Simplest Solid State Tesla Switch!

[sucahyo]

Thanks for the explanation, I will learn how it work.

[lanenal]

simulation with transformer

I am copying also the .asc model file for my latest transformer version. Just copy and past into a text editor and save as "TeslaSwitch.asc". Hopefully this will work. My simulation result is attached. You can get LTspice free.

Version 4
SHEET 1 1188 824
WIRE 304 -64 -16 -64
WIRE 704 -64 384 -64
WIRE 16 0 16 -32
WIRE 16 0 -16 0
WIRE 112 0 112 -32
WIRE 176 0 112 0
WIRE 304 0 176 0
WIRE 512 0 384 0
WIRE 576 0 576 -32
WIRE 576 0 512 0
WIRE 672 0 672 -32
WIRE 704 0 672 0
WIRE -16 16 -16 0
WIRE 16 16 16 0
WIRE 128 16 96 16
WIRE 176 16 176 0
WIRE 304 16 304 0
WIRE 384 16 384 0
WIRE 512 16 512 0
WIRE 592 16 560 16
WIRE 672 16 672 0
WIRE 704 16 704 0
WIRE 128 32 128 16
WIRE 560 32 560 16
WIRE 128 48 128 32
WIRE 560 48 560 32
WIRE 112 96 112 0
WIRE 112 96 96 96
WIRE 576 96 576 0
WIRE 592 96 576 96
WIRE -16 112 -16 96
WIRE 176 112 -16 112
WIRE 272 112 272 80
WIRE 304 112 304 96
WIRE 304 112 272 112
WIRE 384 112 384 96
WIRE 416 112 416 80
WIRE 416 112 384 112
WIRE 704 112 704 96
WIRE 704 112 512 112
WIRE 304 128 304 112
WIRE 384 128 384 112
WIRE 208 160 192 80
WIRE 256 160 208 160
WIRE 272 160 256 160
WIRE 432 160 416 160
WIRE 480 160 496 80
WIRE 480 160 432 160
WIRE 48 176 16 176
WIRE 336 176 48 176
WIRE 384 176 336 176
WIRE 16 224 16 176
WIRE 480 224 480 192
WIRE 560 224 480 224
WIRE 48 240 48 176
WIRE 64 240 48 240
WIRE 560 240 560 224
WIRE 672 240 672 192
WIRE 64 304 16 304
WIRE 288 304 176 304
WIRE 480 304 416 304
WIRE 560 304 480 304
WIRE 592 304 560 304
WIRE 704 304 672 304
WIRE 368 368 288 368
WIRE 64 384 64 368
WIRE 64 384 16 384
WIRE 176 384 176 304
WIRE 176 384 64 384
WIRE 336 432 336 176
WIRE 336 432 288 432
WIRE 480 432 480 384
WIRE 480 432 336 432
FLAG 304 128 0
FLAG 384 256 0
FLAG 16 448 0
FLAG 288 240 0
FLAG 480 192 0
FLAG 368 368 TP
FLAG 704 304 TP
FLAG 672 192 0
FLAG 416 304 Vref
FLAG 16 16 Left
FLAG 384 128 0
FLAG 672 16 Right
FLAG 128 48 Glu
FLAG 560 48 Gru
FLAG 416 160 Grd
FLAG 272 160 Gld
SYMBOL voltage 304 0 R0
WINDOW 123 0 0 Left 0
WINDOW 39 -94 14 Left 0
WINDOW 0 -30 -15 Left 0
WINDOW 3 2 7 Left 0
SYMATTR SpiceLine Rser=.2
SYMATTR InstName V1
SYMATTR Value 12
SYMBOL voltage -16 0 R0
WINDOW 123 0 0 Left 0
WINDOW 39 -33 132 Left 0
WINDOW 0 -33 102 Left 0
WINDOW 3 3 101 Left 0
SYMATTR SpiceLine Rser=.2
SYMATTR InstName V2
SYMATTR Value 12
SYMBOL voltage 384 160 R0
WINDOW 123 0 0 Left 0
WINDOW 39 -7 -5 Left 0
WINDOW 0 37 34 Left 0
WINDOW 3 34 62 Left 0
SYMATTR InstName V6
SYMATTR Value 12
SYMBOL pmos 128 112 M180
WINDOW 0 23 158 Left 0
WINDOW 3 2 130 Left 0
SYMATTR InstName M1
SYMATTR Value AO6407
SYMBOL nmos 16 16 R270
