I forgot all about this thread. I have some of these displays. Did the PCB/design ever get off the ground and flying? Any info will help. I am a collector and builder/maker, not a designer. So I'd love to make these displays glow. Thanks for the help.
On Tuesday, April 16, 2024 at 9:45:21 PM UTC-4 gregebert wrote: > Here's the current status as of April 16, 2024. The test display has been > running for a few weeks now at low intensity, using my waveform generator > (1kHz) and a reverse-wired power transformer. I'm not noticing any > degradation of intensity yet. > > The inverter design has stalled for a bit while I wrap-up another clock > (uses IEE projection-type displays). SPICE simulations of the inverter are > showing a lot of ringing, which has been a challenge to get rid of, and > there is a mysterious asymmetry into the transformer. This is causing > imbalance, and that results in a net DC current, which is not only wasteful > but also will cause saturation of the transformer. I'm also trending to use > a triangular waveform, rather than sinusoidal, because it results in > constant current (well, at least theoretically...) for the display. > > Opto triacs are easier to use than regular ones, so I expect to go with > those and drive them from a serial chain of shift registers. I standardized > a serial link for my projects using 10-conductor ribbon cable, using the > same signals/levels as used by the HV5532 (and similar) drivers. Each > IEL-0-IV display is 8 segments, so 48 bits will control a 6-character > display via direct-drive. I wont use, or attempt to use, multiplexing. > Adding more characters is as simple as adding more serial devices. Right > now I think I will have 2 displays per board; keeping the PCBs less than > 100mm/side (4 inches) keeps the price way down at PCBWay. A run of 10 > boards is around 14 USD ($5 total for the 10 boards, $9 for shipping). > > As far as controlling the serial link, I use a Raspberry Pi Zero W. I'm > sure any controller will work as long as you use a level-shifter for the > serial interface. > > On Tuesday, April 16, 2024 at 2:56:07 PM UTC-7 Nick Andrews wrote: > >> Okay, so after realizing my search parameters were off, I found and >> bought 10 of the same 'Predator" style EL displays. Supposed to be here in >> 5 or so weeks... So I'll be interested. >> >> On Fri, Apr 5, 2024 at 2:55 AM Michail Wilson <[email protected]> wrote: >> >>> That is the type of burn in I have experienced as well. >>> >>> Not just on the small one you have, but on the various sizes. >>> >>> >>> >>> Michail Wilson >>> >>> 206-920-6312 <(206)%20920-6312> >>> >>> >>> >>> *From:* [email protected] <[email protected]> *On >>> Behalf Of *gregebert >>> *Sent:* Tuesday, April 2, 2024 11:23 AM >>> *To:* neonixie-l <[email protected]> >>> *Subject:* Re: [neonixie-l] Re: Anyone want to collaborate on >>> electroluminescent display projects ? >>> >>> >>> >>> There are some on Ebay right now (I have no affiliation with the >>> seller). Do a search for IEL-0. I suggest shopping around for awhile to >>> get the best price. I'm a bit nervous about the IEL-0-IV displays. After 10 >>> days of basic testing, my test device has noticeable burning, though I cant >>> confirm if the luminous output has dropped. I need to build a photometer >>> and do more testing. Prior to using it, the entire screen was the same >>> color. >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> On Tuesday, April 2, 2024 at 8:46:06 AM UTC-7 Nick Andrews wrote: >>> >>> Has anyone seen any of these for sale in the last few years? I'd be >>> interested in the project if I had some! >>> >>> >>> >>> On Mon, Apr 1, 2024, 5:24 PM gregebert <[email protected]> wrote: >>> >>> Right now it looks like there will be 3 different PCB's: One for the HV >>> power supply, one for a single I-95, and another for 2-4 IEL-0-IV (I havn't >>> sized the board yet, but it needs to be less than 4" per side). I use a >>> modular design approach, and everything is connected with a 10-pin >>> ribbon-cable serial bus I call IOLINK. So if you are willing to adapt your >>> favorite controller to the IOLINK interface, which uses 12V signalling (2 >>> inputs, 5 outputs), these boards will be workable for you. >>> >>> On Monday, April 1, 2024 at 7:59:59 AM UTC-7 Keith Moore wrote: >>> >>> I am interested but not much help with the design. I'd love to use my >>> displays though. >>> >>> On Thursday, March 14, 2024 at 1:43:24 PM UTC-4 gregebert wrote: >>> >>> I'm finally at the point I have time to work on a design for my >>> Soviet-era electroluminescent displays. I have 2 types, the smaller >>> IEL-0-IV, and a much larger I-195. Both are the 'alien' style formats, and >>> will make unusual clocks. >>> >>> >>> >>> I have done some very initial testing on the smaller one, and it appears >>> to be burning the phosphor after just a few hours of usage. It's not lit >>> very bright, so I dont know if this is a common burn-in phase, or not. >>> Documentation is pretty limited, and I've been running a 50-page document >>> page-by-page thru google translate; so far nothing has come up regarding >>> burn-in. >>> >>> >>> >>> If anyone out there is working-on IEL's, or planning-to do so, please >>> chime in so we can start a discussion here. >>> >>> >>> >>> -- >>> >>> 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/d07a2249-b58a-4b4b-8769-f04ad827a80bn%40googlegroups.com >>> >>> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/neonixie-l/d07a2249-b58a-4b4b-8769-f04ad827a80bn%40googlegroups.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/f0a44f8d-9c21-4e6d-a0f5-110b07630132n%40googlegroups.com >>> >>> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/neonixie-l/f0a44f8d-9c21-4e6d-a0f5-110b07630132n%40googlegroups.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/SA0PR01MB6170D0E7D11FEAC8EEE8C90F823E2%40SA0PR01MB6170.prod.exchangelabs.com >>> >>> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/neonixie-l/SA0PR01MB6170D0E7D11FEAC8EEE8C90F823E2%40SA0PR01MB6170.prod.exchangelabs.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >>> . >>> >> -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "neonixie-l" group. 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