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MAKE A HIGH VOLTAGE SUPPLY IN 5 MINUTES

by Biotele on June 8, 2008 Table of Contents intro: MAKE A HIGH VOLTAGE SUPPLY IN 5 MINUTES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . step 1: Some Info on CFLs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . step 2: Some Info about Flyback Transformers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . step 3: The Finished Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . step 4: Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . step 5: Disclaimer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Related Instructables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Advertisements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Customized Instructable T-shirts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 2 3 3 5 5 6 7 7 7 7

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intro: MAKE A HIGH VOLTAGE SUPPLY IN 5 MINUTES

In this Instructable you will learn how to make a High Voltage High Frequency power supply in 5 minutes and for less than $20. All you need is a compact fluorescent light (CFL) and a flyback transformer. Flyback transformers are found in TVs and CRT monitors. They make the high voltage, high frequency current necessary to trace the electron beam across the screen. They are small and compact, and you can take them out from an old computer monitor or TV. CFLs are very popular high efficiency fluorescent lights. They are similar to their ancestor the fluorescent light tubes but use electronic ballasts instead of the big and heavy ballasts in the old technology. The electronic ballast works by generating high frequency currents that are fed to a tiny high frequency transformer that boost the voltage and run the fluorescent tube. It is the high frequency that makes the assembly compact. The electronic ballast generates less than 1000 volts. But by replacing the fluorescent bulb of the CFL with a flyback transformer, spectacular voltages can be achieved.

Video

Check out my other Instructables: Hack The Spy Ear and Learn to Reverse Engineer a Circuit Super Easy E-mail Encryption Using Gmail, Firefox and Windows Make a Voltage Controlled Resistor and Use It Make a Ball Mill in 5 Minutes Make a Rechargeable Dual Voltage Power Supply for Electronic Projects SODA CAN HYDROGEN GENERATOR

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step 1: Some Info on CFLs

CFLs can come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Generally the bigger the wattage the larger the voltage output. For this Instructable I got a 65 Watts light bulb. Most CFLs have a similar circuit topology. All of them have 4 wires coming out of them. The wires are in pairs, and each pair connects to a filament inside the light bulb. The CFLs I came across have the high voltage on the outer wires. You only need to connect the outer wires to the primary coil of the flyback transformer. You will find a comprehensive description of CFL circuits on this page

Image Notes 1. Replace fluorescent with flyback transformer. 2. feedback transformer, looks like a small ring with wires wrapped around it. 3. Resonant capacitor and inductor, this is what makes the high voltage for light bulb. 4. The transitors in a push pull configuration. This will drive the flyback at high frequency. 5. Rectifier input circuit. Converts AC into DC.

step 2: Some Info about Flyback Transformers

Flyback transformers come in all different shapes and sizes. Pick a big one. The challenge with the flyback transformer is to find 3 pins out of 10 to 20 pins. One pin will be the high voltage ground the other two pins will be that of the primary coil that will connect to the CFL's electronic board. If you can get the schematic of the flyback transformer that will save you time. However you can figure out the pins by following the instructions here. Danger - if you are going to get the flyback from a TV or CRT you need to discharge it. It can hold a dangerous charge even days after the TV or CRT is turned off (see picture for details).

http://www.instructables.com/id/MAKE-A-HIGH-VOLTAGE-SUPPLY-IN-5-MINUTES/

Image Notes 1. Connect a voltmeter to the output of the high voltage secondary coil. Connect the other lead to the battery pack. Connect the battery pack to each pin one by one, looking for a volatge read out on the voltmeter. 2. connect three 9 volt batteries in series to look for the pin of the high voltage secondary coil. 3. The ground pin of the high voltage secondary pin can be anywhere at the base of the flyback transformer.

http://www.instructables.com/id/MAKE-A-HIGH-VOLTAGE-SUPPLY-IN-5-MINUTES/

step 3: The Finished Setup

This is how the finished high voltage supply looks like. Remember, this is a DC supply. The output from the thick wire is positive. In TVs and CRTs this high voltage output drives the negative electrons from the filament to the screen. If you need AC high voltage, you have to remove the built-in diode or find an old flyback transformer that does not have a built-in diode.

