Using a DIY voltage multiplier to drive neon tubes.

[@scottfirman]

my granddad made neon signs. I would sit for hours and watch him. his only rule was no talking when he was working. he would bend the tube in different shapes. most was clear,the different ends would determine the color of the sign. I miss him and watching him work.

[@KrAsTT]

I love this guy! Really cool accent, very interesting videos from which an electronics student like me learns a lot and mostly, when the video ends, it simply ends. No like/subscribe begging at the end. All my respect, sir!

[@MegaWayneD]

Clive, if you want new neon/argon/mercury tubes made, there's an artist in Newcastle, Sarah Blood who makes neon artwork. I spoke to her at Maker Faire 2014 (I was mightily impressed with her work!) and she mentioned one of the biggest problems was getting tube drivers. Her website is sarahblood.com - she might be able to help with your bubble lamps too.

[@wesrurede]

Sockets, for the tube holders, probably the closest word. Oh, love the channel.

[@advancednutritioninc908]

For Strain Reliefs I use one or more layers of heat shrink tubing. I layer multiple layers in a telescoping fashion and it has helped prevent me breaking off leads such as to my most commonly used VOM, and power supply leads. Thanks for your videos!! Liked !!

[@rich1051414]

So, I am a programmer, and my education was more electronics theory than actual application, and did perfectly understand the diagram and how it works, probably because of the elegance of the diagram, but the way you talk about it shows how much you like electronics. In the programming side of things, sometimes you come across(or write) code that is so elegantly simple that does something impressively complex, that it is a beautiful thing to see, this seems to be one of those types of things for you :) From the looks of it pulling from my limited electronics education, this is a dual cascade full wave rectifying voltage multiplier? So using a single center tapped transformer to boost the voltage on the input would probably be the way to use something like this on 110v?

[@phonotical]

I must have seen this video about 80 times now

[@BGroothedde]

Sexy circuit, I like the simplicity! Great video, as usual.

[@phorzer32]

I love this simple circuit!

[@TheBaconWizard]

That tube is gorgeous, it looks like a blown-up nixie or something.

[@TheChipmunk2008]

Maplin are still selling those tiny boxes, DANG. I remember using one of those circa 1986 for a ribbon cable>round multicore transition for a ZX spectrum printer interface!

[@bigclivedotcom]

***** I always thought they were neat but couldn't really find a use for them until I ended up building this circuit.

[@DjResR]

Neon tubes are still being made for new installations, I have seen quite a few in Estonia.

[@yourgreat6364]

Nice description. Why was your 1st tube steaming at the beginning of the video? Why does this circuit fail or the tube start to flash after a while? Is there not a cheap/easy workaround?

[@TheYear2525]

The positive end is probably heating up because of electron bombardement. At least I read that in a book about electrode welding. You can weld with the tungsten electrode negative or positive but with the latter technique you have to step down on the power because it heats up a lot more. I guess it's the same here.

[@frtard]

+gedanken welten It's exactly why. It's the same reason that limits vacuum tubes's current capacity; the anode (plate) melts when there are too many electrons. Same thing with X-ray tubes. Some methods used to keep the target anode cool can actually get pretty complex. Like rotating targets (in a vacuum tube!)

[@anton.demetriades]

Clive, any chance the man Blackie you mentioned moved to New Zealand in his later years? I know a Blackie who worked as a machinist out of his shed. he machined a steam engine to my spec when i was 12. Amazing chap.

[@GadgetBoy]

did you have some smoke in the background, or did the bulb shimmer like that naturally?

[@bigclivedotcom]

+Chris Roller Vapour from an e-cig blown on just before starting recording.

[@jeremiahsimpkins5943]

+bigclivedotcom huh I guess u were smoking pot during this video 😆😆😆

[@shaunclarke94]

Is the UV from the neon tube down where the phosphor isn't present hazardous as it would be for a flourescent lamp without phosphor?

