Get some alligator clips, a 12 volt lamp (part# 272-332), a rocker switch (part# 275-694), battery holder (part# 270-407), and a 9V type connector (part# 270-325) from Radio Shack. Don't forget the 8 "AA" batteries. You could skip the "AA" batteries, holder, and 9V-type connector and use any 12 volt DC power source, alternatively. You will also need some high voltage wire to connect the (+) High Voltage output of the Ion Ray Gun to the anode of the tube. We use copper conductor spark plug wire. Most auto parts stores sell spark plug wires as an assembled set for a particular model of car, so they are expensive. Furthermore, most of the newer wires are carbon conductor, which is impossible to solder to. A better bet would be to check your local junkyard for older cars and remove one from a junker. Make sure it is copper core before you take it home. You will need about a foot. Save the boots from the wires to use as insulators. Slide the boots on to the section of wire with the open ends of the boots facing out towards the wire ends and solder the clips onto the ends. You now have your hookup wire.

An enclosure is necessary to protect the operator from the X-Rays! Never energize a tube with high voltage without 1/4" lead shielding! If you are anywhere close to the tube when it is energized, you run the risk of getting severe radiation burns! Be sure to get some lead sheet that is at least 1/4" thick to shield the tube. A metal toolbox lined with lead makes an excellent and inexpensive enclosure. The battery can be disconnected internally and the box padlock to prevent accidents and unauthorized use.

Don't assume that your unit is not producing X-Rays just because your geiger counter is not registering excess radiation! It is best to treat your machine like a loaded gun and keep the aperture end pointed away from you whenever the battery is connected. It is also advisable to keep the aperture covered with a sheet of lead when the unit is not in use.

Commercial X-Ray tubes have a heated filament which produces a greater number of electrons which consequently produce more X-Ray intensity. We have found the opposite to be true with the 2X2A tube. We hooked up a 1.5 volt battery to the heater pins of the tube and energized the HV circuit. The intensity was actually less than with the tube operating in "cold cathode" mode. This phenomenon has been explained in a Bell Jar article by another X-Ray experimenter, Bob Templeman, as follows: "Since the tube is operated in a cold cathode mode, the tube's degree of vacuum is quite important. Bob found that about one in eight tubes is able to produce enough radiation to expose his film. One might ask 'why not just heat the filament to get an assured, controlled emission of x-rays?' The answer lies in the basic characteristics of a high vacuum diode. A `normal' vacuum diode, such as a rectifier tube, operates in a region where the tube current varies nearly linearly with the voltage drop. Thus, substantial increases in current would be required to produce a voltage drop across the tube significant enough to produce useful levels of x-rays. For normal tubes, the current would be well in excess of the tube's power rating. Normal operation for a rectifier tube is moderate to high current with a low voltage drop.What is good for rectifiers is not good for x-ray tubes. In the case of the x-ray tube, the tube is operated in the upper part of the characteristic curve, the 'saturation' region. In this mode, the voltage can be increased with little increase of electron current. Getting the right balance between current and voltage is part of each tube's design. Also, as noted before, varying the filament temperature (e.g. by means of varying the filament voltage) allows the intensity of the tube's output to be adjusted. For each filament temperature, there is a different current vs. voltage characteristic."