Is there a SIMPLE dc-dc converter circuit?

[James Korolas]

I asked this before, but apparently I lacked sufficient details.

I have an old flash (strobe) from the early 1970s that runs off of an AC adapter that converts 120vac to 455vdc. The flash itself has the humongous capacitor in it's handle (about 5 inches tall and 1 inch diameter) and a few other electronic components in it.

Now, I know for a fact (because it's an accessory listed in the brochure and from browsing the various camera groups) that there was a battery made by Eveready (No. 497 Carbon Zink Battery, listed as 510v but stated clearly on the label that it only puts out 450v) that is still available, puts out 450vdc @ 140mAh. Retails for $89.99 US, not including shipping.

So, since the battery is sooooo expensive and NOT rechargeable, I thought that there must be a simple DC-DC converter that would take either a 6v, 7.2v or 9.6v battery pack and step-up the voltage to 450vdc, so that I could use the correct power cord and plug it into the flash.

I have lots of circuits on the net that will take 6v, 7.2v, 9.6v and 12v dc and bump it up to 250v and even 300v, but it is AC (although I assume that I could use a bridge rectifier of the appropriate voltage to convert to DC) and at least 150v shy of what I need.

So, is there a simple circuit to do what I want (I would think so)?

Please reply via email to [email protected]

Thanks.
-James

 

[Zak]

James Korolas wrote:

Now, I know for a fact (because it's an accessory listed in the brochure
and from browsing the various camera groups) that there was a battery
made by Eveready (No. 497 Carbon Zink Battery, listed as 510v but stated
clearly on the label that it only puts out 450v) that is still
available, puts out 450vdc @ 140mAh. Retails for $89.99 US, not
including shipping.

If using a disposabel camera as a power supply is out, you could use a
lot of 9 volt blocks. 50 of them will make 450 volts, and they click
together easily. Be careful though as the voltages that occur are
lethal, and you may even need to insulate the battery cases from each
other with something as they are not built to withstand this kind of
voltage.

If it comes out less expensive than 90 dollars depends a lot on where
you get the batteries.


Thomas