RPI (zero) Tesla Coil Controller

This years Royal institute Christmas lectures including the PiZero Twin tesla coils are available to watch (in the UK) at https://t.co/1H3bK6CH4R

Should be available via http://www.rigb.org/christmas-lectures/supercharged-fuelling-the-future/about-supercharged-fuelling-the-future at some time in the future

Details of the recording via Extreme Electronics web site.

Very honored to be invited to the Royal Institution to demo these tesla coils at the Christmas Lectures (to be screened boxing day BBC4 20:00 in the UK or via http://www.rigb.org/christmas-lectures after Boxing day)

A behind the scenes tour from Matt Parker catches some of the demo about 2 mins in.

I took the coils to the Cambridge teslathon 2016 and as there is less pressure there to not blow up the coils, I let them run at the highest power yet.

Even after runs like these the IGBT's remained cool. Unfortunately, I could see the start of corona from the primaries, a good sign that it is near the max power.

Derby Mini maker fair. Took the PI Zero twin. Entertained the crowds for a solid day with no issues. I must admit I was conservative with the power. Very well received, loads of interest.

Realising that if I was going to be moving this project around a single acrylic base with all of the "live" components on was not such a good idea I have created an acrylic box from 6mm acrylic from a recovered sign.

You can see this case in use in the following Demonstrations of the PIZero Teslacoil

OK, so its OSHPark's Fault. You get three boards.

I got my prototype up and running had had a couple spare. As Its I2C from the PI to the controller, It was easy to set a different address and run two controllers on the buss.

Here is the result running at the Notts Gaussfest 2016 running at low power due to no heat-sinks.

I now have the heat sinks, just need a box (as most of it is live and open to fingers :(

First test

Not bad :)