[@RayRayGaming-cr3rw]

Its the type of glass that blocks the uvc not the phosphor. I have a clear (not uv flourescent) that doesnt emit uvc because it uses the special uvc bolck glass.

[@alfepalfe]

@@RayRayGaming-cr3rw correct me if I am wrong (which I might be) but I think that normal glass blocks uvc, does not need to be special glass. Uvc tubes are made of quartz glass for this reason. Edit:I appear to have been wrong, some types of what we would call ""normal glass" can actually pass uvc but the type of glass in tubes is not that.

[@RayRayGaming-cr3rw]

@@alfepalfe yeah you would be correct, most soda lime glass and borosilicate does block uvc. I’ve built a few neon (mercury-nitrogen) tubes with borosilicate before.

[@Elfnetdesigns]

I drove a 4' mercury / argon purple phosphor tube with a 120V CFL driver and a flyback transformer from a 6" black & white TV set. What is the voltage on the output of your multiplier and how many stages can you stack on it?

[@burgersnchips]

+ElfNet Gaming I mocked this up on my sim package and it got up to 2600v across the output points. Quite high!

[@dalenassar9152]

GREAT VIDEO...but...what is the voltage rating of the 10nF caps, and the wattage of the two 1meg resistors and the 100ohm resistor? Thanks again for the video--brings back old memories, seeing that orange glow pop on.

[@bigclivedotcom]

10nF 630V, 100 ohm 1W and two 1 Megohm quarter watt resistors.

[@drEmulatorMadmax]

watching you @ 4:25 onwards near that positive voltage multiplier gave me the Heebie-jeebies

[@confusedvoyager7916]

At 13:14 - 007....Does Big Clive actually work for MI6?

[@hassanburrows8535]

Some of those imported Chinese insect killers use a similar HT generator direct from the mains, and for the unwary they might not just be killing insects. The poor quality ones have no discharge resistor across the HT end, so if you are re-lamping or cleaning the unit ALWAYS safely discharge the unit first. I nearly had an electrifying experience with one of those, even after being disconnected from the mains, and an already dead fly got a second blast as it fell across the grid.

[@djbassaus]

So Norry makes the Neen tubes in Glasgow

[@loopiewho]

i love listeningto you your so clever i learn tons from you thanks

[@jordanch68]

Are there any changes that would need to be made for 120v mains? Thanks!

[@samsimington5563]

You may be right, the majority of the tube (except for the blue part on the ends) is yellowish orange

[@EliasH96]

Hey! Just wondering. You don't so happens to have a video of how to make a DIY regulator or what to say. So you can put one end in the wall and then just have some type of knob to higher/lower the voltage? Or if you could make? Would me sweet to have something like that! Or at least for me, Having a transformer from 240v DC to 12v DC and then something so you can scroll between 0-12v? Would be nice to have when checking if different small things works for example a electric motor instead of using different battery setups for everything

[@alexkindl861]

flaka-power You'd be looking for a variac to safely do that

[@burgersnchips]

+flaka-power I've built a device (into an ice cream tub, because I'm cheap) which takes the 19v from a laptop power brick, boosts it to 35v then using a buck converter allows me to sweep down from 35v to about 2v. You could skip the boost step and get 19v down to around 2v if you wanted. I got the buck and boost converter boards off ebay, see Julian Ilett's channel for reviews on buck/boost converters :)

[@timramich]

I'd like a sign made with just clear glass and argon.

[@bigclivedotcom]

+Tim Ramich Just argon would be a very dull purple glow. With a drop of mercury it would be a modestly bright and very ghostly looking blue colour.

[@timramich]

+bigclivedotcom That would be better then. I just think seeing a glowing blue gas would be much neater than seeing a tube of phosphor.

[@mainelyelectric]

+Tim Ramich Me tooo I also just for fun want one with neon and just have the tube do some loop d loops.

