Ignition Coil Drivers

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  • čas přidán 8. 10. 2021
  • In this video I show the differences between an ignition coil (pulse transformer) and other types of transformers, and a few different ways to drive them to get a high voltage output.
    An ignition coil is an induction coil that has a relatively high primary inductance, but low turns ratio. It generates high voltage by building up a large magnetic field in its primary, and then suddenly collapsing it when current is shut off. The sudden collapse causes a voltage spike in the primary, which is stepped up even further in the secondary coil. These devices can easily produce 30,000 - 40,000 volts with a 12 volt input, and a modest turns ratio of between 15-20.
    In the video i show how to drive one with a relay, single MOSFET, inductively coupled MOSFET half bridge, and a 600V IGBT, which was by far the most powerful and effective circuit.
    Some important components:
    -555 Timer
    -LM7805 Linear Regulator
    -IRF640 200V / 18A MOSFET
    -12TQ200 200V / 15A Diode
    -MUR120G 200V / 1A Diode
    -STGP20H60DF 600V / 20A IGBT (Best results by far)
    -1N4148 Diodes for duty cycle adjustment
    Ignition coil used:
    www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...
    Music:
    Serge Pavkin - Modern Technology
    Kevin MacLeod - George Street Shuffle
    Heatley Bros. - Otherworld
    Serge Pavkin - Intergalactic

Komentáře • 374

  • @snowdaysrule
    @snowdaysrule Před rokem +63

    RIP all you neighbors enjoying their nightly AM programming

  • @victorbruce5772
    @victorbruce5772 Před rokem +29

    Amazing how well the old set of mechanical points and condenser distributor worked, and rotor & cap delivered spark to each plug at the right timing. Much improved by early electronic ignition control, and powerful magnetos.

    • @pontiacg445
      @pontiacg445 Před 4 měsíci +1

      I've replaced a lot of those with igniters, which I assume are just IGBTs and some sort of hall sensor to detect the lobes on the distributor shaft. Because points flat out suck and nobody wants to be stuck on the side of the road...

    • @theshauny
      @theshauny Před 4 měsíci

      @@pontiacg445a cheap points distributor is more reliable than a cheap eBay electronic distributor, at least with points if you are stuck on the road side you can clean them up with a pocket knife adjust them by eye and drive home. In saying that good quality distributor modules last up to 40 years it’s only the cheap eBay/Amazon rubbish that can be unreliable (I’ve had them fail straight out the box)

  • @hopelessnerd6677
    @hopelessnerd6677 Před rokem +11

    Fascinating! I have no real use for any of that, and yet I feel a strong urge to go buy an ignition coil.

  • @TheExplosiveGuy
    @TheExplosiveGuy Před 2 lety +80

    I've done some sketchy stuff with these ignition coils, in fact I was almost killed by one a few decades ago lol. My 15 yr old genius mind hooked one of these up directly to a wall outlet, I had to dunk it in motor oil to prevent arcing and cool it since I was running gobs of current through it lol. I was fooling around with the 2" arcs it made, which were hot enough to melt steel wire, when it shorted out to the metal table I was working on and holding on to with my right hand (genius move, I know, I was staggeringly intelligent in my youth🤣) and the electrode in my left hand, my right hand clamped down on the table so hard I couldn't pull away and my left hand was squeezing the wire, I was stuck on it for about 5 seconds before I could get my legs to start kicking and push myself away. I pulled so hard I ripped the transformer out of the jar of oil and sprayed used motor oil all over myself and my shop, but more importantly ripped the outlet out of the wall and saved myself from an awful death. My entire body was cramped for days and I'm not sure how it didn't stop my heart, I think it must have been making 20k-30k Volts based on the length of the arcs it made, which were very similar to a flyback transformer arc but noticeably hotter. Moral of the story, don't hook these up to unlimited current sources, you might die...

    • @HyperspacePirate
      @HyperspacePirate  Před 2 lety +34

      *ಠ_ಠ*

    • @Buzzhumma
      @Buzzhumma Před rokem +28

      You can be a Hip Hop Rapper and call yourself 50hertz.😂 dun dun .... dun dun !

    • @TheExplosiveGuy
      @TheExplosiveGuy Před rokem +4

      @@Buzzhumma 🤣

    • @randomhuman1965
      @randomhuman1965 Před rokem +8

      Lol i did the exact same with a big neon sign transformer

    • @Buzzhumma
      @Buzzhumma Před rokem +8

      @@randomhuman1965 it's scary but it goes another level if you add capacitor! Don't unless you have approved and appropriate training and I mean properly taught !

