On 1/19/11 9:42 PM, will wrote:
I'm building a nixie clock based off of four IN-14 tubes (currently in
the mail from Russia). I'm multiplexing the tubes in groups of two, if
it matters much. I've read all around for recommendations on anode
resistor values to use, but they seem to change everywhere I go, and
they are all for different supplies or situations (anywhere from 33kΩ
on sphere's nixie tube page to around 10kΩ). Does anyone have any
suggestions for my particular situation? Again, I built my power
supply with feedback regulation, so it will be around 166-170v (that's
as wide as I've seen it change). My priority is longevity, followed by
brightness.
Also, side note, can anyone recommend an anode resistor for an A1A
neon lamp running off the same power supply? Those will provide
various symbol indicators (colon, dash, degree sign, etc).
You can calculate the anode resistor value once you know thrtee things:
1. Vp Power supply voltage
2. Vt Tube sustaining voltage
3. Ic Desired cathode current
R = (Vp - Vt) / Ic
So... what are good values for these?
The makers of nixie tubes recommended at least 180V, since 160-170V is
too low to strike the plasma consistently.
You can measure the sustaining voltage by using a known value resistor
(start with 10k ohms) and measuring the voltage across it when the tube
is lit up. Use a variable resistor (a pot) and you can plot a curve of
voltage vs current.
For 2x multiplexing, use about 1.4 times the recommended cathode current
for continuous use.
That should get you there.
--
David Forbes, Tucson AZ
http://www.cathodecorner.com/
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