r/highvoltage

Encased in a tube because I took it to my school’s science fair. Setup with 1-4 mot to vary arc length. Using microwave oven caps and a big 450 uf cap parallel to mains to reduce reactive power and to not make the breakers trip, works better than a typical mot ballast. I used a remote controled servo to iniciate the arc. Around 180 cm or 6 ft tall.

First video 1 mot, second 2 mots and final video all 4 mots.

It would be easy to seal the tube and try some low pressure vacuum stuff, what do you guys think?

Btw, first post and old project.

I just used a cactus leaf as a electrode and it made those beautiful orange arcs.

HV source was a flyback driven by modified temu ZVS driver (IRFP064N 》IRFP250N) running on 25V 10A max.

Schematic in next post

All Ali express parts and running off a drone battery I got for free from a defective drone ☠️, pretty compact and works great. Sorry for the video breaking apart I think it was EMP'ing my phone since I had no problems filming it with weaker arcs.

Hey everyone,

I’ve been obsessing over power transmission efficiency and heat loss (Joule heating) in copper wires. Without using expensive superconductors or extreme cooling, I think I’ve mentally simulated a way to achieve near-zero energy loss at room temperature just by using geometry, active phase cancellation, and what I call a "photonic guide."

I must be honest: my formal background in advanced electrical engineering isn't perfect, but I recently had this massive spark of inspiration, simulated the entire system in my head, and I wanted to share it here as a concept to see what you guys think. Please don't be too harsh if I missed a basic textbook rule—let's look at the logic!

Here is how the system works, broken down into parts:

Part 1: The Smooth and Wide Helical Surface (The Meat Grinder Model)

We know that at high frequencies, alternating current (AC) tends to flow through the outer surface of a conductor rather than its core (Skin Effect). Instead of giving the current a straight path, I designed a helical path on the outer surface of the wire, similar to the spiral screw inside a meat grinder.

The trick here is that the curves are NOT sharp or zigzagged. They must be very wide, gentle, and flattened (like a smooth Omega shape). When the curves are wide and flat, electrons don't experience heavy centrifugal force or smash into the outer walls of the copper. The path essentially feels like a straight line to the electrons, which drastically reduces atomic friction (heat) and starts smoothing out the current right from the beginning.

(Note on my alternative thesis: I also conceptualized a sharp, square/zigzag alternate structure for this path. That square design is a separate thesis on its own, meant to fundamentally force the wave's orientation before reaching the smoothing phase, ensuring the current stabilizes itself mechanically through contrasting geometries.)

Part 2: The Light Flash (The Photonic Guide)

Inside the core, looking straight ahead in the direction of the current, we position a highly powerful light/laser source.

Crucial Clarification: When I say "light," I don't mean a literal flashlight to illuminate things. It acts as an active photonic guide and stabilizer. As the photons travel at the speed of light, they act as a leading force for the electron cloud trailing behind them. This light wave pushes the chaotic copper atoms and free electrons forward, clearing out external disturbances. The electrons don't get trapped by the atomic fields of the copper; they slide through a clean highway created by the guide.

Part 3: Position Tracking and Active Cancellation (The ANC Concept)

The wire has smart sensors at both ends (similar to the track circuits used in railway signaling to track train positions). It monitors exactly where the main current is at any millisecond and tracks its atomic collision rhythm (like a heartbeat).

Because of the wide helical geometry, the current is already shaped like a very smooth, predictable sine wave. From the opposite end of the wire, we shoot a counter-phase current whose power and frequency adjust instantly based on the main current's position. When these two opposing waves meet, they cancel out all the chaotic, heat-generating parasite waves—exactly like Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) in headphones.

Part 4: Final Station (Domestic Transformation)

The energy travels with near-zero heat loss and arrives at the destination. Before entering the city grid or houses, a final regulator smooths out this smart wave and converts it back to standard domestic frequency (50/60 Hz). Your fridge or TV runs perfectly on normal electricity, but the energy traveled miles to get there with zero waste.

By evolving the geometry from sharp shapes to smooth, wide waves, neutralizing the current becomes mathematically way easier. To me, this mental simulation feels incredibly stable and balanced. Is this completely crazy, or is there a genuine piece of futuristic logic here? Let's discuss!

Long long ago, before the internet, this book inspired my HV projects. The really annoying thing was, despite the cover, there was no Tesla Coil in it, which is the one thing I wanted to build more than anything.

This is a variation of Mirko Pavleski’s single MOSFET Tesla coil. The main difference is mine has no cylinder top load, using a copper solder iron tip over a screw, and I’m using two 3k resistors in parallel to pot. In his video he had made an interrupter and I was wondering what would be the best way to have this play square waves if it’s possible as is or what modifications would I need to do.

I got this arc with an IRFZ44N based Lc oscillator circuit at 24V 3A is there any room to get better results or do I need to switch entirely to ZVS driving

I am a small business and I looking for an electrician to wire a 208V compressor here in Collingswood, NJ and want to know if this is possible since this circuit breaker (3 phase) is so old. Can this breaker be changed to a 208v ? The pictures are the panel and the breaker. I have 1 fuse removed, as the compressor installer removed it. I don’t want some electrician to come in and tell me the whole service needs to be replaced. What are the options? Any guidance is appreciated!!