Salvaging a large gas discharge lamp starter

[Bacon46]

I salvaged a high voltage lamp starter from a lithographic “plate burner” where I work. I had no idea what I would do with it but I couldn’t just let them throw it in the trash. It is designed for rapid start of gas discharge lamps. The links below are to images of the starter, the schematics and the patent. I am hoping to salvage parts off of it to create a heavy duty power supply for chlorate production. I know it is not suitable for chlorate production as it is, but can it be modified or can I salvage certain parts that may be useful in a power supply for chlorate production?

I am electronically challenged. If the modifications are complex I will do the research on how to make them and get it figured out. I was hoping someone here could shorten the process and point me in the right direction to start. If I can’t use it for creating a chlorate power supply maybe someone attempting HNO3 production via high voltage arc can use it.

This type of printing plate, one that requires exposure to high intensity light, is being phased out and replaced by a direct computer to plate process. If useful, these things should be fairly easy to come up with. There are many people that specialize in printing equipment salvage and the plate burners are going to be piling up in their warehouses. I also salvaged a nice vacuum pump from the same machine.

Patent 3944876 (http://www.google.com/patents?id=I20-AAAAEBAJ&dq=3944876) Image One (http://img397.imageshack.us/img397/3369/lampstarter001um6.jpg) Image Two (http://img397.imageshack.us/img397/381/lampstarter002kd4.jpg) Image Three (http://img214.imageshack.us/img214/1996/lampstarter003gq4.jpg)

[ETCS (Ret)]

It appears to be an Ignitor/Ballast for a High Intensity Discharge Lamp. Lotta good stuff on it!

It has potential for use in some sort of high voltage circuit or power supply.

The circuitry, as it is, wouldn't be too useful for the application you have in mind. Probably the best sort of power supply for a Chlorate cell would be a used, but still working, computer power supply rated at 350 Watts or more. That would be capable of providing 50 or more Amperes at 5 Volts which would be near ideal, and they are easily modified to work outside a computer. Pretty easy to find at Computer Repair Shops or Electronic Salvage Shops.

Do you have any friends who are Electronics Technicians or Ham Radio Operators? They'd be able to quickly evaluate the treasure trove that you have and give you some ideas on what it could be used for.

When one is in the right place at the right time it is absolutely amaazing what can be had for free! Way to go Bacon46!

[Bacon46]

Thanks ETCS

Maybe I will just use it to learn what I can about transformers etc by experimenting with them and un-winding them.

[ProdigyChild]

The coils in your circuit can easily be used to limit current drawn from your AC line. This is very useful if you want to create high power arcs. Unwinding the coils would be nearly as bad as throwing the parts into the trash bin.

As a starting point, buy a bridge rectifier and connect its AC inputs to the AC line with the 'ballast' in series. You have an short-circuit proof power supply and it should be able to produce arcs. Please connect a varistor of 250V parallel to the rectifier's output to absorb exceedingly high spikes.

Have fun!

[Charles Owlen Picket]

This very useful information for me as I have a powerful lust for Tesla coils. I was really only aware of Microwave and flyback transformers (& associated voltage multipliers) found in older TV's.

High voltage stuff is rare and quite worthy of reclamation in my opinion but just as valuable is sources of same!

[Positron]

ProdigyChild has some good advice. They key words being "short-circuit" proof. Current limiting is great to have sometimes.

If you guys want quick & easy high-voltage...go for neon-sign transformers. You can get 2 - 15kV at currents as high as 120mA (0.12 Amps!) from them. Which is a lot at that voltage.

Great for Tesla coils.

The newer neon-sign power supplies are all solid-state and pretty much useless. If it doesn't weigh anything...it's useless. You want the old-school core-and-coil tar-filled things ; )