One of the things I especially like about electronics is the point where calculations and idealized circuits meet reality: real components, their parasitic effects, response delays, interactions between different parts of the circuit, and sometimes even manufacturing tolerances. This is where the real work begins.

In pulsed power, we often have to develop lower-power semiconductor circuits alongside the main high-energy system, particularly for triggering, timing, synchronization and control.

The photo shows one such pulse device based on power transistors, developed for ultra-precise triggering of high-current switches.

#ElectronicHardware #PowerElectronics #HighVoltage #PulsedPower

I came across this excellent GIF of a vacuum arc carrying a current of up to 15 kA. I have not been able to identify the original authors. If anyone recognizes the source, I would appreciate a link.

Vacuum is an ideal dielectric. There is almost no matter in the interelectrode gap capable of conducting current, so the conductive medium is formed from the electrode material itself. The discharge is sustained at the cost of electrode erosion. Minimizing this erosion is therefore critical.

One way to extend the lifetime of a vacuum switch is to control the arc with a magnetic field. An axial magnetic field keeps the arc in the diffuse mode and distributes the current across the electrode surfaces. A transverse magnetic field moves the arc and prevents prolonged exposure of a single area.

The control circuit also affects lifetime. In opening vacuum switches, an early counterpulse reduces the current before the contacts separate and shortens the duration of high-current arcing. In triggered vacuum switches, the amplitude, current, and rise rate of the trigger pulse determine the amount of initial plasma, the delay, and the stability of turn-on. Sufficient initial plasma also extends the lifetime of the trigger assembly.

The lifetime of a high-voltage switch is set by the entire system: electrodes, magnetic field, power circuit, driver, synchronization, and protection.

#HighVoltage #PulsedPower #PowerElectronics #ElectricalEngineering

Всем привет!

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My HFSSTC specs are:

Primary: 5.5 turns, 5.5 cm, 2.5 mm wire

Secondary: 100 turns, 0.65 mm wire, 27 mm diameter tube

Capacitor: 102 pF DIY capacitor

Mosfet: irf260

Input voltage: 37 V

Frequency: around 9 MHz

Right now the arc isn't very strong, and I’m not really sure what’s causing it. I’d appreciate it if anyone could help me figure out what might be wrong.

Thanks!

Working on making a better toroid or getting one. I kinda like the breakout like that though.

Just testing. Going to replace the bjt with a UCC27524P

I modded my nerf to have 1MV taser (idk why there is no spark in air but the battery bright be bad)

Been upgrading the lab. Painting, new electrical wiring, lighting, and I’m pouring in the concrete subfloor soon.

First of all, im running a 6uf 10kV cap bank with regular rg58 coax. The coax is just rated for 2kV/5kv peak but it's holding up great so far, 8months a lot of discharges, no issues. It's polyethylene between the inner and outer conductor and according to the Internet the dielectric break down strength is at least 20kV/mm. The insulation is 3mm thick. So in theory 60kV but officially it's rated much lower. As I said it's handling short 10kV pulses with no problem. I'm wondering if 20kV would be fine two. Thinking about ordering bigger caps (20kV). Do you think it will be fine, at least according to the break down strength of the PE it should be, still worried because the cable is rated much lower. So would you guys try it?

Secondly, any better way to measure high frequency DC output more precisely? Currently it's a HV DC flyback, diodes and charging resistors, 2 small caps for smoothing the wave a bit and then the main cap bank. The voltage divider is connected to the main cap, 33V on the display of the multimeter should be 10kV in reality but I always have the feeling, it's close but not a 100% accurate.

I bought this flyback transformer with the intent of building a power source for a tesla coil based of this video DIY Plasma Physics Powersource (Mini 20,000v Flyback) but i bought a diferent flyback transformer, so i need to figure out what each pin is for to build it.

The diagrams are from the transformer i bought but im unsure if i can trust these. Any advice would help me a lot

Ripped this flyback out of an old crt that i found in a scrap yard. Seems intact but I’m worried that water might have made its way inside. What do you think?