  • @edinfific2576
    @edinfific2576 Před rokem +4

    A video that doesn't skimp on the necessary details but also doesn't overburden the viewer with too much detail or too much math - that is a recipe for a good video.
    I have fixed a couple of the electric fence generators which were made too cheaply with crude soldering skills and solder with too much lead (cheap Chinese solder with a lopsided ratio of 40/60 instead of 60/40). There are many schematics on the net for this, but they basically involve charging a high-voltage capacitor of 10-30uF to around 200 something volts and discharging it through an SCR into the car ignition coil primary. This produces a powerful and painful high-voltage spark (No, I haven't tested it on myself, thank you very much!). The circuitry is crude and simple, it is surprisingly efficient at 12V (uses about 200mA, to step it up to 200+ volts), but by my calculations it is still using about 3 times more energy than it should (the efficiency maybe around 30%). It is using a standard iron core transformer with a 555 driver and a MOSFET and then going through a very high resistance to charge the main capacitor, which is a waste. I figured I could use a much smaller ferrite core transformer with pulses calculated to charge up the capacitor in one second, without using a resistor, which would greatly increase the efficiency.

  • @Leviathan15s
    @Leviathan15s Před 2 lety +89

    Ignition transformers are great, one time I had 2 of them in series being driven by the output of a MOT, it created massive 6" plasma arcs between the output terminals.

    • @Leviathan15s
      @Leviathan15s Před 2 lety +2

      @Joseph Bunn "1 ft arc" NICE lol, yeah I was just driving them with a spark gap off the MOT secondary.

    • @Leviathan15s
      @Leviathan15s Před 2 lety +1

      @Joseph Bunn I think I used the can cap that was in the Microwave, don't remember what size it was though.

    • @dandruff7807
      @dandruff7807 Před 2 lety +1

      Do you have a schematic of what you just mentioned???

    • @dandruff7807
      @dandruff7807 Před 2 lety +5

      Can you please draw a schematic of your two ignition transformers powdered by a MOT? I am a one of your subscribers.

    • @Leviathan15s
      @Leviathan15s Před 2 lety +2

      @@dandruff7807 It's not much to draw, it was just 2 ignition transformers in series with the output of the MOT.

  • @georgezadanski1403
    @georgezadanski1403 Před rokem +16

    I am totally amazed at individuals such as yourself that have the ability to understand the principles of electrical current. Just fantastic !!!

    • @jacobyunderhill3999
      @jacobyunderhill3999 Před rokem +4

      Don't sell yourself short! :)
      Electricity is one of those things where the basics are pretty easy to understand, yet still incredibly useful/fun.
      If you start learning art and stop at stick figures, well that's not all that interesting. But if you learn some basic circuits, you can make/repair all kinds of cool stuff.

    • @ahmdabdallah5811
      @ahmdabdallah5811 Před rokem

      @@jacobyunderhill3999 What Is Islam?
      Islam is not just another religion.
      It is the same message preached by Moses, Jesus and Abraham.
      Islam literally means ‘submission to God’ and it teaches us to have a direct relationship with God.
      It reminds us that since God created us, no one should be worshipped except God alone.
      It also teaches that God is nothing like a human being or like anything that we can imagine.
      The concept of God is summarized in the Quran as:
      { “Say, He is God, the One. God, the Absolute. He does not give birth, nor was He born, and there is nothing like Him.”} (Quran 112:1-4)
      Becoming a Muslim is not turning your back to Jesus.
      Rather it’s going back to the original teachings of Jesus and obeying him

    • @jacobyunderhill3999
      @jacobyunderhill3999 Před rokem

      @@ahmdabdallah5811 Why don't you go gargle a can of cheez whiz you spammy piece of crap.
      Every religion is "just another religion", that's why we call them religions.
      Religion: a fairy tail manipulated by psychopaths who have established a large enough power structure to oppress mass populations.
      I marked a black cross
      With the heel of my mother's shoe
      I won't tell a soul
      Blame it on the man this afternoon
      The internet is dead
      The internet is gone
      It can't get you here

    • @georgezadanski1403
      @georgezadanski1403 Před rokem

      @@jacobyunderhill3999 Oh, don't get me wrong, I've totally rewired several homes in my time, and I'm one of those people that are ADD when it comes to neatness and sometimes overkill the applications but I'd rather be safer than sorry but when it comes to just how some things work and their theories, I'm lost. 🤨😆

    • @jakefriesenjake
      @jakefriesenjake Před rokem

      Ha ha ha. Just imagine the brains of the men who invented this!!

  • @victoryfirst2878
    @victoryfirst2878 Před rokem +4

    This is hands down a top notch showing of an arcing circuit. I have so many questions for you that you would probably tell me to take a hike. I tip my hat to you SIR !!!!!!!!!!!!

  • @fjs1111
    @fjs1111 Před 2 lety +5

    One of the best produced e-engineering videos around

  • @zionfranz
    @zionfranz Před 2 lety +42

    Great video man, I really appreciate the fact that you include formulas.

  • @Buzzhumma
    @Buzzhumma Před rokem +32

    This was a super cool walk through the world of inductance, coils, resonance, resistance and all the other components at play in the relationship to this spark energy system! 2 learnings in as many days....Electroboom just released a new video with a very good in-depth about capacitive coupling with wires. I hope to see more of these deep dives into common systems . Nothing better than learning something new about something you thought you about already.A walk through how Tesla bifilar coils and circuit to demonstrate its purpose would be great......Thanks so much for the great journey!

