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Ramsey Electronics PG13 Instruction Manual

Pg13 plasma generator kit
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Ramsey Electronics Model No.
Have you ever wanted to play with a controlled substance? Now
you can! It is called plasma, and it is easily generated by this
nifty high voltage kit. This is the same though more powerful
supply that is used in Plasma Balls and neon art, and can be
used for all sorts of high voltage experiments! Turn a standard
light bulb into a plasma sphere!
•
Perfect for driving a Jacob's ladder. See plasma at work!
•
Can light many feet of neon tubing
•
Perfect for driving plasma balls, even make a standard light bulb
into a plasma sphere!
•
Optional 12VAC transformer and this kit are all you need to begin
experimenting!
•
Can generate sparks up to 2 inches.
•
Very thorough manual on high voltage safety, many neat
experiments, and lessons learned along the way.
•
Can produce many of the same effects as Tesla Coil, on a smaller
scale.
•
Great for science fairs!
HIGH VOLTAGE
See instruction manual before operation
•
PG13
1
PG13
DANGER

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Summary of Contents for Ramsey Electronics PG13

  • Page 1 Ramsey Electronics Model No. PG13 Have you ever wanted to play with a controlled substance? Now you can! It is called plasma, and it is easily generated by this nifty high voltage kit. This is the same though more powerful...

  • Page 2: Plasma Generator Kit

    Ramsey Electronics publication No. MPG13 Revision 1.1d First printing: November 2001 MRW COPYRIGHT 2001 by Ramsey Electronics, Inc. 590 Fishers Station Drive, Victor, New York 14564. All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be copied or duplicated without the written permission of Ramsey Electronics, Inc.

  • Page 3: Table Of Contents

    Ramsey Publication No. MPG13 Price $10.00 KIT ASSEMBLY AND INSTRUCTION MANUAL FOR PG13 PLASMA GENERATOR KIT TABLE OF CONTENTS Safety Guidelines .........4 History ...........9 Circuit Operation .........12 Learn As You Build ......16 Parts List ..........18 Assembly ..........19 Schematic ..........24 Power Supply ........25 Testing ..........28...

  • Page 4: Safety Guidelines

    Even some portions of apparently harmless devices like VCRs and CD players or vacuum cleaners and toasters - can be hazardous (though the live parts may be insulated or protected - but don't count on it! This information also applies when working on other high voltage or line • PG13...

  • Page 5: Safety Guidelines

    Prop them up with insulation sticks plastic or wood. • If you need to probe, solder, or otherwise touch circuits with power off, discharge (across) large power supply filter capacitors with a 2 W or • PG13...
  • Page 6 However, these devices may save your scope probe ground wire should you accidentally connect it to a live chassis. • When handling static sensitive components, an anti-static wrist strap is recommended. However, it should be constructed of high resistance • PG13...
  • Page 7 (even if you are doing this for your in-laws!). Some notes regarding the above safety information While the PG13 falls under the high voltage category, many of the safety recommendations do not apply due to the nature of high frequency high •...
  • Page 8 Burning flesh smells awful by the way. When you feel a “tickle” from the PG13 it is either from a lower frequency component like 60 Hz, or the “tickle” of a nice RF burn.

  • Page 9: History

    Tesla coil’s output voltages are dependant upon factors such at secondary Q factors, and not as much on turns ratios. My PG13 is completely dependant upon turns ratios because the Q factor is too low to exhibit Tesla effects.
  • Page 10 Neon - Usually produces dim red blurry streamers with brighter orange "pads" at the ends. If neon is mixed with another gas (other than helium), the streamer color and character is often dominated by the other gas, but the ends of the streamer are orange or pink "pads". • PG13...
  • Page 11 Peak currents over a few milliamps favor a more lightning-like appearance even if the RMS current is less than a milliamp. Don Klipstein's web site with plenty of great information on HV and plasma: http://www.misty.com/people/don/index.html • PG13...

  • Page 12: Circuit Operation

    This also means, however, that since the core saturates faster, less energy will be transferred from the primary to the secondary, which reduces power output. • PG13...
  • Page 13 Fig 1. Fig 2. Direction of Flux Direction of Flux +V High Voltage -V High Voltage +12V +12V -V High Voltage +V High Voltage • PG13...
  • Page 14 To control the output voltage we can simply adjust our driving voltage. Here’s why I chose a 12.6VAC transformer instead of a 16VAC transformer to be used with your PG13. One quirk we have come across is that our high voltage design cannot produce a high current arc directly to ground.
  • Page 15 Also, 15 VAC stresses our transistors a bit too much. You are free to try it though, just don’t run it continuously. Doing this also voids the warranty since your transformer may arc over in some experiments, thereby destroying it! • PG13...

  • Page 16: Learn As You Build

    (1). The part is then soldered securely to the board (2-4), and the remaining lead length is then clipped off (5). Notice how the solder joint looks on close up, clean and smooth with no holes or sharp points (6). • PG13...
  • Page 17 If a problem does occur, the manual will lead you through step by step in the troubleshooting guide until you find the problem and are able to correct it. • PG13...

  • Page 18: Parts List

    RAMSEY PG13 PARTS LIST Semiconductors 4 1N5408 3 AMP Rectifier diodes (D2,3,4,5) 1 RED LED (D1) 2 TIP31C 100V Bipolar NPN Power Transistors (Q1,2) Resistors 1 100 ohm resistor (brown-black-brown) (R5) 1 1K ohm resistor (brown-black-red) (R1) <- Small Size 1 1K ohm 1/2 Watt resistor (brown-black-red) (R2) <- Large Size...

