I was referring to the next step. Lerner stated that $30-50M would be required for the next step. My comments are directed at that statement. You can build an LTD DPF for $6M at the 1 MA level for the same pulse power and it’s highly reliable compared to the existing pulse power firing thousands of shots per day. The reports indicated that problems with the switches have caused a substantial delay. Why reinvent the wheel? The price of the LTD drops if you reduce the repetition rate from 1 Hz to say 1 shot per minute which might be enough for the next step. At 1 shot per minute you can use conventional pulse power as well but given the problems encountered thus far, why not buy a product that is engineered and tested vs. building your own? Both systems are capable of the same current, inductance and rise time (key factors for a plasma focus). If the custom pulse power can be built for less, that would be great but the problems to date suggest less expensive components were used and they paid the price for a long time patching the cheap components together and making them work. It’s always a compromise in research to purchase the proper quality of components because labor typically costs far more than materials in the end. Time wasted patching lower grade components tends to be far more expensive than buying the right part in the first place. I believe the saying is penny wise, pound foolish. Each group has to decide on a strategy that works for them but I think most companies find that buying something that works “out of the box” is worth the cost in labor. Universities rely on cheap grad student labor so they can get by using cheap components because the labor is inexpensive.