How_to_Build_Tesla

Free Tesla Coil
Construction Manuals

I've written several manuals showing how to build Tesla Coils and Van de Graaff generators. Since the designs are dated (1978), I've decided to offer them for free.

Note: The free downloads are for the use of the experimenter only and are not to be copied, sold, or distributed without written permission from the author.

Table-Top Lightning

PDF: 585 kilobytes
Click image to download

Table-Top Lightning offers two simple designs that produce discharges up to 24".

The coils are suited for projects requiring a rugged, compact apparatus.

Unfortunately, the 15 kv, 30 ma, neon sign transformer required (one without a ground-fault interrupter) has become difficult to find.

How to Build a
Giant Tesla Coil

PDF: 1.2 megabytes
Click image to download

How to Build a Giant Tesla Coil describes construction of the road-show models I designed in 1980 that provided special effects for the Doobie Brothers tour.

One of the two coils is still used daily at the Science Place, Dallas.

The design, which can be mounted horizontally or vertically, produces discharges up to 10' in length.

How to Build a
Van de Graaff Generator

PDF: 726 kilobytes
Click image to download

This manual describes how to build both triboelectric (friction) and spray-charged Van de Graaff generators.

I constructed two large machines, one vertically mounted and one horizontally mounted, for science shows and laboratory testing.

The downloadable manual is without a front cover, and the photos and artwork are low-res, 'cause they're on old Zip drives I can't open!

Also, I suggest applying a negative charge to the collector instead of the positive charge shown in the diagrams. A negative charge is best for long sparks to a hand-held electrode.