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Mad Scientist

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 ...
 
I like this subject, I still have a (no longer functional, stored in humid basement:yabbem:) 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.
 
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.
 
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I heard somewhere that human nerves don't respond to electric current flow above certain high frequencies. I wonder what that range would be...

to be burned without even knowing is my worst fear...
 
Never experienced that. Everything I ever used left a hell of a jolt.

Regardless of nerve response, The heat generated would bring pain anyways, so you would know it.

Well unless you had a pile of Vicodine in you ahead of time.
 
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