I want a telsa coil that can light fluorescent tubes from a distance and make looooong sparks> .How would i make one(in canada).What would be estimated cost.I hate sounding like a noob.
i want a low powered one and then if i like will get a high powered one.Is amazing1 a good website for the Tesla coils.Which one under$100 is the best for what i want. http://www.amazing1.com/tesla.htm
i think you should look into the TCL5 unit, looks like a nice tesla coil that can do neat stuff - and if you get the kit it costs only $70 instead of $100
Ok, my recommendation is to build a solid state tesla coil utilizing a flyback transformer and a couple of power transistors. You can get up to 30KV or so max and maybe 2" arcs at best. Very inexpensive to build and a great way to get into high voltage toys. The arc will burn you but not kill you. You get these nice little RF burns that hurt pretty good because they are very thin but go deep.
The alternative is a spark gap tesla coil which could kill you without a second chance. There's a lot of current moving across a spark gap.
If you want some big arcs without the risk of a spark gap tesla coil you might consider a Van de Graff generator.