"Phil Hobbs" wrote in message
...
On 10/21/2015 01:24 AM, Tom Miller wrote:

"Phil Hobbs" wrote in message
...
On 10/19/2015 09:51 AM, wrote:
Hi all, I found this thing.. see pictures

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/sxd1cq8qb...LzNAK-Vaa?dl=0

In the back of a drawer at my house. The previous owner was a pack
rat,
who also worked for the phone company.
It looks like some high voltage flashlight.
What sort of voltage do I apply to the leads?

Thanks,
George H.


Looks like a fairly powerful flashlamp inside--it might be the
business end of one of those old photo flash units that ran off a 300V
dry cell


Cheers

Phil Hobbs

--

No, they just had a Neon tube. You had to enhance the timing mark on the
balancer with white chalk. It really would not work outside in sunlight.
They were the cheapest timing light one could buy then. Now they use
Xenon flash tubes and inverters/storage caps.

I would venture a guess that unit was made in the 60's or earlier.



Why go to the trouble of making that huge helical tube then?

Cheers

Phil Hobbs

--

To get as much light as possible from a hand held tool. And Neon tubes are
cheap. Remember, you had to hold the strobe close to the harmonic balancer
while turning the distributor housing to set the timing. It got much easier
when the consumer grade xenon units came out. Even then, they cost $100+ in
the 60-70's. The neon units were $30-40.