Tesla Coil DIY Kit, PEMENOL Touchable Plasma Ball Spark Gap Arc Generator for Physics Teaching, Arc Plasma Artificial Lighting Science Experiment Model for College High School Education

The media could not be loaded. This is has a very bright spark gap, and it's loud. You really know you are working with some power when it is operating.First, soldering is required. It's easy, it's fun, but if you don't know how then order a learning kit at the same time and build it first. Also, look for online instruction and videos in addition to the learning kit. I built half of mine with lead-free and the other half with leaded solder for practice. You will need hot melt glue. You do not have to use hot melt glue but gluing sure is fast and easy if you do. You will need a way to scrape or sand a little enamel insulation off of some wires. Finally, you will need a way to put some small holes through micro plywood. I suppose punching might work, but drilling is easy and accurate.I think there was enough wire in the kit to build it, but it was easier and cheap to add some solid conductor of my own. I used 18ga, which seemed about right for building the capacitor bank and as a longer ground wire. Again, all of the parts were easy, with no super tiny soldering connections.I'll start with what I had to go back and redo. I did not notice that the two ends of the main coil are finished differently. One has a wire that wraps over the end of the coil. This wire needs to be in contact with the stainless steel ball. There is no need to remove insulation; you will have all the volts you need to punch through the enamel on the wire. The other end of the coil has the wire that you thread down through a hole that you made in the upper micro plywood. This end will need to have some enamel removed because you will be soldering it.The second mistake I made was how I built the capacitor bank. The thin resistor leads will not handle the current and actually glowed orange in a dark room. That was pretty cool looking, but I knew I had to add heavier wire. The manual showed the capacitor leads bent over and soldered to the next capacitor. I decided it was a bit cleaner at that point to add some of my 18ga Cu wire, and it worked great.One more item, my flyback transformer had fewer pins than the one in the manual. I followed their pictures for which wire to connect where and it workedThe instructions indicate an optimum voltage of about 19VDC at up to 80watts. 80 W divided by 19V = 4.2 Amps. There are plenty of 12VDC power supplies that will power it. You can also use a 12VDC gel cell, or car, or motorcycle battery. Interestingly, a little bit stronger laptop power supply is perfect and low cost on Amazon. Many of these are around 19V at up to about 4.2A. Higher amps are OK, so are higher volts. The instructions indicated 12 to 36VDC, 60 to 80W.For operation, I mentioned that it is loud. You will easily be able to hear it in an average bedroom or classroom. The brightest spark is the spark gap. I think the circuit uses power transistors to oscillate, providing alternating current to the first step-up transformer. The spark gap is a tunable high-power way to generate the high frequency and high power used to drive the main coil.The first test I did was to check for noise on an AM radio tuned between stations. It was pretty fun to hear a friend on a cell phone tell me they could listen to me clicking the kit on and off 200 ft away! I guess this might operate similar to an early Marconi transmitter.You are probably wondering if you can feel the voltage. I could, it was unpleasant, so I avoided getting too close to the output. The answer depends upon the frequency, and in a kit, the output can be a combination of high and low frequency. High enough frequency, and you cannot feel it. Lower and you do feel the electricity. But do not touch the spark gap when it is operating. When you see the bright spark and hear it, you won't want to. However, the main output coil can produce big, long sparks but be difficult to feel when there is no low-frequency energy in it.Regarding the voltage, I could make a fluorescent light fixture tube glow up to about 3ft away. I would keep sensitive electronics away from it. I used a cell phone for the pictures, and it worked well.Regarding the pictures, you should be able to hear the spark superheating a thin thread of air. There are two types of high voltage phenomena producing light. First, the air is an insulator; the electrons are tightly bound to the atoms. Think of voltage as pressure, or push force. When the voltage is high enough, it forces electrons to flow, producing the lightning spark you see. This review will get way too long if we explain all of the interesting concepts, so I'll stop here.I used 1-2-3 blocks from Amazon to aid in constructing the spark gap. You can't adjust the gap when it's running, but that's where you tune it. So plan for access later. For the capacitor bank, I hotmelt glued the caps together, then soldered the interconnecting wires, then hotmelt glued the module to the provided board. As mentioned above, do not rely only on the resistor leads for capacitor interconnection, as my picture shows. Do as the kit instructions show and use capacitor leads, or add your own heavier wire and solder the connections.I had my reservations about gluing to the end-grain of the dowels. After some research, I discovered that some people recommend hot melt glue for end-grain, and it worked! I'm careful when handling the device, but so far, no problems. Besides, I built it; I can re-glue it if I ever needed to.Although this has modern parts, it is kind of easy to imagine working in an old wooden laboratory with Tesla, in a darkened room where you can see the sparks better, and with the sounds of high voltage.It inspired some online research where I learned some things and had fun doing it.

Absolute crap. Missing parts had to get replacements to have all the required parts. Didn’t work at all like the video. Being an engineer and built one that was less complex w out a kit and worked fine. This again was not with working modules

!!For all those trying to find the construction manual for this kit go to : “Additional info>User manual pdf” it’s there.One can miss it easily with so much product info dump. Good luck building it.

The enigmatic Tesla Coil! A testament to the audacious dreams of a maverick inventor, promising to illuminate the world with wireless power. And now, intrepid tinkerers, the opportunity to construct your own miniature marvel awaits! The PEMENOL Tesla Coil DIY Kit beckons, a gateway to the electrifying realm of electromagnetic induction. But before embarking on this scientific odyssey, a word of caution is prudent.A Project for the Adept Assemblers: This is no mere child's plaything. The kit arrives in a state of beautiful potential, a collection of parts awaiting your soldering expertise. While the instructions assure that the process is straightforward, a shaky foundation in the art of solder will leave you stranded on a sea of uncooperative wires. Be warned, this is a project best suited for the seasoned electrician or the determined student with a thirst for knowledge (and a hefty helping of soldering practice).A Spark of Genius, a Hint of Frustration: Imagine conjuring miniature bolts of lightning at your fingertips! The Tesla coil, when complete, promises a dazzling display of high-temperature plasma, capable of igniting fluorescent lamps and mesmerizing onlookers. The 10cm arc of sparking fury is a sight to behold, a testament to the ingenuity of the original inventor. However, a dark cloud looms on the horizon – the kit itself falls short of the grand vision.The Incomplete Equation: The PEMENOL kit, like an unfinished symphony, lacks crucial components to complete the masterpiece. The provided copper wire and 12-gauge insulated wire are woefully inadequate for the task at hand. Those embarking on this electrical escapade must be prepared to source additional materials – more copper and more 12-gauge wire – to bring their Tesla coil to life. Consider it a test, a minor hurdle to overcome on the path to scientific enlightenment.A Flawed, Yet Fun, Endeavor: Despite its shortcomings, the PEMENOL Tesla Coil DIY Kit offers a thrilling glimpse into the world of electrical phenomena. For the tenacious tinkerer, the challenge of assembly and the satisfaction of sparking a miniature lightning storm are rewards enough. Just remember, this is a project best approached with a well-stocked toolbox, a thirst for knowledge, and perhaps a healthy dose of ingenuity.In Conclusion: The PEMENOL Tesla Coil DIY Kit is a curious contraption – a spark of genius held back by a lack of materials. For the experienced hobbyist, it's a weekend project brimming with potential. For the novice, it's a crash course in electrical engineering, albeit one requiring a trip to the hardware store. But for those with a spirit of adventure and a soldering iron in hand, the PEMENOL Tesla Coil DIY Kit offers a unique opportunity to unlock the secrets of electricity and create a dazzling addition to your collection of scientific oddities.