Re: xenon flash tubes as gaps Re: Zener SSTC?

["Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>]

Original poster: "Harold Weiss" <hweiss-at-new.rr-dot-com> 

Hi Chris,

Those lamps are EXPLOSIVE.  When handling wear face shields, long sleeve
heavy clothing and gloves.  They MUST be ignited only in lamphouses built to
withstand the schrapnel produced.  At operating temprature they can go up to
20 ATM pressure, and can explode with the force of a hand grenade.  DO NOT
TOUCH THE GLASS WITH BARE HANDS.  Fingerprints will burn into the glass and
cause an explosion.  If there are fingerprints on the glass clean the glass
with alcohol before use.

Used lamps are more prone to explosion.  If I were you, I'd take them and
wrap them in a packing blanket and then crush them with a hammer.  They are
too dangerous to play with.

I just had one explode tonight in the followspot that I was operating.  Are
those things ever loud when they go off at operating temprature.  It pretty
much deafened all of us in the spot booth.

David E Weiss

 > Original poster: "Christopher Boden" <chrisboden-at-hotmail-dot-com>
 >
 > We just got a pair donated and I was thinking the same thing. They won't
 > arc at 10kV, but at 15kV it's a thin arc (much the same as if it were in
 > free air. The arc lamps are massive, and I was wondering if it would be
 > possible to make a silent (or much quieter) gap from one. The problem is
 > it's a fixed-width gap, and I haven't yet come up with how to make that
work.
 >
 > Ideas?
 >
 >
 >
 > Christopher "Duck" Boden Geek#1
 > President / C.E.O. / Alpha Geek
 > The Geek Group
 > www.thegeekgroup-dot-org
 > Because the Geek shall inherit the Earth!
 >
 >
 >
 >
 >
 > >From: "Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
 > >To: tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
 > >Subject: xenon flash tubes as gaps Re: Zener SSTC?
 > >Date: Sat, 17 Jan 2004 08:25:37 -0700
 > >
 > >Original poster: "Jim Lux" <jimlux-at-earthlink-dot-net>
 > >
 > >The big tubes don't quench very fast (electrodes and gas stay hot).
 > >And, they can't dissipate a lot of continuous power.
 > >
 > >Perhaps, though, a xenon arc lamp, (as used in projectors, for instance)
 > >which is designed to dissipate continuous power, might work?
 > >----- Original Message -----
 > >From: "Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
 > >To: <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
 > >Sent: Friday, January 16, 2004 8:13 PM
 > >Subject: Re: Zener SSTC?
 > >
 > >
 > > > Original poster: Jan Wagner <jwagner-at-cc.hut.fi>
 > > >
 > > >
 > > > On Fri, 16 Jan 2004, Tesla list wrote:
 > > >  > Original poster: "Nick Miller" <nickstuffinc-at-hotmail-dot-com>
 > > >  >
 > > >  > what about using ne2 neon bulbs for a oltc?
 > > >
 > > > That, or rather a high(er) power xenon flash tube just _might_ work
for a
 > > > really small and inefficient TC. Although, preventing the tube from
 > > > exploding, yet still have a (barely?)working TC would be a
challenge... ;)
 > > >
 > > >   - jfw
 > > >
 > > > --
 > > > ****************************************************
 > > >   Helsinki University of Technology
 > > >   Dept. of Electrical and Communications Engineering
 > > >   http://www.hut.fi/~jwagner/ - jwagner-at-cc.hut.fi
 > > >
 > > >
 >
 >
 >