[@dalenassar9152]

Hi BIGCLIVE: I am determined to build this multiplier!!! I am in the USA so I am using 110V--I just received my 110VAC-to-220VAC. It is rated at 50W--is this enough? One more thing--on your notation of the 1uF @ 450Vdc (I am assuming they are DC), is it correct to assume your "colored-in" plates are the NEGATIVE terminals? THANKS AGAIN FOR BEING RESPONSIBLE FOR ANOTHER DEVICE ON MY BENCH!!

[@Luca-jy8ne]

Can you power nixie tubes with that?

[@sparkplug1018]

Would probably be to high a voltage to drive Nixie tubes. I think those are driven at 600 V or so (could be a bit off) With that many stages this power supply should be in excess of 1 Kv.

[@johannesbalzer6852]

In germany we don't have keyed mains plugs... how am I supposed to know that this circuit would work for me if I'd build it up? Or would it work anyways, even if I reversed live and neutral?

[@bigclivedotcom]

+Johannes Balzer It is AC powered and will work either way round.

[@sonicdash3818]

It is an interesting tube. though the glass is naturally yellow, in the dark it is the color you see in sunsets sometimes, which is a red-orange color, though my guess is that it is just the camera doing that with the color shifting there.

[@thestalkinghead]

could you use something like this to get more voltage out of a solar panel?

[@burgersnchips]

+thestalkinghead It requires an AC inlet but if you used a 555 timer with a transistor (and necessary supporting components to make a relatively high frequency oscillator), through a small transformer into this then yes you could. It would be horribly inefficient though. Better to use a boost converter.

[@killer1479]

ever thought of putting the fairground lighting controller for sale on your site so we can build one ourself ? :) i think that would be cool especially for the xmas season :D

[@bigclivedotcom]

killer1479 I've not got many of the original boards left, and all remaining stock is strictly reserved as spares for existing units. But I have been occasionally writing software to allow a small PIC microcontroller to replace the ROMs used in the original units. I've already used some of the prototype boards with simple fixed sets of routines just to rescue other less-robust lighting controllers.

[@killer1479]

cool, must try and get hold of some, and i have a few items in mind to purchase in the very near future also so i can get my soldering skills on the go again :) but for now, good and take care, hope to see more videos soon! :D

[@bertiegriffin3871]

i want to be a neon bender now

[@morelenmir]

I bought a bag of 100 1N4007 diodes just as part of my stocking up of spares. It looks like there will be a lot of uses for them! I initially just wanted to make my own bridge rectifier, but they do seem to be much more versatile than just that. Going on from there, it would be really handy if you could maybe do a video where you suggest a basic list of supplies that a beginning electronics enthusiast should buy so he can do a wide range of different circuits. I mean really basic things like a selection box of electrolytic capacitors, a selection box of non-polar ceramic capacitors and so forth. Many of these things can be bought for around £5-£10 on ebay for 350 pieces from a far eastern source.

[@goingjag]

Remember a lot of those eBay parts are fakes so don’t use them on anything critical. You might want to check out Mr. Carlsons lab on KZbin.

[@Roy_Tellason]

It's a shame that the circuit won't work well on pure neon... I do have a neon sign transformer around here someplace that was taken off of a beer sign where the tubing had gotten broken. And some inverter transformers taken out of flatscreen TV boards. And some other stuff taken out of laser printers that apparently generated some kind of high voltage. I've no current inclination to play with this stuff, though you can never tell where I might be inclined to go later on. :-)

[@Shroommduke]

i've often wondered if I could fill a mason jar with argon and add some electrodes to light it up...

[@bigclivedotcom]

+Shroom Duke It has to be at near vacuum, but that's close to a plasma globe.

[@Shroommduke]

I do have a nice vacuum pump.... hummm wonder if I could employ it...

