After getting hold of a usable bombarding transformer the next step was to try to buy or build the necessary controls to allow it to be used to successfully process tubing. In this post I’ll discuss some of the theoretical background involved in designing high power ballasts: next time I’ll go through the design, prototyping and build of the choke to control my bombarder.
The electrical controls for a neon bombarder are actually quite simple: one or more on / off switches to control the low voltage supply to the transformer and a current limiting device to allow the current to be varied over a range of levels. Ideally the current control should allow the current to be adjusted smoothly over a wide range: from one hundred milliamps or less to currents exceeding one amp.
bmr's neon blog. 