After reading about ionic thrusters I wanted to build one but the most important part of a powerful thruster and many other electricity-based projects is a high voltage powerhouse. This high voltage transformer I made can turn 12 volts into over 20,000 volts DC.
Transformers can step up or step down voltages by running current through a coil (primary coil) wrapped around steel, creating a magnetic field. Then a secondary coil reconverts the electromagnetic field into electricity that is more or less voltage depending on the number of coils on either side of the core.
First, to make sure my circuit was working I attached all the components to a prototype board and connected them with alligator clips.
Once I found out what the primary coil on my transformer was I wrapped 2 wires around the second part of the core and added a couple of transistors and a resistor to complete the circuit.
Here’s the finished prototype circuit, the two small black things are transistors and the large object is the transformer. The two wires coming out from the left are the output wires.
After refining the circuit and adding a switch I then attached it to a piece of board which I drilled all holes for the components in and glued them on. Once everything was secure I soldered all the components together and screwed a second piece of board on for increased stability and protection.
To use the transformer you have to attach the input voltage to the two bolts sticking up closest to the switch and you’ll get your output on the other side.
To power the device you can uses almost any battery with a voltage of 9-12 volts.