TSP #3 - Camera Flash Circuit and Nixie Tube Tutorial (Part 1/3)

In this episode (Part 1/3) Shahriar explores the principle operation of a camera flash circuit. The flash circuit is analyzed at the schematic level and through measurements. He then moves on to power a nixie tube using this circuit and calculates the efficiency of the DC-DC converter for this type of application. There is also a little quiz in this episode! Whoever solves the quiz will chose the topic of the next video.

[@threeMetreJim]

I know this is a very old video, but you were asking if anyone made anything from one of these. I made an EMP generator; not the usual kind you see all over the net though. I removed the large capacitor along with the trigger circuit and fed a voltage multiplier of 8 capacitors and 8 diodes to get around 2kV. I sent the 2kV to a set of parallel connected co-ax cables of around 50cm each, via two 1M ohm resistors; one in the + and one in the ground to isolate the co-ax section. I placed a really narrow spark gap (so it was fast and the co-ax wouldn't break down) to connect the inner of the co-ax to the outer once it had charged. At the other end of the co-ax was connected a wire that was 1/4 wave (co-ax length + taking into account the velocity factor).
When operated, the sparks were really small but very quick repeating (at audio frequency). Unshilded devices up to 5m away would glitch from the short high peak power and high frequency (around 80MHz I believe) rf pulses emitted. It worked on the principle of an oscillator set up within the co-ax pieces, with the impedance mismatch of the wire antenna causing reflected pulses to travel back and forth inside the low-impedance parallel co-ax cables with a part of the energy going to the antenna on each cycle. It worked surprisingly well to say It ran from a 1.5v battery (3v was better) and made barely any sparks compared to other stuff you see online. I reckon that a custom low impedance co-ax, higher voltage, and a pressurised spark gap would make a quite formidable lowish power EMP (rather EMI) generator that could maybe be good enough as an electronic warfare jammer - it absolutely ruined viewing of analogue TV (screen covered in white dots and lines) - simple low cost drone defense maybe with some tweaking of power, bandwidth and centre frequency?

[@Fibonacci2nthpower]

fantastic breakdown thus far. i'm impressed and look forward to the rest of your videos.
thanks

[@gkshighfalutintubeexperien8205]

Omg A HUMAN THIS IS WHAT I WAS THINKING BUT NO ONE WAS MAKING THIS KINDA VIDEO THANKS...

[@abdulwaheed-yg3cn]

i'm impressed and look forward to the rest of your videos. thanks

[@LCmusicBlog]

there are only a small handful of good quality how to electronics videos and people on youtube. this is one of them. SAVE this channel!! Here is someone who I consider very valuable to anyone's research and experimenting / building / learning / whatever!

[@nawaab9275]

can u please tell me the type and form of pcb used in this camera

[@spagamoto]

I've been zapped a few times by these suckers, including once in the middle of Piazza San Marco in Venice while trying to repair my camera :) Hurts.

[@meowmonster]

Same

[@D.A.Powell]

Can that flash circuit be made on a 5mm by 10 board ??

[@edong7008]

Sir I have a question. What's the function for capacitor in LED electric torch. This dirve me creazy 😩

[@theonelinerkid]

Is there anyrule of thumb for madding these camera circuits....ie.. any resistors thaat have to be replaced or removed or do they all folow simialr designs?... its just that mine arent fujis...

[@CassetteMaster]

I use to make shockers with these back in 2004.

[@yakacm]

I contacted a film developer in the UK to ask if they had any of these circuits I could have, and they told me that by law they couldn't hand them on to me unless I was an accredited computer hardware recycler, which obviously seems a bit stupid, I understand that they need laws to stop folk from polluting the environment by dumping rubbish, but you'd have thought they would make the law suitably flexible so that someone who actually wants to be able to reuse something is able to do so.

[@brionfranks478]

diecast jam you have to understand the kind of idiot clerks that you are dealing with too, 10 year old mentality and only watches inane progams on telly all day and night.

[@divergence9303]

Does the transformer in this camera have 5 pins?

[@flatfrog69rr71]

Hi Shararair
thank you- great video
would it be possable to make a video using the same flash circuit to build a Geiger Counter ?
I have purchased some tubes from e-bay and can give you the numbers from it if you need them
the tube's are quite cheap to buy and are readily available
ps- (the breakdown voltage in air is approx 25kv per inch)

[@Rcaddict666]

Help. I have disassembled 4 of these cameras. After removing the capacitor, the transformer overheats and they die. What am I missing?

[@ryanbareither89]

Which capacitor? The 80uF big black one? I've never run into this problem.

[@michaelfallentreewatts1398]

can you use any camera or only disposable ones?

[@OskarP2601]

Any camera with a flash disposable ones are just cheap

[@OskarP2601]

I’m a little late

[@electronicguy4550]

A little?

[@ivanmijailovic357]

I can't buy anywhere camera such as this :/

[@gacherumburu9958]

👍

[@ReallyNo.01]

Oooooo… (sits quietly and listens)

[@dustywendigo8952]

I tased my hand 3 times. Life’s a bitch

[@gc1924]

No Nixie, xénon