- #1
PhysicistSarah
- 5
- 2
I'm interested in making a Thompson's Coil after seeing my University's physics II (EM) professor demonstrate Faraday's Law to us using it. It seems like a fun device to demonstrate various principles of Electromagnetism to lay people (Induced Voltage by Faraday's Law, Resistive Heating, Electromagnetic Levitation (Of rings), Conductivity, etc).
How should I go about building this? I have a functioning knowledge of EM that I learned in class, although we skipped out on inductance unfortunately (The school semester physics layout didn't cover it, god forbid we learn all the school covered-EM topics in the EM physics class right?) At a fundamental level, I get inductance, and am aware of inductive reactance, although I haven't reviewed that chapters in my Giancoli physics textbook on it yet. I'm on break for the next month, having just finished a semester at the university. So I have plenty of time to plan and execute the project.
I'm also well set up for woodworking/steelworking equipment for making various components, although I have more of a specialization in woodwork for now. I also have been trying to get into electronics ever since taking the physics II class. I have multi-meters (Including a clamp on one), but don't really have a power supply yet, I also have a 30W Weller soldering iron, and I've wired up a few outlets/switches, as well as all the wiring I did in my Physics II labs.
Functionally, from what I've seen, a Thompson's Coil (Pictured Below)(Source: http://kossover.squarespace.com/journal/2012/5/1/improved-elihu-thomson-coil-jumping-ring.html), really just consists of a coil, with an insulated ferromagnetic iron core, such as this DIY Thompson's coil. I could copy this method outlined in the blog post of the person who made this Thompson's coil (He used the spool, with iron welding rods, which are used in TIG welding, if I'm not mistaken.), but I'm looking to make the best coil that I can, given the time and budget (Around $130-150) constraints, and I'm not sure if this is the design I should go with, hence my post here.
Is this an acceptable design? Will it give good results for demonstrations? Will it run on 120V AC? What design choices would make it better? What would be the best inductor material for the core that I can realistically get my hands on? He used insulated (By spray on varnish) iron welding welding rods. I had a recommendation from a retired particle physicist that I previously asked this question to, and he suggested using insulated iron florist wire, which is thin, and he suggested it was a decent inductor.
How should I go about building this? I have a functioning knowledge of EM that I learned in class, although we skipped out on inductance unfortunately (The school semester physics layout didn't cover it, god forbid we learn all the school covered-EM topics in the EM physics class right?) At a fundamental level, I get inductance, and am aware of inductive reactance, although I haven't reviewed that chapters in my Giancoli physics textbook on it yet. I'm on break for the next month, having just finished a semester at the university. So I have plenty of time to plan and execute the project.
I'm also well set up for woodworking/steelworking equipment for making various components, although I have more of a specialization in woodwork for now. I also have been trying to get into electronics ever since taking the physics II class. I have multi-meters (Including a clamp on one), but don't really have a power supply yet, I also have a 30W Weller soldering iron, and I've wired up a few outlets/switches, as well as all the wiring I did in my Physics II labs.
Functionally, from what I've seen, a Thompson's Coil (Pictured Below)(Source: http://kossover.squarespace.com/journal/2012/5/1/improved-elihu-thomson-coil-jumping-ring.html), really just consists of a coil, with an insulated ferromagnetic iron core, such as this DIY Thompson's coil. I could copy this method outlined in the blog post of the person who made this Thompson's coil (He used the spool, with iron welding rods, which are used in TIG welding, if I'm not mistaken.), but I'm looking to make the best coil that I can, given the time and budget (Around $130-150) constraints, and I'm not sure if this is the design I should go with, hence my post here.
Is this an acceptable design? Will it give good results for demonstrations? Will it run on 120V AC? What design choices would make it better? What would be the best inductor material for the core that I can realistically get my hands on? He used insulated (By spray on varnish) iron welding welding rods. I had a recommendation from a retired particle physicist that I previously asked this question to, and he suggested using insulated iron florist wire, which is thin, and he suggested it was a decent inductor.