WINDOW 0 96 37 VRight 0
WINDOW 3 67 19 VRight 0
SYMATTR InstName M2
SYMATTR Value AO6408
SYMBOL nmos 176 160 R270
WINDOW 0 3 -63 VRight 0
WINDOW 3 26 -88 VRight 0
SYMATTR InstName M3
SYMATTR Value AO6408
SYMBOL Misc\\NE555 176 336 M0
SYMATTR InstName U1
SYMBOL res 32 208 M0
SYMATTR InstName R5
SYMATTR Value 1k
SYMBOL res 32 288 M0
SYMATTR InstName R7
SYMATTR Value 50k
SYMBOL cap 32 384 M0
WINDOW 0 46 36 Left 0
WINDOW 3 40 62 Left 0
SYMATTR InstName C1
SYMATTR Value .1u
SYMBOL res 464 208 R0
SYMATTR InstName R8
SYMATTR Value 1k
SYMBOL res 464 288 R0
SYMATTR InstName R9
SYMATTR Value 1k
SYMBOL ind2 688 288 R90
WINDOW 0 5 56 VBottom 0
WINDOW 3 32 56 VTop 0
SYMATTR InstName L1
SYMATTR Value {G}
SYMATTR SpiceLine Rser=4
SYMATTR Type ind
SYMBOL cap 544 240 R0
WINDOW 0 37 30 Left 0
WINDOW 3 24 -3 Left 0
SYMATTR InstName C2
SYMATTR Value 500u
SYMBOL cap 656 240 R0
WINDOW 3 22 -25 Left 0
SYMATTR Value 900p
SYMATTR InstName C3
SYMBOL cap -32 -64 R0
WINDOW 0 21 14 Left 0
WINDOW 3 5 -19 Left 0
SYMATTR InstName C5
SYMATTR Value 100u
SYMATTR SpiceLine Rser=0.1
SYMBOL ind 400 -80 R90
WINDOW 0 5 56 VBottom 0
WINDOW 3 32 56 VTop 0
SYMATTR InstName Load
SYMATTR Value 100m
SYMATTR SpiceLine Rser=9
SYMBOL ind2 176 96 R270
WINDOW 0 33 34 VTop 0
WINDOW 3 63 75 VBottom 0
SYMATTR InstName L2
SYMATTR Value {G}
SYMATTR Type ind
SYMBOL ind2 112 0 M0
SYMATTR InstName L3
SYMATTR Value {G}
SYMATTR Type ind
SYMATTR SpiceLine Rser=4 Cpar=5u
SYMBOL voltage 384 0 M0
WINDOW 123 0 0 Left 0
WINDOW 39 -94 14 Left 0
WINDOW 0 -30 -15 Left 0
WINDOW 3 2 7 Left 0
SYMATTR SpiceLine Rser=.2
SYMATTR InstName V3
SYMATTR Value 12
SYMBOL voltage 704 0 M0
WINDOW 123 0 0 Left 0
WINDOW 39 -33 132 Left 0
WINDOW 0 -33 102 Left 0
WINDOW 3 3 101 Left 0
SYMATTR SpiceLine Rser=.2
SYMATTR InstName V4
SYMATTR Value 12
SYMBOL pmos 560 112 R180
WINDOW 0 23 158 Left 0
WINDOW 3 2 130 Left 0
SYMATTR InstName M4
SYMATTR Value AO6407
SYMBOL nmos 672 16 M270
WINDOW 0 96 37 VRight 0
WINDOW 3 67 19 VRight 0
SYMATTR InstName M5
SYMATTR Value AO6408
SYMBOL nmos 512 160 M270
WINDOW 0 1 -73 VRight 0
WINDOW 3 26 -88 VRight 0
SYMATTR InstName M6
SYMATTR Value AO6408
SYMBOL cap 720 -64 M0
WINDOW 0 21 14 Left 0
WINDOW 3 5 -19 Left 0
SYMATTR InstName C4
SYMATTR Value 100u
SYMATTR SpiceLine Rser=0.1
SYMBOL ind2 400 96 R270
WINDOW 0 33 34 VTop 0
WINDOW 3 63 75 VBottom 0
SYMATTR InstName L4
SYMATTR Value {G}
SYMATTR Type ind
SYMBOL ind2 576 112 M180
WINDOW 0 36 80 Left 0
WINDOW 3 36 40 Left 0
SYMATTR InstName L5
SYMATTR Value {G}
SYMATTR Type ind
SYMATTR SpiceLine Rser=4 Cpar=5u
TEXT 536 440 Left 0 !.tran 0 .1 0 .0001
TEXT 32 480 Left 0 ;Simple Solid-State Tesla Switch, by lanenal, Feb. 10, 2009
TEXT 560 368 Left 0 !.param G 50m
TEXT 504 408 Left 0 !K1 L1 L2 L3 L4 L5 1

