I built something just like this about 20 years ago and was damn near killed by it lol. I had no capacitor or other circuitry on mine, just the dimmer switch set to full power wired directly between line AC and the ignition coil, it could draw out 3-4 inch arcs that melted the electrode tips so it had gobs of current, and the last time I played with it (the _last_ time, I don't fool with lethal current anymore lol) two decades ago I just about electrocuted myself, I got caught on it for about five seconds going through my arms and chest when I disregarded the one hand rule, my legs kicking randomly was the only thing that saved me as I gripped the hot line in my left hand and the steel table it was sitting on with my right, AC current gives you a literal death grip, I ripped out a couple finger nails when I finally pulled away. Dumped about two quarts of used motor oil I was using as insulation and cooling all over myself and my shop too lol, the coil was in a big glass jar that went flying when I kicked away, which also luckily ripped one of the feed lines off and disabled it. Sketch stuff, I'm surprised I am still alive after my wild youth lol.
O my chat i typed too long and i cannot copy it to here. But usefull measurements you made there, and i am surprised about the hight of that currentpeaks. Thanks for uploading youre nice precise measurements on this circuitidea that me too always wanted to try. And now you did it, and better than i could have done it. Great ánd usefull, so thanx indeed
Yep, I had a similar circuit set up years ago. It was hooked up to 240v. I got a jolt from it that nearly dropped me and I never used line AC as a direct power source ever again. My favourite power source since then was 48v dc a much more user friendly voltage for HV generation.
The main power limiting is the 17uF cap, without that, the primary would not be happy. Regarding the open circuit voltage test, that is really bad for the secondary insulation, it will break down and eventually ruin the secondary insulation. Thanks for sharing.
What value are those two red hv-resistors? (And another question that Comes up is: is there a third little resistor between those two 10watt-hv's, or do they use the known inputresistance from the measuringdevice to devide?)
Good information sir got a question for you regarding a high tension auto coil winding as you mentioned the center Yao is conected so if I read a continuity test I should read ohms across positive terminal and high volt terminal ? Am I right ? Thanks again
If you don't mind me asking, would you sell that unit ( I would like use it as fence charger for my sheep here in Ireland )? Thank you very much for uploading this video! Kind regards, Dan George
Have you tried putting a resonant (at the input frequency) capacitor in parallel to the primary, but V rated high enough to take the secondary output ? If the secondary inductance were set so that it's resonant at a lower* harmonic, that would be cool to see.
I've been thinking about doing a video where I measure the Resonant Frequency, then I might do a couple circuits that utilize this information... will post.
@@sparkstarter I rectified a mistake in my original statement, the secondary circuit would ideally be at a lower harmonic. I's weird but I'm getting a vibe that this is the proper schematic of a monopolar "Tesla air-coil".
@@sparkstarter Another variation could be to put a second capacitor in series with the hot side of the secondary, a lower capacitance so that the frequency is the same as the input. There could be a fatal flaw in these thoughts experiments but I don't see it right now.
Why dont they make the spark go from a positive and negative end of wire from the secondary only, why does it connect to the primary. It just seems weird
In an auto the negative is chassis grounded to the Car. If you examine a spark plug you see the arc jumps from the central electrode to the metal casing which is in contact with the engine block.
@@sparkstarter strange, i tried both setups, with 100% brand new components and all i got was a weak millisecond spaerk when i closed my mains switch to start it up. any suggestions?
@@iseeyou7622 hmmm... do you have any kind of o-scope to measure the output of the dimmer? Should see clipped sign wave... there might be some fancy dimmers that do zero crossing switching or transient suppression... try using the cheapest triac dimmer switch you can find.
Why are you drawing your arc to the top of the primary winding instead of the to the common lead? You are feeding back high voltage to the coupling cap and back out onto the AC line. I saw that you have absolutely no line isolation or filtering. Your neighbors must love your RFI. I recommend a common mode choke on the input AC line as well as an isolation transformer. Your entire set up is a guaranteed lethal accident waiting to happen. I work professionally with high voltage power supplies all day and intentionally drawing an arc will get you fired. Or at least severely reprimanded. Not to mention all of the accident report paperwork!
Been playing with this setup for 30 years without incident, and I would bet I work on bigger high voltage supplies than you do... but hey, everyone has their own safety tolerance. If you don't feel comfortable with 100W of power at 25kv don't mess with it.
LADIES THIS IS COMPLETELY UNSAFE. Ridiculous. At least use an isolation transformer. Don't have one? THINK!! Gut out a pair of similar wally worts and use two transformers back to back, AKA 120Vin / 12V out-----12V in/ 120V out.
there is always a danger element (shock or fire) when working with any high voltage device. The capacitor serves to limit current flow through the circuit. Not sure what extra safety gain your getting by using an isolation transformer other than some EMI filtering...
