It could be some form of inverter
Just ran into these on youtube, and thought it might be related. A Lichtenstein machine?
ETA: Sorry Lichtenberg, that is.
Jacob’s ladder driver ? Thats the same as a neon tube driver isn’t it ?
The IC’s seem to be able to make some sort of wave form. The scale of which is set by a dial.
The large transistors turn the waveform into a current, which is then used to charge the coil …
Driver for a singing Tesla coil, maybe?