[Xenomorph]

@Lanenal: Thanks!

For anyone who wants to try this and cant get it to work.
The micro-character got lost in the ASCII copy-paste process.

SYMATTR InstName C1
SYMATTR Value .1?

You have to replace the

?

with the micro-character in LTspice.
That is for all capacitors in the microfarad range.

[lanenal]

Thanks for pointing that out, Xenomorph. It turns out that can be replaced by 'u'.
I corrected that in my post already, should have no problem anymore.
In that version I also added a few labels to points of interest for measuring voltages.

@Lanenal: Thanks!

For anyone who wants to try this and cant get it to work.
The micro-character got lost in the ASCII copy-paste process.



You have to replace the with the micro-character in LTspice.
That is for all capacitors in the microfarad range.

[Xenomorph]

Nice one.
Hehe i have been silly, i ran the simulation for a while with a battery voltage of 10 V to see if LTspice can simulate a cold charge, but "surprisingly" the battery voltage stayed constant. Maybe in version 5

[Rectified]

Simplest Solid State Tesla Switch!

Hi lanenal

Please don’t take this the wrong way. You ARE off to a great start, however time is a problem for many doing research and can get frustrating when a title or claims are made intentionally to draw others in, to see, something that may not be quit ready. The internet is becoming difficult to spend time researching to find data that is valid and advanced when claims are made that don’t live up to expectations. As you progress with your studies you will find many circuits people thing are new, yet have been around for years. It’s common for beginners with less experience to think their ideas are new. Countless circuits reappear with a new name and others start to build them thinking it’s a new discovery and will do so much for mankind. As you learn more of the basics, you will find how similar one design is to another and many ways to improve them. Later, you will be disappointed to find someone had already been there done that long ago. For example, there’s another circuit that keeps reappearing through the years now being called the Joule Thief. At least 50 years ago I played with the same circuit that used a mechanical switch instead of a transistor. Back then I called it my T.O. Shock Machine, It was made with parts from an old Model –T coil and a vibrator out of dads car radio ( took him weeks to find out why his radio didn’t work ). I thought I discover something new when I could light up a string of neon bulbs off of a small battery. Wired it to the front door to surprise my sister when she came home, I didn’t expect my dad to come home first with both arms full of grocery’s, what a mess. I couldn’t sit down for day’s.
I learned to spend lease time playing and more time studying when my uncle who worked for Bell telephone labs told me about a switch they had discovered in the lab that would replace the vibrator I used. The transistor was invented by Bell labs. Once you learn the basics Study, study, and than study a little more through the basics you will find ways to improve upon a design or if a totally different approach would be worth pursuing. Tesla’s inventions came AFTER many years of learning from all he could study from many others first. Don’t expect any simulator to give you the same results once you build the circuit. There are very expensive simulators that are better but never 100 percent. Many designs might work at first but are doomed to fail at some point when a design is untested and fails to incorporate standard built in safety precautions to prevent major parts from breakdown. Runaway conditions and other problems often can easily be prevented with the addition of a cap, resistor, diode etc. to prevent failures. I’ve made a living for more then 50 + years repairing and modifying poorly design circuits that engineers often over look or manufactures remove from a good design to save a few pennies. Your design has potential however is very similar to others I’ve seen. National Semiconductor and other part data sheets for example, provide good reference information very close to what you are proposing. You will see how complex matching a transformers core and windings to a circuit can be and is beyond many here, In fact, from experience I have seen many devices on the market often fail needlessly from lack of proper design. Most Simulators are useful for learning however have a long way to go to deal with the endless possibilities and problems of the actual circuit’s design. If you build your circuit and I hope you will continue on with it, you will see for yourself how difficult designing just the transformer will be for your design without trial and error. I can’t wait to see how your design progresses. With your high scores in Physics and with a little mathematics the challenge will be easier for you to achieve than many others. Please consider what I like to call the “WHAT IF” principle to include some unforeseen limitations that spikes, load variances etc. your design might encounter. The claim you made for your circuit, all though well intended, will be less offensive to some, once you perfect the circuit you propose. Your design shows you spent some time and is well thought out and headed in the right direction just a little rough around the edges. God bless And good luck with your study’s don’t give up.

