So after some successful use, the right hand side projector xenon lamp has started to refuse to strike. Each time it is struck it blows the 6amp fuse on the lamp house. Having experience with igniter units, tesla coils and the scary electrics involved I was fairly pessimistic about being able to fix this. Everything inside the lamphouse looked in good condition.
At first we thought the spark gap had popped because the right side machines’s clear chamber had frosted. However we learnt that this is normal.
But then a good friend of the Cube turned up and looked throught the circuit schematics. He ascertained that the assembly responsible for handling the mains to DC handover and the initial spark might be the culprit and offered to remove it for a closer look. Underneath was some carbonising which would exlain the failure to work. He took it away and cleaned it, repaired (already badly undertaken repairs) and resoldered. After we’d put it back in it fired up and all is good now!!!
Before.
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After.
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Heres the newly soldered component set and the two lamphouses undergoing checks and comparisons.