  • @stevem1081
    @stevem1081 Před rokem +2

    Many years ago on my 67 Mustang, I added an MSD ignition unit and an upgraded Accel coil, That combo could make some strong and long sparks!

  • @Motor_Cackle
    @Motor_Cackle Před rokem +21

    In your attempt to drive at resonance (8:07), the parasitic drain to source diodes were probably the main problem. Many years ago I worked with high voltage supplies that used a near resonant H bridge driver to deliver a little over 1 Amp at up to 145KV. The H bridge used SCRs, and the transformer primary with a series cap was placed across it. As you approach resonance, the series tank impedance goes lower, resulting in more output power. There was no second chance if you made the wrong mistake while working on it... ⚡

    • @iblesbosuok
      @iblesbosuok Před rokem

      Similar principle of induction furnace.

    • @ike5276
      @ike5276 Před 9 měsíci

      An amp at 145kv?! Jesus what do they even use that for? That sounds terrifying to work with

    • @Motor_Cackle
      @Motor_Cackle Před 9 měsíci +1

      @@ike5276 X-Ray tube power for a CT scanner.

  • @alexjenner1108
    @alexjenner1108 Před rokem +9

    6:02 some O.E.M, ignition systems use a NPN Darlington such as a BU941 or MJ10012, which might take a little more current to drive than a MOSFET, but have a higher voltage rating. Might be more expensive in a TO-3 package than the TO-220 ones you're using, but they have to work all day in all climates located near a hot engine. Thanks for the video.

  • @tiggywinkle1000
    @tiggywinkle1000 Před 11 měsíci +1

    That last frame showing the electric arc burning relentlessly into the insulation reminded me of the 'Id' beast in the last scene from the SF film 'Forbidden Planet'.
    Useful video - especially the explainer on IGBT's. My favourite field has always been power electronics, from building an OpAmp driven bank of triacs back in the 70's to power a discotheque sound to light show.

  • @1crazypj
    @1crazypj Před 11 měsíci +2

    That was kinda fun. 😁
    As a motorcycle instructor I've checked back EMF on motorcycle ignition systems a few times.
    One I particularly remember is mid 90's Suzuki VS800 (Intruder)
    The back EMF maximum was 318V measured with a peak voltage adapter on regular electronic multi meter with input around 13.8v DC (regulated voltage when charging battery)
    Output voltage around 45,000v but had no means of checking max voltage accurately (I'm a motorcycle mechanic not electrical engineer/hobbyist )

  • @jackpatteeuw9244
    @jackpatteeuw9244 Před rokem +5

    Déjà vu ! Many, MANY moons ago, I worked next to the people who actually designed the the circuits to drive ignition coils (and injectors) in electronic engine controls. IIRC, they just used a MOSFET. There was no capacitor across the coil (there WAS in old "point style" ignition systems). The important thing was a zener diode across the driver transistor to protect it from back EMF. The zener voltage had to be high enough (57V?) to allow the primary coil to collapse quickly but not too high to to allow damage to the transistor.
    When gasoline engines are running at low RPM (

    • @alexjenner1108
      @alexjenner1108 Před rokem

      There seems to be a myth that you must add a capacitor, because points based systems had them. The GM HEI ignitions were based on an MJ10012 NPN Darlington or similar and I don't remember seeing a capacitor there, but those transistors were rated to 400v or 600v and some versions might have used a 350v zener to protect the transistor. The carbon trace is a good demonstration of why you shouldn't run your ignition system with a spark plug lead removed. That high voltage is going to want to go somewhere and there is a good chance it damages something when it does.

  • @InssiAjaton
    @InssiAjaton Před rokem +15

    One little addition to the ignition coil construction description: There is also a few pairs of core material sheets curved around the winding pack. That serves to provide a return path for the magnetic field, reducing the air gap in the loop. As a side effect, it may also shield against some of the noise radiation. On the old automotive implementation, there is a small, maybe 0.5 ohm series resistor to limit the primary current. The capacitor was usually across the breaking contact, with an explained purpose of reducing the sparking of the contact. However, the contact spark erosion stiil was a common trouble issue.

    • @cosmicyoke
      @cosmicyoke Před rokem

      the capacitor also converts the initial Pulsed DC into Pulsed AC aka Damped Waves, so if you want to keep DC Impulses can't use the capacitor or maybe you would have to set up a bridge rectifier.

    • @pontiacg445
      @pontiacg445 Před 4 měsíci +1

      Old car starters usually have a second terminal which is there just to bypass that ballast resistor because old starters and engines were stupid huge and would drop the voltage significantly. Running with no ballast was OK when the voltage was low, but all other times just put unnecessary heat into the coil and wear on the points for no good reason.
      Modern vehicles use resistor spark plugs or wires, those also help to cut down on radiated EMI. Now, EV's just remove the AM radio entirely to "fix" their EMI issues...