step 4: Troubleshooting
The first time I build the circuit, it worked immediately. I used a 26 watt CFL. Then I decided to get a bigger CFL and I build it exactly like the first circuit. It didn't work. I was disappointed. I thought that the CFL electronics were shot. But when I reconnected the fluorescent tube to the four wires, the CFL worked again. I realized that this type of CFL circuit needed to "sense" the filaments in order to operate. Remember, I was only using the outer wires and leaving the two inner wires alone. So I put a resistor across the outer wire and the inner wire. The circuit worked! But within seconds the resistor was in flames. So I decided to use a capacitor in place of resistor. The capacitor allows AC currents but blocks DC while a resistor allow both AC and DC currents to flow through it. Also a capacitor does not heat up because it provides a low resistance path for AC currents. The capacitor worked great! The arcs produced were very big and thick. So in summary there two things that can go wrong: 1. You wired it wrong, either on the CFL side or the flyback side. 2. The CFL electronics needs to sense the filament and you can use a capacitor as a substitute. Use a high voltage rated capacitor. Mine was 400V and I got it from another CFL circuit. While troubleshooting, be very careful, you are dealing with very high voltages and high currents. When soldering, disconnect the circuit from the power outlet.

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step 5: Disclaimer
The circuits in this Instructable use very high voltages and currents. These currents and voltages are deadly! You can easily hurt yourself, as well. Build this circuit at your own risk. This type of high frequency high voltage current is used in surgical cauterizers. So if you get shocked you will burn yourself and cut your flesh. There is also a considerable fire hazard from the circuit. Use the Nikolai Tesla's safety techniques when working with high voltages: 1. Only use one hand (put your other hand on your lap or pocket) 2. Wear insulating shoes 3. Use a dead man stick or insulated pliers when touching or manipulating the circuit. 4. Use a power bar with a thermal fuse rather than sticking the circuit directly in the socket. This will limit the current that will go through your body. 5. When soldering, disconnect the circuit from the power outlet. Generally, in electricity it is the the current that kills. if the currents are low there is little danger even if the voltages are very high (think of Tesla holding the his Tesla coil). This circuit has high currents which makes it considerably dangerous. a 65W CFL can deliver 65mA easily (65W/1000v). And if you look at the picture below, at greater than 50mA the little guy is dead.

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Comments
50 comments Add Comment view all 317 comments

zaphappyprimate says:

Dec 1, 2008. 12:26 AM REPLY so I am attempting to build this work of art, I have all the parts, I try and get nothing. Am using 13w ballast. When I look at the cap for the heater line u use, I see in the schematic u have that there is a cap between pin 2-3, but it is not powered by anything, then I see that the loop into the globe should be pin1>element1>pin2>cap>pin3>element2>pin4. Now your photo in step 4 shows connections to the rest of the board, whereas mine has only pin2>cap>pin3, so there is no point in connecting a cap to middle pins. am I missing something here, or is my CFL of a slightly different design? here is the flyback. I think I am correct in that pins 2 and 4 are the inputs and 7 is the HV ground? http://www.krabitvrepair.com/images/flyback/46246.gif this is where I found the part ID, after hours of looking. http://www.krabitvrepair.com/asp/cf_2.asp hope thats useful. (love the robovoice....give it a battery from me)

http://www.instructables.com/id/MAKE-A-HIGH-VOLTAGE-SUPPLY-IN-5-MINUTES/

Biotele says:

Dec 1, 2008. 2:42 AM REPLY 13 watts will give you a small spark. the input pins on the flyback is 1 and 2. 7 is the HV ground and the output is the one that says HV. In step 4, the cap is between pin 1 and 2 on the board. Try running your set-up without a cap first. The cap replaces one of the filament. Did you remove the fluorscent tube? It is not clear how you connected to the board.

zaphappyprimate says:

Dec 1, 2008. 3:36 AM REPLY I connected the outermost cfl pins to pins 2 & 4 of the fbt. The tube was removed and I had not put a cap as per step 4. So I will now try 1 & 2. 13W is one I had lying around, thought it best to start small, get an idea of what im doing. Will go bigger once confident.

