TeslaHero, a million volt guitar

[madsci1016]

I'll make this quick. Watch video, check blog post.

Tesla Hero, An Awesome Million Volt Guitar

http://www.billporter.info/tesla-hero-an-awesome-million-volt-guitar/

That is all.

[Ro-Bot-X]

Cool, Bill! I guess you have played more with science than with the guitar, but you made it! Cheers!

[Joker94]

Nice job Madsci, great idea for control!

and congrats on the hackady appearance!'

Cheers

Joker94

[madsci1016]

WOOT!!!

I won a WIRED contest with this video

http://wiredinsider.tumblr.com/post/6496464550/announcing-the-wired-maker

Prizes including a Makerbot Thing-o-matic!

[Conscripted]

WOOT!!!

I won a WIRED contest with this video

http://wiredinsider.tumblr.com/post/6496464550/announcing-the-wired-maker

Prizes including a Makerbot Thing-o-matic!

Nice!!

[Aberg098]

Congrats!

[madsci1016]

Hey guys, check this out if you haven't already:

http://www.societyofrobots.com/robotforum/index.php?topic=13984.0

[macdad-]

Hey madsci, what'd you use for the driving circuitry on the tesla coil, 555 inverter, Boost Converter? As me and some of my friends have been working on our musical tesla coil and we've settled with a ZVS driver(Looks pretty sweet) but want your opinion.

Oh and awesome-sauce guitar btw   

[madsci1016]

My coil is actually a $300 kit from Eastern Voltage Research. It is a very powerful Dual Resonant coil capable of 20-30" sparks, which is unheard of for such a small design. The secondary is only 11" tall!!!

It's driver is simple is some regards and complex in others.

It is self tuning, the driver circuitry applies a step response and measures the coils resonant frequency with a current sensor and turns around and drives it at it's natural resonance no matter what it is.

The actual power circuit is a simple DC voltage doubler from the 120V AC mains to create 340V DC.  Then two IGBTs turn the DC back into AC to drive the primary. It's scary, system is pumping 340V DC @ 350 Amps (!!!!) into the primary coil.  But only for 100 uS at a frequency of 60 - 100 Hz.

Downside is it doesn't have a great frequency range without risking burnout and it's only monophonic. You need a much bigger non-DR coil to do polyphonic.

This is my only experience with these new fancy digital coils. Not like the old analog beer bottle coils I built in high school.   

[macdad-]

I think I'm more scared of the digital ones 

Thanks that sounds pretty simple, minus the current sensing circuitry 

[madsci1016]

I think I'm more scared of the digital ones 

Lol, so was I, which is why I ponied up the $300 for the pre-designed kit. Not really a bad price when you take into account it has almost everything you need to make a complete coil.