Re: [neonixie-l] More High Prices

[Mac Doktor]

> On Apr 11, 2024, at 3:57 PM, Nick Andrews  wrote:
> 
> I'm seeing it at $38.62 which still seems high to me for one...

The shipping from France is $43.47. Way overpriced.

Magic Eyes are surprisingly expensive. 6E5s are common as dirt yet they seem to 
be semi-rare collectors' items:

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=6e5+magic+eye&_sacat=0=nc_PrefLoc=2
 



I especially like the used ones with 75% brightness. As if that's going to last 
a long time. And the EM334 is NOT a substitute despite what it says in many of 
the descriptions. Nor is the Soviet 6E5S.


Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
"The Mac Doctor"

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[neonixie-l] More High Prices

[Mac Doktor]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/335341009588 


Is it just me or is $140 pretty steep for a common (and untested) EM84 magic 
eye tube? 

The whole thing strikes me as weird. The description is...creative. He has 
16,528 items and most of them are the same price regardless of what they are. 
Something just doesn't add up.


Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
"The Mac Doctor"

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Detective Gregory: “Is there any other point to which you would wish to draw my 
attention?”
Sherlock Holmes: “To the curious incident of the dog in the night-time.”
Gregory: “The dog did nothing in the night-time.”
Holmes: “That was the curious incident.” — "Silver Blaze", Sir Arthur 
Conan-Doyle

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[neonixie-l] Nixie Tic Tac Toe

[Mac Doktor]

https://www.etsy.com/listing/253733048/nixie-oxo-board-diy-kit-round-in-7 



Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
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Re: [neonixie-l] Replacing vintage AC cord

[Mac Doktor]

Thanks to everyone who replied, here or privately. I have a lot to consider now.


> On Apr 5, 2024, at 12:13 PM, gregebert  wrote:
> 
> I've had battles with some of the strain-reliefs in the past. If they dont 
> break coming out, they often will when going back in so best to get some 
> spares if you can.

This one survived. It came out surprisingly easily.


> I'm not sure who adopted the IEC power connectors first, but they deserve a 
> Nobel prize in my opinion.

I've laid in a supply of the earlier cords with the funky connector. The ones 
uses by HP etc. They work well but they're getting pretty scare and it's really 
hard to find ones with the polarity "un-reversed". And then there are the 
sockets that have broken. The insulator is a flimsy piece of phenolic.

The less said about CD jewel cases the better. The most in-your-face 
obsolescent thing ever foisted on the public.


Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
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anything about science and technology, and this combustible mixture of 
ignorance and power sooner or later is going to blow up in our faces. I mean, 
who is running the science and technology in a democracy if the people don’t 
know anything about it.”—Carl Sagan to Charlie Rose, May 27, 1996 (Sagan's last 
interview)

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[neonixie-l] Replacing vintage AC cord

[Mac Doktor]

I bought a Systron-Donner counter from eBay a few months back. Naturally the 
cord was chopped off and the fuse cap removed. 



I'm having trouble finding a suitable replacement.  It amounts to three 
conductor zip cord. I know I'm not going find the original stuff, at least not 
at a price mortals can afford.


Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
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Sagan, "The Backbone Of Night", Cosmos, 1980


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Re: [neonixie-l] Who bought (almost) all of the fraction tubes?

[Mac Doktor]

> On Apr 3, 2024, at 4:22 AM, xuhui zeng  wrote:
> 
> My friend bought them. He was particularly interested in this strange nixie 
> tube.

How many did he buy? Does he want to sell any? 8D


Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
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said, were suns but very far away. The Sun was a star but close up.”—Carl 
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[neonixie-l] IPS Clock Bargain - Sold

[Mac Doktor]

I just snagged a NovelLife SE:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/355562904556 


Total $28.43. Brand new, open box. Setting up the smartphone app is a pain. It 
requires a lot of futzing around but what can I say at that price.


Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
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[neonixie-l] Improper Storage

[Mac Doktor]

Check out the bent pins:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/156143847734 


I need to get some boxes for the loose stuff myself. Any suggestions?

I do have the requisite label printer...


Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
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[neonixie-l] Today's eBay Bargain

[Mac Doktor]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/375319887308?itmmeta=01HSBR7DTV6BF98VJD376C88H3 



Biggest IN-14 I've ever seen and the price is equally huge. 

It does have the plastic thing on it. That's got to be worth at least fifteen 
dollars.



Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
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Re: [neonixie-l] Re: EleksTubeIPS replacement firmware

[Mac Doktor]

> On Feb 28, 2024, at 9:46 PM, gregebert  wrote:
> 
> Crypto prices should be easy to displayisn't that just a random number  
> ??  ;-]

I wish that Daibor had included a "K" in the temperature unit tube.


Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
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Re: [neonixie-l] Who bought (almost) all of the fraction tubes?

[Mac Doktor]

> On Feb 20, 2024, at 9:13 PM, Peter Hall  wrote:
> 
> Yes I bought 2 off the upside down tubes... Beautiful fractions..As you 
> mentioned,Sundenly all 50+ were sold and another 50+ were sold as well...Glad 
> I bought another 2...

I was going to buy another one after he combined the shipping but it was too 
late. 

Now I have to figure out how to display it upside down.


Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
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[neonixie-l] Who bought (almost) all of the fraction tubes?

[Mac Doktor]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/276338717209 

I bought one the night before. When I got up someone had snagged the other 69. 
The seller has a couple of other oddballs and he combines shipping. Saved me 
over $20. Go to his items for sale, search for "nixie" and click the 
"Worldwide" box.

Oh, what the hell. Here it is:

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_dkr=1=true&_blrs=recall_filtering&_ssn=yitry_cat=0_name=langrex&_oac=1&_nkw=nixie=nc_PrefLoc=2
 



Now here's a REAL bargain!

https://www.ebay.com/itm/305312611122 

35% off. Act now. Only 21 letters to go.


Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
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Re: [neonixie-l] Reaches for popcorn....

[Mac Doktor]

> On Feb 4, 2024, at 7:24 PM, Nicholas Stock  > wrote:
> 
> https://www.ebay.com/itm/176223472746 
> 
> Fugly tubes anyone? I kid (sort of...)..
> 
> Super, super rare. Don't see these at auction often, not my listing!

Anyone care to place bets on the reserve?

And who was it that grabbed the four ZM1000s for $30 while I was looking at the 
(different) seller's other items?


Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
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[neonixie-l] Cosmic Clock

[Mac Doktor]

Insane amount of work:

https://www.instructables.com/Planet-Locating-Cosmic-Clock/ 



Does anyone want to try this with Nixies and neon lamps?

 
Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
"The Mac Doctor"

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coming from IBM with one letter added to each. That was pure coincidence. HAL 
stands for Heuristic Algorithmic computer."—Arthur C. Clarke, 2001




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

[Mac Doktor]

> On Jan 10, 2024, at 4:59 PM, Mac Doktor  wrote:
> 
>> On Jan 9, 2024, at 11:20 PM, J.C. Wren > <mailto:jcw...@jcwren.com>> wrote:
>> 
>> The Pro Nixie Tester is also not available.
> 
> Well, crap. Out of stock (both colors).

Just received an email from Marcin:

"After a very long break and inactivity, most projects should be available in 
February."


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

[Mac Doktor]

> On Jan 9, 2024, at 11:20 PM, J.C. Wren  > wrote:
> 
> The Pro Nixie Tester is also not available.

Well, crap. Out of stock (both colors).


> 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.

They're MPS42s. I can identify the other parts.


> 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 :)


I snagged four on eBay recently. They sold out quick.


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

[Mac Doktor]

> 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
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Re: [neonixie-l] Darkroom Light with IN-3B-1 Lamps

[Mac Doktor]

> On Jan 31, 2023, at 4:54 AM, Benoit Tourret  wrote:
> 
> Nice example of the latest USSR technology ;-)
> but the plug seems oversized... i saw much worse plugs in cuba in 1992...


There's a new listing:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/155986594903 


I never got around to photographing the insides of the one I bought so check 
this out. Try finding a single IN-3B-1 at this price.


Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
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Re: [neonixie-l] Flip Disc Clock and Controller

[Mac Doktor]

> On Dec 19, 2023, at 3:50 PM, Nicholas Stock  wrote:
> 
> Thanks for that Shaun, Marcin's projects are always fun and interesting.

Oh no, more money to Poland! He's already taken me for plenty.

How's the Euro this week? My timing was good the last time around.


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Re: [neonixie-l] Helping Nixie Tubes Fire in a Darkened Room

[Mac Doktor]

> On Nov 30, 2023, at 4:42 PM, Jeff Walton  > wrote:
> 
> Have some 365 and 395nm LED chips on order to experiment with.  Will try some 
> things when I get them.  Hopefully they will help and I can hide them under 
> the tube.  I saw some 245nm LEDs but super expensive and larger.

I'd stay away from 245nm. It's very dangerous plus the glass is opaque at that 
wavelength. 365nm can be hazardous as well. Some of these UV LEDs are really 
bright and you can't tell.


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Re: [neonixie-l] Random Number Generator with Nixies

[Mac Doktor]

> On Nov 3, 2023, at 11:00 PM, martin martin  > wrote:
> 
> Looks like something I want to build but am too lazy to hand wire it.
> https://unimplementedtrap.com/media/sb42/SB42-Schematic.pdf 
> 
> Does anyone want to make us a PCB?  

I'm too lazy to stuff the board.

Here's something similar from 1958:

https://www.rfcafe.com/references/popular-electronics/play-games-with-nixie-tubes-mar-1958-popular-electronics.htm
 



Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
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them. A few trickle through the system with their wonder and enthusiasm for 
science intact."—Carl Sagan, Psychology Today, 1996



Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
"The Mac Doctor"

https://www.astarcloseup.com

"Every kid starts out as a natural-born scientist, and then we beat it out of 
them. A few trickle through the system with their wonder and enthusiasm for 
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[neonixie-l] Random Number Generator with Nixies

[Mac Doktor]

https://unimplementedtrap.com/sb42-random-number-generator 



Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
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Re: [neonixie-l] Re: Symbols tube for Collector

[Mac Doktor]

> On Oct 25, 2023, at 5:06 AM, Jeff Walton  wrote:
> 
> B-6032 Tube has been claimed!  It was free for shipping to a good home!  
> Thanks for the emails.

Well dang. I had to pay Nick $25 for one. 8D

If you run across anything else symbolic let me know.


Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
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Re: [neonixie-l] Symbols tube for Collector

[Mac Doktor]

> On Oct 24, 2023, at 5:57 AM, Jeff Walton  wrote:
> 
> I ran across a Burroughs B-6032 that might be good for a collector.  It 
> partially functions at high voltage.  Date Code 6425.  I have not found a 
> data sheet.  I don't have any real use for it and it is mechanically quite 
> nice.  Anyway, If you are a symbols collector, send me note.

The inverted sine is cool:

https://www.swissnixie.com/tubes/B6032/ 


http://www.jb-electronics.de/html/elektronik/nixies/n_b6032.htm?lang=en 


http://www.tube-tester.com/sites/nixie/data/B-6032/b-6032.htm 



I have one. It requires 175V to ionize. Recommended.


Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
"The Mac Doctor"

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Re: [neonixie-l] An odd, but interesting observation of a weak B7971 tube

[Mac Doktor]

Incomplete sentence...

> On Oct 9, 2023, at 4:09 PM, Mac Doktor  wrote:
> 
> 
> Sadly, the alpha particles from


...an alpha source such as a household smoke detector won't make it though the 
glass.


Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
"The Mac Doctor"

https://www.astarcloseup.com

“...the book said something astonishing, a very big thought. The stars, it 
said, were suns but very far away. The Sun was a star but close up.”—Carl 
Sagan, "The Backbone Of Night", Cosmos, 1980


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Re: [neonixie-l] An odd, but interesting observation of a weak B7971 tube

[Mac Doktor]

> On Oct 9, 2023, at 3:23 PM, Jim KO5V  wrote:
> 
> As suggested, I think the photons from the lamp helped with the ionization 
> just enough to allow the tube's segments to eventually light up enough to 
> heal themselves.

I don't know about healing but light helps the gas to ionize. I would assume 
that the shorter the wavelength the better as the energy increases. Try using a 
blue or near-ultraviolet source. Ultraviolet would also work but may not 
penetrate the glass.

Ionizing radiation will work even better because it...you know. Try using 
Thorium as a beta source—that should penetrate the glass. Gamma sources are 
even better. I just happen to have some Radium (clock dials, TR cell) and 
Cesium-137 around the house. Sadly, the alpha particles from

While you're experimenting, try firing up a Tesla coil that's too far away to 
fully ionize the gas by itself. Or hold it near a plasma sphere.


Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
"The Mac Doctor"

https://www.astarcloseup.com

"Every kid starts out as a natural-born scientist, and then we beat it out of 
them. A few trickle through the system with their wonder and enthusiasm for 
science intact."—Carl Sagan, Psychology Today, 1996

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[neonixie-l] IN-14 with ten "8" cathodes

[Mac Doktor]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/115933140121? 


Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
"The Mac Doctor"

https://www.astarcloseup.com

"It's a bit like saying we have a bit of a poor design for the engine in our 
jet or rocket-ship but we have a sensor that will tell us if it's on 
fire."—James Cameron explaining how not to design a pressure hull for a 
submarine.

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Re: [neonixie-l] Vintage projection display optic cell indicator

[Mac Doktor]

Those sold out quick. An even better model turned up on eBay today:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/115933144124 <https://www.ebay.com/itm/115933144124>


> On Aug 19, 2023, at 9:08 PM, Mac Doktor  wrote:
> 
> I just received one of these:
> 
> https://www.ebay.com/itm/115878932855 <https://www.ebay.com/itm/115878932855>

Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
"The Mac Doctor"

https://www.astarcloseup.com

“...the book said something astonishing, a very big thought. The stars, it 
said, were suns but very far away. The Sun was a star but close up.”—Carl 
Sagan, "The Backbone Of Night", Cosmos, 1980


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Re: [neonixie-l] Recommended low-cost tube testing

[Mac Doktor]

> On Sep 1, 2023, at 4:56 PM, HikariFaith  wrote:
> 
> 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.

I have one of these:

https://nixietester.com/project/pro-nixie-tester/ 



The construction is a bit flimsy but it does everything. Note that you while 
you can use loose wires it also uses Marcin's universal socket system. This 
makes testing lots of the same tube much more convenient although it adds to 
the overall cost. You'll need three cheap DMMs for calculating the anode 
resistor values.


Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
"The Mac Doctor"

https://www.astarcloseup.com

“...the book said something astonishing, a very big thought. The stars, it 
said, were suns but very far away. The Sun was a star but close up.”—Carl 
Sagan, "The Backbone Of Night", Cosmos, 1980


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[neonixie-l] Top/End view "IN-23"?

[Mac Doktor]

Now this is interesting:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/225752006350 


Too rich for my blood.


Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
"The Mac Doctor"

https://www.astarcloseup.com

“...the book said something astonishing, a very big thought. The stars, it 
said, were suns but very far away. The Sun was a star but close up.”—Carl 
Sagan, "The Backbone Of Night", Cosmos, 1980


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Re: [neonixie-l] Re: What type of tubing / valves are used in vacuum and de-gassing, gas population experiments?

[Mac Doktor]

> On Aug 28, 2023, at 1:56 PM, gregebert  wrote:
> 
> I did a lot of research about 15 years ago when I was thinking about doing 
> neon art. There are 3 really good books (The Neon Engineer's Notebook, Neon 
> Techniques, and The Neon Superguide) and I recommend you read all 3 
> cover-to-cover. Though not particularly for nixies, there is a lot of good 
> info about the overall process. I have yet to read the Weston text (Cold 
> Cathode Glow Discharge Tubes).

I went to neon school back in 2001. I have all of the books that were in print 
them plus two thick binders of photocopied articles from all over the place. 
Naturally, I can't get to any of it right now.


> I decided against doing neon art because the bombarding process is very 
> dangerous; far more dangerous than experimenting with microwave oven 
> transformers.

It has to all be set up the "right way". Anything less is asking for disaster. 
If you don't feel safe don't do it.


> The manifolds I saw were made of glass, even the valves, and require a 
> special lubricant/sealant.

Yeah, borosilicate. A vast improvement over metal manifolds. The thing is that 
for ages neon was entirely an art form. Processing was done by the seat of the 
pants. At the turn of the millennium more scientific, documented methods were 
coming online and replacing the guesswork with actual physics. This involved 
the use of more apparatus.


> I think you can use induction heating, rather than bombarding, for removing 
> impurities.

We certainly didn't have anything like that then. Probably way more convenient, 
too.


> The other thing that discouraged me was the need to use mercury; it's rather 
> toxic and I was concerned about inhaling vapors. I'm not afraid of mercury in 
> liquid form.

The amount of mercury is pretty small. In the case of a broken tube, air the 
room out. It's no worse than breaking a large fluorescent tube.


Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
"The Mac Doctor"

https://www.astarcloseup.com

"Would you like to see the relevant data?"—343 Guilty Spark, Halo 2

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Re: [neonixie-l] Vintage projection display optic cell indicator

[Mac Doktor]

> On Aug 20, 2023, at 6:44 PM, gregebert  wrote:
> 
> Unusual gizmo. I see that it's "backwards", so you need to project onto the 
> backside of a screen. From the video it appears to have a built-in lens 
> because the characters were nice and crisp, not blurry.

There's a cylindrical glass lens. With a transparent screen at the focal point 
all of the characters should line up. The whole thing is a very rugged assembly 
and weighs quite a bit.


> Definitely would make a neat clock if you had 4 or 6 of them.

The price seems really low to me but I don't need a clock. They would be good 
for one of those Mission Control displays...


Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
"The Mac Doctor"

https://www.astarcloseup.com

"If only you could see what I've seen with your eyes."—Roy Batty, Blade Runner

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[neonixie-l] Vintage projection display optic cell indicator

[Mac Doktor]

I just received one of these:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/115878932855 


I haven't powered it up yet.


Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
"The Mac Doctor"

https://www.astarcloseup.com

"If only you could see what I've seen with your eyes."—Roy Batty, Blade Runner

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Re: [neonixie-l] Nice design with "special" Dalibor tubes

[Mac Doktor]

> On Aug 16, 2023, at 10:26 AM, jb-electronics  
> wrote:
> 
> This is a nice website and a nice clock, but the webdesign a quite overdone 
> in my opinion. It took me around 2 minutes of scrolling (and loading) until I 
> could see the actual product..

I didn't want to be the first to say it but...yeah. All I wanted to see was the 
price and it took some effort to get there. When it suddenly switched from 
vertical scrolling to horizontal I was downright confused. This sort of site 
used to be done with Flash and while technically impressive it...do I need to 
say any more? 

It doesn't render properly in Safari 14. I had to use FireFox.  


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Re: [neonixie-l] B49989 nixie

[Mac Doktor]

> On Jul 25, 2023, at 2:53 PM, Nicholas Stock  wrote:
> 
> Thanks Audrey, Terry, very useful. My copy does have all the hyperlinks and 
> italics that I can see, but I will give it another check. I'll post a link to 
> it once ready...

If you can get that to work I'd be very happy. It's beyond my expertise. What 
would really be nice is to have a database I can ADD data to. I've been 
hoarding every scrap of data that's come my way for several years now.


> It's certainly the most comprehensive list I've seen and I'm quite surprised 
> I hadn't found it before given how long I've been 
> collecting/amassing/hoarding nixies over the years :)

It's my understanding that Alan "AJ" Franzman was a major player in the hobby 
years ago but I haven't been able to find any other information about him.


Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
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https://www.astarcloseup.com

"Words fail me. What is a doctorate in homeopathic medicine? A blank piece of 
paper taped to your wall?"—PZ Myers

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Re: [neonixie-l] B49989 nixie

[Mac Doktor]

> On Jul 25, 2023, at 2:38 PM, Nicholas Stock  > wrote:
> 
> Copy and paste into Numbers (Mac) worked flawlessly. All done.

I did the same thing but there's a catch. Some of the information is in the 
form of styled text, i.e., italic and bold and it doesn't import text style. 
There are "illegal" characters such as carriage returns in the cathode lists 
for dual cathode tubes. There was another one but I can't think of right now. 
And you lose the links to things like the base data. I wanted to turn it into a 
relational database a long time ago but it's beyond me. You may recall I 
referred to it as "NixieBase".


> I will tidy it up and make a PDF copy available on my website unless anyone 
> objects. I planned on including the appropriate acknowledgements etc...


I don't object and I would definitely give clear attribution. Compiling this 
data was a huge task.


Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
"The Mac Doctor"

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Edward R. Murrow: “Who owns the patent on this vaccine?”
Dr. Jonas Salk: “Well, the people, I would say. There is no patent. Could you 
patent the sun?”—See It Now, 12 April 1955

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Re: [neonixie-l] B49989 nixie

[Mac Doktor]

> On Jul 24, 2023, at 11:24 PM, Nicholas Stock  > wrote:
> 
> Terry, that is a very useful look up table. I will recreate my own local copy 
> I think

Turning an archived site into offline form is not trivial. There's an app for 
it written in Ruby and my brother is fluent in that so with a little tinkering 
he was able to do it:

https://www.mediafire.com/file/xyui35z7h7cs583/Nixie+Tube+Cross-Reference+Data.zip/file
 



If you have problems please let me know. It works here in Safari and Firefox. 
I've tried to extract the data and put it into a spreadsheet or a database with 
some success. It's incomplete.


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Re: [neonixie-l] B49989 nixie

[Mac Doktor]

> On Jul 25, 2023, at 10:59 AM, Nicholas Stock  wrote:
> 
> Thanks Dieter. Now I'm going to have to light it up to see that triangle 
> :)

The LL-556 has "S, P, M, Δ, U, G". The delta looks very nice. 8D


Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
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Re: [neonixie-l] B49989 nixie

[Mac Doktor]

> On Jul 24, 2023, at 9:30 PM, Nicholas Stock  wrote:
> 
> Anyone know what letters this one displays? I have one here, but I can't 
> locate a datasheet for it

"A, C, G, L, N, R, S, T, V, Δ"

https://web.archive.org/web/20140328202208/http://mysite.verizon.net/res0fab4/files/nixdat.htm
 



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Re: [neonixie-l] Spark arrestors?

[Mac Doktor]

> On Jun 25, 2023, at 12:21 AM, Nick Andrews  > wrote:
> 
> Interesting.   Bigger ones used in what?  I have a box somewhere with old 
> railroad lightning assessors.  

I was looking at these: https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256804108987619.html 



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Re: [neonixie-l] Spark arrestors?

