Miniature Vacuum Tube Tesla Coil
I discovered I could make a very simple source of very
strong RF energy at around 30MHz that is capable of lighting neon bulbs and
fluorescent tubes, all from a short distance. The really cool thing about it, is
that it uses subminiature "pencil" tubes, and a camera flash for the
B+ supply. You don't need many turns on the secondary, just a few to step the
voltage up slightly and provide proper feedback to the grid.
You can start out by winding your secondary coil, I used 24AWG wire for my
secondary, and a "D" battery as the coil form. Wind about 30 or more
turns in a nice smooth row with no overlapping turns. After you have it
all wound up on the battery, put a layer of electrical tape over the whole thing
to hold it together, then CAREFULLY slip it off of the battery. You may want to
reinforce it further by winding more tape on the outside of it, but its your
choice.
Click on images to enlarge
