Magnetic-pulse-generator practical design limitations

Saturable reactors can be used to produce narrow pulses from a periodic supply without the use of electron tubes. An increasingly popular circuit for producing pulses is known as the Melville Line. The original paper1 describing the circuit is an excellent treatise on the theory of the circuit and includes some practical considerations. Another paper2 presents a method of determining the number of stages in the circuit for minimum total core volume. There are limitations to the circuit which are determined by core characteristics. Also, by use of the relations developed, a designer can determine whether or not C cores can be substituted for toroidal cores to simplify winding and insulating.