[Mac Doktor]

> On Jun 24, 2023, at 7:17 PM, Audrey  wrote:
> 
> Hi, I found this listing online, definitely a spark arrestor.
> https://a.aliexpress.com/_mNkJM9O 

Is the cylinder in the middle an insulator? That would make sense.

I really like the bigger ones. They contain Tritium.


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"The Mac Doctor"

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“...the book said something astonishing, a very big thought. The stars, it 
said, were suns but very far away. The Sun was a star but close up.”—Carl 
Sagan, "The Backbone Of Night", Cosmos, 1980


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Re: [neonixie-l] Re: Seriously? This is out of control on ebay

[Mac Doktor]

> On May 21, 2023, at 7:20 PM, Audrey  wrote:
> 
> Isnt that usually only the case with vacuum tubes? I think you're thinking of 
> thoriated heaters


I leave it to someone else to come up with a definitive answer but a neon sign 
can start cold because the cathodes are coated with the stuff. I can't remember 
precisely what is used but it's more than just thorium. I'm not sure if they're 
all elemental but they might be. It's been a very long time.

Part of precessing a new tube is heating the cathodes to reduce the oxidized 
chemicals back to their "raw" state. If a tube needs to be repaired and the 
tubing itself can be reused new cathodes will have to be spliced on and the 
entire assembly re-processed.


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"All those moments will be lost in time like tears in the rain.

"Time to die"— Roy Batty, Blade Runner

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Re: [neonixie-l] Re: Seriously? This is out of control on ebay

[Mac Doktor]

> On May 21, 2023, at 5:02 PM, Audrey  wrote:
> 
> I mean... a broken nipple only sounds repairable by someone getting into neon 
> making


If the cathodes have any chemicals on them to enhance electron emission that 
will oxidize upon contact with the air. Reprocessing them will require reducing 
the coatings again.

I went to neon school but I'm not up to this challenge. People who make nixie 
tubes would know the score.


Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
"The Mac Doctor"

https://www.astarcloseup.com

"Every kid starts out as a natural-born scientist, and then we beat it out of 
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Re: [neonixie-l] Neon Goodness

[Mac Doktor]

> On May 21, 2023, at 4:01 PM, martin martin  wrote:
> 
> On my clients asked me to 'take away' this 1994 Panasonic phone system.
> I was about to drop it off a the local e-waste center.. Instead, I opened it 
> up and found 12 nice little NE-2s!

Lightning arrestors?


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Re: [neonixie-l] Re: Seriously? This is out of control on ebay

[Mac Doktor]

> On May 19, 2023, at 4:01 PM, Audrey  wrote:
> 
> Did you get your refund, at least?

Yes, they were totally cool about it. I received the wrong item and didn't have 
to send it back.

They could have been lying about the situation, of course, but at least I ended 
up with some extra toys.


> On May 19, 2023, at 4:08 PM, Nicholas Stock  wrote:
> 
> I advise folks not to look at their eBay shop at work if your screen is 
> visible to others, they appear to offer a number of 'adult toys' if you get 
> my drift.

Those were the "extra toys" that I ended up with. 8D


Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
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Re: [neonixie-l] Re: Seriously? This is out of control on ebay

[Mac Doktor]

> On May 19, 2023, at 1:26 PM, SD  wrote:
> 
> haha, I ordered an IV-17 clock kit from them before.

I got their first offering, an "IV17/IV4 Nixie Tube Explorer Kit by Chris 
Barron". It didn't include tubes but I had some IV-4s and the board was already 
stuffed. They sent it to the wrong address and that person didn't feel like 
sending it back. At least that was the story I was told.


Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
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"Damn, damn, damn, DAMN!"—Professor Henry HIggins, My Fair Lady

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Re: [neonixie-l] "Software-Defined Flyback" for Nixie Tubes

[Mac Doktor]

> On May 8, 2023, at 6:14 PM, gregebert  > wrote:
> 
> The last time I did timing-critical software was for a floppy-disk controller 
> over 40 years ago; the Z80 CPU running at 4Mhz had 16usec to read and store 
> each byte as it came out of the controller chip and the loop typically took 
> 12usec. 

Af friend of mine, one of the programmers working on The Oregon Trail, wrote 
entirely new software for the infamous Commodore floppy drive. I can't recall 
if it was just the RWTS or something approaching a full DOS. This was a tricky 
exercise because the drive had its own 6502 inside. Debugging it must have been 
interesting.


> On May 8, 2023, at 6:38 PM, Terry Kennedy  > wrote:
> 
> I built a commercial SCSI (actually SASI back then) interface out of some 
> parallel ports. That was an interesting driver. 


I recall reading on multiple occasions that a SCSI driver was a non-trivial 
exercise. Sort-of like "if you don't appreciate how non-trivial it is don't 
even bother".


Oh, the days of SCSI voodoo. When APS brought out their line of enclosures 
things suddenly became reliable. I have old drives, enclosures and cables all 
over the place. 


Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
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shoulder of Orion. I watched c-beams glitter in the dark near Tannhäuser Gate. 

"All those moments will be lost in time like tears in the rain.

"Time to die"— Roy Batty, Blade Runner

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[neonixie-l] "Software-Defined Flyback" for Nixie Tubes

[Mac Doktor]

Includes video:

https://www.hackster.io/news/charles-lohr-turns-a-0-10-risc-v-microcontroller-into-a-software-defined-flyback-for-nixie-tubes-aabafa76aa78
 



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Re: [neonixie-l] Re: Argon Filled IN-13s?

[Mac Doktor]

> On Apr 28, 2023, at 2:41 PM, leo oel  wrote:
> 
> is there such a Vu-meter, but for IN-36 or IN-33?

I've seen some sort of plasma display before but I can't find one right now.


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Re: [neonixie-l] Re: Argon Filled IN-13s?