Rectified

[Xenomorph]

when a title or claims are made intentionally to draw others in

when claims are made that don’t live up to expectations

The claim you made for your circuit, all though well intended, will be less offensive to some, once you perfect the circuit you propose

A few words of encouragement and the prevision of many problems with that circuit. Nice gesture.
And i’d really like to know WHERE HAS LANENAL EVER MADE ANY CLAIMS PEOPLE ???

Point out the specific post please ! Do not project something that is not there.
He has only stated that he works on the simulation of a simplified Tesla switch, not more not less.
Compared to previous Tesla switch circuits (Bedini/Brand) this is indeed simpler.

And i agree realizing this in the real world takes a lot of try and error. But if someone has nothing better to do, then why not.

[lanenal]

Hi Rectified:

Why not think in a more positive light? Since everybody is limited in one way or another, but everybody also has some unique gift, so how about some cooperation through the Internet, some kind of adventure that everybody participates, and once we reach the destination, what we found is unselfishly shared with all human kind? Would not that be thrilling?

BTW, one small thing: transistors are usually mistaken to be invented by the Bell labs in 1940's, but way back in 1920's, a Canadian scientist already patented it. For that reason, the patent by Bell labs was later revoked.

[Rectified]

Xenomorph
The statement made by Lanenal himself #25
As for the title, it is meant to attract eyeballs. You won't know exactly what I will say until you actually read the whole post. So please don't judge by the title alone."

Should justify my comment when a title or claims are made intentionally to draw others in ….. My post was addressed to him, not You.

He is a big boy and should be allowed to speak for himself. It was not meant to offend him or his project, and if it did I apologize. It was meant to show a little common curtsy to those who might for example, ask their grandson to go look up a Simple Testla Switch to put together for a science project. Would he Simply be able to do so with the circuit posted under that title? Or would he think he never will be able to understand this stuff, if this is what others call Simple? I would also advise my grandson if he were to put a circuit on the Internet called Simple, that is unproven, without well-defined components to expect a little constructive criticism. I would encourage him to explain first you are just starting and ask those with experience their opinion before saying this is simple or words like the Best way to build something. You will insult the intelligence of those who have studied and worked hard to learn the basics with many years of experience. At a glance they will see what you haven’t learned yet. Take the good with the bad and learn as much as he can from what others offer.
Unfortunately there are those that will jump in with very little understanding of the basics, that would rather look for an argument that prevents myself and my colleagues from giving advice that could be found helpful to many.

Lanenal
In regard to your last statement I couldn’t agree with you more and hope I didn't offend you!!! Your replies to others and I thus fare show you are able to communicate without taking an argumentative posture toward others. At times we can offend others without understanding why. My post was not meant to offend you rather to explain a point of view that many years of first hand experience with help and advice from others has taught me.

As Far as the word TRANSISTOR
I have seen other claims even earlier suggesting they could be considered the first. If I recall, The wording of the transistor, the differences between the earlier devices, materials, methods used become argumentative. Wars are fought over semantics. Bell Labs had developed a device with consistence and that functions more like what we now consider a transistor than earlier devices. Bell Lab scientists are considered the grandfather of transistors by many in the field who recognize the differences between earier devices. How many names has Tesla or Bedini coils had through the years?
I don’t recall the Bell Lab device patient being revoked however would be interested in any data or links you have in regard to revoking the Transistor patent. Not to disagree just would be nice to have for my data base.

Goodluck with your desgn

Rectified

[lanenal]

Rectified: I will build one when I get the skill, time and resource. Probably will also try other simpler projects to get more experiences first. As for the transistor, I just remember I read somewhere recently, and I googled it, but no luck of finding it again. Anyway, here is the link to the scientist I refered to: Lilienfeld. You can also find something about that in wikipedia.

