Context

A Tesla coil is an electrical resonant transformer capable of producing high-voltage, low-current, high-frequency alternating-current electricity. Tesla used these circuits to conduct innovative experiments in electrical lighting, X-ray generation, electrotherapy, and wireless energy transmission. Tesla coil circuits were used commercially in spark-gap radio transmitters until the 1920s and in medical equipment such as electrotherapy and violet-ray devices. Today, their primary use is entertainment and educational displays, although small coils are still used as leak detectors for high-vacuum systems.

Engineering Scope

We decided to build a DRSSTC because it is a very good project for bringing different fields together. The topics it involves include basic analog circuitry, basic digital circuitry, PCB design and assembly, power electronics, RF circuits, and more. At the same time, students can gain hands-on experience building mechanical structures, modeling different mechanical parts in 3D, and using 3D printers, which are important and useful engineering skills.

Parameters

• Height: about 1.8 meters (including the base)
• Resonant Frequency: about 49.5 kHz
• Bridge: CM300dy-24h H-bridge

Results

Our DRSSTC can generate a 1.3-meter-long arc under 800 W (80 V, 10 A) input power and is capable of generating music with the help of the music interrupter.