[@AwsomeVids83]

Shroom Duke I have the answer for you. Yes, you can, and I've done it. I got a glass lemonade bottle, meticulously cleaned it, and then i sealed a piece of glass tubing into the cap, and sealed the cap onto the bottle. I put it on my vacuum pump and pumped it down with just air inside, and with it sitting next to my tesla coil and at 11.2 torr it lit with a really nice deep purple pink glow. As i decreased the pressure the glow became more blue white, and at 1.3 torr it went out. I actually used hot glue for the seals, because it does really well for non critical vacuum applications, and it seals well to glass if you heat up the glass a bit before you apply the glue. Hope that helps you to do this!

[@ejonesss]

in pennsylvania in the united states at the lycoming mall there is a art structure that uses a similar illusion hadany arch.

[@fredymredy]

what will happen if i power up only the one side of the neon tube ? :)

[@bigclivedotcom]

With a multiplier it would not do anything. With a high frequency supply it would glow, but put a high electrical strain on the power supply.

[@fredymredy]

thank you for explain me :)

[@mainelyelectric]

I have always been trying to contact lots of companies when or before they go out of business about there neon signage and most sad answers i get is I can't buy the tubes because they are copyright and trade marked and have to be trashed. Also some times I get hold of people but they are asking too much cost for the tube.

[@bigclivedotcom]

+Ben Boudreau Hi Ben, try calling or visiting some local sign companies (preferably older ones) to see if they have any used or spare neon tube sections that you can buy. They may even be able to supply a used transformer cheaply too. And if you get lucky you may even find a place that still makes neon in-house. If you showed them this video or a still from it they could make you a similar "freehand" tube. But be aware that custom neon is quite a manual process, so is relatively expensive.

[@mainelyelectric]

Oh I know it's expensive! There's a guy local that bends tubes and has been doing it for 45-50 years.

[@picobyte]

Both under powering as putting DC on AC tubes is not good. DC tubes have other electrodes inside than AC tubes.

[@sparkplug1018]

Your not missing anything having not been hit with that zap. Ive taken a few off of a 42 Kv ignition coil, sure as hell wakes you up.

[@ned8276]

Yeah, I once decided it was a great idea to unplug one of the spark plug leads from my car's engine while it was running (long story) and didn't take into account just how high a voltage it runs at. When I pulled the plug off and saw the spark jumping all over the engine I realized I'd fucked up but it was too late. It jumped back into my hand and I got a _very_ noticeable zap from it.

[@sparkplug1018]

Sure gets your attention. And goes right to your chest.

[@CurmudgeonExtraordinaire]

Sounded like you said 1 *mega* farad capacitor.. I'm thinking, "DAMN!, that's a big ass cap"...

[@Purple431]

I'll call it "the mustard tube" because it has a sort of mustard color. I thought I'd mention that lol...

[@rstevewarmorycom]

I know that regular glass attenuates UV somewhat, but they use quartz windows to pass UV in EPROMs and quartz IS glass, SiO2. I don't think they use pure quartz glass on UV tubes for germicidal lamps, it would be expensive, the quartz is what makes UV EPROMs pricey over EEPROMs, and its hard to form a curved bulb with quartz.. And germicidal lamps do indeed cause skin cancers and cataracts. The warnings tell you this.

[@bigclivedotcom]

rstevewarmorycom Neon tubes are made of either lead glass or soda glass, these ones are soda glass which does block harmful wavelengths of UV. Specialist UVC tubes use a borosilicate glass. If these tubes emitted any UVC there would be a very characteristic ozone smell as given off by the quartz envelopes of mercury discharge lamps when they are removed from their outer glass envelopes. In that instance the lamp has to pass the UV to stimulate the external phosphors.

[@rstevewarmorycom]

bigclivedotcom Okay, long as somebody knows this stuff.

[@chazM6116]

Conduit Female Adaptors, what name you was looking for :)

[@bigclivedotcom]

+Chaz Madge Yeah, I remembered that afterwards. The trouble is trying to remember stuff while the camera is running.

