This is a xenon short arc lamp, it consists of a large PSU(Power Supply Unit) and a remote unit which contains the bulb. The PSU generates a high voltage starting pulse(around 30,000 volts) which ionizes the xenon gas between two electrodes. Once the lamp is running it draws about 30 volts DC from the power supply, at around 15-25 amps dependant on the power setting.
The lamp itself is rated at 250 Watts maximum output. This light has lit up trees at about 1 mile away, and has also lit up the clouds with little trouble.
If you ever get ahold of one of these types of lamps, be carefull as they throw out many harmfull non-visible wavelengths of light, such as UVA, UVB, and UVC. They are hazerdous and one should never try to view the arc directly. Also, you should not let the light fall directly on your skin as you will recieve something similar to a sun burn(lamp burn) from the UV radiation. Certain types of UV radiation have also been linked to skin cancer, so extended exposure is not recommended. Always wear protective clothing.
Troubleshooting: This lamp has some bizzare problems which I am troubleshooting right now. Although I can get it to run, it requires certain circumstances. The lamp will only start if it is facing towards an window during the daytime, or you shine a flashlight into the bulb itself. Sam W. Goldwasser, author of several good interenet publications(Including Sam's Laser Faq ), and Don Klipstein author of Don's Klipstein's Light, lamp and strobe site.(Both available from the links page) have both suggested that this could indicate end of lamp life, or corona leakage around the HV Ignitor/DC Anode lead. Since I have witnessed corona arcing around the HV/DC lead I will be replacing that and see if it helps anything.
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