High Amps from 3 Volts. Is this an OU circuit?

[Mem]

Such sparks are very misleading, i was producing even larger sparks of same kind when shorting the secondary with not much input in my failed attempt step down Don Smith secondary but lightbulb never lit more than input power.

Don't you have a clamp meter, if frequency is high due to LC oscillation full wave rectify it into a cap and measure the DC.

If there is excess current it may be a second "spark gap" effect or combined effect of two spark gaps, obviously second one is not a spark gap but sudden change of impedance and material. Radiant can pour in at such transition zones.



Hi Nix85,
Thanks for the vast amounts of links on the subject.
In the past, I too experimented quite a bit with Don Smith circuits but as you said, I never was able to get more output than input either. I thought his devices were all fake since I didn't even see any running device video, until years ago I came across two guys who were both oriental, maybe one from Japan and one from Korea they successfully replicated the D Smith device. What was standing out as they both had maybe a dozen HV caps all parallel-connected to L2 to tune the circuit.
That was so clear that unless you tune the circuit (L1 and L2) there is no usable output. I understood that was my problem, I didn't know how to do that. It's not really hard either it's just knowing how to do it.
Well here are a bunch of videos on how to find coil resonance.
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=how+to+find+coil+resonance
But we are talking about two L1 and L2 coils here, not just 1 coil.
I don't have time right now, but later if I find a good tutorial video I share a link.








 

[nix85]

You're welcome. As for successful Don Smith replica you are probably referring to Salty citrus i already shared in my thread "Just another Don Smith thread".

"Saltycitrus is a Chinese guy, that is, a group of people, who replicated Don years ago. More about him/them in PJ Kelly's book."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cni08WjLTcc

Few answers given by Salty (also from PJK's book)

Question: There is nothing to do with quarter-wavelength, but is there anything with the length of the L1 and L2 coils on quarter-wavelength?
Answer: I think that the phase is more important.
Question: Do you need a Phase-Locked Loop circuit with a certain phase difference?
Answer: Basically, I use a fixed frequency, I have tried a Phase-Locked Loop and the effect is the same.
Question: Do you use direct drive with the spark gap only being used to limit voltage?
Answer: You can use a vacuum tube to drive it.
Question: If you drive it directly, then the loading will be very big and the current will increase, whereas if you use a spark gap, then the spark will become smaller and the current will be steady.
Answer: If the load affects the input, then you cannot drive it even with a spark gap. If you trigger with a spark gap, then the load will not increase the input. The spark gap is just a switch.
Question: Is there any direct Lenz relationship between the load and the primary?
Answer: Once the phase has been adjusted, the primary has no adverse effect on the secondary.

Commenting on his circuitry, 'Salty Citrus' states: The diode symbols with a tick indicate a Zener diode (or bidirectional TVS-Transient Voltage Suppressor or "varistor"). For example, in this circuit, they are used to suppress the Grid voltage of the MOSFET, to maintain the gate voltage within the range of +20V to -20V. The above circuit is just a description of the structure of the MOS series method. Specific components will be needed for your own requirements considering the MOSFETs being used in your construction. The voltage E0 can be adjusted. The source can be made using a TL494 IC operating at 12V, or alternatively, an adjustable, voltage-stabilised inverter can be used. The voltage setting depends on the numbers of MOSFETs which are being used in series and the parameters of Grid voltage and the turns ratio of the isolation transformer. The circuit is arranged so that each MOSFET has its own separate isolation transformer, and all of the primary windings of those transformers are connected in series to form a single current path. The number of turns in the primary of each isolation transformer is exactly the same. To drive an IGBT(or MOSFET), VT6 provides a highfrequency pulse current to drive the Gates of the MOSFETs, so as to achieve consistent switching. In my circuit, the frequency used is 220 kHz, for this frequency, I use six MOSFETs type CMF2012 (1200V, 37A, Resistance Drain-to-Source of just 80 milliohms). This MOSFET from CREE has excellent performance, but you have to design the drive circuit carefully, 2V to 22V for the Gate voltage will be best. I particularly stress that it is very important that MOSFETs operated in series, require voltage balancing and an accurate drive. Especially important is having synchronized drive signals and the rise and fall time of the drive signal should be as short as possible, so that the switching time difference between the MOSFETs will be short, and that improves the high frequency operation.

End quote. As for tuning, tuning is not enough, if it was, every Tesla coil would be overunity. I know how to find resonant frequency in at least 3 different ways. I bought Hantek DSO2D15 to do the tuning properly. Main methods is pulsing the coil with dc and then using cursors to measure the frequency of the damped ringing. Another is to use frequency generator (inbuilt in Hantek) and find (sweep) the frequency at which the impedance of the coil is max. One can also place a resistor in series with the coil and then instead of max voltage look for minimum voltage across the resistor. Obviously, max voltage drop across the LC tank means the least voltage drop across the resistor. Obviously one can measure L and C values and calculate but it's never as precise as direct measurement. Etc.

Here are few good videos on tuning

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Euy2U92I8e4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DF6WdTM8s4U

I wrote in my first post in aforementioned thread (and as the guy in most popular video on Tesla coil tuning says as well), when loaded coils change each other's resonant frequency and behavior becomes very complex. They detune each other. Loading the secondary drops the primary resonance 2-3 kilohertz. Sparks on regular Tesla coil lower it even more so they have to take this into account. Where it is placed also greatly affects ordinary Tesla coil resonant frequency. That is why tuning a regular Tesla coils is tedious and many spent countless hours to get it right.

And it depends greatly if coupling is weak (single peak) or hard (multiple peaks), and how fast energy transfers to the secondary aka how long the spark gap stays on.

"1st notch quench"

https://www.richieburnett.co.uk/operatn2.html

But in Don Smith and similar designs where L1 and L2 are close according to this spark gap never really quenches so, according to this website, energy always circulates between primary and secondary what they see as undesirable since conventionally energy is lost in a spark gap (as RF, heat and sound of course), but it may be just the other way around with proper use of spark gap.

In my attempt spark gap definitely did not fire continuously, it was firing intermittently depending on how i 'tuned' it, the input capacitance and voltage etc, approximately 10-20 times a second.

But then again, as Don Said, "spark gap is actually control the level of energy that's passing through there you can do it without the spark gap"

And i agree with Don, spark gaps are messy, noisy and just undesirable, despite the fact they can be a syphon for the radiant. Resonance itself is a syphon, no spark gaps or core air gaps needed. But unless high q coils are involved resonance alone is not enough. As i said if it were every Tesla coil would be overunity which it is not. It all depends on particular device/method.

Below is a photo of my (ex) Hantek and how Don Smith attempted replica coils affect each other in complex way, resonant frequency is clearly seen with prominent circa 14th harmonic.

[lancaIV]

An array,cascading effect,step up :
https://worldwide.espacenet.com/publicationDetails/biblio?DB=EPODOC&II=2&ND=3&adjacent=true&locale=en_EP&FT=D&date=19940318&CC=FR&NR=2695768A3&KC=A3#
Study it !
ccw arrangement AND cw arrangement ! Both in one !
Okay,by calculations controle : error included !
But the importance is about material kind use,Ohm/Siemens(= inverted Ohm),electro-/magneto-static !
Not a need for all steps reproduction,3 steps cascade enough for functionality and C.O.P. work approvement !

wmbr
OCWL

[e2matrix]

I'm fairly certain this is the high voltage module Mem used from eBay:  https://www.ebay.com/itm/304807556729


and these are likely the caps:  https://www.ebay.com/itm/325166790428

[nix85]

Mem you did not reply to don't you have a clamp meter (or a shunt) to measure the current
to compare input/output.