How much wire do I need for tesla coil? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / projects

author: skyler
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 08, 2014, 12:44:05 am
content: I am wanting to buy the secondary wire for a quad mot tesla coil I am working on.I want enough length so I don't have to string together different rolls.I have a piece of 6 foot long 4 inch diameter PVC pipe.How much wire and how many turns do I need on the coilAre there any e bay links for a good roll of wire?

author: Po6ept
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 08, 2014, 01:10:25 am
content: For a rough estimate on a close-wound coil, divide the length of the desired coil by the thickness of the wire. Multiply the result by the circumference of the tube. Remember to use the same units (metric vs. US). A local motor rewinding shop might be able to help you with buying a large roll of magnet wire. They might even have a dusty roll of a gauge they seldom use that they will sell at a nice price.

author: DakLak
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: January 08, 2014, 05:40:19 am
content: Many large/professionally constructedTesla coilsare made usingLITZ wire. See: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Litz_wire>.Litz wireis actually a bundle of smaller wires, all insulated from each other. The wire is used whenskin effectis a consideration. See: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skin_effect>.Litz wire is readily available and is used in applications as varied as high power transmitters to induction cooker/stove coils.

author: johansen
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 08, 2014, 06:16:03 am
content: my telsa coil isn't running yetbut i spaced the 24 awg secondary with 15 pound fishing line, winding the two together.This does two things: decreases the inductance quite a bit (only 60% as many turns as a close wound coil)and it decreases the proximity losses by a factor of 4 to 6 depending on frequency.in my case, java telsacoil (google this) said something to the effect of nearly doubling the Q. sorry, i can't remember the numbers. i think the dc resistance of my coil is 77 ohms though. about 1200 turns around a 10 inch diameter polyethelene pipe, the coil is about 4 feet long iirc.other large telsa coils are known to use 15-18 awg wire, close wound for TCs of similar size.btw, i have 26 and 24 awg wire i can sell for 4$ a pound if you want it.actual secondary turns and the toroid size is entirely up to you.typically its a compromise between the number of primary turns and the capacitors you have available to work with.if you intend to buy capacitors new, then there is no constraint and almost everything is completely arbitrary.many teslacoils have a much larger than needed topload and this increases losses, but it gives it a classic tesla coil look.i'm intending to use a 10 inch diameter stainless steel sphere as the top load, rather than a toroid on the order of 3 foot diameter.

author: skyler
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 08, 2014, 02:38:06 pm
content: Quote from: johansen on January 08, 2014, 06:16:03 am$4 dollar per pound sounds like a good deal, I'll buy some. How many feet aprox is a pound? Like 800? How many pounds do you have?Do you have a PayPal or something?

author: skyler
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 08, 2014, 09:57:01 pm
content: Quote from: Po6ept on January 08, 2014, 01:10:25 amYeah I called all the motor rewind shops and asked if they had any magnet wire and they said "not really" and hung up.

author: houdini
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 08, 2014, 10:24:44 pm
content: You want around 1,000 turns up to 2000 but not more as it is not a traditional transformer and turn ratio doesn't determine output.

author: Psi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 08, 2014, 10:29:59 pm
content: The math for diameter/thickness/turns gets you pretty close.And there are online calculators for tesla coil secondary wire length out there too.Quad mot coil will be pretty awesome, you're approaching poll pig power!

author: Jay_Diddy_B
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 08, 2014, 10:44:40 pm
content: Hi,You need to search for copper wire tables. You will get something that looks like this:Remember a mil is 1/1000 of an inch.You can use the information in the table to estimate the number of turns, from the diameter of the wire.You can estimate the total length by multiplying the circumference by the number of turns.Convert the total length into weight, because magnet wire is sold by weight.(And when you have done this... the answer is lots)Jay_Diddy_B

author: johansen
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 08, 2014, 10:46:33 pm
content: I've got about 70 pounds of 26 gauge and somewhere between 3 and 6 pounds of 24 awg.btw, when i first read your post i read that as 4 foot long 6 inch pipe.. which is a 1:8 ratio if fully wound.. which is a bit long.a 6 foot long 4 inch diameter pipe is not going to work very well.spend some time working this before deciding:http://www.classictesla.com/java/javatc/javatc.html

author: Ahyuan
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: January 16, 2014, 01:30:49 am
content: deepfriedneon has a few calculatorsone of them will tell you how many feet you need for a given diameter and winding length