OK colin55 I tried it. I tried it about 28 years ago when Forrest M. Mims published the design to ionize a NE2 bulb and I tried it again finally today. I got a shock. Plain dry fingers and nothing fancy and I got a shock. Additionally I lit a neon NE2 bulb mch as it did 28 years ago.
There was a minor caveat. There is a .1 uF cap across the transformer output. I did try a few small transformers I had lying around with mixed shock results. I finally went to a local Radio Shack store this morning and bought a part number 273-1380 and interesting enough the part number hasn't changed in 28 years or so. Using that circuit it produces a mild shock. It produces at least 80 volts or so to ionize a NE2 bulb and produced a mild electric shock which is what I believe was the goal of the original poster.
OK here is where you say:
I have been designing pulsing circuits using probes and patches and "electrodes" that people put on to reduce the effects of back-ache etc, for the past 25 years.
The AC voltage is between 35v and 65v. And you can feel the pulses.
At 85v you cannot hold your fingers on the electrodes.
Now I believe the gas in a NE2 bulb ionizes at about 80 volts.
What you have been designing for 25 years is snake oil. OK, just kidding. What you have been designing and working with for 25 years is TENS devices I assume? They have a few names but I call them TENS devices. Now forgive me if I screw this up but (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation)? Actually pretty cool little devices and following a few shoulder surgeries my new best friend.
My knowledge of these is limited but I figure (and I may be wrong) they come in a few flavors. They can have a high frequency >50 Hz with an intensity below motor contraction (sensory intensity) or a low frequency <10 Hz that produces motor contraction. My personal experiences was the latter of the two with pulses about maybe .5 Hz I would guess based on how it felt. The therapy did work and it worked well using a shock to stimulate muscle reaction and it certainly could be felt.
I guess what annoyed me is that you jumped right into the thread and said the circuit I posted wouldn't work. You never added to the thread with a circuit that would work. You added nothing at all. You never stated why it wouldn't work but rather went into 25 years of TENS experience. That doesn't cover why it won't work does it?
Now had I been you I would have sent me a simple PM and said Hey Ron, I think you missed it on this one. I don't think your circuit will work and here is why. This may have led to my thinking about it and possibly revising a post. If you look at my post history I have no problem with egg on my face and correcting my wrongs (everyone has a few bads). However, you seem to choose to slam dunk my suggestion, not bother to suggest a circuit and let it go at that. That was really a pretty crappy way to go about it.
Just My Take...
Ron