Do It Yourself Gadgets: Simple 2000 Volts Transformer

In this post I will show you how to build a nice and useful transformer on your own! Best thing it's not expensive at all!

If you don't know what a transformer is, look it up: Transformer. You can use it to charge a capacitor of your coilgun or to shock your friends! You will find the full tutorial including picstures and more after the break!
This post was sponsored by Farnell.com

Let's start with a list of required parts:

TRANSFORMER, 1.5VA, 230V, 2 X 9V Transformer
BD 139 Transistor NPN Transistor
10 K Resistor Resistor
5-9 V Battery
4 Diodes

I just love unpacking Farnell's new shipments.

Here you can see the transformator, transistor and resistor.

The transformer consists of two small coils

(each two pins on the bottom) and the main coil (two pins on the top):

Just follow the step by step pictures and solder the resistor to the transformator as shown in the picture:

Now you have to solder the transistor to the transformer's middle contacts as shown in the picture below:

The red wire is + and the transistor's pin - .

The transistor's pins are from left to right:

1. Emitter 2.Collector 3. Base

(picture below)

Hook it up to 5-9 Volts and you'll have a voltage of about 2000 Volts AC between the remaining two pins on the transformer:

Here you can see a nice spark between two wires from the transformer's main coil.

Be careful! Don't electrocute yourself or anything else!

In order to use this high voltage for other things we have to rectify it using this circuit:

Hook up the contacts of Ue to the transformer's output and you'll end up with about 2000kV DC on Ua. Now you can charge your coilgun's capacitor or do something else... ;)