[Mac Doktor]

> On Apr 28, 2023, at 1:29 PM, Jasper nagle  wrote:
> 
> i found a photo it looks to be argon filled one of the tubes?
> https://modwiggler.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=166232 
> 


It's an IN-9 (count the wires). There are more photos here:

http://m.bareille.free.fr/vu-in13/vumeter_in13.htm 



If you're interested in such a gadget this is a good deal (tubes not included):

https://www.ebay.com/itm/224270222385 


It uses a Soviet log convertor chip. Only three left. I have two of them.


Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
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[neonixie-l] Argon Filled IN-13s?

[Mac Doktor]

I know about the argon IN-9s but IN-13s?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/115785378858 


Also of interest:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/195733715964 

Too bad it isn't labelled "ИН-16".


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[neonixie-l] HP 521D Nixie Tube Frequency Counter

[Mac Doktor]

In keeping with the recent discussion of early counters with thermometer 
displays, here's a similar item for collectors who prefer actual Nixie tubes:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/234985922328 


Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
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Re: [neonixie-l] Nixie Tube Modem Test Set

[Mac Doktor]

> On Apr 23, 2023, at 1:45 PM, Dekatron42  wrote:
> 
> To me it looks like there are three B54XX-something Burroughs Nixies from the 
> looks of the sockets.

I looked at the photos and never spotted the tubes! This thing is big on the 
inside.


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[neonixie-l] Nixie Tube Modem Test Set

[Mac Doktor]

Man, these are some tiny Nixie tubes:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/234984502416 


How many are in there? It looks like three (with zero being a possibility). The 
unit is pretty wide and it's hard to picture the scale.


Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
"The Mac Doctor"

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Re: [neonixie-l] Re: unpoison a IN-1

[Mac Doktor]

Reading this thread has begun to make my eyes glaze over. I find the following 
diagram to be helpful for understanding some of what's going on. Perhaps it 
will add some clarity to the discussion. This in from Marcin Saj's github and 
specifically concerns his PRO Nixie Tester:


It took a while for me to completely understand how all of this works and this 
diagram was a huge help. I doubt that I would have worked it clearly otherwise. 
For the record I haven't gotten around to reading the JB Dance book—yet.

Full info here:

https://github.com/marcinsaj/Universal-PRO-Nixie-Tester-and-Healer 



Right now I'm using the PRO Nixie Tester with three DMMs but I've purchased 
some DPMs for a compact, dedicated meter bridge. Someday I'll get around to 
making a panel and wiring them up. And rigging up isolated power supplies for 
them.


> On Apr 22, 2023, at 1:50 PM, Moses  wrote:
> 
> That yh11068a module is rated for 40 watts! That is like 10 times what you 
> would need for most nixie clocks! Be careful at higher voltages, a 200mA 
> capable supply at a few hundred volts will hurt you good.

Zaparooney.   x_x


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Re: [neonixie-l] Changes to eBay Purchase History

[Mac Doktor]

> On Apr 21, 2023, at 8:24 PM, Charles MacDonald  wrote:
> 
> yes, latest update no longer shows any staus, other than payment  (I only buy 
> on e-bay) Don't know where you would look for feedback.

You're supposed to scan down through the column of rectangular buttons on the 
left side. With my eyesight I can just make out the word "feedback" if I put 
some effort into it. The color contrast is appalling.


> they also expire old listings sometimes faster than it takes to receive 
> things from across the Ocean.

Sixty days has always been too short.


Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
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[neonixie-l] Changes to eBay Purchase History

[Mac Doktor]

Is it just me or is there now no way to see if a seller has left you feedback? 
It's also much harder to discern whether or not you've left feedback, 
especially if you have my eyesight.


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Re: [neonixie-l] Need advice on a new scope...

[Mac Doktor]

> On Apr 21, 2023, at 1:47 PM, Paul Andrews  wrote:
> 
> The shipping seems a bit expensive 8-)

Subtract it from your offer. 8D


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Re: [neonixie-l] Scaler with Dekatron Counter

[Mac Doktor]

> On Apr 19, 2023, at 7:46 PM, Nick Andrews  wrote:
> 
> Hmm...

I think that's the first time I've been able to read the lettering and there 
are lots of them on eBay.


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Re: [neonixie-l] Scaler with Dekatron Counter

[Mac Doktor]

> On Apr 19, 2023, at 6:18 PM, Nick Andrews  wrote:
> 
> Certainly!  If you can afford the shipping, that is.  So what's missing from 
> the HP units?  Those plug connectors are familiar...


I'm not sure what you call it but I guess it amounts to an analog "pre-scaler". 
They made these up to ten decades. My 521A only has four but that's enough for 
H:M, right?


Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
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“...the book said something astonishing, a very big thought. The stars, it 
said, were suns but very far away. The Sun was a star but close up.”—Carl 
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Re: [neonixie-l] Scaler with Dekatron Counter

[Mac Doktor]

> On Apr 19, 2023, at 6:03 PM, Nick Andrews  wrote:
> 
> Some serious boat anchors there!

Museum pieces. Seriously.


Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
"The Mac Doctor"

https://www.astarcloseup.com

“...the book said something astonishing, a very big thought. The stars, it 
said, were suns but very far away. The Sun was a star but close up.”—Carl 
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Re: [neonixie-l] Scaler with Dekatron Counter

[Mac Doktor]

> On Apr 19, 2023, at 4:30 PM, gregebert  > wrote:
> 
> Historical mix of assembly techniquesPC board (looks single-sided), 
> point-to-point components on sockets and terminal strips.
> Does it have that wonderful aroma of conformal coating often found in vintage 
> equipment ?

Not that I can tell. I assume that the only reason there are tubes in this 
thing is for the HV supplies. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Looks like someone replaced a bunch of capacitors which should make things a 
bit easier. A schematic would be nice.


> Too bad it doesn't have 6 or 7 dekatrons instead of 5. Would have made a neat 
> clock.

