Xenon tube, very beauty bright! Can be installed in lamp, art-project,..etc. 
By factory its a flash bulb, but if apply high-voltage - it also can glow constantly with beauty purple glow.

Soviet strobe tube IFK-500 is a gas discharge tube used to produce short-duration, high-intensity flashes of light. It was commonly used in Soviet-made strobe lights for photography, as well as for scientific and industrial applications.

The IFK-500 strobe tube operates by ionizing gas in the tube with a high voltage pulse, which then produces a flash of light as the gas returns to its non-ionized state. The flash duration can be controlled by adjusting the voltage and current applied to the tube, and typically ranges from a few microseconds to several milliseconds.

The IFK-500 has a cylindrical shape and is typically mounted in a protective housing with a window to allow the flash of light to escape. It requires a high voltage power supply to operate, typically in the range of several hundred volts to several kilovolts.

While the IFK-500 is no longer in widespread use, it remains an important part of the history of Soviet electronics and is still used by some enthusiasts for vintage photography and electronics projects.


Total glass width with electrodes is 78 mm, biggest/outer diameter is 29 mm, smaller/inner diameter is 16 mm.

Have applied 3kV voltage from HV neon power supply with 30mA maximum current to make photo and video. 


Here is some characteristics:

Ignition voltage, not higher, V: 400
Self-breakdown voltage, not lower, V: 3500
Optimum operating voltage, V: 500
Internal resistance, Ohm: 4
Operating voltage, V: 500
Discharge capacitor capacity, uF: 4000
Flash energy, J: 500
Flash duration, ms: 8
Min. interval between flashes, sec.: 15
Power amplitude, kW: 60
Average power, W: 33
Light intensity amplitude, kcd: 110
Brightness amplitude, Mnt: 90
The smallest illumination, light sec: 1000
Service life - not less, flashes: 10000