  • @flaplaya
    @flaplaya Před rokem +12

    Wow you are a God. I've played with this stuff my entire life. You just dove into the physics of why these coils don't like AC only true pulsed DC. VERY nice job.

  • @paulstubbs7678
    @paulstubbs7678 Před rokem +1

    I had some great fun many years ago, I was using a version of a capacitor discharge ignition (CDI) that were popular electronics kits many years ago. I had the same issue as you as in the centre insulator kept breaking down and killing all the fun. Luckily there was a few very rare coils with ceramic insulators on top at the local tip.
    These did not punch through, however the spark would still make it directly between the output terminals and not my target terminals. I fixed that by extending the centre insulator with some plastic pipe.
    In the end, I had a 500V cap dumping into two coils in series, anti-phase, one producing a positive pulse, whilst the other did a negative pulse. The best spark I was achieving was 7cm. However my inverter took about 20 seconds to recharge the dump cap, so it was a long way from a continuous arc. The discharge was by a heavy duty 'starter' press button, so no diodes or caps were used to limit the voltages.
    Unfortunately that was one of the things that didn't make it when my parents moved houses.

  • @johnrobholmes
    @johnrobholmes Před rokem +1

    How did I miss this channel? Great stuff!

  • @MrElapid
    @MrElapid Před 3 měsíci

    I used to love playing with these coils as a kid, I used a
    doorbell buzzer and I'm guessing around .5mfd across the contacts. Thanks for the fun memory.

  • @stevesfascinations1516
    @stevesfascinations1516 Před rokem +4

    Nice job on the video! You explained everything, had amazing editing and photography, and I enjoyed every bit of it. Thank you, thumbs up and subscribed.

  • @GlennLittleford
    @GlennLittleford Před 5 měsíci +1

    I spent a week playing around with a car coil to make a TIG welder. The MOSFET driver was terrible, like yours, and I ended up just using a relay. I like your improved IGBT circuit, might have a go. Thanks.

  • @curiousviewer5991
    @curiousviewer5991 Před 2 lety +5

    Nice! Love the circuit diagrams as usual.

  • @ThePaulv12
    @ThePaulv12 Před 11 měsíci +3

    You could use 2 coils in parallel - one firing, one non firing. Pot the output pole of the non firing coil with epoxy. See what happens.
    The reason I say this, is because on Jaguar HE V12's, 1982 - 1988 there were no low impedance coils available and they did indeed use 2 coils wired exactly as described above. Funny thing is the non firing coil was wired after the firing coil, so the HEI module was switched on the firing coil and the non firing coil was connected after.
    They used 2 coils because these engines had nearly 12:1 compression, ran on lean mixtures and turned 6500RPM which is a big ask for an ignition coil.
    After 1988 when low impedance coils became available, standard fitment for a V12 was a single coil DAC6093 but the rest of the ignition system remained the same. In fact you can delete your twin coils for that part number coil.

    • @vidxs
      @vidxs Před 5 měsíci +1

      Did!the. Dual coils have dual points or was the magnetic pick used? Points won't function correctly after a few thousand rpms, back in the day points could barely keep up after 3k rpm if I remember correctly. Onan used a dual coil on its gen set with the side shaft twin , I believe it only ran at 1200rpm. It ran on point ignition system. Just curious why the jag had dual coils.

  • @prestonburton8504
    @prestonburton8504 Před rokem +4

    well done sir! great explination for determining component values and also - explaining impedance matching (analogous to mechanical transmissions as well)

  • @johnsanchez8029
    @johnsanchez8029 Před 8 měsíci +2

    Great demonstration bro. Thanks so much for explaining the theory.

  • @Inteligento
    @Inteligento Před 4 měsíci +1

    Cool video. To prevent the arching through the insulator try running a wire from the ground screw over top the center of the coil, also maybe use some insulated ignition wire. That should cause the arch to happen straight up and down.

  • @idus
    @idus Před rokem +3

    This is like a simplified msd circuit. Not good for inductive heating but looks great for boosting the spark on your turbo car. I get spark blow out and I am thinking this could really help with that blow out at 13psi boost.
    Thank you for sharing this. Answers a lot of questions I had.

  • @Ozzy3333333
    @Ozzy3333333 Před rokem +2

    I forgot to mention, that coil I made a shock box back in 7th grade (1977), it was simply a hobby train power supply, it was rectified but not filtered and a variable resistor to control the output voltage, started at 60v and max was 490v, it was a blast, we get 5 to 10 peeps in series, start low, then slowly increase till someone let go, remove him and start again, then the teacher wanted to get in on it, I started at max and that got me kicked me out of school for bringing it, haha, the good old days.

  • @TheElectronicDilettante
    @TheElectronicDilettante Před rokem +3

    I just stumbled upon your channel and let me just say... Holy S#$T!!! Absolutely awesome! Well done Sir! That’s crazy carbon tracking that happened when you opened the gap of the electrodes. Very Cool! Thanks for the Video(s).

