[Test-Equipment] Nixie project

[Richard Knoppow]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Bill Riches" <bill.riches at verizon.net>
To: <FMT-nuts at yahoogroups.com>; "test-equipment at mailman" 
<test-equipment at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Friday, July 02, 2010 7:45 AM
Subject: [Test-Equipment] Nixie project


>I have been working on a Nixie clock and when I first 
>plugged in the 6 old
> nixies that I had only two of them would work.  I have had 
> the clock running
> for a few days and now 5 out of the 6 nixies are working. 
> I remember
> reading somewhere that they need "radiation ionization" to 
> operate and
> wonder if this comes from normal background radiation. 
> These tubes have
> been in the junk box for years.
>
>
>
> 73,
>
>
>
> Bill, WA2dvu

     Cold cathode discharge tubes do need something to start 
them. Usually light is enough. Many late voltage regulator 
tubes had a tiny trace of some radio-active material in them 
so that they would start in the dark. I have no idea what 
the material used was but it may have had a short half life 
and no longer radiate enough to insure starting. It may be 
that shining a strong light, or a UV lamp, at them would get 
them working.


--
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles
WB6KBL
dickburk at ix.netcom.com