Checkout the website www.sparkstarter.tech
InstaBlaster
Can you please add some Amazon affiliate links to the parts in this video. Thanks!
@@BrentLeVasseur I'll put some links to order parts on my webpage... thanks.
@@sparkstarter Thanks buddy! Keep up the good work!
@@sparkstarter I did this about 16 years ago... except i used a high voltage microwave capacitor. arcs were at least 8 inches long.
I built something just like this about 20 years ago and was damn near killed by it lol. I had no capacitor or other circuitry on mine, just the dimmer switch set to full power wired directly between line AC and the ignition coil, it could draw out 3-4 inch arcs that melted the electrode tips so it had gobs of current, and the last time I played with it (the _last_ time, I don't fool with lethal current anymore lol) two decades ago I just about electrocuted myself, I got caught on it for about five seconds going through my arms and chest when I disregarded the one hand rule, my legs kicking randomly was the only thing that saved me as I gripped the hot line in my left hand and the steel table it was sitting on with my right, AC current gives you a literal death grip, I ripped out a couple finger nails when I finally pulled away. Dumped about two quarts of used motor oil I was using as insulation and cooling all over myself and my shop too lol, the coil was in a big glass jar that went flying when I kicked away, which also luckily ripped one of the feed lines off and disabled it. Sketch stuff, I'm surprised I am still alive after my wild youth lol.
Wild
Reminds me of the first flyback cap I made acquaintances with
I just ordered everything off Amazon! Dude thanks so much! Subscribed!
Beware of the maximum rated voltage the HV resistors are rated for. You get an arc over and your scope could turn into a fancy brick!
As I found out with my fluke meter years ago testing electric fence
Bricks aren’t the problem because you can always buy a new scope, but you can’t buy a new life!😂
Very nice video and walk through. You just made my input driver ckt. much simpler, as stated ! Thank you !
Looks like you do a lot of stuff with torches... are you looking for ignition circuits?
LOL i was just gonna build this same circuit , glad to see the ac cap will work
O my chat i typed too long and i cannot copy it to here. But usefull measurements you made there, and i am surprised about the hight of that currentpeaks. Thanks for uploading youre nice precise measurements on this circuitidea that me too always wanted to try. And now you did it, and better than i could have done it. Great ánd usefull, so thanx indeed
thanks! Glad this was a helpful video. Keep in mind that the 20A pulse is just for 60 milliseconds or so... brief power demand.
Cool video 👍🏻
Yep, I had a similar circuit set up years ago. It was hooked up to 240v. I got a jolt from it that nearly dropped me and I never used line AC as a direct power source ever again. My favourite power source since then was 48v dc a much more user friendly voltage for HV generation.
so this is in the US 120VAC one wire is hot the other is Neutral Ground, capacitor in series limits the current from mains.
The main power limiting is the 17uF cap, without that, the primary would not be happy.
Regarding the open circuit voltage test, that is really bad for the secondary insulation, it will break down and eventually ruin the secondary insulation.
Thanks for sharing.
Insulating as well as heat dissipation
great explanation
Glad it was helpful!
I want to know how much current flow can be increased of a 12volt transformer.
What value are those two red hv-resistors?
(And another question that Comes up is: is there a third little resistor between those two 10watt-hv's, or do they use the known inputresistance from the measuringdevice to devide?)
Good Question see the HV Probe Video for all the details...czcams.com/video/ew0d1EAFByA/video.html
Good information sir got a question for you regarding a high tension auto coil winding as you mentioned the center Yao is conected so if I read a continuity test I should read ohms across positive terminal and high volt terminal ? Am I right ? Thanks again
Yes, you should measure resistance from the HV terminal to both + and -, the minus will be a little bit less.
Hey mate does any dimmer switch work?
Very good vdo enhancing knowledge. Can I make electrical fensing with this. Please guide me how to make it.
Oh yeah... you'll definatley shock anything that touches the fence... might be a little to much power so dial it back.
@@sparkstarter ok. Thanks
If you don't mind me asking, would you sell that unit ( I would like use it as fence charger for my sheep here in Ireland )? Thank you very much for uploading this video!
Kind regards, Dan George
Great portable Barbeque appliance !😂
Have you tried putting a resonant (at the input frequency) capacitor in parallel to the primary, but V rated high enough to take the secondary output ? If the secondary inductance were set so that it's resonant at a lower* harmonic, that would be cool to see.
Link a video if you've seen it done.
I've been thinking about doing a video where I measure the Resonant Frequency, then I might do a couple circuits that utilize this information... will post.
