Re: [kinda-ot] Plasma ball driver HVPS

["Tesla list" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Original poster: William Beaty <billb@xxxxxxxxxx>

On Sun, 4 Jun 2006, Tesla list wrote:

> Original poster: Richard Smith <rsmith@xxxxxxxx>
>
> I'm an EE but I'm mostly a uP level digital man.  So this is a tad
> bit out of the bulk of my expertise.  I have played a bit with HV in
> the past though and I'm not a total stranger to analog but I'm not
> having any luck getting my head wrapped around this circuit.

With simple circuits, the first rule of debugging is:

  IGNORE EVERYTHING ELSE, AND REPLACE THE POWER TRANSISTORS.

Maybe replace the power diodes too.

Your time is worth about $20/hr (if not $100/hr.)   Unless you're doing
the repair for fun, there's no point to figuring out the circuit until
you're forced to do so.    Of course if those transistors are like $10.00
each, then the high cost will force you to debug in depth.  But for $3.00
transistors, the first thing to do is order a couple of each.



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William J. Beaty                            SCIENCE HOBBYIST website
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