How to build a high-voltage power supply
It made me
DUUUUUUDE! 
"Awesome!"
How I did it: Not terribly difficult, really. Built a Cockroft-Walton multiplier out of surplus HV diodes and ceramicaps, connected it across the poles of a disposable camera inverter circuit, and let 'er rip. Not the highest voltage in the world, but more than enough to step up further by driving a little Tesla coil.
Lessons & tips: Easy way to find out the frequency of the inverter, for purposes of
tuning the Tesla? Get a piano or other musical instrument, and match
the whine of the inverter as closely as you can.
Resources:
- Disposable camera innards from a photomat
- http://goldmine-elec.com/