Biotele says:
good idea.

Dec 1, 2008. 7:57 AM REPLY

zaphappyprimate says:

Dec 3, 2008. 6:46 AM REPLY I got a new bulb 20W. No effect, with or without the cap. (223k, 630V) If I leave the bulb on while testing, it will not light. If I disconnect the fbt, the light still works. (No, im not disconnecting while it is on.....). Could I have fried the fbt? Is it possible that the frequencies are "off" in some way? Are there just incompatible parts?

Biotele says:

Dec 3, 2008. 10:14 AM REPLY Yes. The circuit is not in resonance. Is the fluroscent tube still connected to the board? If so disconnect it. Then try different capacitor values. While testing make sure the high voltage output is near the ground so it can produce an arc and you can see it is working. I suggest using alligator clips to switch configurations fast.

zaphappyprimate says:

Dec 3, 2008. 7:53 PM REPLY I scavanged a 100V 1n5, 160V 223, 1200V 332 & 250V 473. None have any effect acros 1-2 or 3-4. I might look for another flyback. would it matter that this one is from a PC monitor, not a tv?

Biotele says:
A flyback from a monitor is as good as one from a TV.

Dec 5, 2008. 6:33 AM REPLY

ColdPlasmaDevice says:

Oct 28, 2008. 8:30 PM REPLY I LOVE THIS Instructable! I plan on using the power supply for making a Cold Plasma Device. I LOVE those things to. Once I finish building it, if it works, I might write an instructable about it. P.S. thanks for writing this, I needed a power sup. +30KV and I couldn't figure out how to do it myself. This stuff REALLY scares my parents. I'll have to build it outside(they don't understand that Cold Plasma is completely harmless).

Coffee bean says:

lol same here

Dec 4, 2008. 6:46 PM REPLY

Biotele says:

Oct 29, 2008. 9:13 AM REPLY I made this instructable especially for people like you that need an easy to build HV supply. Enjoy and looking forward to your Instrutable.

Sick_Lullaby says:

Nov 19, 2008. 4:21 PM REPLY where can i go to learn how to read the blueprints on step 1. Ive always wanted to learn, but cant find any sites, though i havent felt like searching for more than 10 minutes at a time :)

Biotele says:
Electronic blueprints are called schematics in electric engineering. Just Google "how to read a schematic".

Nov 19, 2008. 5:39 PM REPLY

lordofthedonuts says:

Nov 19, 2008. 1:34 PM REPLY I've made your thing, everything is finished, the wiring is ok, I checked it. It made sparks (about half inch long). There's always a leaking sound coming from the base of the electrodes, I've looked at it in the dark, it's what I'd call "plasma" (the same purple light coming from a plasma globe/lamp thingy) is it normal and there's always some "plasma" at the tip of the electrodes, is everything normal? Do a bigger CFL would make a bigger spark ?

http://www.instructables.com/id/MAKE-A-HIGH-VOLTAGE-SUPPLY-IN-5-MINUTES/

Biotele says:

Nov 19, 2008. 3:22 PM REPLY Yes this is normal. Every time you double the rated wattage of the cfl, you quadruple the spark length (which is proportional to the output voltage).

dont_touch_that says:
is it ac or dc that operates the primary coil in the fly back?

Nov 18, 2008. 8:10 AM REPLY

Biotele says:
It is resonant AC on the primary. Most modern flyback have a diode build in. So the High voltage side is DC

Nov 18, 2008. 12:46 PM REPLY

warriors_adair_me says:
would a capacitor from a microwave work

Nov 13, 2008. 9:02 PM REPLY

Biotele says:
Yes. But it is very big. If you have another broken CFL the capacitors in there will work as well.

