My recommendation would be to order a PCB of something that's already been made. The clock I'm currently working on is based off the design shared by CNLohr which is really compact, simple, and low in part count. Personally, if I were to make the design into a more universal tube tester and cathode de-poisoner, I would make the pinout a separate interchangeable module that can be plugged into the base driving board. That way any pin configuration could be accommodated. If there's interest in it more generally, I would be happy to modify my own variant of the design into something barebones that can be used for this exact purpose. I'm sure there's others out there who are looking for an affordable tube tester/de-poisoner.
On Tuesday, January 9, 2024 at 11:20:57 PM UTC-5 J.C. Wren wrote: > The Pro Nixie Tester is also not available. That's actually the one I had > been looking at. I could roll my own from the schematics, although I'm not > sure what transistors he's using. IIRC, I had used MPS42A's in a > MSP430-powered NL840 design I had done at one time. There might have been a > couple of other parts in the schematic that are a little vague but could be > worked out. > > I need to go through the tubes again and verify it against my spreadsheet. > I'm pretty sure I had entered everything I had, and I don't think I have > any 5971's. But I do like those :) > > --jc > > Save a life; adopt a shelter animal. > > > On Tue, Jan 9, 2024 at 8:50 PM Mac Doktor <[email protected]> wrote: > >> >> On Jan 9, 2024, at 6:25 PM, J.C. Wren <[email protected]> wrote: >> >> What's the latest and greatest Nixie tester that supports cathode >> de-poisoning? I've seen a couple on eBay that seemed a little more basic >> than I'd like, and the one from nixietester.com that's no longer >> available. >> >> >> There is a newer model available. It uses interchangeable sockets for >> different tubes, no fooling around with loose wires all of the time (site >> is slow to load): >> >> https://nixietester.com/project/pro-nixie-tester/ >> >> >> The build quality is a bit flimsy but it works. You can always roll your >> own using the schematics. >> >> >> I'm not particular if it's a kit or fully assembled. It would be nice if >> it has a smart de-poisoning algorithm, such as the one described for the >> bi-quinary tubes by Mark Smith. In a perfect world, it would datalog the >> current and voltage for each segment. >> >> >> This unit isn't that fancy but it does have connections for external >> voltmeters and ammeters. I've yet to get around to building a meter panel >> for it. >> >> >> The tube models I'd like to test are IN-18, ZM-1040, NL-840, 1970-0009, >> B-5092, B-7971, and NL-5859CS. The first three are the critical ones, as >> they're my favorite tubes :) >> >> >> All supported. No 5971s? >> >> >> Terry Bowman, KA4HJH >> "The Mac Doctor” >> >> https://www.astarcloseup.com >> >> “And if a message comes from Balaam’s ass, analyze the message. Don’t >> worship an ass.”—Dr. Gene Scott, *circa* 1985 >> >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to a topic in the >> Google Groups "neonixie-l" group. >> To unsubscribe from this topic, visit >> https://groups.google.com/d/topic/neonixie-l/bL3T3rMDf8U/unsubscribe. >> To unsubscribe from this group and all its topics, send an email to >> [email protected]. >> To view this discussion on the web, visit >> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/neonixie-l/B4548E2D-732B-4C50-B573-72B5DB081FF0%40gmail.com >> >> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/neonixie-l/B4548E2D-732B-4C50-B573-72B5DB081FF0%40gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >> . >> > -- 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 view this discussion on the web, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/neonixie-l/f11a65b8-a452-4adc-8739-4d8c2eb08c31n%40googlegroups.com.