[Aromaz]

About Patent rights

I don’t recall the Bell Lab device patient being revoked however would be interested in any data or links you have in regard to revoking the Transistor patent.

A short essay about patents and their rights. Something few people know or understand.

In each and every country in the world where there is a form of patent rights there is also a time restriction for those patents to be valid. In the case of USA. UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Isreal, Taiwan and South Africa; all underwriting the same patent applications:

In these countries a patent is issed for a period not exceeding 20 years; from the date granted. Even so, there is an initial fee and an periodical fee to maintain such patent. On some items like medicine, the maximum period is often 5 years.

If the periodical maintenance fee (usually every 3 years) are not paid, such patent rights are void from that due date. Further; it is for the owner of the patent to police his rights at his own cost; nobody else can, will or are alowed to do so.

An application for 'International patent" is just that. It allows the applicant some form of protection while his application is under consideration. BUT - he still need to file applications IN EVERY COUNTRY seprately - within 6 months after issue in original country.

Thus an patent issued in the USA but not completed in other countries are not valid in any such country. So if I apply for a patent in USA, it is granted and I then apply for the same in say 20 other counties whom all should approve; then there are still 170+ countries where my patent is non existing; and anybody in such country can in fact copy, produce and make money out of my patent.

A calsical case in our realms is that of John Bedini - with USA patent and only international applications which was valid for 6 months......Thus JLN labs had no restrictions in France to copy, produce, sell any of his work.

Then there are countries like most of South East Asia that requires for any patent holder to actually manufacture their product within the country within 6 months of granting the patent, else such patent is void.

Again here is a good example: Microsoft does not need to produce their packages in more than only USA - it is easy to mass produce and ship anywhere in the world. Yet they have more than 72 production facilities worldwide. Until 2002 MS products were freely copied in Asia; not much could be done; but since they are now actually registering copyrights AND producing the produce in each of these countries, it is more difficult to get illegal copies; and police are getting much more income!

So in short:
To protect your design, you will in effect have to apply for patent in each and every one of 196 countries world wide; and you will have to comply with the restrictions in each of those countries - i.e. local production.

In fact; very few (as in estimated 3%) of all USA patents are registered in more than 10 countries! None in 196 countries! Further, less than 37% of all USA patents are maintained longer than 12 years.

As for Bell and Transistor; I doubt that they were in fact granted a patent. If there was something similar, it would be dated before 1950 - therefore long time expired. One of the conditions for a patent is that is has to be original: Bell Labs was not the original idea of the transistor - actually the transistor dates back to a patent issued to J.E. Lilienfeld in 1925 from Canada. Because that patent was only Canadian, and it anyway expired before 1945 .........

One last thing: Patents are only issued to the actual human beings involved in the original design. Never to a company. Such person can assign the patent to their company/employer - but they remain the patent holder. When they die, their patent rights also die; and even the assignee can not enforce the patent.

[SeaMonkey]

I am copying also the .asc model file for my latest transformer version.

I've just discovered your Simplest Solid State
TS (transformer) circuit diagram.

[Screenshot attached as thumbnail]

Just this afternoon I was 'doodling' with paper
and pencil and came up with a strikingly similar
version! Questions have come up on the
'other thread' regarding a solid state implementation
so we've been collectively working towards a
solution.

With some time to kill I decided to peruse the
forum Index in order to see if there were any other
topics of interest and stumbled into your thread
here.

We agree on the number of MosFets and the
manner in which they must be driven as
'floating' switches. I notice however, that
you've used a mix of P-channel and N-channel
to manage the switching scheme. I've used
all N-channel in my version.

I notice you're using transformer coupling to
drive the MosFet gates. Do you plan on
driving the gates with a single pulse signal
rather than 'complementary' signals devoted
to the two separate 'groups' of MosFets?

I'm unclear on interpreting the construct of
your driver transformer, or transformers.
Are you using several transformers or are
you using a single transformer with multiple
secondary windings? It appears that it is
a single transformer...

What provision do you plan to incorporate for
're-setting' the core magnetism between
drive pulses? Possibly C2 is the means?

Your output line contains the two series
capacitors C4 and C5 (100 uF each) which
apply alternating current to the load.
What is the intended purpose of the
capacitors?



Have you yet constructed the circuit to
evaluate its operation?

By the way, congratulations on arriving at
the simplest circuit configuration! It's a
great mental exercise.