  • @zachchristensen1104
    @zachchristensen1104 Před rokem

    I'm glad I checked this out but I have no idea what you're talking about I've got a lot to learn

  • @alocin110
    @alocin110 Před rokem +2

    I subscribed your channels and cannot miss any videos. Your presentation is perfect and well experimented. Thank you for sharing. I liked your video. Keep up the good sharing.

  • @chbonnici
    @chbonnici Před rokem

    Thank you for sharing. Will try this circuit. Very well and clear presentation.

  • @Bianchi77
    @Bianchi77 Před 9 měsíci +1

    Cool video shot, well done, thanks for sharing :)

  • @urboyaristox8661
    @urboyaristox8661 Před 8 měsíci

    I was trying to understand if these coils work with dc or if they need ac the video was very helpful thank you

  • @TheTubejunky
    @TheTubejunky Před rokem

    Falstad circuit simulator love it my man!

  • @n4120p
    @n4120p Před rokem +1

    Very good schooling on this subject that is not very well covered otherwise , Thank you very much for your contribution to Knowledge !!!

  • @GPT-n-Me
    @GPT-n-Me Před měsícem

    I'm having excellent results with a ZVS induction driver commonly used for flyback transformers. It required a capacitor across the primary, but doesn't even get warm and makes big arcs @ 6.8khz.

  • @leyasep5919
    @leyasep5919 Před rokem

    Great explanations, thanks !

  • @hubercats
    @hubercats Před 2 lety +1

    Awesome video. Thanks!

  • @jefferykaighin7039
    @jefferykaighin7039 Před rokem

    Love your knowledge Brother, Thank You!

  • @davidfalconer8913
    @davidfalconer8913 Před rokem +5

    A stud type high voltage rated SCR discharging a 1 or 2 microfarad capacitor ( charged to 300 to 500 Volts ) at 50 / 60 Hertz is the basis of some electronic ignition systems ... this has the BIG advantage of no worries damaging any semiconductor ( such as your MOSFET ) and gives sturdy sparks ..... tried - n - tested ..........

  • @jihellechat1785
    @jihellechat1785 Před 5 měsíci

    interesting and very well explained. Congrats !

  • @WXSTANG
    @WXSTANG Před rokem +2

    Keeping the system simple, and yielding a high output spark are even more difficult. High performance ignition systems really is like black magic.

    • @troygrant5418
      @troygrant5418 Před rokem

      Wapn Perfo: science, physics, electrical engineering, I understand this. not magic, definitely not black magic, at least not this one...

  • @alexwang007
    @alexwang007 Před 11 měsíci +2

    The fly back transformer also uses the collapse to transfer energy, but the small inductor enables more power density because the switching frequency can be much higher (it also must be higher to avoid saturation). The flyback's transfer of energy is not continuous. If you remove the diode then it is no longer a flyback topology

  • @timgrant8729
    @timgrant8729 Před 5 měsíci

    Love this video! Now im gonna go shock myself real good! Thanks! 😊

  • @matteorossi5128
    @matteorossi5128 Před rokem

    cool, you provided a great idea thanks

  • @TimPerfetto
    @TimPerfetto Před rokem

    Great videos thank you!

  • @skfalpink123
    @skfalpink123 Před rokem

    Love the reference to "Look Around You"

  • @nlo114
    @nlo114 Před 5 měsíci

    This is the seed of an idea that gives my MIG welder an HF start function for use as a TIG welder... Cheap and reliable is what I want! 🤪

  • @kensmith5694
    @kensmith5694 Před rokem +1

    I destroyed an ignition coil in much the same way many years ago. Basically my circuit was a capacitor discharge ignition system. Without the load (spark gap) connected, it very quickly made a track like the one you got.
    I also got the resonant design to work but it too was at the cost of a coil. The trick on that was to find the resonance of the high voltage side and tune the primary to match.

    • @bmw7z
      @bmw7z Před 4 měsíci

      So you're saying to pulse the Primary at the resonance frequency of the secondary?

    • @kensmith5694
      @kensmith5694 Před 4 měsíci

      @@bmw7z Yes the drive on the primary can be pulsed at the resonance of the secondary. You can make this happen automatically by how you design your oscillator for the primary side. You can do even better with a capacitor on the primary side. Basically if you drive the primary with a weak signal and sweep the frequency you can see the impedance drop when the secondary resonates and starts taking away energy. It won't drop to zero because there is some leakage inductance and some resistance. That is the load your driver is working into.

  • @edwatts9890
    @edwatts9890 Před rokem +2

    I love the smell of Bakelite in the morning! It smell of...fried components.

  • @Shainefasa
    @Shainefasa Před rokem

    Excellent video thanks

  • @melplishka5978
    @melplishka5978 Před rokem

    Cool how it lit up the carbon trails along the ignition coil.

