rating. As can be seen from the fig the four MOSFETs can
be visualized as two H-bridge connected in parallel and each H-bridge is fed by one GDT and
involves two MOSFETs and two free-wheeling diodes. The MOSFETs STW15NB50have a
maximum rating of 500V and 14A and hence one suitable for tesla coil applications.
The power circuits fed through two diodes 1N5408, which form the half-wave rectifier and
converts the AC supply into DC. On application of the gate signals to the MOSFETs, the high
pulse turns ON the MOSFETs and the low pulse turns the MOSFETs OFF. Thus the rectified DC
voltage is converted into a pulsating AC which is applied across the primary of the tesla coil
through the four polypropylene capacitors of 220nF.These capacitors forms the primary lumped
42
capacitance and are very essential in determination of the primary resonant frequency. Across, the
MOSFETs are connected the fast recovery diodes (MOTOROLA MUR1660CT), they act as free-
wheeling diodes and have their main jobs to by-pass any reverse voltage occurring across the
MOSFETs during the reverse blocking period and they also provide protection against very high
reverse voltage across the MOSFETs
MUR1660CT are mainly used in switching power supplies. Their recovery time is of the
order of 35 to 60 nanoseconds. Thus, they can save the MOSFETs from very steep voltage
surges. One polypropylene capacitor of 470nF, 275VAC is used across each H-bridge as the filter
capacitor to smoothen out the harmonics produced in the circuit. The gate circuit consists of two
anti-parallel connected zener diodes, which clamp the gate voltage to safe value or can be said to
ail as a voltage regulator. The diodes MOTOROLA 1N5822 are connected across the source and
the Drain of the MOSFETs. They are involved in the circuit to avoid the reversal of current
through the MOSFET’s drain and source. A part of the primary rectified supply is fed back to the
control circuit. So,that the resonant frequency can be automatically changed with the supply
voltage variations. If the MOSFETSs are triggered in a proper sequence, the energy is fed through
the primary through the combination of capacitors and hence the primary resonant flux sets up.
This flux links with the secondary turns and a high voltage is induced. The rest of the process is
already discussed in the preceding chapters.

43
Chapter 7 Hardware and
implementation
Primary coil:

Secondary coil:

44
Control circuit:

Power circuit:

45
References:

[1] Tesla N systems of electric lighting patent no. 454622, 23 June 1891

[2] Tesla N means for generating electric currents patent no.514168 6th Feb. 1894

[3] Oberback Aueber den verlauf der electrischenschwingungenbei den

telsa’schenversuchen. Annalen der physic und chemie vol.55 1895

[4] Drude, P.: UberinduktiveErregungzweierelektrischerSchwingungskreisemit

Anwendung auf Perioden und Dampfungsmessung, Tesla transformatoren und

drahtloseTelegraphie. Annalen der Physik, pp. 512-561, vol. 13, 1904.

[5] Terman, F. E.: Radio Engineers’ Handbook. McGraw-Hill, 1943.

[6] Smythe, W. R.: Static and dynamic electricity. McGraw-Hill, 1950.

[7] Reed, J. L.: Greater voltage gain for Tesla-transformer accelerators. . Review of

Scientific Instruments, pp. 2300 – 2301, vol. 59, no. 10, October 1988.

[8] Finkelstein, D., Goldberg, P. & al.: High Voltage Impulse System. Review of

Scientific Instruments, pp. 159 – 162, vol. 37, no. 2, 1966.

[9] Corum, K. L., Corum, J. F.: Class Notes: Tesla Coils and the Failure of Lumped-

Element Circuit.Paper available at http://www.ttr.com/corum/index.htm. Accessed

02/27/2001.

[10] The tesla-coil—A-Frankenstein-folly-or-a-brilliant-nikola-tesla-creation.pdf

[11] TESIA COIL RESEARCH James Corum and James Daum .Battelle 505 King Ave
Columbus, Ohio 43201-2693.JUL 11994. Han L Moore Project Engineer ARDEC.

[12] A contribution to the wireless transmission of power C.A.Tucker, K.Warwick,

W.Holderbaum University of Reading, School of Systems Engineering, PO Box 217,
Reading, Berkshire RG6 6AH, United Kingdom

[13] DESIGNING OF TESLA COIL IN MILITARY DEFENSE

VIREN PEREIRA, PROF.G.R.KUNCOLIENCAR . Research Article Viren Pereira,

IJPRET, 2013; Volume 1(8): 151-1

46
[14] THE ULTIMATE TESLA COIL DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION GUIDE, By
Mitch Tilbury, McGraw Hill Publication.

[15] The acoustics of Tesla Coils, A major Qualifying Project Report, submitted to
WORCHESTER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE, by Robert Connick.

[16] Table top tesla coil by Lloyd F Ritchey.

[17] http://www.richieburnett.co.uk/sstate.html, Richie Burnett tesla guide.

[18] Solid State Tesla Coil, by Dr. Gary L. Johnson

[19] How A Tesla Coil Works By Matt Behrend

[20] www.teslacoildesign.com – construction details

47
Conclusion:
The theory describing the general idea of the Tesla coil is discussed.
The various applications of the tesla coil and the different possible
arrangements are reported. The operational specifications of all these
types are given and the SSTC is found to be superior to the other
types and hence, in depth discussion on the control and power circuits
of SSTC are presented. The designing considerations of the Solid
State Tesla are discussed in detail and the all the necessary data
relating to the calculations are provided.
Finally, the hardware model coinciding with the theoretical data
provided is constructed and the performance parameters are
calculated and compared with those obtained theoretically.

48