@@sparkstarter I rectified a mistake in my original statement, the secondary circuit would ideally be at a lower harmonic. I's weird but I'm getting a vibe that this is the proper schematic of a monopolar "Tesla air-coil".
@@sparkstarter Another variation could be to put a second capacitor in series with the hot side of the secondary, a lower capacitance so that the frequency is the same as the input. There could be a fatal flaw in these thoughts experiments but I don't see it right now.
@@sFeral Your link isn't working... you can put any power source into a magnifier, this one would need to be low frequency though...
Why dont they make the spark go from a positive and negative end of wire from the secondary only, why does it connect to the primary. It just seems weird
In an auto the negative is chassis grounded to the Car. If you examine a spark plug you see the arc jumps from the central electrode to the metal casing which is in contact with the engine block.
good. I am interested to know much from you.
How can I help you?
The poor Amateur Radio operator that lives next door!
Can you make a Jacobs ladder with coil.
yes you can, thanks for the comment.
What about the resistor I see bridging the capacitor? What is the purpose and ohms?
Its just there to bleed charge off the Cap for safety dont need for the circuit to work.
So can you hook this up to your metal door knob to keep strangers out?
probably this is a little to dangerous for a security system but perhaps there is a way to dial the power back.
oh so you thought I meant a "non-lethal" way to keep the strangers out?
@@earthstewardude haha, I guess it depends on how rough your neighborhood is then...
the diagram is different than the the box wiring you show in the beginning. which is correct?
Both are correct, it is a series circuit.
@@sparkstarter ok thanks i just wanted to be sure. have a great day man :D
@@sparkstarter strange, i tried both setups, with 100% brand new components and all i got was a weak millisecond spaerk when i closed my mains switch to start it up. any suggestions?
@@nickdavis3711 what values of capacitor and what brand dimmer switch did you use?
Can I increase the frequency? Like 10kHz?
For these ignition coils I was measuring a maximum output voltage at around 3kHz, they will work at 10kHz but you may get reduced output.
@@sparkstarter I got 800CC engine car ignition coil. At 12V it works best around 50Hz and 30% duty cycle.
@@GhostsOfSparta hmmm sounds a bit low, maybe I'll test it. With sine wave best output a 3kHz
Are you there?
How do I measure amp and watt output of an ignition coil?
Couldn't you have the dimmer on the positive side and the capacitor after the dimmer?
Order in this series circuit doesn't matter too much...
@@sparkstarter mine still doesn't work... I have a universal dimmer with triac but unfortunately get nothing out of the coil
@@iseeyou7622 hmmm... do you have any kind of o-scope to measure the output of the dimmer? Should see clipped sign wave... there might be some fancy dimmers that do zero crossing switching or transient suppression... try using the cheapest triac dimmer switch you can find.
@@sparkstarter ok mate, will try find one. Thank you
@@sparkstarter hi mate, we are not having any luck at all... We have tried different types of switches... Strange
Wouldn’t the “world’s simplest” just be a neon sign transformer?
There is an agustable output... a transformer is just a part.
@@sparkstarter Ah. Like an ADJUSTABLE power supply.
@@cbfull ahh... adjustable power supplies have TRANSFORMERS inside them...
Flowers by request only.
Mineral oil
OK
@@sparkstarter I believe they heat and vacuum the transformers in oil to remove any oxygen in the coils.
Gloves are a little small for ya, your fingers already popped through the ends..,
I had a hand wound that was healing...
yo
You didn't show your connections properly. Diagram would be better.
See 5:00
Why are you drawing your arc to the top of the primary winding instead of the to the common lead? You are feeding back high voltage to the coupling cap and back out onto the AC line. I saw that you have absolutely no line isolation or filtering. Your neighbors must love your RFI. I recommend a common mode choke on the input AC line as well as an isolation transformer.
Your entire set up is a guaranteed lethal accident waiting to happen. I work professionally with high voltage power supplies all day and intentionally drawing an arc will get you fired. Or at least severely reprimanded. Not to mention all of the accident report paperwork!
Been playing with this setup for 30 years without incident, and I would bet I work on bigger high voltage supplies than you do... but hey, everyone has their own safety tolerance. If you don't feel comfortable with 100W of power at 25kv don't mess with it.
LADIES THIS IS COMPLETELY UNSAFE. Ridiculous. At least use an isolation transformer. Don't have one? THINK!! Gut out a pair of similar wally worts and use two transformers back to back, AKA 120Vin / 12V out-----12V in/ 120V out.
there is always a danger element (shock or fire) when working with any high voltage device. The capacitor serves to limit current flow through the circuit. Not sure what extra safety gain your getting by using an isolation transformer other than some EMI filtering...
Check phase.
Check sanity.