Dangerous! But it looks like fun.....

This High Voltage Flyback Transformer Driver is Remarkable! - CircuitGeek

I might build a similar circuit to drive a DIY nitrogen laser.

Thanks for the info! What voltages and currents on the output of the device? My nitrogen laser would run nicely with about 10KV at 10ma.

Be careful with that -- It could be a killer in the wrong hands. Nice driver circuit and yes it will light up a N2 laser.

Mike

Definitely use the ZVS !!! This is an excellent circuit. The 2N3055 is weak and marginal. It blows quickly and frequently. ZVS can deliver several hundred watts of HV pleasure. I've also used IRFP260's and 460's to make this circuit. Use a good quality capacitor, or it will heat up and burn out. You need fast diodes, not 1N400X. (NTE575, etc.) Experiment also with different inductors. You can use an AC or a DC flyback. I wound a few different secondaries on my lathe and cast them in epoxy as it can be hard to find an AC flyback.

In my opinion it is perhaps the best flyback driver, works pretty well as an induction heater as well, can also be used to make a small SSTC...talk about versatility.

Going for a half bridge of full bridge and running off-line will net more power, but what does that help when the flybacks can't take it. Low part count easy to tune, high power output. I also use 460's usually, never have 250s on and hand my other powerfets are overkill. I think someone on 4HV called the 460 the vanilla ice cream of FET's.

And yes like Hemlock Mike said, please be careful, high voltage is a tricky mistress.

I built a HV flyback transformer designed "plasma ball" years ago. If you put a damp cloth on the globe it would give you an uncomfortable shock.

A shock from a ZVS with decent input, while not necessarily fatal, will definitely be more than just unpleasant, though. Can't tell you how bad, as I make it a personal mission not to get shocked, but from what i've heard its better to not find out from first hand experience.

No, an honored death

No honor in stupidity Jay.

No but I want my death to either be a huge explosion or a powerful serge of power. And I want nothing left behind either

Not me. I want to fall from a great height with my eyes wide open. Or feeling the cold wash of water in my lungs while drowning. Or even my throat clench while inhaling the hot gas of a fire. Seems a shame to die a quick death when we spend so many years alive. I fear it will probably be a massive heart attack, or my a-hole rotting off because of all the raw meat I eat. They say cancer is a bad death, but I've seen 3 people die from it and they went fast and quietly. I guess when you fight it is when the horrific deterioration of your body makes it drag out for you and your family.

My mom has lymphoma. It's back after a long treatment and rest but ... well. As much as I laughed at the rotting ass part the cancer has been on my mind for along time now. I used to have nightmares as a kid that she would die with some sickness and it seems to have come into fruition

DIY nitrogen lasers are interesting. Have you thought about using subdermal needles or a long stack of razor blades for the electrode design? Sharp tips give a more even discharge profile, the way I understand it.

If a few people were to do a group buy of suitable mirrors, the discharge could be longitudinal instead. That gives way better performance than transverse, at the cost of a higher voltage or lower pressure. Works for neon and a lot of other gases, too.

I found this AC flyback a while ago at a local TV repair shop. I heard that this kind can be pushed so hard to where the primary will arc over to the secondary!

Yeah looks like a monster. You could make a monster plasma speaker out of it, with a thick and long enough arc some major bass can be expected.

Should handle 500W quite nicely, just have to tune it (if you plan on using ZVS). What are you going to drive it with?

I'm definitely planning on making a ZVS for it.

I'm not sure how much input power to start with, but they always say 12V with regulated current is a good place to start.

The hardest part will be finding a sufficient Cap with a matching inductor.

I was thinking about making my own inductor, but I'm not to that part yet so I'll be researching in the meantime.

Another challenge will be mounting it. I don't have any copper clad thick enough for > 40Kv.

Hey,

No need for clad, unless you specifically want it mounted like that. Just wind 4+4 or even 3+3 (for lower voltages) around the ferrite core. The lower the amount of windings the more current the driver will draw.


The caps themselves as long as they are of sufficient voltage and have the correct capacitance aren't as crucial as one would think. I used "crappy" resin encased caps for quite a while with good success. Of course ideally some MKP (polypropylene) should be used. The caps will heat up quite a bit though so a MMC is ideal.


The inductor is also not as crucial as some make it out to be, but its value heavily depends on the voltage you plan on using. For 12v I use a powdered iron core torroid (yellow and white) with 30ish turns of "heavy" gauge enamell wire.

Tuning up a ZVS is all about experimenting. Take your time and the results will make you smile. It is really a beatifully simple yet extremelly effective flyback driver.


Thanks
brtaman

That is a very nice looking flyback! There is plenty of room for a primary, and it will have space between it and the secondary. To make the secondary last longer at the power that ZVS delivers, always make sure that there is a current draw. An arc, a jacobs ladder, for example. HV at high frequencies goes through most insulators quite easily, so to avoid breaking down the flyback and having it short, make sure there is a draw. A jacobs ladder is easy to rig up and fun to watch at ZVS power. Try some boric acid on the electrodes ... Lithium salts are cool, too. A nitrogen laser would be a good way to ensure a draw ...

Only dangerous if mishandled or treated with a lack of respect. I maintain a healthy respect for my HV devices and their power.

Wouldn't want a shock from this ...

YouTube - 12000 Volt Arcs !!!

I like this subject, I still have a (no longer functional, stored in humid basement) high frequency coil that you could put a thimble on your fingertip and shoot an arc to it without any discomfort.

It was used to "trigger" mercury vapor tubes that refused to start on their own.

It was great for astounding friends, just hold a quarter in your fingers, zap it and light a cigarette with the arc.

You can also make an awesome jacobs ladder from a neon sign power pack...

I'm not loooking to incinerate things with it. I'll prefer to aim for the highest possible voltages with the smallest possible currents. I'm hoping for 40KV out of this guy, but that depends on my driver.

brtaman: I may be contacting you if I can't get a ZVS tuned up within a couple months or so.

What is the frequency of the oscillator in the primary??

I believe it depends on the Capacitor value, and the value of the inductor used - which depends on your input voltage.

But that's just my guess unfortunately.

Sad thing is about a gazillion years ago I could have figured it out quick.

But like the saying goes, if you don't use it you lose it.

The only reason I asked is that HIGH FREQUENCY high voltage flows through skin and does not penetrate causing coronary failure.

Yes it will leave burns, but you are more likely to get hurt by your reflex actions than the voltage itself.

There are many faces to high voltage. High currents at slower frequencies will burn you from the inside out, Low currents at high frequencies can get superb arcs, ignite plasma tubes and you can hold a 40 watt fluorescent tube in your hand and make it glow to amaze children and the unknowing. (All sorts of gases ionize near this) Yet is relatively harmless if you accidentally get zapped, as long as you don't jerk back and hit something.