[@chazM6116]

yes I know I have just started making Photoshop teaching videos and do a voice over after with audacity

[@chemicalvamp]

Before it was LEDs it was Neons

[@emcgon]

Unless my eyes (or my laptop screen) are failing me, those output resistors aren't 4.7K...they are 470ohms (yellow-violet-brown, to my eyes)

[@AwsomeVids83]

emcgon it does look that way to me as well.

[@goldenboy5500]

I have seen this design for 110/117V they just doubled the capacitor and diodes

[@advancednutritioninc908]

We call them Threaded Male Adapters ... here in the US.

[@azzym312]

BLIMEY! Love that

[@SagePatrynXX]

nothing like a bit of smoke to start off the video

[@roylarsen7417]

China gone make this now !!

[@reeyborojo4975]

hey bro short story, bare with me please. when i was a young lad around the age of 8 or the way i remember was 4th grade. Mother left my father that I never really knew untill his last 2 years of his life, he was adopted and i am named after his father that adopted him Ray, so many stories i had heard when i would see fam in AZ ,in cali since moms left his alchoholic and abusive ways please bare ith me ok buddy its all relevent to electricity ok, so i hated the fucker unlike my siblings they had memories n i had none, tke in mind he was full ride west point acadamy 2 picked out of the state of AZ full ride at the age of 17 So when i was the age of 8 I was very curious what was behind that plug cover and pursued to find out but to my shock!!! as i used a butter knife and had the cover off and was pokin n pullin to see how this thing turned on our huge oak tv stereo/ record player work that wasent working my instinct was the problem behind that dam receptacle outlet...so plugs out and im doin the sit down one eye lookin in and all i remeber is seein stars,,,,,and the feeling of being hit in the head with a basball bat.....continuosly. And no I didnt get shocked, i was getting the shit beat outa me from my mom , after she saw what i was doing.....funny huh ended up droppin out a school at 14 n a halph moms said stasy in school, join the military or get a job, so i use to help this guy from our church ge was a 70s surfer dude that had his own electrical; buisnes and i use to help him wen he was doin jobs at the church use to hang with my bro who during summer he was the youth pastor, electrical contractor Brico told if i ever wanted a job to give him a call. so im 49 now and the i have had would be better told over acple a pints of Guiness from residential comercial industrial the automation industry wich i loved motor controls bakeries apple computer doin hytrol conveyor system plc contolled that boss kept bugin me to buy stock in their company ,,,,, that was in 1986.,........boy did i fuck up on that one he was buyin at the time and tellin me to get in wen the stock was 6 bucks a share and to buy 5000 dollars worth,,,,,,,i woudve been a multi millionaiore within 5 years like him worked at 2 universities UCI and NAU as a maintenance electrician for the coilleges plush state job 30b paid holidays not including overtime and at UCI is when theyb split the shop and askedthe guys wo wanted to either stay or go into the low voltage shop so thus a new beging in the low voltage shop got simplex fire alarm sys certified accsess control certified cctv of installing security and security alrm sys throu out the campus unbeleavable experience in that i had learning and loving low voltage. and i just wana say i really have learned alot more by watchin your tutorials and highly admire your knowledge and the way you teach. and i know you where an electrician first because of you callin out the term "Neutrual" ive argued with a nobell peace price winner Frederick Reigns whom i became good friends with doin a project for him that he had me be his go to guy, he would draw schematics up and i would run all the control wireing but i just understand the common wire and wen i did i would call it the nuetral wire and he would get pissed he couldent understand the neutral term and i couldnt understand the common term funny huh oh well guess i didnt do that bad for droppin out oif high school and later on in life im arguiung with a guy that got the nobel peace prize for finding the hole in the ozone over electrical verbage lol anyways woulda been better over sum pints of guiness tellin you all this. later bro n keep up the post ok Ray

[@bigclivedotcom]

Sounds like a good career so far.

[@ericmoeller3634]

nein

[@crocellian2972]

Worrisome. You sure you should put this out to kids without a clue what you are talking about?