  • @kennethnevel3263
    @kennethnevel3263 Před rokem +3

    I saw a chart once that said it takes 70,000 volts to jump a 1 inch gap at normal air pressure.
    If you increase pressure it takes more volts to jump same gap .
    I have seen this on a spark plug tester as air pressure is increased to the point that the spark will not jump the gap anymore .

    • @glasslinger
      @glasslinger Před rokem +1

      Depends greatly on electrode type. Two needle points about 20 kv per inch, two 1 inch diameter balls, about 60-70 kv.

    • @jarvislarson6864
      @jarvislarson6864 Před rokem +1

      You may find this interesting
      In race engines with static compression of 13:1 in order to have a solid spark up to 7-8k rpm you need a capacitive discharge ignition amplifier around 135+milli joules output and 50k volt 100:1 turn coils and those figures go up. I just mentioned electronics on the level I race at.

  • @MadScientist512
    @MadScientist512 Před 9 měsíci +1

    All the traditional coils I pulled apart had a laminated iron core, afaik only the new oil-less coils actually use ferrite cores. Also, coils can handle way more than 20-40kv internally, as amply shown by putting transparent PVC pipe and Vaseline over the central HV posts, and using a light dimmer/motor speed controller and HV capacitor in series with a coil to pulse it with 320 volts from the mains supply gets about 60-100kv from a single coil.

    • @vidxs
      @vidxs Před 5 měsíci +1

      Your a madman, here I thought running a neon sign transformer through a series of HV capacitors into a 3/8" copper pipe primary my secondary coil was a four foot piece of schedule 40 pipe with 1000 turns of magnet wire.
      Great emf at low amperages. What your talking is something similar to high voltage transmission lines potential or did I miss something?

    • @MadScientist512
      @MadScientist512 Před 4 měsíci

      @@vidxs a motor controller at 50% running a car coil in series with a capacitor charges/discharges the capacitor into the coil/s every half cycle, creating powerful 100hz spikes at ca 100kv for a good coil. The same circuit can be used with microwave oven transformers to get much higher voltage out of them, and the capacitor conveniently also acts as a changeable ballast; normally people use 3 MOTs to do what this circuit does with one, check my channel for videos with a description and demo of this circuit used with car coils and MOTs for Jacobs' Ladders, etc.

  • @hosseinashkboos5188
    @hosseinashkboos5188 Před 2 lety

    very cool. Thank you

  • @peace5655
    @peace5655 Před rokem

    Enjoying it !

  • @electronictim007
    @electronictim007 Před 3 měsíci

    Incredible video!!
    I do enjoy learning things!
    Is a schematic of the Moffett circuit available?
    Thx

  • @electroautoinc6075
    @electroautoinc6075 Před 3 měsíci

    10:02 you made my night !😅

  • @blown572hemi
    @blown572hemi Před rokem

    No electrian here, but when you step up 12 volts to 40,000 volts and you get bit by this, you quickly gain respect. I'll never grab another distributor and turn it for timing. It shouldn't leak, but you never know

    • @tiggywinkle1000
      @tiggywinkle1000 Před 11 měsíci

      It's the metal part that is safe to handle, it's at the same potential as the whole of the car; 'earth'. The top detachable part, the 'dizzy cap' and leads, even though they're insulated, are the one to keep your fingers off.
      I remember my old '60's light van had a misfire, so, not knowing which cylinder, I had the idea of pulling the spark leads one by one, to see if the engine note changed whilst it was running.
      Got no further than the 1st one - Nasty, nasty experience - went through every swear word in the black book ! Used my right hand - or might have not been around to write this today.

  • @VixNoelopan
    @VixNoelopan Před 4 měsíci

    Due to isolation reasons, the primary of cylindrical coils with a single HV terminal usually is wound atop the secondary. The secondary's beginning is connected to the HV terminal as well as to the core.

  • @ianinholland8390
    @ianinholland8390 Před měsícem

    Excellent video, thanks for taking so much trouble to set it up, film it and explain it. Really well done, and great to see the math behind it..
    What would your thoughts be on turning this into a really effective electric fence driver? Also, the ignition coils that you're using - are they just off the shelf car coils (the old type, as many cars now have one coil per spark plug). is anything usually visible on the coil unit to indicate its rating?

  • @domsadragon717
    @domsadragon717 Před 2 lety +10

    What type of capacitors you used for the igbt driver?(I would be most interested in their voltage)

    • @CXensation
      @CXensation Před 11 měsíci

      Polyester caps 600V. 470nF should do fine.

  • @markhenderson9069
    @markhenderson9069 Před 2 lety +3

    The presentation here and knowledge base is incredible, and very much appreciated. I have one question though. As I tend to keep things as simple and yet efficient as possible, how do you think a fast solid state relay would work with the simple relay driver? Maybe one that is 2x the power capacity so it's only run at 50-60% power for long life (hopefully). Or would a simple reed switch relay be even better for higher switching frequencies? I would really like to try this on a couple of coils I purchased from summit racing. Thanks.

