Q&A for How to Make a Tesla Coil

Tesla coils do not generate electricity; they use electricity to produce sparks and arcs of light, heat, sound and gases. The Tesla coil’s electromagnetic inductions force the current to flow, the flowing electric current generates a magnetic field .

Tesla coils are potentially dangerous if appropriate care is not taken to stay safe during use. The Tesla coil should never be touched when it is turned on because it can shock a person, and this shock can be fatal. There is also a possibility of deep-seated burns. All viewers should maintain a safe distance of at least 20 feet or 6 meters to avoid the electrical arcs when the coil is turned on. A Tesla coil can also harm objects with arcs or through shared power outlets; always use the Telsa coil on its own power outlet and not with one shared by other electrical equipment.

A Tesla coil is a resonating air-core transformer that produces high voltage bursts and a high frequency current, emitted as long arcs or "lightning bolts." The electrical current (flow of electrons) is pushed by the difference in the electric potential (voltage).

Depending on how large you build the coil and whether you get basic parts or fancier ones, building a small, basic Tesla coil can cost between $100 to a few hundred dollars. If you already own some of the tools needed, or can borrow them, this will reduce the costs.

Once you build a Tesla coil, you should make sure you have it tuned properly so the resonant frequencies of the primary and secondary coil are the same. Adding capacitors, getting a NST with more volts out, or making the secondary coil higher can also help.

If possible use full bridge rectifier and capacitor and use 30 gage wire, not thinner than that.

12 volts may be insufficient to ionize the dielectric strength of air (medium between spark gaps.)

You can with the correct transformer, like from a bug zapper.

Scale up this design. Make sure you have enough power. A larger coil -- including anything of 5 or 6 feet and up -- will require huge amounts of electricity, and can easily become very dangerous. For these and other reasons, you should strongly consider starting with a much smaller project.

Yes, but it is an entirely different type of Teslas known as SSTC ( solid-state-tesla-coils) which requires heavy transistors or MOSFET's, which may be too expensive for beginners.

A Tesla coil can't create electricity, it is just a wireless transmitter. We don't use it this way though, because some energy is lost in the air, so it is not a very efficient solution.

There is no minimum, as long as your transformer makes the voltage high enough to ionize the air.

You can always head over to a scrap yard and try your luck there. Also, places like eBay, Craigslist, and Willhaben, sell several components for cheap. Not the safest, most surefire way, but still cheaper than buying new parts.

You can do that by decreasing resistance. If you have 12-volt supply, use 22 k resistor, use 38 gauge or thinner (but not more than 42 gauge) copper wire; if you can, replace copper wire with gold or silver. If you have 110-volt, use a full bridge rectifier and use only 36 gauge wire and 29 k resistor; do not use gold, only silver.

If you have a 5000 V (or more) power supply available, then yes. Otherwise, it will not do much.

Yes, that should be fine.

It's the perfect material; you will find it used in a lot of electronic projects.

Use 35 gauge or above just to be safe. 35 gauge will hold up to about 230v.

Yes, you can make a Tesla coil of any voltage amount. However, the effectiveness of the coil will vary depending on how it is constructed.

No. It is a wireless transmitter. It stores the energy over time and releases it all at once.

Copper wire is always the best option due to its high conductibility. It is always the best option and should be your first one when working with electricity.

Please don't try this, as you will fry them instantly. You might as well put them in the microwave.

Place a metal object near it. It’ll favor jumping towards the metal object.

No, it will continue to power it. If you stand in front of it, you will absorb a lot of energy, but depending on the size, this may be unsafe.

Depends on the resistance and type of bulb. But the short answer is yes. And don't touch the bulb while it's running because it can get hot.