Re: [Renewed feeler]Starting gas for a pretty good price.
There's several on Sams, but you can also do a standard constant current boost converter, a standard inverter and step up transformer followed by a rectifier and filter, etc. For the igniter you can go the pulse transformer route or my personal favorite RF ignition.
I'm quite fond of the flyback method too as the open circuit voltage will be enough to ignite the tube, and then once the arc is established the closed circuit voltage falls to normal ranges. You just need to adjust the PRF to achieve the current you are looking for with the RC filter to limit current and prevent arc extinguishing. It's basically a CV supply that uses a fixed series resistance to deliver CC. If the voltage isn't allowed to change then the current can't change either. The trick is in the logic to allow for an ignition voltage higher than the set point voltage, but that's not hard to do; just run a current sense resistor and when that is lower than the reference just disable the voltage feedback circuit. So basically you need a VCO, a FET driver, a FET, and two comparators for the entire active section. A few resistors, a HV cap, and a standard LOPT will complete the unit.
Btw, you can run HeNes on RF or even AC, but it degrades the electrodes unless it was designed for it. I once ran a large HeNe off of one of my SSTCs.
they're 6" long. like the ones in my avatar and 