  • Page 19: Assembly

    The edge of the LED casing will also be beveled on this side. This short leg will be mounted in the hole facing the power switch (S1). The shorter leg and beveled edge indicate the cathode of the LED. • PG13...
  • Page 20 31. Holding the U core in with a finger, tilt the board up so the U core installed is facing downward. 32. Install one of the 0.25 mm spacers in each side of the core holes. These need to be sitting flat against the installed U core so we can install • PG13...
  • Page 21 Here comes the tricky part! It may be handy to have an oven mitt or pot holder around, just in case the ball gets out of your control. • PG13...
  • Page 22 Before we go too far, we need to check back over our work to make sure we didn’t make any mistakes. Even people who really know what they are doing will occasionally make a serious mistake, and we don’t want that here. • PG13...
  • Page 23 4. Check all hardware for a nice mechanical fit, and that the heatsinks are securely attached to the transistors. Now on to the fun! (Testing the PG13) Unfortunately we are dealing with voltages much higher than most test equipment will handle without serious damage. In fact if you do not want to do any harm to your equipment, keep it as far away as possible unless the power is off and the circuit is unplugged.

  • Page 24: Schematic

    PG13 SCHEMATIC DIAGRAM • PG13...

  • Page 25: Power Supply

    Use a socket tester to be sure! Make sure the switch for the PG13 is off as well. Unscrew the screw that is currently holding in the socket’s face plate. Then run the new screw through the grounding lug of our wire, through the transformer mounting hole, through the face plate and finally into the socket in the wall.
  • Page 26 Your power supply will be a critical factor in getting the best performance out of the PG13. Do not use an adjustable supply as some have FET outputs and may be destroyed by the high voltage. Your supply should be fixed output and must meet these minimum specifications: •...
  • Page 27 Cool Pictures These two pictures were taken with the camera on a tripod so that the shut- ter could be left open for 20 seconds. The room was kept very dark while taking the picture. • PG13...

  • Page 28: Testing

    TESTING THE PG13 This, unfortunately, will be a process of turning on the power, and hoping all goes well! If you have a multimeter with a current reading scale of 3 amps or greater (usually 10 amps), you can connect it in series with your power source to monitor supply current while turning the unit on.
  • Page 29 The dielectric is the plastic handle. This capacitor is in effect very small, but is enough to carry enough current for you to draw a decent spark. Look at the diagram above to see where the rest of the current is going. • PG13...
  • Page 30 <0.5pF <10 ohms PG13 NEON BULB The advantage of using a neon bulb in this fashion is that neon ionizes quite easily. In the case of most neon indicators, it will begin to ionize at 60 to 90 volts, and can then be sustained at much less than that, usually 30 or so volts.

  • Page 31: Troubleshooting

    This will cause some serious problems if not removed, so it will be worth desoldering the transformer to get it out. The blue corona emits quite a bit of Ozone, which is highly corrosive. Also the corona can be very hot, setting the circuit board or transformer on fire! • PG13...

  • Page 32: Experiments

    A really simple experiment, but pretty neat. During normal operation of your PG13 you will see no leakage (corona as indicated by a buzzing sound and a blue glow), but now we’re going to make some leakage occur on purpose.
  • Page 33 7. Bend the last 1 inch of each end of the wire into an L shape, so your “armature” looks like a Z. 8. Place the “armature” over the pin, and give it a quick spin test with your • PG13...
  • Page 34 The lower the friction and better the balance, the faster this will go! 9. Power up the PG13. You should see the rotor begin to rotate. If you really did a good job of making it, it can reach some pretty astonishing...
  • Page 35 5. Fill your soda bottle with water, and dangle one end of a wire inside, and the other to the bend on the other piece. 6. Turn on the PG13; you should see an arc between the two pieces. You will probably need to bend things around to get optimum climbing.
  • Page 36 We couldn’t cover all cases in this project, so we had to compromise! We hope however that you will be more than satisfied by what the PG13 will do. • PG13...
  • Page 37 All you need is a wire to run from the PG13 to the bulb. All of the screws, mounting brackets etc. will just make for a lot of leakage points reducing your output voltage.
  • Page 38 Anyway, here are my plans, and if you get it to work, post your findings on the Ramsey Electronics BBS. What you’ll need: •...
  • Page 39 (a hand vacuum pump should work), and maybe even some specialized gases. I heard a rumor that welder’s argon will ionize easily at normal air pressure, so you may not even need a vacuum pump! • PG13...
  • Page 40 This carbonized material becomes somewhat conductive causing plenty of strange effects, but mostly does nasty things we don’t want. Just be careful with these experiments since it is easy to set things on fire! • PG13...
  • Page 41 More Experiments: Go to the Ramsey Electronics web site, and go to the bulletin board under hobby kits. We will have a forum on the Plasma Generator kits where people will share design ideas and experiments. Pinwheel Template • PG13...

  • Page 42: Component Placement

    Component Placement • PG13...

  • Page 43: Warranty

    'missing' 10 K parts ("Hum-m-m, I guess the 'red' band really does look orange!") Ramsey Electronics project kits are packed with pride in the USA. If you believe we packed an incorrect part or omitted a part clearly indicated in your assembly manual as supplied with the basic kit by Ramsey, please write or call us with information on the part you need and proof of kit purchase.

  • Page 44: Victor, New York

    PG13 PLASMA GENERATOR KIT Quick Reference Page Guide Safety Guidelines ......... 4 History ........... 9 Circuit Operation ......... 12 Learn As You Build ......16 Parts List ..........18 Assembly ..........19 Schematic ........... 24 Power Supply ........25 Troubleshooting ........31 Experiments ........

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