    • @bmw7z
      @bmw7z Před 4 měsíci

      Those off the self solid state relays (SSR) are usually garbage unfortunately. The components in his diagrams are basically a solid state relay with added protections and efficiencies you won't find in an off the self SSR. Reed switches will suffer from the same issues as the mechanical relay shown in the first example.

  • @Dragon90815a
    @Dragon90815a Před rokem

    Good for charging super caps? Zener diodes when at 300v then add step down with mov. Finish with a 120v @ 60 hz. loving the schematics

  • @jjnuni7811
    @jjnuni7811 Před rokem +1

    What voltage rating of capacitor do you use for the relay circuit? Much appreciated, great video!

  • @francescotrevisan4453
    @francescotrevisan4453 Před 2 lety +5

    Great video, thanks. What if your circuit was to be used as an ignition box in a 1cylinder motorcycle 4stroke engine? The 555 timer and duty pot would not be needed, and the trigger signal would come from the magnetic switch on the flywheel. What part of the schematics would not be needed?

    • @HyperspacePirate
      @HyperspacePirate  Před 2 lety +6

      I think you could remove the 555 timer and just connect the magnetic switch from the flywheel to the IGBT/MOSFET gate with a protection resistor/zener diode for safety

    • @sailingcapedissappointment2012
      @sailingcapedissappointment2012 Před rokem +1

      @@HyperspacePirate you guys are getting into the swing that Tesla talked about and the mechanical spark gap he used to tune to the optimal frequency hence Mechanical Resonance ..

  • @thephilosopher13
    @thephilosopher13 Před 6 měsíci +1

    In case you need to know, for future tom foolery, high performance automotive coils can hit 65k+ 😬 they hurt in case you’re wondering.

  • @michaelioannidis2885
    @michaelioannidis2885 Před rokem

    Great video , How you estimate the energy that has been transferred to the secondary ? Only by the formula of the inductor energy? does the duty cycle of the pulse play anything to that?

  • @tjrubicon5463
    @tjrubicon5463 Před 4 měsíci

    Thank God we have brainy guys like this.

  • @locostse7en
    @locostse7en Před rokem

    I wish I understood this shit like you I find it fascinating.

  • @derrikarenal3308
    @derrikarenal3308 Před 5 měsíci

    eF-eN AweSome! thanks!

  • @wadewingfield4606
    @wadewingfield4606 Před rokem +2

    While taking a course many years ago on the then new Sun diagnostic scope, we were using an Oldsmobile test engine with the HEI ignition. The scope was calibrated to 100,000 volts. When a plug wire was pulled with the insulated pliers, the firing line went off the top of the scope. To this day I still have not found the max output voltage for an HEI ignition. I have seen rotors and plug wires fired through. As well as a racing engine that suffered from detonation. It had blown the ground electrodes off two plugs , but was still running on all eight cylinders. have you ever measured the output of an open HEI system.

  • @mikes9117
    @mikes9117 Před rokem +2

    Great video. It also proves why you ground the coil secondary wire instead of just pulling it off. What program are you using for your scope?

  • @patdexter9188
    @patdexter9188 Před rokem +1

    I was working on an old Wisconsin gas engine that ran a compressor on a lube truck. I removed the distributor cap and cranked the engine over and with cover off it started right up! The spark was jumping all over the place making its way to the 2 spark plugs! The whole crew got a good laugh out of that one! That was about some odd 40yrs ago.

    • @pierrevandeputte2543
      @pierrevandeputte2543 Před rokem

      The distance had to be very long between each pôle !! How that would be possible ?!!

    • @casemodder89
      @casemodder89 Před rokem +1

      @@pierrevandeputte2543 just by telling bullshit as people tend to do.

  • @empyreansentinel3434
    @empyreansentinel3434 Před 9 měsíci +1

    I wired up a relay coil with a 1uF cap in parallel with NO contacts as shown in your schematic.
    Contacts buzzed, then glowed red then stuck from melted contacts.
    Do you think a resistor in series with the NO contacts would help?

  • @dsd5586
    @dsd5586 Před 10 měsíci

    would love to see a how to video making the circuit/s especially the simple relay one

  • @farmvids8385
    @farmvids8385 Před rokem

    I have a need for a device that will create a snap spark that will burn an approx 1/4 inch hole in clear shrink film every few inches as it travels by at 15 inches per second. A standard GM LS ignition coil is prefect except it does not have nearly enough power to do this. I am contemplating using several of these ignition coils in parallel with each coil output likely running its output through a 30kv diode to the probe that fires the arc through the film. The diode would be to stop any back feed through the coils. What are you thoughts of this method to create a snap spark device with readily available parts with significantly more power than one ignition coil.

  • @power45118
    @power45118 Před 2 lety

    😯😯cool one man.....

  • @NeverEvil1
    @NeverEvil1 Před rokem

    PWM is the best way to drive a circuit when you need pulsating current. You are the right path. I need to dust off my books and refresh my 20 plus years since learning memory.