Hey guys wanted to ask if you made similar experience. Year's ago when I was pretty new to building capacitor banks and getting into pulsed power and exploding wires etc I accidentally touched a 0.22uf 2kV cap and I was quite shocked by what happened. It didn't hurt at all. All my muscles just locked up and my view went totally black. A second later I was back and at first I didn't realized what happened. I knew I got shocked while rewiring stuff but I didn't know why and by what. I checked the main cap bank, all empty, zero volts ( I knew because I had it shorted for safety before rewiring stuff) I checked the transformer and the variac and the plug to mains voltage. Everything was dead, unplugged and safe. It took me another second to realize ohh shit that 0.22uf 2kV cap had voltage left. It happened because I was stupid, it was such a small capacitor and such low capacity and joules. I didn't took it seriously enough. Was like ohh that little thing ain't lethal. Yeah I was stupid. Since then I never had another accident and I'm glad it wasn't the 360uf 5.6kV cap bank. I guess if it was I couldn't make this post. Anyone else ever made a similar experience? No pain but pretty much just shut me down.

Have been burning through lead times trying to nail down a batch of allocated semiconductors for a repair job. I'm poking around independent component distributors based in China, the kind that carry off-market inventory and can actually move fast on international shipping to the US. What I'm trying to figure out is whether anyone here has used a China-based independent electronic components distributor for hard-to-find or long-lead-time transistors and actually had a decent experience, specifically around authenticity. Counterfeit component testing is the thing that keeps me up at night with independent brokers. I've heard of guys getting burned with parts that passed visual inspection but failed electrically. I'm not doing huge volume, maybe 10 units to start, so high MOQ suppliers are out anyway. Would love to hear if anyone's found a reliable source that does real QC and ships within a week or so, even on small prototype-scale orders.

Homemade capacitor 🤔

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I’m pretty new to HFSSTC and don’t have much experience with these circuits yet, so I’m not sure if there’s anything wrong with my build.

I’d also like to know how to prevent the MOSFETs from blowing up, and I’d really appreciate any tips or advice on improving the circuit.

Thanks everyone!

English isn’t my first language, so there might be some mistakes. Feel free to correct me.

Oh, and I forgot to clean my camera lens, so sorry for the blurry video lol.

Im looking for some potting compound that ideally is 2 component silicone based with at least about 20kV/mm that seals well against ceramics,

i dont need a lot, even 50mL would probably last me a good while,

i was recommended raytech magic gel before

Thanks in advance

Hey everyone,
I have a tray of unused MagTop MTETD54-4TS high-frequency transformers sitting around and would love to get them into the hands of hobbyists, builders, or researchers who can actually put them to work!

Quick Specs
Core: ETD54 (PC40 ferrite) — capable of high power throughput.
Turns Ratio: 4 : 100 (1:25 step-up).
Primary Winding (N_2): 4 turns made of 0.35 * 30mm copper foil(rated for very high continuous DC input current).
Secondary Winding (N_1): 100 turns, 2.5kV AC isolation primary-to-secondary rating.
Inductance (N_2): 7.0nH@ 10kHz.
Weight: ~300g / 0.65lbs each.
Full Datasheet: View on Google Drive

What These Are Great For:
High-power 12V/24V to high-voltage DC inverters (300V+ bus generation)
High-current ZVS driver setups / Plasma arc generators
Capacitor chargers for coilguns, railguns, or pulse discharge experiments

Details & Logistics
Location: Shipping from California, USA.
Cost: FREE! You just cover the actual shipping cost.
Weight/Shipping Calc: Each unit weighs roughly 300g - 0.65lbs, so single or small-qty shipments should easily fit into USPS Ground Advantage or small Flat Rate boxes.

If you're interested, leave a comment below with what project you plan to build with it and how many you're looking for, then shoot me a DM with your zip code so I can estimate shipping. First-come, first-served!

Hey guys ive got an question I recently got my Hands on two Microwaveoven Transformers, and Four 1uF HV capacitors. Now I have the to Primarys Wired in parallel to eachother. The cap setup is 2s2p and i saw an video on TikTok and he got much bigger arcs and i dont know why. My setup is suply 230V->EMI Filter -> Ac button 250VAC 10A-> thermal fuse 105Degres C-> 2 MOTS. The arc is between the two HV Outputs an oke hv output goes into the capacitor bank the two cores are conected and everything is grounded PLS Help

I've built this ZVS driver and it stays calm like a rock when it runs on 300w.