SimpleTesla SSTC, the bluetooth-controlled coil.

[NEYi]

Good day fellows,
I spontaneously realized that maybe I should post some of the hobby projects I'm working at.

The device I'm going to show is a solid state Tesla coil stuffed with relatively advanced electronics to achieve higher functionality and reliability.
Instead of just talking – here are several photos right off the bat. I think the PCB's bottom will work as some sort of an attention attractor:



I'm not used to writing at EEVBlog forum(and actually shocked there are no features like clickable photos or spoilers), so here are external links to more pictures with higher res:
http://simpletesla.ru/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/1.jpg
http://simpletesla.ru/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/7.jpg
http://simpletesla.ru/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/5.jpg
http://simpletesla.ru/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/6.jpg

And quite an old vid with the thing operating(it was a tutorial on how to fix MIDI data corruption in Tesla coils, timestamp is set to live action):


(That looks like a thumbnail ? https://youtu.be/bAf3xOYObd8?t=1m43s)

Ok, now some boring story details.
This project first started at summer 2016, being pretty much your standard SSTC – many people asked me to build one to use in kids science shows. Yeah, that's where most of Tesla coils are used at because of cool lighting effect.
Thought like I'll spend maybe 3 months working on it, make a decent coil and I'll have something I'll be able to assemble whenever somebody asks me to build them an SSTC.
Yeah, 3 months... It turned out classic SSTC construction of IGBT power inverter with some gate drivers and feedback loop has an issue... Of spontaneously exploding without some serious feedback signal analysis and error correction. Of course without solving the explosion problem I couldn't build the thing for anyone except myself shooting cool 2 min videos on Youtube(until IGBTs went kaboom).
So, for several months I've been doing some different work, but from time to time working on SSTC... Which, in roughly a year turned into something that now has an Altera CPLD on board with STM32 micro and has a cool lasercut/milled mechanics...
Don't ask me how, but doing something for year in the evenings makes wonders.
Actually I shared some work with a friend, and had some high voltage experience previously, but anyway.
What I now have is practically a fool-proof solid state Tesla coil with CPLD-based feedback analyser(helps from things like hitting the ground or running the thing without secondary coil attached, or shorting the top terminal anywhere, and spontaneous explosion), with STM32-based MIDI-interrupter that can be controlled from an android-app(actually some of it was written previously, I was selling that interrupter as a separate brd), and a lasercut case that comes together almost okay.

It's 3:30 AM at Ukraine right now, and I'm a 23 y.o. dude living at the parents house – won't be able to make a review vid at the moment, but at least I created a topic, so that's already something.
The stuff I can provide right now is a schematic, for those who were curious: http://simpletesla.ru/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/SSTC.pdf
And an Android control app screenshots: http://simpletesla.ru/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/6006b6.png

So, what do you think... If you're interested in more details – I'll be happy to provide more info on it's operation principles and shoot some vids.
Maybe it'll be a cool Mailbag Monday device some day, eh?

Yeah, in case anybody wondered – no, it does not produce any free energy, if draws something like 2.2 kW operating continuous wave...
Basically it's just a high-tech musical butt zapping machine, something to shoot your enemies with.

With regards, Eugene.

[NEYi]

Yeah, in case anybody wondered – the wooden case has already been replaced with acrylic one.
Lasercut wood, especially covered with stain and lacquer looks cool, but making it is a real pain. Like it takes something around 1.5 weeks while you'll wait for lasercut parts to be made, you'll have to go for them on your bike, then polish them because plywood is quite often has poor quality(like getting a splinter type of quality), then staining and waiting 2 days for it to dry, and the same with lacquer.
And if you'll screw up any of the parts – you have to order them again. You get the idea.
The latest case version looks like this:



Also replaced DIY copper threaded rods with non-magnetic stainless steel bolts.
Can't use regular steel, because primary coil works like an induction heater.
Btw, have a vid on how to make copper rods for applications with high freq. currents.
Made it solely to play with video editing.
https://youtu.be/5ouC1SpeYHY?t=1s

[NEYi]

Uh, in case anybody curious – made a little testing video, with eng. subtitles:
https://youtu.be/3Dz9TnDVm6k

[NEYi]

Uh, made a PCB for a sister-project of this one – mainboard for dual-resonant coil. In case there's anybody curious.
I'm kinda into space, so there's silk with space.





P.S. Uh, why there's no "preview" feature or spoiler in this forum.
Like if you wanna post pictures – they gonna be either huge, or an external link.

[johncohn]

NEYi,
   I really love this design.You've done a fantastic job here.  I do a lot of work with kids.. and love to have a coil with me that I can take on planes, etc. I've had mixed luck with kit designs like OneTesla EasternVoltage because they are not very robost.. eg one ground strike and they're toasted.

Would you be willing to share your design ? What would be needed to get it to run on 110V ?   Let me know if you'd be willing for me to build a clone..
-jc

[NEYi]

Wait. Wow. Somebody replied to this topic.

I've had mixed luck with kit designs like OneTesla EasternVoltage because they are not very robost.. eg one ground strike and they're toasted.

That's actually interesting, didn't know guys like OneTesla or EVR had ground strike issue.
Thought everybody else's designs were refined and 100% reliable... And I'm like the only dude whose coils explode from time to time due to mysterious reasons.

Actually, the main thing I tried to achieve in the last 1.5 years was exactly beating the reliability issues, mostly malfunctions that occurred during the ground strike...
Hopefully, achieving a good reliable functionality – so people could use the things without thinking that they can break them.
The SSTC from the topic was started exactly because I couldn't figure out at the time like what's truly wrong with the DRSSTC design – which kinda worked, but power section explosions still occurred from time to time. Eventually, I managed to beat the the DRSSTC design issues only by this November, making something around 12 major fixes to get what's showed in this video:

https://youtu.be/qsaag5yYI8Y

This DRSSTC strikes earth for almost 20 minutes continuously, while playing high-pitched polyphonic MIDIs.
The board showed above is for exactly this design(called SimpleTesla 3), includes all the fixes that were applied by solder blobs and cut traces previously.

Would you be willing to share your design ? What would be needed to get it to run on 110V ?   Let me know if you'd be willing for me to build a clone.

I have no problem sharing the schematics, describing operation principles or helping others who's trying to build their designs. Actually, got a small forum where I do all these things.
iEugene0x7CA is me, and BSVi is a friend who does most heavy lifting in programming. It's in russian/ukrainian, so mostly a local thing: http://tqfp.org/forum/

Oh, regarding everything else – I can't post firmware for the interrupter and feedback analyzer – there are companies in Russia, and the first thing they gonna do after getting their hands on these is using them in their designs without even mentioning my name. I hope you understand – pretty sure OneTesla also won't publish the firmware for their interrupter.
Anyway, if you're interested in re-creating the design – I can send you flashed chips and a PCB no problem, then guide on crucial moments while you're trying to put everything in place.
-Eugene

[NEYi]

Some dude have asked me in PM like what's the transformer used for TNY278 power supply.
In case others are curious: that's PNY-07006, specially designed for use with PI's SMPS ICs: http://www.premiermag.com/pdf/pny-07006.pdf

They're sold locally here in Ukraine, but couldn't find one on Digikey for some reason.
There was also a shortage of these at some point, so as soon as they came back I bought a whole stockpile for use with current and future projects.

-E

[NEYi]

Finished up the board mentioned above.