  • @Smirkku
    @Smirkku Před 2 lety +1

    Why you haven't listed all the components in the description in order to make that last circuit you have ? It would be nice to see all of them and some more pictures from different angles of your circuit... this is complicated stuff for me and my brain is having a hard time to understand all this.

  • @darylcheshire1618
    @darylcheshire1618 Před rokem +1

    In the 1970s I obtained a reed vibrator which resembles a radio valve except it’s in an aluminium can. I never opened it but suspect a relay.
    I used this to get a spark from an ignition coil. I imagined it to duplicate the function of a distributor.

    • @ebenwaterman5858
      @ebenwaterman5858 Před 11 měsíci

      Right you are. These were used in early battery (2 volt lead acid) powered portable radios to produce 300 volts for the TUBE circuits B4 transistors were invented. The circuit was exactly as you imagine. :) Aint history neat?

  • @malectric
    @malectric Před 4 měsíci

    Don't forget that capacitance is an inherent part of the picture. The secondary has distributed capacitance and the primary normally has a separate capacitor (across the points) which forms the primary resonant circuit. It forms a double-tuned system which ensures efficient energy transfer from the primary to secondary (just like a Tesla Coil). The MOSFET half-bridge driver leaves a lot to be desired. I suspect it is not turning on hard. The gate-drive circuit have to deliver substantially more voltage than the source will be at when the device is fully turned on. In switchmode power supplies this is normally achieved using gate drive transformers and in the case of using a driver chip, a bootstrapped gate supply for the upper MOSFET.

  • @MrClickbang357
    @MrClickbang357 Před rokem

    sounds like someone let the pixie smoke out of their TX!!! Great demo thanks.

  • @bmw7z
    @bmw7z Před 4 měsíci

    Hey great job and explanation! I wish you would have gotten the resonance working. In your final deaign, I wondered, what purpose does the 220uH inductor serve? Does it slow amp flow for the circuit? also it looks like the 330uF capacitor might be charging it before it releases? If not, would changing the ground to the other side of it (to charge it when the transistor is on) have a voltage boosting effect?

  • @delbandung4801
    @delbandung4801 Před rokem

    Thanks fòr upload this video. Good explanation. What is the outpùt frequency at ignition coil output? Thanks

  • @YuckFou0x0FFFF
    @YuckFou0x0FFFF Před rokem

    What is the software you're using to simulate a live circuit. I desperately need that.

  • @martyscholes119
    @martyscholes119 Před 9 měsíci +1

    5:42 is the secondary coil discharging through the MOSFET?

  • @Jaantoenen
    @Jaantoenen Před rokem

    @hyperspace pirate what simulator program do you use?

  • @dandruff7807
    @dandruff7807 Před 2 lety +7

    Could you stop the arcing by placing the ignition coil in mineral oil? Or completely remove the ignition primary/secondary coils & place them in mineral oil?

    • @HyperspacePirate
      @HyperspacePirate  Před 2 lety +3

      It might help, yeah

    • @TheExplosiveGuy
      @TheExplosiveGuy Před 2 lety

      It 100% helps, I've done it. It can also help cool it depending on how much current you're running through it.

    • @Broken_Yugo
      @Broken_Yugo Před rokem

      The can type coils come oil filled, just drop the whole thing in more oil. Using the proper connector and boot would probably also help with arcing through the tower.

  • @hr.differentmind2048
    @hr.differentmind2048 Před 2 lety

    Great..man

  • @ratatouille941
    @ratatouille941 Před rokem

    Will you tell me what kind of application are you using in order to see virtually how all components behave?

  • @AnalogDude_
    @AnalogDude_ Před rokem

    4:15 Never thought of this usage of the Falstad.
    i use the voltage controlled switches.

  • @chbonnici
    @chbonnici Před rokem

    I noticed that in the last circuit the pot is 20K but in the life video is 10K. Also, before you had a 3.3mf cap and after you installed 2 x 330 microfarad electrolytics. What are the 4 grey components on the right side of the board. Sorry for so many questions. I also intend to install another inductor of 220 micro-Henries between the point of the 2N3904 and the 15K resistor to introduce a second earth due the output will be connected to a Tesla coil. Do you think it will be OK? If you can find time to answer I deeply appreciated. People like you make a difference. God bless you and thank again.

  • @ecash00
    @ecash00 Před rokem

    Grounding mat under the welcome mat, and this attached inside to the door knob?

  • @user-ue8do6gs7y
    @user-ue8do6gs7y Před 5 měsíci

    Would there be any chance you could supply a parts list for this circuit? I really would like to build it for a student project at Embry-Riddle where I work and the schematic seems insufficient to purchase the correct parts? Very much appreciated !

  • @bedford61
    @bedford61 Před rokem

    Thank you very much for the clarification! What is the small yellow piece that I see at time 4:34 (bottom of video)? Is it another electronic device? Sorry, for bothering you....