That is very interesting that you are not using a SMPS and still having the trouble. I have never tried the tubes with a full bridge only a half, I wonder if the difference between 50Hz and 100Hz makes any difference, I cant see why it would.
You say you have a large reservoir cap, effectively giving you smooth DC. I dont think these tubes like smooth DC hence the SMPS being trouble. Try removing the cap and see what happens. Hope this helps, Tim On Saturday, 5 January 2013 14:30:38 UTC, Alex wrote: > > Cheers for the replies guys, I suspect that with a bit of running in most > of the tubes I have labeled "Slight poisoning" will come right... It is > strange that your purple topped tubes are distinctly different from white > topped, maybe I got lucky with my white topped but I defiantly prefer the > true neon IN-9 glow... > > My test rig could not be better for the tubes: > > UK Mains -> Isolating TX -> Variac -> Full Bridge -> Large reservoir cap > -> 25K W/W Pot -> 1K 10W Fixed R -> mA Meter -> Tube. > > Defiantly no switching noise! > > I will leave a few of the worst offenders on burn in for a half day and > see if they wake up a bit better.... > > - Alex > > > On Saturday, 5 January 2013 11:46:34 UTC, Tim wrote: >> >> >> Hi Alex, >> >> First things first, I love IN-9 tubes and am in the process of making an >> audio spectrum analyser with them. I have both the orange and violet >> versions. My violet ones having the purple top and do illuminate with a >> very purple glow :o) These tubes are trouble and very hard to make them >> consistently illuminate from the bottom as they do not have the extra >> electrode the IN-13s have. But there is a way! >> >> I would be very surprised if your problem is being caused by cathode >> poisoning, it is more likely to be because of the power supply you are >> using. These tubes do not like being run off nice clean DC from a SMPS. >> One must consider that when these tube were first being used (decades >> before I was alive) SMPS were not used to any extent (if at all?). They >> were powering the tubes from good old half wave rectified DC. I personally >> power the tubes from a mains isolation transformer (I think it came out of >> a bathroom shaver socket) and a single 1N4007 rectifier diode. I don't >> think I have ever had one misbehave being powered in this way. Give it a >> go and see if this solves your problems. >> >> Don't forget that the IN-9 are very power hungry compared with that of >> the IN-13. >> >> Hope this helps, >> >> Tim >> > -- 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]. To view this discussion on the web, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msg/neonixie-l/-/mzid-GSYyuMJ. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
