I think that the problem could be that the tubes will be very close together; they'll almost be touching. Even nixies get quite warm when they're that close.
6000? Not bad! I recently remembered that I ordered 50 IV-9 years ago, and yesterday I've found them in the basement. It's time to do something useful with them. Michail Wilson schrieb am Mittwoch, 13. Mai 2026 um 01:42:53 UTC+2: > I have a project in which I wanted the ability to make it modular. So, I > use TLC5916 per tube (IV-9); I have about 6000+ tubes (lifetime supply). > A station where I could use 1-8 modules (although I normally have all 8 > modules). > > > > The project is enclosed in glass. No heat dissipation, and the entire > project does get warm or even very warm, but Not hot. > > > > Michail > > > > *From:* [email protected] <[email protected]> *On Behalf > Of *Mark Moulding > *Sent:* Sunday, May 10, 2026 5:06 PM > *To:* neonixie-l <[email protected]> > *Subject:* Re: [neonixie-l] Re: Do IV-9 tubes get very hot? > > > > I've found that the larger DR2000-type tubes do run stone cold, but the > IV-9 and IV-16s will heat up a bit (warm to the touch) in continuous use. > I've only made devices with a few digits - up to six. Sixteen could > dissipate a reasonable amount of heat, but consider that there also must be > a fair viewing area for that many tubes, even if there is a bezel with a > thin lens, through which heat can escape. Twelve watts shouldn't be too > bad at that size - perhaps 1" x 6" (25mm x 150mm) or so? especially if > there are cooling vents somewhere in the bottom and top of the enclosure. > > ~~ > > Mark > > On Saturday, May 9, 2026 at 12:09:57 AM UTC-7 newxito wrote: > > To keep the segments warm, my plan was to use just PWM. Maybe it would be > easier to add just a bias resistor for each segment. On the other hand, > there are 128 segments, so it wouldn't be that simple after all. > > To limit the current I will configure the TLC5921 to deliver 19mA on the > outputs. > > For the 4.5V 3A power supply I've found the AP62301WU-7. It needs just a > few external components and is cheap, small and easy to solder. > > gregebert schrieb am Samstag, 9. Mai 2026 um 01:56:23 UTC+2: > > I also recommend current-limiting so that you dont get surge-current on > cold filaments. I put preheat hardware and software in place; during > preheat, all segments get just enough current to make them warm, but not > glowing. This reduces the thermal shock when turning them on as well as off. > > > > I dont have enough numitrons to generate any lifetime data, and I dont run > those clocks very often...only to gawk at them every few months. Then back > to standby. > > > > On Friday, May 8, 2026 at 9:02:34 AM UTC-7 newxito wrote: > > Good point. I will add the thermal monitoring to the firmware. I will use > the same firmware as for the nixie calculators, I just have to add a > numitron display driver. > > The idea is to also reuse the same case, which already has ventilation > slots at the top and bottom. > > This is my first numitron project. I'm now designing a 3A 4.5V power > supply that will replace the HV PSU and a new driver board with 8 x > TLC5921. > I'll upload a thermal image once I've finished the project. > > -- > > 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, visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/neonixie-l/645f0464-9d38-4351-af98-8d2c827226efn%40googlegroups.com > > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/neonixie-l/645f0464-9d38-4351-af98-8d2c827226efn%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, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/neonixie-l/b06f1eec-6e7d-4ba0-ab99-205575f0dad4n%40googlegroups.com.
