Here is a very simple circuit that will provide high voltage (15-40kV) sparks using a common ignition coil. The input is 12VDC at around 5 to 6 amps. Mine produces sparks that are about 3/4" to 1" in length. A 2N3055 NPN power transistor is pulsed with a square wave signal that comes from the 555 timer IC. The frequency of the pulses depends on the resistors between pins 7 and 8 and between pins 7 and 6. The pulse is also dependent on the capacitor. You can experiment with these values. Try inserting a smaller capacitor to raise the frequency. At different frequencies the sparks will change certain characteristics. At a high frequency the sparks will get fatter but shorter in length. At lower frequencies the spark maybe longer but thinner. I assembled my project on a solderless breadboard. You can use whatever you like. The capacitor should be a tantalum or mylar type, but this is not absolutely necessary. A ceramic type should work fine just as long as the temperature is not too high around it. Read more >> Click
