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Registered Member #152
Joined: Sun Feb 12 2006, 03:36PM
Location: Czech Rep.
Posts: 3384
I thought it could be a voltage regulator or just a plain neon glow lamp, but when I connect it through a 33k resistor to 230V 50Hz mains, the spiral glows only on two spots.
Registered Member #152
Joined: Sun Feb 12 2006, 03:36PM
Location: Czech Rep.
Posts: 3384
Here's a photo of it operating in series with a 5K1 resistor, I think this is not the way it should light up... I'm afraid the tube was damaged in some way.
Registered Member #2099
Joined: Wed Apr 29 2009, 12:22AM
Location: Los Altos, California
Posts: 1716
Nice find.
I think you're seeing the result of cathode contamination, from sputtered material after many hours of operation. The Neonixie group (including our Nicko) have experts in how to un-do the problem using harsh electrical treatments.
The neonixie club last year abandoned their Yahoo group and, I think, set up a forum on Google.
Registered Member #2893
Joined: Tue Jun 01 2010, 09:25PM
Location: Cali-forn. i. a.
Posts: 2242
Dr. Kilovolt wrote ...
Here's a photo of it operating in series with a 5K1 resistor, I think this is not the way it should light up... I'm afraid the tube was damaged in some way.
When a new neon lamp is made it doesn't glow completely because of impurities in the gas fill. After a while these impurites embed themselves in the glass and things glow evenly. If the lamp has not been run for decades these impurites find their way out of the glass and mess up the glow once more.
Registered Member #33
Joined: Sat Feb 04 2006, 01:31PM
Location: Norway
Posts: 971
Dr. Kilovolt wrote ...
Here's a photo of it operating in series with a 5K1 resistor, I think this is not the way it should light up... I'm afraid the tube was damaged in some way.
In this picture, I can see "4687" written on the tube, so it's the exact same one as the one on the site I linked to in my first post.
Registered Member #543
Joined: Tue Feb 20 2007, 04:26PM
Location: UK
Posts: 4992
Anders M. wrote ...
Dr. Kilovolt wrote ...
Here's a photo of it operating in series with a 5K1 resistor, I think this is not the way it should light up... I'm afraid the tube was damaged in some way.
In this picture, I can see "4687" written on the tube, so it's the exact same one as the one on the site I linked to in my first post.
Here's some info on cathode poisoning in nixies
Are there any inactive cathodes to be sputtered upon in 4687?
As I suggested above, later echoed by Steve, normal operation depends on a DC supply of the correct polarity. That is why one electrode is designated as cathode, and the other as anode in the data sheet.
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