How about one of these?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/295453756982 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/255911424475 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/255913457473 

Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
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"If only you could see what I've seen with your eyes."—Roy Batty, Blade Runner

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Re: [neonixie-l] Scaler with Dekatron Counter

[Mac Doktor]

> On Apr 19, 2023, at 2:16 PM, Dekatron42  wrote:
> 
> Did you get any sort of documentation with it?

Of course not. ;)


> The plastic window in front of the mechanical counter tends to come loose and 
> drop inside the case and that means that dust enters the mechanical counter 
> which makes it count poorly.

Still in place on this one. Without the analyzer I have no way to hook my probe 
up. I know where to find the circuitry but then I still have to come up with HV 
connectors and cables. 


Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
"The Mac Doctor"

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“...the book said something astonishing, a very big thought. The stars, it 
said, were suns but very far away. The Sun was a star but close up.”—Carl 
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[neonixie-l] Scaler with Dekatron Counter

[Mac Doktor]

I just received this:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/23495610 


Appears to be working. The HV rotary switch is stuck. Dekatrons light up. 

The seller has another listing which includes a scintillation probe:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/234976322571 


The scintillation probe is a crapshoot. The crystal may be good, it may be bad. 
I have one that's working. Need to fix that switch.


Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
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“...the book said something astonishing, a very big thought. The stars, it 
said, were suns but very far away. The Sun was a star but close up.”—Carl 
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Re: [neonixie-l] NIMO

[Mac Doktor]

> On Apr 4, 2023, at 9:00 PM, Nicholas Stock  wrote:
> 
> Looks like they all sold out though. 

He must have just gotten them. I've never seen them before and I have a search 
for "magic eye" that I check every day. I go through his stock periodically as 
well.


Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
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said, were suns but very far away. The Sun was a star but close up.”—Carl 
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Re: [neonixie-l] NIMO

[Mac Doktor]

> On Apr 4, 2023, at 5:08 PM, Yohan Park  wrote:
> 
> I think these would fit nicely with the Nimo tubes.
> https://www.ebay.com/itm/195661812653 
The only problem is that these will work loose from vibration and thermal 
cycling. Use bayonet based bulbs instead. Trust me.


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Re: [neonixie-l] Is there a cheaper alternative to the IN-18 at that size?

[Mac Doktor]

> On Mar 28, 2023, at 9:07 AM, Zachary Laurin  
> wrote:
> 
> Do you know if it's possible to remove the red coating from the Z566?


Oh, the humanity. They're so beautiful. 

Use Z5660Ms instead. 8D


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Re: [neonixie-l] Identify clock and help with remote…

[Mac Doktor]

> On Mar 27, 2023, at 2:51 PM, Lance Barton  
> wrote:
> 
> I attached an image of the board, 

Tangent: what HDR software are you using? There seems to be a lot of 
tonemapping and microcontrast enhancement going on.


Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
"The Mac Doctor"

https://www.astarcloseup.com

“...the book said something astonishing, a very big thought. The stars, it 
said, were suns but very far away. The Sun was a star but close up.”—Carl 
Sagan, "The Backbone Of Night", Cosmos, 1980


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Re: [neonixie-l] Is there a cheaper alternative to the IN-18 at that size?

[Mac Doktor]

> On Mar 27, 2023, at 9:23 PM, Nicholas Stock  wrote:
> 
> the Z566 type are nicer tubes IMHO. I've seen them for about $50 each 
> occasionally, but that's a used price these days...some NOS ones for about 
> $60 each.

I bought two NOS Z566s for $100 about a year ago. Not a scratch on the contrast 
coating. I have a Z567 as well.


Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
"The Mac Doctor"

https://www.astarcloseup.com

“...the book said something astonishing, a very big thought. The stars, it 
said, were suns but very far away. The Sun was a star but close up.”—Carl 
Sagan, "The Backbone Of Night", Cosmos, 1980


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Re: [neonixie-l] IC Sockets

[Mac Doktor]

> On Feb 18, 2023, at 6:26 PM, Jim KO5V  wrote:
> 
> So, is there a reason other than saving a few parts for not using the IC 
> sockets - like added paths for noise, or??

If you're going to use sockets you want reliable retention. Chips can work 
loose over time especially with lots of thermal cycling. Double-wipe sockets 
are the best if you want something to be as disaster-proof as possible. I've 
never used anything else.

Machined collect sockets have weaker retention but are desirable if you're 
going to be swapping ICs in and out during the development phase or installing 
updates in the field. In the old days this would have been something like an 
EPROM with firmware on it.


Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
"The Mac Doctor"

https://www.astarcloseup.com

Q: Should car stereo speakers be pointed to the rear for more thrust or up for 
more traction?

A. On long trips, the 20- to 30% improvement in gas mileage you might get with 
speakers pointing to the rear is certainly worthwhile. On the other hand, if 
you drive on snow or ice, the extra traction of speakers pointing upward gives 
you added control.

Don Lancaster

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Re: [neonixie-l] New Nixie Tubes?

[Mac Doktor]

> On Feb 17, 2023, at 6:15 PM, Audrey  wrote:
> 
> https://youtu.be/pv01SKiYJz4 
> 
> https://twitter.com/LCLR29380401/status/1623875027685834753 
> 
> 
> https://twitter.com/SaduduH/status/1568858119891197952 
> 

Excellent choice of avatar.


Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
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"If only you could see what I've seen with your eyes."—Roy Batty, Blade Runner

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Re: [neonixie-l] Symbols..

[Mac Doktor]

> On Feb 16, 2023, at 2:55 PM, Audrey  wrote:
> 
>  the other one I've not seen before, - + ×

Probably Chinese QS53.


Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
"The Mac Doctor"

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“...the book said something astonishing, a very big thought. The stars, it 
said, were suns but very far away. The Sun was a star but close up.”—Carl 
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Re: [neonixie-l] What is this tube ?

