Re: [neonixie-l] Recommendations for a Nixie tester/cathode de-poisoner?

[HikariFaith]

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  wrote:
>
>>
>> On Jan 9, 2024, at 6:25 PM, J.C. Wren  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
>>
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>> 
>> .
>>
>

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[neonixie-l] IV-15 / DM-160 -- Wire-up help needed

[HikariFaith]

So I have a bunch of IV-15 / DM-160 VFD tubes I got a few months back (I 
have a mix of both) and have been wanting to experiment with them a bit. 
The problem is they're not as straightforward as the nixies I've been 
working with, so I don't understand how to identify the individual 
wires/pins on them, nor have the datasheets been helpful in knowing how to 
turn them on or what voltage they need to turn on. Can I please get an 
explanation of how to wire up these tubes? I really want to see how they 
look in person.

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[neonixie-l] BTB-Elektronik -- Is it legit?

[HikariFaith]

Found this website that I've come across several times. It's got some real 
nice listings on there, some for much lower prices than I've seen elsewhere 
(such as the CD43 I'm eyeing). Anyone ever use it before? Is this place 
trustworthy?

https://btb-elektronik.de/en/products/1750/tubes-nixie/

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[neonixie-l] Recommended low-cost tube testing

[HikariFaith]

I have a bunch of tubes (NL-8422's and IN-12's) I haven't been able to test 
yet. I'm working on a new ultra-thin 8-tube nixie clock and calendar based 
off of CNLohr's tube driver design, but replacing the CH32V003 with an 
ESP32S2-MINI-2. Having come into this project as a complete electronics 
newbie, I'm not sure if my circuit will work properly and I haven't yet 
finalized my program. So while I'm working on this, and preparing to test 
my drivers in a single-tube setup, I'd like to test out my tubes to see if 
they're all in good working order in the meantime. What do you all 
recommend as good setups for testing my tubes? I'm looking for something 
low-cost, yet still reliable and easy to use so I can test each numeral on 
the tubes.

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