Hi Steve, Considering that most of the NOS Nixies that we use range from 30 to 40 years old and are mainly reliable enough to last for about 30,000 hours using cathode poisoning prevention, I would not think that it would be a problem in general.
Correct storage prior to acquisition would ensure a longer lifetime but if incorrectly stored this could lead to premature failure. Most of the Nixies I have show some oxidation on the pins but it does not affect their performance. Cleaning this off, as mentioned in a previous post, could lead to the danger of the seal being compromised and this is the main thing that will make a tube fail or drastically shorten its lifespan. I store my Nixies in bubble wrap and in a wooden box with dessicant 'pillows' which stops any moisture affecting them as Ireland is not the driest of countries! If you live in an arid area then the dangers from moisture are reduced. Like everything else, if you take care of it, it will last longer and this applies to Nixie tubes as well. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "neonixie-l" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/neonixie-l/cd79aae5-9e7e-4725-80a6-3cb80dafe32f%40googlegroups.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
