Small and Super Inverter

Here is a small and super inverter circuit project. This circuit can be used to power a small strobe or fluorescent lamp. It will generate over 400 VDC from a 12 VDC, 2.5 A power supply or an auto or marine battery. While size, weight, and efficiency are nothing to write home about - in fact, they are quite pitiful - all components are readily available (even from Radio Shack) and construction is very straightforward. No custom coils or transformers are required. If wired correctly, it will work.

Output depends on input voltage. Adjust for your application. With the component values given, it will generate over 400 V from a 12 V supply and charge a 200 uF capacitor to 300 V in under 5 seconds.

Super Inverter Circuit Diagram:

For your less intense applications, a fluorescent lamp can be powered directly from the secondary (without any other components). This works reasonably well with a F13-T5 or F15-T12 bulb (but don't expect super brightness). Q1 does get quite hot so use a good heat sink.

Notes:

• Construction can take any convenient form - perf board, minibox, etc. Make sure the output connections are well insulated.
• C1 must be nonpolarized type - not an electrolytic.
• D1 provides a return path for the base drive and prevents significant reverse voltage on the B-E junction. Any 1 A or greater silicon diode should be fine.
• C2 is shown as typical energy storage capacitor for strobe applications. Remove D2 and C2 for use with a fluorescent lamps.
• D2 should be a high speed (fast recovery) rectifier. However, for testing, a 1N4007 should work well enough. R2 limits surge current through D2.
• The polarity of the input with respect to the output leads is important. Select for maximum voltage by interchanging the black output wires.
• Mount Q1 (2N3055) on a heat sink if continuous operation is desired. It will get warm. Other NPN power transistors with Vceo > 80 V, Ic > 2 A, and Hfe > 15 should work. For a PNP type, reverse the the polarities of the power supply and D1, and interchange one set of leads (where a diode is used for DC output).
• Some experimentation with component values may improve performance for your application.
• When testing, use a variable power supply so you get a feel for how much output voltage is produced for each input voltage. Component values are not critical but behavior under varying input/output voltage and load conditions will be affected by R1 and C1 (and the gain of your particular transistor).

WARNING: Output is high voltage and dangerous even without large energy storage capacitor. With one, it can be lethal. Take appropriate precautions.