How to Make High Voltage Circuit

First off: High voltage doesn't always mean high power, BUT that doesn't mean it isn't dangerous to play with high voltage. This is made for educational purposes only.

SAFETY FIRST:

1. ALWAYS wear protective clothing: Gloves, Gloves, Gloves are required before you deal with high voltage. Gloves are your bodies first line of defense against electric current. They are great electric insulators.

2. NEVER use or even stand around live high voltage circuits if you are sweating: Electricity loves "the path of least resistance." That path is you, if you are sweating. Our sweat contains salts in the form of free flowing ions. This means your sweat is a great conductor of electricity. When you're sweating, it creates a nice path for electrons to shoot through your body. Why did I say "...or even stand around high voltage...?" well, because with high voltage comes its friend the electric field. Have you ever seen that demonstration of a Tesla coil lighting up a florescent light bulb with out even touching it. That's what is happening in your body if you're sweating and have a strong electric field(which is usually a byproduct of high voltage) surrounding you, just without the light show. And you probably won't even feel it.

3.ALWAYS use common sense: You have a brain, use it. Although there is not much common about high voltage, an understanding of electricity is required to make this circuit.

Now for the fun part:

Bill of Material:

Item                            quantity
9volt batteries               3
50ohm resistors            10    (or equivalent, see circuit and instructions)
Flyback transformer      1
Insulated wire
High power fast switching transistor (like 13009)

Instructions:

Configure your components like shown below. Take note of the Base, Collector, Emitter connections for the transistor. Your PSV is power supply voltage. Connect your 9 volt batteries in series to get 27 volts for this(you can also use 2 12 volt batteries, not car batteries.) If you are using a flyback transformer, you need to wind the primary and feedback coils, and the ratio of windings should be 5:1. That is, you should have about 5 feedback windings and 25 primary windings. Most flybacks will have a ferrite or metal piece sticking out the side. That's where you wind your coils. The secondary coil is already wound in a flyback transformer.

The value of R1 and R2 really depends on the power supply voltage and its natural resistance in order to get maximum power and efficiency out of the system. Assuming you are using 3x  9 volt batteries, then your PSV should be 27 volts, and your R1 should equal 360 ohms and your R2 should equal 72 ohms. Don't worry if you cant get exactly 72 ohms, just get close to it. If you are using 2x  12 volt batteries then R1 should be 300 ohms and R1 should be 60 ohms. Be mindful of your ratio of turns in the primary and feedback coils, because if the ratio is not 5:1 then the values of R1 and R2 will be wrong and it might not work efficiently or you could destroy your transistor. If you plan on using a smaller value for the power supply voltage just post a comment on this page and I'll respond with the correct values for R1 and R2.

Don't forget to use a heat sink for your transistor. Otherwise it will over heat and break.

High Voltage Circuit

Notes: believe it or not, the safest state for this circuit when operating is when the arc is produced at the secondary winding electrodes. This is because, at the moment when current begins to flow across the electrodes, the voltage across the electrodes drops significantly.

Also: You should probably have a switch near your battery just to make it easier on you when handling the circuit.

Expected voltage out of secondary coil should be 20,000 to 60,000 volts, depending on the type of flyback you are using.

This circuit would be great for powering a very small space propulsion system. It won't be that powerful at all, so don't expect to strap on an RC plane and take off. And if you are using it for an electromagnetic propulsion system them you will need to smooth out the secondary current and give it polarity.

If it's not working try switching the connections of the feedback coil. As in take the base transistor connection and connect it between the R1 and R2 resistors and vise versa.

Be professional and safe.