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Everything additional that is needed to drive the Xenon tube, comes after the AV Plug. The components are all added where the standard Neon would normally be.
The additional parts are not all that critical and the 4KV Trigger coil is a standard surplus unit that is available from many surplus parts outlets. The Xenon tube that is used can vary from very small to quite large. The following photo shows two different type that the SEC Exciter is capable of firing. The small Xenon tube that in constant plasma is a real heat producer.
The tubes were ordered from 'The Electronic Goldmine' and at the time had a Part# G13722. I think they are surplus bulbs from the old disposable camera days. I matched this small tube to a currently manufactured tube and obtained the operational specifications.
The large tube I worked with is very large when compared to the little bar tube. The tube is of commercial grade and is used in many applications in industry. I obtained a few tube for experimentation from an associate.
The following is a picture of a proto-type SEC15-3 driving the small bar Xenon tube. This is the same circuit that is seen in the YouTube video.
Mounted a flash unit above a SEC15-3. The exciter is a 15-3 with parasitic plate.
A view from the other side of the board.
Although a bright Xenon flash is valuable in many applications, the real proof of a SEC15-3's driving ability is to power a constant plasma within a Xenon tube. Having worked with Xenon plasmas some years ago and realized the heat generated that I moved to a revisit using a SEC Exciter as the power unit. The following photo shows a bread board test of a circuit to generate a constant Xenon plasma.
It should be noted that
once the plasma is formed, the trigger signal can be removed and the
plasma will self sustain. I also found that if the trigger signal is not
connected and power is applied to the Exciter that the Anode diode of the
AV Plug will always fail. Replacing this diode with a UF1N4007 stopped the
failure but it also reduced the plasma intensity by ~1/2.
*The UF 1N4007 has a much higher intrinsic capacity
than the 1N4148 and I believe this is the reason for the reduced plasma
energy. If two 1N4148's are placed in parallel without equalization methods
the burn out is also removed, but, the input current from the supply
to the Exciter will double, without a detectable increase in plasma energy.
I have had success in placing two (2) 1N4148's in series
and do not suffer the burn out. So it appears the breakdown is
voltage rather than current related.
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