nixie tubes

[@CNLohr]

This is amazing. I hope you continue to refine this process.

[@kitmaira]

One of my favorite TV series was Travelers. One of the characters was David Mailer, who takes in one of the time travelers, Marcy Warton. In his apartment he has a Nixie clock on a shelf. It’s shown many times in the series. I’ve wanted a Nixie clock ever since. Fascinating old time technology.

[@GarageOfTool]

Totally agree! Actually I just measured today that faulty tube with helium leak detector and it was indeed leaking at the center seal, apparently that piece of glass didn't melt completely.

[@L1n34r]

This is pretty awesome. I've never done anything like this before, but maybe I can offer a suggestion to try for next time. As I was watching, I noticed several times when you were rotating the tube by hand in the presence of the blowtorch. I think those actions could be done a bit more consistently on the lathe... just chuck up the part very very loosely (so it can thermal expand) and go slow, and you should be able to use the blowtorch to evenly heat the glass before cutting it with a cold water droplet. You could also use the blowtorch and another glass part attached to a live center in the tail stock when joining two glass pieces. It should give you a more even joining without overheating any specific spot. Also, for scoring the glass on the lathe, maybe use a sharpened bit of carbide? It'll dull anyway just like the file, but it's easier to re-sharpen the carbide than the file, and probably gives a more accurate cut if you use a tool post. Again, never done anything quite as crazy as working glass, much less on a lathe, but just some thoughts I had while watching.

[@GarageOfTool]

Hi! Thanks for the tips! I've seen videos how they do glass work in a lathe and it's so much more consistent, but maybe my heavy metal lathe is the best option. Anyway I already bought glass tube cutters, i.e. rolling carbide blade with guide, much better than a diamond file. But generally this hole neon etc. glass work has been a big learning curve. Thanks.

[@wktodd]

Interesting :-) what's next decatrons? Happy New Year

[@GarageOfTool]

I just noticed that my response went to comment section. So or maybe a trochotron 😂. Lately I've been reverse engineering my ASM 10 helium leak tester electronics, already fixed several components, made new filament from tungsten etc. There's still a faulty electrometer pentode amplifier tube, I have ordered new ones but haven't got them yet. But in the meanwhile I made a test with ADA4530 opamp in the detector side, using 10G resistor and this confirmed me that front end is now working, acceleration voltage was adjusted and device detects helium 💥

[@paradiselost9946]

want to make something different? unusual? "anode ray tube" or "positive ray tube". its a CRT, but slightly different, having a mesh cathode halfway down, and filled with hydrogen at low pressure, rather than a vacuum... produces rays BEHIND the cathode. on the opposite side to the anode. that were originally termed "positive rays". this goes back to jj thomson, earlier. there are NO videos or demonstrations of this device, and as far as i can tell, there hasnt been one made for at least a century. theres animations, long winded lectures with diagrams, but NO PHYSICAL DEMONSTRATION. yet its also one of the fundamental devices in showing the mass of an electron compared to the mass of a nucleus or hydrogen ion... i think its important but i also have far too many projects of my own to start on something else again... you have the equipment and skillset already...

[@GarageOfTool]

Intresting, I have few deuterium lamps that use the molecular emission instead of atom emission, that sounds similar

[@paradiselost9946]

@@GarageOfTool yeah, as far as i can tell its the positive ion or nucleus, shown by jj thomson to have... ~1800x? the mass of the electron, and deflecting the opposite way in magnetic and electric fields...as i say, theres no actual demonstrations of them, yet the whole concept raises questions that i cant find answers to... do the rays start at the anode, a reverse flow to the cathode ray? or do they start at random places and build in density as they approach the cathode? or do they start at the cathode itself?... etc. it just seems sad that theres thousands of videos on the CRT but nothing on the ... ummm... ART?