Hmm... This worries me. I'm running my IN-14s at 1.7-1.9mA (depending on the digit it will pull different amounts). Do you think I should step it up a little?
On Feb 14, 8:51 pm, Adam Jacobs <[email protected]> wrote: > Yup. My first nixie clock (Mike Harrison's design, IN-14's & IN-17's for > seconds) has been running 24/7/365 for about 6 years now. Everything looks > A-OK, even the IN-17's (which have a lower lifetime rating than the > IN-14's)... In other words, if you treat them right, Nixies will last pretty > well. (Don't think I don't have a box full of spares for when the things > fail, though!) > > The only failure modes I've run into in my clocks were: > 1) Under-driving the nixies. When I was a neophyte, I thought that running > the nixies at lower current would make them last longer (like a lightbulb, > maybe?)... That's a BAD plan. Nixies need to be run at their rated current > or else they suffer catastrophic cathode poisoning problems after about a > year. > 2) Clocks that have some extra features (I'm looking at you, Moses!) where > very occasionally you are in a menu, causing nixies that normally never ever > display a particular digit to have to display that particular digit. Unless > you have some pretty aggressive anti-cathode-poisoning routines running, > you'll see some poisoning on the digits that aren't ever used. That's > normal. > > -Adam > > > > > > > > On Mon, Feb 14, 2011 at 3:43 PM, Jon <[email protected]> wrote: > > > IN-18`s have a 5000 hour life > > > I think the general experience is that the rated lifetimes for the > > Soviet tubes are generally very conservative, particularly if they > > have mercury in them (which IN-18 does). You clock design has to be > > fair to them though - don't over-drive or under-drive them (too low > > and you risk cathode poisoning). > > > Just to give an example: the prototype of my IN-9 single digit clock > > has been running essentially 24/7/365 for over 3 years. IN-9 have a > > rated lifetime of 1000 hours, so we're over 180 x the rated life, with > > no visible detriment in performance. My design is particularly kind to > > the tubes, but even so... > > >http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQ1567EFCY0 > > > Cheers, > > > Jon. > > > -- > > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > > "neonixie-l" group. > > To post to this group, send an email to [email protected]. > > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > > [email protected]. > > For more options, visit this group at > >http://groups.google.com/group/neonixie-l?hl=en-GB. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "neonixie-l" group. To post to this group, send an email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/neonixie-l?hl=en-GB.