Nov 14, 2008. 7:00 AM REPLY

tscrackn says:
Would it be possible to create a plasma speaker using this same method??????

Oct 4, 2008. 3:01 AM REPLY

Xellers says:
There is an instructable.

Nov 11, 2008. 12:07 PM REPLY

Biotele says:

Oct 4, 2008. 8:43 AM REPLY Yes absolutely. You have to place a switch someplace in the circuit. It should switch on and off the power at at a very high frequency. You can use a switching scheme like PWM. This is very similar to a singing Tesla coil.

mad_electrics says:
can i make a telsa coil with this?

Oct 20, 2008. 2:57 PM REPLY

Xellers says:
Unfortunately, I'm quite sure that you need a power supply with AC output. A NST would work well for a Tesla coil.

Nov 11, 2008. 12:05 PM REPLY

Biotele says:
I suppose you can. You can use the high voltage to run a spark gap.

Oct 20, 2008. 6:23 PM REPLY

norge says:
do ya think i can use a capacitor like these?and does it have to be 2 capacitors, 1 for each out-inner pin?

Nov 8, 2008. 9:30 AM REPLY

norge says:
all of them are rated to 400V, but do I need 2 capacitors? one between each outer-inner pin?? or just 1 capacitor?

Nov 10, 2008. 6:53 AM REPLY

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Biotele says:

Nov 10, 2008. 7:27 AM REPLY On my circuit I only needed one. It all depends on the type of circuit. Mine worked from the first try. However, I recommend using alligator clips and experimenting with different value caps and different positions. Once you get a satisfactory result you can solder it in. Also keep the HV output close to the ground pin to see if it is work. When it works you can increase the gap between the HV output and ground to see how well it works. Bigger longer and thicker sparks is better.

Biotele says:

Nov 8, 2008. 12:22 PM REPLY You can use the one with 400V on it. If it blows try a higher rated capacitor. Best if you scavenge a capacitor from a used CFL (they look like green Chiclets).

ozetzioni says:

Oct 31, 2008. 11:32 AM REPLY Hey, I am building a pedal generator bike with a battery. at the end of the day i want to transfer the electricity i made of riding into a bigger battery and then use it for lighting equipment... anyone knows of a method to transfer the electricity from one battery to a bigger one without losing voltage or too much energy???

Biotele says:
try something like this http://www.talkingelectronics.com/projects/SolarCharger/SolarCharger.html

Oct 31, 2008. 2:17 PM REPLY

ColdPlasmaDevice says:
um... what did you use for the wires that the arc is jumping to from?

Oct 30, 2008. 2:24 PM REPLY

Biotele says:
I used the High Voltage wire from the transformer and a wire soldered to the High voltage ground pin on the transformer.

Oct 31, 2008. 3:55 AM REPLY

flyboy1983 says:
I have a 4 foot fluorescent electronic ballast. Is that ok to use?

Oct 23, 2008. 4:15 PM REPLY

AnarchistAsian says:
ha ha i love the last pic, it's great!

Oct 21, 2008. 4:52 PM REPLY

ubr.bzkr says:

Oct 15, 2008. 6:37 PM REPLY I have a smaller 300ma 1300 20W ac120v/60hz type fluorescent light bulb from IKEA. do you think this will work or will I need a larger one like yours?

Yenmangu says:

Oct 21, 2008. 4:26 PM REPLY Ikea lol, sory this is totally irelevant but i had jump in at the logo of Ikea, my house is basically an ikea house lol, 1ce again, sorry for the irrelevance of my comment. :)

invintive says:
I have a 4 foot fluorescent ballast. Can I use this?

Oct 17, 2008. 4:23 AM REPLY

Biotele says:
No. You need an electronic ballast.

