Where can I get a cheap 40v at 170 amp dc supply

[Laser Zone]

Ill have better pics this sunday

[-bart-]

I cant really make up what's the secondary voltage of that thing.

a single phase transformer alone won't produce dc.
You still will need a rectifier and a ignitor to light up an arclamp.

The inrush current of that beast will blow about any fuse you thow at it !

[Laser Zone]

Yes I know , Im not done yet . Each diode is 300 volt at 150 amps ,43 dollars each. Its not going to be cheep. The inrush and trigger are going to come from sky tracker. Good times are coming .

[DMills]

Just for anyone who is not familiar with the dangers of short arc xenon, these lamps have a few issues you need to watch. They run at very high internal pressure (Think 30Atm), and if mistreated (and sometimes even if not) will explode throwing hot quartz shards, electrodes and sometimes bits of the lamphouse optical system everywhere.
The lamp houses are designed to contain the damage, but normal handling precautions for these things when doing a lamp change are a full face shield, leather gauntlets and apron, and people still sometimes get hurt.

Unless you have a coated one they generate sufficient UVC to make ozone a real problem, just a minor matter to watch. Ignition is tricky, normally a couple of hundred volts from a capacitor bank (with series resistor) as a boost supply is required on top of the 22V or so that is normal running voltage in order to get the cathode up to temperature on startup. The ignition is normally series injection at a few tens of KV and a few hundred Khz.

Lamp orientation matters if you are to get a stable burn, and in projection use there are 'turning washers' available to shim the mounting so as to rotate the lamp 180 to equalise the wear on the anode. Some designs require external permanent magnets to stabilise the arc.

A common power supply bodge for these is an inverter welding set of suitable continuous rating. Old carbon arc (the technology they replaced) power supplies can be used, with the addition of a suitable boost supply and igniter, but you may need to beef up the smoothing (They don't much appreciate excessive ripple).

If you have one of the (uncommon these days) 3 electrode lamps, be careful they were even more temperamental then the modern 2 electrode variety.

HTH.

Regards, Dan.

[Laser Zone]

I couldn't say it any better Mills , Thanks ! I keep forgetting to talking about the safety hazards of these things. These bulbs are little sticks of Dynamite !! And they give no warning , just watch these fine lads . http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVpD8SWzKFM

[Laser Zone]

Gotcha !!!!!

[Laser Zone]

Say hello to my little friend ! Its not done yet but Im still gathering parts. This set up should drive 5 to hopefully 7 kw xenon lamps.

[derju]

if you still need big diodes, i got 6 pieces of 400V 320A

[Laser Zone]

How much for 4 diodes ,

[Laser Zone]

What els ya got. I need , 5kw lamp, Parabolic mirror, Ferrite 10'' rods, 5pf 12kv cap, and that should be it. Got my Blue digi current meter today Hoo Hooo !!!!