Russian Slayer Exciter 2.0 Tesla Coil

In this instructable I will share my build of a small SSTC Tesla Coil.
There is a video on YouTube that inspired me:

Although that looks very cool, my main question was: "Really? And Can I build it?"

So I dive right in and designed a PCB along the way. That way it's easier to reproduce and a little bit safer to build. However,

Be warned! This is high voltage. Touching any part of the circuit or even the output of the coil CAN KILL YOU. Rebuild and use at your own risk…

You will need the following components:
PCB is available here:

Buy PCB at Tindie

or

Buy it directly from PCBway

Parts to populate the PCB:

Capacitors
2 pieces 1U /400V Partnumber C352S105K64C322 LCSC-ordernumber C497219
1 Piece 22U /450V Partnumber LCSC-ordernumber C10737

Diodes
3 Pieces 1N5408G LCSC-ordernumber C133247
1 Piece 1.5KE440A LCSC-ordernumber C32473 1 Piece 1.5KE15A LCSC-ordernumber C434999
1 Piece VS-HFA08TB60-M3 LCSC-ordernumber C468157

Resisters
3 Pieces 10K 2W LCSC-ordernumber C714419
1 Piece 1.5K 3W LCSC-ordernumber C176600
2 Pieces 10E 15W LCSC-ordernumber C216391

Heatsinks
2 Pieces SK104 HEAT SINK bez SK104-PAD 2 Optional
1 Piece HS1 Fischer_SK409 HEATSINK_FISCHER_SK409_SOLDERPINS

Transister/ Thyrister
1 Piece BT152-800 LCSC-ordernumber C696677
1 Piece IRFP460PBF C2595

F1 Fuse-5x20mm FUSE-HOLDER-5X20MM --> Use fuse clips only!
And Fuse 4A

Connectors
6 Pieces MKDSN1.5/2-5.08 CONN-TH_2P-P5.08_1714984 LCSC-ordernumber C91153
1 Piece MKDSN1.5/3-5.08 CONN-TH_3P-P5.08_1729131 LCSC-ordernumber C91154

Misc.
Potmeter 22K Make sure it has a plastic dial, not Metal!
2 power switches to operate the inductive loads 4 ballast transformers (fluorescent light transformers) I used Tridonic EC30 C502K
And you'll need a power cord to connect the circuit to your outlet.
I would recommend using a isolation transformer for safety.

Secondairy coil
Isolated copper wire AWG 32 (0.2 mm2)
1000 windings This is approx..25m total length
PVC Pipe 90mm diameter Length 30cm Isolation varnish - Make sure to apply a thick layer of varnish to increase electric isolation

Primairy coil
Thick isolated wire AWG 14 (approx. 2 mm2) 4 windings
PVC Pipe 120mm diameter Length 30cm

Disclaimer:
I, Mark Donners, The Electronics Engineer, may or may not endorse various Do-It-Yourself (DIY) projects and all DIY projects are purely “at your own risk”. As with any DIY project, unfamiliarity with the tools and process can be dangerous. Posts should be construed as theoretical advice only.

If you are at all uncomfortable or inexperienced working on these projects (especially but not limited to electronics and mechanical), please reconsider doing the job yourself. It is very possible on any DIY project to damage belongings or void your property insurance, create a hazardous condition, or harm or even kill yourself or others.

I will not be held responsible for any injury due to the misuse or misunderstanding of any DIY project.

By using the information provided by me, (Website,Youtube, facebook and other social media), you agree to indemnify me, affiliates, subsidiaries and their related companies for any and all claims, damages, losses and causes of action arising out of your breach or alleged breach of this agreement(disclaimer).

The materials on this site are distributed “as is” and appear on the site without express or implied warranties of any kind, except those required by the relevant legislation. In particular I make no warranty as to the accuracy, quality, completeness or applicability of the information provided.

The information provided is for entertainment and promotional purposes only. You may not rely on any information and opinions expressed in it for any other purpose.

Disclaimer short version:
This is a DIY project, use any provided information and/or materials at your own risk! I am not responsible for what you do with it! Make sure that you know what you are doing! High voltage can kill!

The circuit of this "Russian Slayer Exciter" has some similarities with a standard Slayer exciter circuit.
It uses a FET as switching device for the Tesla coil and it 'rides' on the inductive power of a few Ballast coils that are normally used for fluorescent lights. A thyristor is used to set the trigger level to determine how often the ballast coils are loaded with energy.

A potentiometer is used to change this trigger level. By changing the resister value of the potentiometer by turning it's dial, the pulse rate can be adjusted. There is one major disadvantage to this methode.

NEVER TOUCH the open end of the coil ( any any part of the circuit for that matter) depending on how it is wired, you could be touching the power line of your outlet directly.!This is a typical "Watch but don't Touch" kind of coil. The pcb is available at Tindie.com:

https://www.tindie.com/products/21237/

Secondairy coil
As you can see in the photo, the secondary coil has a diameter of approx. 90mm and I applied approximately 1000 windings of 32AWG isolated copper wire.
Make sure that you apply enough isolated varnish after winding the coil to isolate it properly.
Also, the beginning of the winding should be as short as possible in regards to connection terminal.Same goes for the output end. You should prevent unnecessary length of wire 'hanging' around in the inside of the coil because this might cause a flash-over later.

Primary Coil
The primary coil is made up of 4 windings in the range of awg12 ( approx 2mm2 or similar). Wind them around a piece of PVC pipe with a diameter of 12 cm.( a bit smaller or wider will also work). Make sure the wire is isolated because this is the high power end!

Wiring of the Primary Coil.
Keep in mind that if you see only little sparks when all is assembled and you're doing a test run, that the polarity of the primary coil plays a major part in being successful. Changing the polarity might make all the difference. Trail and error.

Connecting the parts.

When you have assembled the PCB and finished winding the Primary and secondary coil, it is time to hook it all up. -

• Connect the Ballast coils 2 pairs (each pair consists of 2 ballast coils in parallel)
• Hook up the 2 switches to operate the coils
• connect the potmeter if you haven't done so already
• connect the primary and secondary coils
• place the primary coil over the secondary coil
• Connect the mains but don't plug it in just yet!

Ok, so everything is ready right?
a few last notes:
Make sure the secondary coil has a breakout point. This can by a nail or piece of hard wire that point up in the air towards the ceiling. If you leave it out, a breakout of sparks might happen at the top of your coil which is something you don't want for sure!
Did u double check your circuit board and connections?
If you have an isolation transformer or Variac trafo etc, this might be a good time to use it.

Remember, sparks or no sparks, When it's plugged in to the net. NEVER touch the circuit, the heat sinks, or the output of the coil!.Always unplug your setup from mains! Always!! Remember the one hand rule: "I've got one hand in my pocket...and the other is touching electricity...." That way you will decrease the change of current going trough your heart when you are unfortunate to electrocute yourself.

Now Fire it up!!
Did you get the same nice long sparks is seen in my video?

Check out my two video's:

Long version with explanation:

Short Video: