How to design a reliable spark-gap

There has been a lot of talk lately about the spark-gaps in tasers being a bit 'fussy'.


Disclaimer: I've not examined an X26 taser. What follows is based on speculation about what they might not have done. If an internal spark-gap is required in the design of the taser, then it needs to be done correctly if it is to be reliable. These are just my opinions, and I'm not an expert in this field.



A reliable spark-gap should be enclosed within a sealed tube, and protected from atmospheric contaminants. A spark-gap that is exposed to the atmosphere will obviously deteriorate over time (this should be considered to be basic and common knowledge for designers of such high voltage systems).

The spark-gap tube obviously needs to be manufactured from ceramic (or perhaps glass) in order to be highly insulating.

The electrodes within the spark-gap assembly need to be sharp, and the exact shape and spacing of the tips can be tuned to achieve the effect desired. The material coating the metal electrodes can be critical - often exotic and expensive metals are used.

The tube needs to be filled with an inert gas (not damp air).

The gas in the tube can also contain traces of a slightly radioactive material to help ionize the gas (very small amounts like those used in smoke detectors). Trace amounts of tritium is commonly used for this sort of purpose. If so, then it might have a half-life such that the device would require periodic maintenance to replace the life-timed spark-gap. This would be addressed in the logistics planning.


If the spark-gap is designed properly and is used within its design limits, then it should be reliable. That's what the words 'designed properly' mean.

The reported unreliability of the spark-gap within tasers (this information straight from Taser International) indicates that there might be a design-oversight with that component.

Perhaps they just used an air-gap. Maybe that's where the characteristic clacking noise originates. {rolls-eyes}


In the industry, electronics that is unreliable is given a highly-technical name: 'Crap'