Some HV arcs

[GBD]

I found some old photos (1 year old or so) on my HD I took of my homemade transformer. I figure I will share them with you guys.

This thing has 2 secondarys (phase leg) and outputs 3KV per leg relative to ground, and 6KV leg-leg.

Enjoy!
(also, im unsure, does this belong in this section or the multimedia? its pictures and media, but not laser related, so im not sure there).An old video of it:

Shortly after I gave it a black paintjob, and took these 1 second exposure shots:

 

[Arayan]

very very nice pics, especially the last with this "dual-color" effect
+1 rep

 

[GBD]

Thank you.

That dual color comes from both camera saturation (these arcs are VERY bright in person) and the copper on my arc stick melting/vaporizing. (giving it that tint of green).

This transformer is run with power factor correction capacitance on the primary.

 

[Razako]

Here's 15KV/300mA
YouTube - Monster NST arcs

 

[GoRdOn_B]

this is the very reason in love the diy crowd

 

[GBD]

Here's 15KV/300mA
YouTube - Monster NST arcs

If you ever feel like it, unpot the tar from one of your NSTs.
After that yank out all of the shunts inside, and put the tranny under mineral oil.

Ive done this ages ago and pushed out ~200mA from just one NST. (originally a 30ma)

 

[Razako]

If you ever feel like it, unpot the tar from one of your NSTs.
After that yank out all of the shunts inside, and put the tranny under mineral oil.

Ive done this ages ago and pushed out ~200mA from just one NST. (originally a 30ma)

Sounds interesting. I even have a 5 gallon drum of mineral oil.

 

[GBD]

Yes, but mineral oil is a must, not so much for insulation, but for dissapating the heat.

Those shunts are in place to limit the current of the NST via leakage induction, so more or less an intentional flaw in the magnetic field that wastes the field as heat.

Removing all of those little shunts will release your transformer's full potential, but will also cause it to heat up as it was never designed to run de-shunted.