25/4/2018 Slayer Exciter

By Ivan Wilberg
Abstract

This paper will provide a brief history of the

device and compare it to a tesla coil,
describe its inner workings,

Project group: Michael W. Alzaib M.

Masayuki M. Ivan W.
Intro
A tesla coil is not much more than just a high voltage transformer. It produces extremely high voltage,
low current electricity. It was developed by Nikola Tesla in 1891 with the aim of providing people with
wireless power. In the year 1900, tesla built a full scale version of his coil for the first time, with a
subsequent larger prototype being built in 1904, a device which was able to send wireless messages
across continents. Nowadays, it has been replaced with more modern circuitry, but it was a prevalent
mean of communication and entertainment up to the 1920s. A slayer exciter is built with the same
purpose of providing wireless energy, but produces no sparks
Differences and operation
To understand a slayer exciter, one must first understand what a tesla coil is. There are two types of tesla
coils, the solid state coil, which uses transistors(devices which act like Binary switches with no moving
parts) and the spark excited one, whose workings im about to explain. A Tesla coil consists of two parts: a
primary coil and secondary coil, each with its own capacitor. (Capacitors store electrical energy just like
batteries.) The two coils and capacitors are connected by a spark gap — a gap of air between two
electrodes that generates the spark. due to a very high voltage in the circuit, the resistance of air starts
becoming more negligible, and thus allows a small current to jump the gap, creating the spark. An outside
source hooked up to a transformer powers the whole system. Essentially, the Tesla coil is two open
electric circuits connected to a spark gap. A Tesla coil needs a high-voltage power source. A regular
power source fed through a transformer can produce a current with the necessary power (at least
thousands of volts).
The primary circuit is connected to a power source and a capacitor. When the circuit is turned on, the
capacitor starts storing charge, until it reaches a stage where the charge it has accumulated can jump the
spark gap, and move into the primary coil, which is wrapped arround a secondary coil. By doing this, a
magnetic field is created, which induces a current in the secondary coil. The greater amount of turns in the
secondary coil steps up the voltage, while sacrificing amperage. As the voltage travels up the secondary,
the more it wants to come down, and as it does, ot overshoots its natural state, much like a weight
attatched to a spring when released. As the voltage comes down, and in theory, the spark gap fires again,
restarting the circuit. I word it like that due to the fact of the primary coil and the secondary coil having
to be tuned to the same resonant frequency. A slayer exciter however, doesn’t need to be tuned. It acts a
lot more like a solid state coil, using a transistor to regulate the voltage pulses into the primary coil The
main difference being that the current in the secondary is induced in the opposite direction as the current
in the orimary circuit, which anulates it, turns the transistor off and allows it to be turned on again
when more current overcomes the resistor
A slayer exciter (above circuit) takes many of the same principles used in a tesla coil, but uses a
power source with a much smaller voltage. It is a relatively new concept thrown around the
internet, still being improved to this day.
Construction
To make a slayer exciter, one must acquire the following materials or reasonable variations if the
exact part cannot be found:
- At least a 6" long tube that's 1" in diameter; must be hollow and non-conductive
- A platform to mount everything onto.
- Approximately 3' of 14 - 26 AWG wire.
- Approximately 100' of 30 AWG enamel wire.
- Some sort of round sphere to use as a top load.
- One 47,000 (47k) ohm resistor. -
- One LED or other polar device. - $1
- One TIP31C transistor. NPN type
- 9 volt cell battery
To start off, wind the secondary coil. It consists of many (~750) turns of thin gauge wire along a
tube. Take care for the coils not to overlap; this would increase the possibility of the voltage
arcing across coils, damaging them.

Picture above: a wound up and ready secondary coil

Then, proceed to make a top lode. This can be done by placing any sort of round, conductive
object on the top of the secondary coil.
Now copy the circuit schematic on the image shown previously, at the end of the “differences
and operation” section. It should look like the picture below or similar when it’s done.

Now for the primary coil: it should be made of a thicker gauge

wire and have a significantly smaller amount of turns in it, in order for the voltage
transformation to be able to occur. It should look like the picture below or similar when done.

Your end product should look something like the picture below. Look out for the parts
mentioned above, and how they are oriented in the prototype. It is powered by a 9 volt battery, or
a power supply of similar voltage.
Questions

1. What is going to happen if you charge your capacitor with AC current?

a. Work same as D.C

b. Works as an open switch*
c. No charges will be stored
d. Depends on the frequency of the Current

2. Why don’t LED bulbs light up when placed near a slayer exciter?

a. The voltage is too small

b. The current is too small
c. The LED isn’t compatible with alternating current*
d. The voltage is too high

3. Why are high voltages required for the slayer exciter to work

a. So it can overcome the insulation of air and complete the circuit*

b. So a strong enough magnetic field can be induced in the secondary coil
c. So current can be induced in the secondary coil by the primary coil
d. It does not necessarily need a high voltage; but does for a visible spark to
appear

4. What charge would a piece of metal be given if it was touched against the top
load

a. Positive
b. Negative
c. Neither *
d. It alternates with the current

5. Why does your skin burn when you touch the top lode

a. High voltage
b. High current
c. High frequency of the current*
d. High resistance
6. Why do you not feel a shock if you approach or touch the top lode

a. The charge spreads over surface area*

b. Not enough voltage
c. Not enough current
d. Your hand is not conductive enough compared to the air around you
7. Why does an incandescent light bulb light when placed near the coil

a. The magnetic field on the coils induces a current in the bulb

b. The voltage is so great that the charges jump the gap between air and bulb
and complete the circuit*
c. The current is so great that the charges jump the gap between air and bulb
and complete the circuit
d. The resistance of the wire is much greater than that of air, so it attracts the
charges

8. What would happen if you were to put your hand between the top lode and the
light bulb

a. Nothing
b. Brightness would increase as it can draw more energy through your hand
c. Brightness would decrease*
d. You would be electrocuted because of wireless power transfer
Works cited

“How to Build a Slayer Exciter.” Instructables.com, Instructables, 28 Oct. 2017,

www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Build-a-Slayer-Exciter/.

“SLAYER EXCITERS & TESLA COILS Everything You Need to Know to Get Started!”
Instructables.com, Instructables, 9 Oct. 2017, www.instructables.com/id/SLAYER-
EXCITERS-TESLA-COILS-everything-you-need-to/.

“Wireless electricity? How the Tesla coil works” Livescience.com

https://www.livescience.com/46745-how-tesla-coil-works.html