Does anyone know if a He Ne laser could be used to ionise neon gas in a hollow   
   cathode lamp without power being applied to the HCL? If so, what is the   
   minimum He Ne optical power (in mW) needed?   
      
   Does anyone know where I can get a 9-pin socket to fit a Pye Unicam (now   
   Thermo) 1.5" hollow cathode tube? Do you have dimensions, or is it just a   
   standard vacuum valve base?   
      
   Lastly, does anyone know what circuitry might be in Karaltay's HCL Activator   
   apart from the initial high voltage kick and maintaining potential of a normal   
   HCL psu? Could it just be a psu with a minium 2mA current to keep the HCL   
   ticking over?   
      
   "The HCL Activator is a power supply specially designed to activate hollow   
   cathode lamps. In general, the emission intensity and stability of an HCL can   
   diminish after prolonged storage (longer than 3 months), or after prolonged   
   operation. After    
   Treatments with the HCL Activator, the durability of the lamp and the   
   stability of the emission signal can improve dramatically".   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)