> 1) Replace the lamp with a fresh one and wait for it to drift upward (that > could buy you a year or many years). > 2) Reduce the value of the dropping resistor and take a chance that the > transistor won't break down under the extra voltage present. > 3) Upgrade the transistor to a high voltage rating device and get rid of the > dropping resistor entirely (permanent fix and what Drake should have done in > my opinion).
As a "Hail Mary Pass," a fourth option may work as it did on my R-4B. Simply reverse the neon lamp leads. When a DC voltage is used on a neon lamp, only one pole is active with light. For whatever reason, going to the unused pole may cause re-establish proper firing. Mine was intermittent at normal utility voltage (125V here in my area) but I wanted to begin using CL-90 voltage dropping Thermistors to bring line voltage down to 117V from 125V. I couldn't get the neon lamp to fire at all with 117V, but simply reversing the lamp leads allowed it to fire down to 110V. I won't even begin to try and explain the chemistry and physics that made it happen but it's certainly worth a try. Paul, W9AC
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