Trigger circuit for large xenon flash tubes

TL;DR

Learn how to build a more powerful trigger circuit for flash tubes used in projects like the Ruby laser.

Transcript

hey everyone I built a better trigger circuit for my flash tube stuff that I'm going to use for the Ruby laser project so I thought I'd show you how I did it and what sort of flash tubes I can trigger with it so here's the setup I've got this electrophoresis power supply charging up the capacitor bank there to about 1,200 volts and the capacitor ba... Read More

Key Insights

• 📸 Flash tubes require a trigger pulse to create a flash or discharge.
• 🧪 The voltage required for triggering flash tubes depends on the gas and tube length.
• ⚡ Different types of transformers are used in flash units to provide the necessary triggering voltage.
• ⚡ Larger flash tubes require higher triggering voltages, which can be generated using an automotive ignition coil.
• 🛩️ The trigger circuit consists of a switch, a smaller capacitor, and an ignition coil.
• 📸 The effective resistance of the flash tube can be calculated based on the energy and duration of the flash.
• 🎥 Flash tubes can be discharged using a thick film capacitor.

Questions & Answers

Q: How does the trigger circuit work?

The trigger circuit utilizes a capacitor bank and a fast-rising edge high-voltage pulse to ionize the gas inside the flash tube, allowing the discharge of power stored in the capacitor bank.

Q: What determines the triggering voltage required for a flash tube?

The length of the flash tube determines the triggering voltage required, with longer tubes needing higher voltages to ionize all the gas inside.

Q: What type of transformer is used in professional flash units?

Professional flash units use a flash transformer trigger transformer, which typically takes a few hundred volts input and generates 10 to 20 kilovolts output.

Q: How is the higher voltage needed for triggering larger flash tubes generated?

In the video, an automotive ignition coil is used along with a 300-volt capacitor to generate sparks of about 90 kilovolts to trigger large flash tubes.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The video demonstrates how to build a trigger circuit for flash tubes, using a capacitor bank and a trigger pulse to create a discharge.

• Different flash tubes require different triggering voltages, with shorter tubes requiring less voltage.

• The circuit built in the video uses an automotive ignition coil and a 300-volt capacitor to generate high-voltage sparks for triggering large flash tubes.