ZLC Oscillator

354

04:10:12

Oscillates the same way a spark gap Tesla coil does except it uses zener diodes to switch on and off rather than a loud spark gap. Since zener diodes have a much lower break down voltage than air, this allows you to run the circuit at much lower voltage than a spark gap would need. It’s basically just a continuous LC oscillator 

You have to wait a few seconds but if you look closely you can see the peak voltage oscillations decreasing a bit, but then inscreasing again. This is similar to the output waveform of a spark gap Tesla coil which is square wave pulses of the LC oscillations. I assume this one looks a bit different because of the behaviors of zener diodes but overall the waveform acts pretty similar to that of a spark gap Tesla coil. 

Before I thought the circuit was glitching out but I guess I didn’t watch it long enough.

published 2 years ago

592azy2circuitdude

2 years ago

You can kinda get something by adding an open switch in series with the 14V supply. The oscillations fade out rather quickly, however.

SleepyMolecule

2 years ago

Why would this oscillate at all, does this work as a real circuit or is this a bug?

592azy2circuitdude

2 years ago

I'm no authority on oscillators, but I doubt it would work in real life. I don't see where the positive feedback is, which is required for sustainable oscillations.

MunchrrCircuits

2 years ago

The circuit is supposed to act the same as the primary circuit of a spark gap Tesla coil, so I’ll explain how that works. The capacitor in a spark gap Tesla coil charges up until it reaches the breakdown voltage of the spark gap. While the channel of air is broken down, it allows current to flow through it. Since there is an LC circuit present in a spark gap Tesla coil, the LC oscillations move through the ionized channel of air. Eventually the spark stops and the capacitor starts charging up again, and the cycle repeats. This results in square pulses of high frequency oscillations.

MunchrrCircuits

2 years ago

Forgot to add this but the 2 zener diodes act like a low voltage replacement for a spark gap because they have a specific breakdown voltage, just like the air in the spark gap

592azy2circuitdude

2 years ago

Thanks for the good explanation; I think I'm following. The spark gap has some hysteresis, which I don't think zener diodes have. Once the breakdown voltage is reached, the ionized air will tend to continue to exist even after the voltage drops below the breakdown. Zener diodes don't recover like that. Think about trying the same idea, but use a thyristor instead. Maybe that will work...

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