Attached are some fotos and a description of a 220v 1500w Xenon strobe driver that uses direct current from the mains.

The strobe is not sold anymore. The new ones like this do not have many discreet components.

This strobe driver has no capacitors for the flash storage

A little scary circuit I think (I'm not an engineer..) but it is robust and works well with 220v main power.

However, I live in Ecuador and now we are in an energy crises with 12 hour power cuts per day. This is going to last a long time, as there is a hard drought and no hydro capacity left.

I have a 110v solar inverter that will run a 110-220 transformer. I have a good quality 5000watt transformer, with a copper toroidal core. But it is not fast enough to supply the instantaneous power the strobe needs. So, the strobe runs at maybe 1/2 the wattage.

I have a large photo-flash capacitor 2400mf 360wv and probably I could adapt the strobe motherboard so that the transformer could charge the capacitor and then the flash can be at full power.

Can any of you suggest how this would be done (I can solder...)???

Where to solder and the polarities?

Many thanks


Just for info: use the strobe to power a PEMF circuit. Very simple, very effective, low cost. Powerful. I use it every day.

Ali Express sells a more modern version with hardly any discreet components, but it still does not have storage capacity on the board and runs directly off mains

 

looks to me that the large diodes form a 1/2 bridge?

 

I suggest caution on how much power you deliver to the flash tube, because excess power will cause damage. I know this first hand because I burst a flash tube once. One flash was all it took. Fortunately it had a plastic shield so I was not hit by fragments of glass, but the flash tube was destroyed.

 

this I think could be controlled by the size of the capacitor and the rating of the bulb?

the bulb is rated at 1500 watts

 

Hello,

I think you mean to say 1500 Ws in stead of 1500 Watts:
https://www.xenonflashtubes.com/spi...spiral-1500ws-flash-tube-lamp-studio_166.html

Bertus

 

yes, a typo

1500 watts

but the tube is straight

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256806304201380.html?gatewayAdapt=glo2usa

 

And as for the specifications, they list the length and diameter.

 

Ok, I think there are two questions here:

1) how to size the capacitor

2) where to connect the capacitor to the board

the first one I think can be answered by getting the specs for the bulb and matching the capacitor. It is an XOP 1500 watt bulb. I will try to find that.

The second is where I need help, as I have no idea how to analyze/debug that circuit board. Where to solder the capacitor?

I have a spare board so I can run a test first.

Perhaps there is a better forum, one specifically for Strobes?

 

since the function of the capacitor in a flash unit is to deliver power to the flash tube, the logical connection points would be at the connections to the flash tube itself, being careful to get the polarity correct.
Now, considering that the tube still flashes when there is no large storage capacitor, it becomes clear that the actual energy provided by the capacitor does not need to be the entire amount, since some portion is already provided by the mains flash supply. So selecting the amount of energy supplied by the capacitor is not so very simple.

 

I think that makes sense, and is simple, to put the capacitor across the tube....cause the trigger voltage happens with another part of the circuit...there is DC voltage across the tube but it does not fire unless the trigger voltage is applied via another circuit

the strobe is fine with a 220v main, but when I only have 110v to a 220v transformer, there is not enough current supplied instantaneously via the transformer. it still fires but is weak

not sure what terminates the strobe pulse...if there is excess current/ voltage it might stay lit longer than it should or overload the bulb specs....that could be a problem

so the next question would be how to enable / disable the capacitor

on 220v main it is not needed (and may cause a problem)

on a 110v main with a transformer the right sized capacitor could produce a the extra needed voltage/current

too big could be a problem

 

The trigger pulse is only momentary, produced by a small capacitor (0.1mfd) discharging thru the primary of the trigger transformer. It only starts the flash. The flash continues until the voltage drops to some low value that will no longer support conduction.