Neon lamps are more interesting than you think they are. relaxation oscillator. Neon Schmitt trigger

Neon lamps are actually much more interesting than just normal power indicator lamps! they can be made to flash by just adding a capacitor and the resistor, no transistors or any active electronics needed! That then forms the basis of a very simple relaxation oscillator. This works because they have hysteresis and they operate in a very similar way to a Schmitt trigger. In this way you can make tone generators audio oscillators and more. They can act as a trigger for triac's in light dimming circuits. All this from a humble neon light bulb!
#ElectronicsCreators

[@colintinker7778]

Some clever projects. I didn't know the humble neon lamp was so versatile! Thank you.

[@L3X369]

I found out about neon lamps when I started building a Bedini motor. They are the heart of that motor and can't be replaced by anything else.

[@satishdoshi9878]

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[@JAKOB1977]

Good video, that I look forward to replicate Just purchased some packs of these neon bulbs.. they don't cost a lot from fareast, like 10 units for a tad over 1 buck delivered incl. EU VAT.. seems to come in 3 different color variants... the native warm-yellow, and also blue and green, that are phosfor coated.. Im looking for cheap ways to get gas-charged lighting sources, so I can look at atomic emissions lines from some of the noble gasses and use it to check and reference a handful of spectrometers & spectroradiometers.

[@staspustovit]

Great video! I made a power regulator for a soldering iron according to this scheme. It was a long time ago, back in the 70s of the last century.

[@MyProjectBoxChannel]

I guess the neon was triggering a triac to control the power to your soldiering iron. I love those old school circuits👍😉.

[@MyProjectBoxChannel]

are you stanislav from grain channel?

[@staspustovit]

@@MyProjectBoxChannel yes

[@MyProjectBoxChannel]

@@staspustovit I watched the few of your videos. I then recognized your channel picture 😉👍.

[@majormajor3]

Nice video. Learnt something new. Thanks for sharing!

[@kabeerahmed7132]

neon light is really cool to see- Thanks for making this video- I appreciate you .👍

[@MusicTechknowledgy]

This is brilliant. Thank you.

[@German_byte]

Many thanks for that great explanation.

[@anthonycalia1317]

Brilliant!

[@zafariqbal-so2rs]

Thanks

[@neodemus]

very VERY Important content - ty

[@Iamsuccesspro]

Very interesting!

[@asharsumari9313]

very interesting sir

[@susantpal]

Very nice demonstration. Appreciated. What are the values of the two capacitors you used ?

[@juiicyballsbawlz9153]

Awsome video

[@MyProjectBoxChannel]

There might be some other interesting gems on my channel so subscribe so you get to see them 😉👍

[@lutzweb]

tnank you so much to share all this knowledge of this amazing device, and clever simple project (seems that today to flash an LED you need arduino....)

[@A_Canadian_In_Poland]

I still use a 555 IC to flash an LED, and often combined Arduino with boolean logic ICs in a mix of old and new.

[@VandalIO]

This is cool ! I’m

[@thecontact2609]

What DC voltage did you use to light the lamp?

[@aqdrobert]

Once built a vintage Radio Shack sequential neon lamp chaser based on 4:03.

[@MyProjectBoxChannel]

Very cool 👍

[@1873Winchester]

Can you make them flicker like candles, or twinkle like old school incandescent christmas lights?

[@hibridorenergialibre9481]

Hello. Is it possible to make a relaxation oscillator with a varistor? If so, I would like you to make a video. Thank you for sharing such valuable information on your KZbin channel.

[@plainedgedsaw1694]

Good as blown fuse indicator if blinking. Is there some equation defining roughly the frequency per uF?

[@MyProjectBoxChannel]

A blown fuse indicator! I like it, that's a very good application. The problem is all neon bulbs are slightly different. I'm sure I saw the equation somewhere 🤔. I have always just wing it. Around 1 MΩ resistor and 0.47uF to 3uF capacitor and a 1n4007 diode. I will try and find the equation

[@plainedgedsaw1694]

@@MyProjectBoxChannel I read somewhere these can go up to 20khz, and I thought if one used radio tuning cap with max capacity of about 0.5uF it would be practically simplest adjustable sawtooth generator.

[@MyProjectBoxChannel]

@@plainedgedsaw1694 You might have to do some experimentation to get it working. Oscillator made with neons are sensitive to ambient light sources and the frequency can drift a lot. There is a little-known transistor version of the same relaxation oscillator circuit! It uses a transistor with only two legs connected in Avalanche mode. You connect the transistor in the same way as the neon, except the base of the transistor is left floating! When the voltage across the capacitor Rises, reverse breakdown occurs inside the transistor, and it suddenly conducts, discharging the capacitor. It's probably the simplest transistor oscillator circuit.

[@plainedgedsaw1694]

@@MyProjectBoxChannel yeah, people usually call that one esaki oscillator. I tried it before and i trust it less than the neon, its using transistor in a way that may cause it to suddenly fail.

[@MyProjectBoxChannel]

@@plainedgedsaw1694 I see what you mean about the transistor. Neons would be more robust. I tried making audio oscillator with neon lamp. And found that half wave DC from a single diode only works for a slow running oscillator. You need a "smooth regulated" DC supply for the higher frequencies. You can use neon lamps to make a shunt regulator ( just like a Zener regulator circuit) to make "hi voltidge" DC supply.

[@Muonium1]

Are you familiar with the very strange behavior of aged neon indicators such as in power strip switch lights and do you have any insights therein? Do you know what the electrode material is in these devices? I believe the lead wires are Dumet, but I don't know what the electrodes themselves are made of.

[@framebyframegames]

What diode did you use to run that on DC? Is it possible to run this on a 9V battery? I'd love an instructional.

[@MyProjectBoxChannel]

The diode was a 1N4007. The circuit won't work on a 9v battery. You need to at least 100v. So powering it from mains voltage is the easiest way. It's possible to boost the 9v up to a higher voltage but that would make the circuit much more complicated than it needs to be.

[@framebyframegames]

@@MyProjectBoxChannel Thank you! Hugely helpful.

[@eduardoveytia244]

Cuánto tiempo pueden durar ?

[@MyProjectBoxChannel]

Many many years! Especially if you don't drive them with too much current😉.

[@MrBobWareham]

Why did you change the resistor from 150k to 220k?? I think the 220k is correct, as that is the value I use, but loved the video cheers.

[@Bobo-ox7fj]

I imagine it was to show a nice shiny solid glow initially

[@beautifulworld1491]

Wonderful experiment! Especially the flip flop one. I have some questions. 1 - Most of the neon indicators becomes black after some years. What is the reason. 2 - if I connect LEDs to the flip flop of the neon circuit which u made, will that work.

[@MyProjectBoxChannel]

Neon lamps can blacken more quickly if they are driven harder, to output a brighter light. So manufacturers sometimes choose a resistor for more brightness rather than longevity of the neon lamp. If you choose the right resistor and don't drive them too hard, they will last for many years! The flip flop circuit relies on the "special" characteristics of the neon lamp, and "high" voltage. So LEDs cannot be used in the neon lamp's place, without lowering the voltage and adding transistors.

[@beautifulworld1491]

@@MyProjectBoxChannel Appreciate your prompt response 😊

[@crackedemerald4930]

I wonder if they react to magnets

[@MyProjectBoxChannel]

That's a very good question 🤔 I've never tried. It might be worth investigating.

[@190055joe]

Also uses 1/10 of the current of an LED

[@MyProjectBoxChannel]

I do have a soft spot for the humble ne2 neon lamp.

[@resgatemusical.2070]

I will try to make a driver to make a mini lamp