Oct 17, 2008. 7:56 AM REPLY

http://www.instructables.com/id/MAKE-A-HIGH-VOLTAGE-SUPPLY-IN-5-MINUTES/

Biotele says:

Oct 16, 2008. 3:55 AM REPLY It will work. The spark will be smaller than that in the video. The voltage output of the circuit increase in a square fashion. The spark of a 40W is 4 times the length of a 20W cfl.

ubr.bzkr says:

Oct 20, 2008. 2:27 PM REPLY OK I have a flyback transformer and I am testing the leads. if your multi meter has a continuity test function wont that work or do you need to use the battery's?

Metiz says:

Oct 17, 2008. 11:20 AM REPLY I have a flyback here that by eye looks exactly like the one you have used - same pin layout etc. is it save to asume that my pins are the same as yours?

Biotele says:
most flyback look alike. I doubt they are the same. It is better to test the pins.

Oct 17, 2008. 12:51 PM REPLY

kev717 says:

Oct 3, 2008. 5:31 PM REPLY Hi, I tried building this circuit but when I turned the power on, instead of laughing madly, I was screaming like a little girl because the circuit from the CFL blew up... is there a way to prevent that from happening (or would a better light work)? I was using a 13 watt bulb purchased from the dollar shop for $3, so I think it may have been the bulb... and I've checked, the outputs and inputs on the flyback transformer were all correct and the transformer still works... I just need a new light I guess... sorry for the long comment and/or for placing it in the wrong place, this looks pretty cool so I'm not giving up just yet. -kev

Biotele says:

Oct 4, 2008. 1:06 AM REPLY Lol! The CFl you got is poorly designed. You can prevent it from blowing p by putting an incandescent light bulb in series with the flyback. The lower the rated wattage of the incandescent light bulb the the more resistance it has. Higher resistance protects the circuit more but limits power of the HV output. There is also the possibility that you misidentified the primary coil pins. You can experiment more to find the correct pins while you got the incadescent light bulb in the circuit. Once you find the pins that gives you the biggest spark you can remove the incandescent light bulb.

kev717 says:

Oct 4, 2008. 5:55 AM REPLY well, luckily for me I had a camera trained on it so I've got a pretty cool video of a CFL circuit exploding... also, I'm certain that I have the correct outputs, I've tried it with a few AAs in series and it made my arm jump. Next time I'll probably put an incandescent lamp in series with the flyback.

Biotele says:
That sounds awesome! Can you post the video?

Oct 4, 2008. 8:45 AM REPLY

kev717 says:
Sure... just don't laugh at the setup beside a Commodore PET 4016...

Oct 5, 2008. 9:25 AM REPLY

http://www.instructables.com/id/MAKE-A-HIGH-VOLTAGE-SUPPLY-IN-5-MINUTES/

Biotele says:
ROFLMAO! That's a classic.

Oct 5, 2008. 4:12 PM REPLY

I studied your video and one of the problem that you need to address is not having a proper workspace, because this circuit is a fire hazard. Had you succeeded there is very good chance that the high voltage would light up something. High voltage high frequency currents have an uncanny ability to make a path of least resistance by carbonizing organic matter, like the wood floor and clothing. It also looks like you are playing twister when plugging the cord. I also suggest to place the high voltage output close to the high voltage ground in order to produce a spark on startup. That will reduce the chance of blowing up your circuit. In some CFL if there is no load on the output(spark in this case), resonance of the circuit builds up voltage greater than the transistors rated voltage and the transistors breakdown. In other words, the cfl was not designed to run without a load.

kev717 says:

Oct 5, 2008. 5:33 PM REPLY ya... I figured I was doing something wrong... I'm going to probably move the experiment over to my Lab... and the floor is not made of wood, its coated with a laminate material that ignites at over 1000 degrees centigrade... I'm not sure if this matters, but the spark gap was about 1CM away at the nearest, I'm not sure what the best distance is... Where it looks like I was playing twister, I was getting a fire extinguisher for "Just in case" and I didn't plug in the cord, it was on a switch. I've had my clothes set on fire before, so I know what it's like... nothing much to worry about there (My right leg is not in great condition) The fact that there may have been no load explains why there was a funny smell in the air, why I had a transistor without a cover afterwards, and why I found bits of plastic on the floor... thanks for the tips

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