X-Ray Source using Vacuum Tubes

This X-Ray project is a spin-off of the Cosmic Ray Detector Project to find a suitable radioactive source for testing. So with a little googling I've found its quite simple to produce x-rays if you have a high voltage DC source in excess of 45Kv and a suitable vacuum tube.

X-Rays and High Voltages are very dangerous always be careful and use a Geiger Counter.

Only for people experienced in working with high voltages

Here are some useful links I found:

Dangerous Laboratories

The Bell Jar

High Voltage and X-Ray Experiments

The X-ray page

J ochen's High Voltage Page

So it is quite lucky I've held onto those TV rectifiers and beam triodes that I had in the shed.

My first tests where very limited using a 50hz hv supply and half wave voltage multiplier. This is because you must use a higher frequency ac supply to archive any level of current, when using low value capacitors. I achieved ~55kv with a ten stage multiplier with a ~5kv 2khz ac supply using affordable 10nf 6kv capacitors.

Achieving an increase in the rate of clicks on a Geiger Counter above normal background levels which has been just enough to test the cosmic ray detector elements.