Making a 20kV cable

[dexters_lab]

I was just making up a replacement output cable for a 20kV power supply and wanted to run this past those with more knowledge than me

the connector (brandenburg type 37) that plugs into the output of the power supply originally had a wire insulated with polyethylene of about 2mm thickness, but i could not find anything similar online and the size of the hole on the plug is only just over 4mm so i wasn't able to use automotive silicone ignition cable as it's normally about 8mm

So i bought some 600v PTFE coated wire and slipped that inside a PTFE tube with a 2mm wall thickness (see pic)

anyone see any issue with this method?

[CM800]

well for a start that's 600V wire, not 20,000V wire....

[mikeselectricstuff]

Coax with the shield stripped off is a propular choice. Neon sign cable or non-resistive car ignition cable is another readily available ( in sub-reel qtys)  option

[Wirehead]

Spark plug cable might not be good - some have a resistive wire in them. Check before using 

[N2IXK]

If you only need a short length, steal the anode wire from a junked CRT TV set.

[TimFox]

You don't want an air gap in the middle of the insulation for high-voltage applications, such as between your PTFE wire insulation and the tubing.  In grad school, I used both Belden 8868 and 8869.  See:  http://www.belden.com/pdfs/03Belden_Master_Catalog/03HookUp_Lead_Wire/03.22.pdf
Note the conductive plastic layer over the stranded conductor, to smooth out the E field in the insulation.

[calexanian]

http://www.ebay.com/bhp/high-voltage-wire

There you go. Looks perfect to me!

[sarepairman2]

I would not make a home made HV cable without serious thought.

Don't skimp out on safety with high energy. And maybe pay a bit extra and get HV cable from digikey. I would not mind buying bus bars on eBay, but I think I would want supply chain trace-ability for all my high voltage flexible things. Hard plastic is one thing, flexible is another.

I mean, electronics is a safe hobby unless you are really careless or deal with shit like high voltage. You are like fucking Thor with this shit, just spend the extra 10-30%.

http://www.newark.com/pomona/6733-2/test-lead-wire-50ft-18awg-copper/dp/63H2515?CMP=KNC-GUSA-GEN-SHOPPING-NEW-POMONA&ad=81605889141&gclid=CPn5t_uTpssCFQcUHwodnZQNXw

A distributor like digikey or such will probobly care for their wire well, they know the ramifications.. plus they need to not make the company their selling for look bad, so they care a bit (especially considering how cutthroat it is to be a distributor).

Guys on ebay might be selling stuff thats been exposed to excessive moisture,  misrated, exposed to chemicals,  etc etc.

I would not buy any protective stuff on ebay like fuses, movs, circuit breakers, etc. If you are going to spend the money on that shit at least have peace of mind. A large company won't hesitate to throw out thousands of dollars of stuff if its defective because they care about reputation.

[dexters_lab]

thanks for all the info guys, i knew what i had done wasn't great but's it's just for a quick test with a dummy load i'm putting together.

If the power supply checks out ok invest in some Belden 8868 and swap it over, there seems to be a couple of people in the USA selling it on ebay.

 

[Arjan Emm]

I've had really good results with good quality coax cable. Used it up to 35 kvac without having it breaking down. I usually keep the shield on, strip it back 15 cm orso and connect it to ground for safety. If you need higher voltages you should look into x-ray gear cabling. Usually coax upto 100 kv and more but rated a couple to 10's of amps.  Other 100kv cables get you in the distribution network ...

[ROBOT]

Sort of on this topic. Does anyone know where I can get a high strand count 3kV hookup wire in 22 or 24awg? The OD of the insulation needs to be as small as possible. The most I can find is 1kV.