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What can I do with a Plasma Ball Transformer

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Tetris

Wed Sept 11 2013, 01:15AM

Registered Member #4016 Joined: Thu Jul 21 2011, 01:52AM
Location: Gainesville, FL
Posts: 660

I shouldn't be allowed to transport glass. I broke my plasma globe four days after I got it. I was bawling for hours. But that's besides the point.

I broke the glass. This was last Christmas. The transformer is good as new. Some of you know I have very, very, very limited, very low voltage parts access, with no capability of buying anything (I can only nab what I get from the electronics classroom.)

What can I do with the transformer? I tried making a flyback audio once, and that was a miserable failure. It hardly worked, but I think that was more on the fact I fed it an MP3 instead of a MIDI. Do you think I should try again?

This time, I'm more mathematically inclined, but I don't know more than the basic electrical formulas.

Erlend^SE

Wed Sept 11 2013, 02:49PM

Registered Member #1565 Joined: Wed Jun 25 2008, 09:08PM
Location: Norway
Posts: 159

Do you still have the original board? it should be possible to drive some other glass bulb with low pressure from it.

aka light-bulbs e.t.c.

Platinum

Wed Sept 11 2013, 08:15PM

Registered Member #3926 Joined: Fri Jun 03 2011, 08:32PM
Location: UK.
Posts: 525

I had one from an 8" plasma globe not so long ago, the driver was only an IC switched single darlington transistor, it was only 12watts output. For fun I put the flyback on a zvs driver, output diminished very fast.

They have uses, just keep it to low powers, say 10-25watts. You shouldn't have any problems then.

testtest

Wed Sept 11 2013, 08:31PM

Registered Member #3271 Joined: Mon Oct 04 2010, 02:29AM
Location: Canada
Posts: 159

"What can I do with a plasma ball transformer..."

Ask Carl Willis to make you a replacement globe. You can see his work here

Dont know if your electronics could drive one however.

Tetris

Thu Sept 12 2013, 02:49AM

Registered Member #4016 Joined: Thu Jul 21 2011, 01:52AM
Location: Gainesville, FL
Posts: 660

Erlend^SE wrote ...

Do you still have the original board? it should be possible to drive some other glass bulb with low pressure from it.

aka light-bulbs e.t.c.

I never took it apart. The only thing I don't have is the argon and the glass.

Platinum wrote ...

I had one from an 8" plasma globe not so long ago, the driver was only an IC switched single darlington transistor, it was only 12watts output. For fun I put the flyback on a zvs driver, output diminished very fast.

They have uses, just keep it to low powers, say 10-25watts. You shouldn't have any problems then.

IIRC it was a 4" globe.

richnormand wrote ...

"What can I do with a plasma ball transformer..."

Ask Carl Willis to make you a replacement globe. You can see his work here

Dont know if your electronics could drive one however.

Hmm... maybe I could use a standard light bulb and draw arcs from it. As said, I can't afford to buy anything. I haven't HV'ed in a year... I need to pick it back up again.

[Edit: Triple post]

Experimentonomen

Thu Sept 12 2013, 07:38AM

Registered Member #941 Joined: Sun Aug 05 2007, 10:09AM
Location: in a swedish junk pile
Posts: 497

Or do what i did and quit hv for good.

Ash Small

Thu Sept 12 2013, 09:03AM

Registered Member #3414 Joined: Sun Nov 14 2010, 05:05PM
Location: UK
Posts: 4245

You could try a few different lightbulbs, some work a lot better than others. There are quite a few articles out there on home made plasma globes.

There is a 'theoretical' risk of X-rays with some, but I doubt that will be a problem with your driver. Maybe someone else can confirm this?

Dragon64

Thu Sept 12 2013, 03:32PM

Registered Member #1438 Joined: Sat Apr 12 2008, 12:57AM
Location: Canada
Posts: 218

Ash Small wrote ...

You could try a few different lightbulbs, some work a lot better than others. There are quite a few articles out there on home made plasma globes.

There is a 'theoretical' risk of X-rays with some, but I doubt that will be a problem with your driver. Maybe someone else can confirm this?

If he is planning on using the plasma globe driver to drive the tranformer there shouldn't be a risk of x-ray.

As far as I recall, plasma globe only work on AC which shouldn't produce x-rays.

Alex M

Fri Sept 13 2013, 06:39AM

Registered Member #3943 Joined: Sun Jun 12 2011, 05:24PM
Location: The Shire, UK
Posts: 552

Experimentonomen wrote ...

Or do what i did and quit hv for good.

How come?

Experimentonomen

Fri Sept 13 2013, 07:28AM

Registered Member #941 Joined: Sun Aug 05 2007, 10:09AM
Location: in a swedish junk pile
Posts: 497

Drawing arcs from a flyback got boring, and i dident wanna get associated with all them noobs asking how to wire a mot and what not.

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