Naked Science Forum

On the Lighter Side => Science Experiments => Topic started by: kashish0711 on 18/03/2009 16:16:25

Title: Help with Tesla Coil Capacitor Plzzzz!! : (
Post by: kashish0711 on 18/03/2009 16:16:25

Hi friends
I am an electrical engg student
I was building a Tesla coil as the college project for this sem
I need help with the capacitor

I made bottle cap but I feel that's too bulky

I wanted to make a MMC capacitor bank which rates like 12000 V at least
but I have no experience in working with capacitors, Ill have the guidance of my teachers while making them but I have to find how to make it by my own.

I bought 10 ceramic insulators with rating 8.2 nF and 2000 volts

(https://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi40.tinypic.com%2F11ilocz.png&hash=099253096991ca83fad3c1aeedc58bb0)

are they good enough for the bank???

and I want to know how to add resistors I mean of what rating and what no. etc.


plss help me guys

I will be very thankful to you

Thanks again

good day
kashish malhotra

Title: Help with Tesla Coil Capacitor Plzzzz!! : (
Post by: daveshorts on 19/03/2009 11:14:31

If you put capacitors in series then the voltage across each one is reduced so you can use lower voltage capacitors, but the total capacitance is also reduced.

Their capacitace adds like resistors in parallel

so
1/Ctot = 1/C1  + 1/C2

so two identical capacitors in series will have half their original capacitance.

If the capacitors are specified for 2000V and are happy working in the kHz regime then I don't see why they shouldn't work. But you may find that you need to put several strings of them in parallel to get enough capacitance.

The other thing that you will have to watch for is arcing between the leads of the capacitors at high voltages.