[Mac Doktor]

> On Feb 12, 2023, at 3:22 PM, Nicholas Stock  > wrote:
> 
> Magic eyes just don't last long enough to be useful in a clockkind of 
> like IN-2's lol!!


I wouldn't leave it turned on for very long. 8D


Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
"The Mac Doctor"

https://www.astarcloseup.com

"I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe. Attack ships on fire off the 
shoulder of Orion. I watched c-beams glitter in the dark near Tannhäuser Gate. 

"All those moments will be lost in time like tears in rain."— Roy Batty, Blade 
Runner 

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Re: [neonixie-l] What is this tube ?

[Mac Doktor]

> On Feb 12, 2023, at 2:49 PM, Audrey  wrote:
> 
> I dont think it's a 6E2... the tubes in the photo have distinct bargraph 
> segments, I'm pretty sure it's a VFD.

It would be interesting to see a 6E2/EM84 "opening and closing" once per 
second. If you're curious as to what this would look like try one of these 
(only $20):

https://www.ebay.com/itm/193443031569 

Stereo version:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/193444281148 


How about a Magic Eye clock? I'd be very interested in that. Who wants to go 
first, gang? Think of it as a new challenge, uncharted territory.

I have eight EM800s.  8D


Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
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https://www.astarcloseup.com

"If only you could see what I've seen with your eyes."—Roy Batty, Blade Runner

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Re: [neonixie-l] Re: NEW MOD-SIX "Lumina"--ONLY 6 left!

[Mac Doktor]

> On Feb 2, 2023, at 12:56 AM, Kevin A.  wrote:
> 
> In the great room (the statue is not my doing..)


Looks like a dressmaker's mannequin. Is someone in your domicile a seamstress? 


Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
"The Mac Doctor"

https://www.astarcloseup.com

"Every kid starts out as a natural-born scientist, and then we beat it out of 
them. A few trickle through the system with their wonder and enthusiasm for 
science intact."—Carl Sagan, Psychology Today, 1996

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Re: [neonixie-l] My attempt to build a IN-13 vu-meter

[Mac Doktor]

> On Feb 2, 2023, at 12:55 AM, Olivier  wrote:
> I built a one channel prototype with through-the-hole components and then 
> re-designed the PCB to use SMDs as I needed the board to be very small. I 
> built each channel on one separate PCB to reduce cost; they are all stacked 
> together.
> 
Very nice. 

I'm very curious to know what problems you had with the tubes. I hear that 
there's a lot of variation among them. Did you have to buy extra tubes and then 
test them until you had enough that worked properly?

Can you share the schematic for the part of the circuit that's driving the 
tube? I'm always looking for the most reliable way to do that.


Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
"The Mac Doctor"

https://www.astarcloseup.com

"Would you like to see the relevant data?"—343 Guilty Spark, Halo 2

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[neonixie-l] Darkroom Light with IN-3B-1 Lamps

[Mac Doktor]

This is interesting:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/155383903988 


This is the second one. I offered $14 and the seller countered with $16 so he's 
willing to haggle. When it gets here I'll take some pictures.


Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
"The Mac Doctor"

https://www.astarcloseup.com

"If only you could see what I've seen with your eyes."—Roy Batty, Blade Runner

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[neonixie-l] Silicone Plugs for IN-9/IN-13

[Mac Doktor]

Interesting:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/144919902883 


Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
"The Mac Doctor"

https://www.astarcloseup.com

“...the book said something astonishing, a very big thought. The stars, it 
said, were suns but very far away. The Sun was a star but close up.”—Carl 
Sagan, "The Backbone Of Night", Cosmos, 1980


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Re: [neonixie-l] Re: Ben, just call me ben.

[Mac Doktor]

> On Jan 26, 2023, at 5:30 PM, gregebert  wrote:
> 
> Brand new IBM 360...those were the good old days.
> I think the 360 had the most-impressive front panel of any system ever made. 
> If only it had nixie tubes.


How about some INS-1s and MTX-90s?


Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
"The Mac Doctor"

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"If only you could see what I've seen with your eyes."—Roy Batty, Blade Runner

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Re: [neonixie-l] thyraton & dekatron

[Mac Doktor]

> On Jan 26, 2023, at 4:48 PM, Benoit Tourret  > wrote:
> 
> I am looking for information about Dekatron device "as a compute device", 
> what are the main differences between all the models, 
> and also about the thyraton mtx-90.
> what was their first usage and so on...

I'd like to know more about the MTX-90 as well. Have you seen these?:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/175204420312 

Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
"The Mac Doctor"

https://www.astarcloseup.com

“...the book said something astonishing, a very big thought. The stars, it 
said, were suns but very far away. The Sun was a star but close up.”—Carl 
Sagan, "The Backbone Of Night", Cosmos, 1980


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[neonixie-l] Time Code Translator with Nixie "clock" display

[Mac Doktor]

I've never seen this one before:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/364119298468 


Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
"The Mac Doctor"

https://www.astarcloseup.com

“...the book said something astonishing, a very big thought. The stars, it 
said, were suns but very far away. The Sun was a star but close up.”—Carl 
Sagan, "The Backbone Of Night", Cosmos, 1980


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Re: [neonixie-l] I asked ChatGPT to do a 500 word paper about nixie tubes...

[Mac Doktor]

> On Jan 21, 2023, at 12:52 PM, Jeff Walton  wrote:
> 
> I tried asking,   "Create a 500 word essay about nixie tubes" and here is 
> what it came up with:


It's close, 513 words.


https://openai.com/blog/chatgpt/ 

The site says it's at capacity right now, try again later.


Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
"The Mac Doctor"

https://www.astarcloseup.com

“...the book said something astonishing, a very big thought. The stars, it 
said, were suns but very far away. The Sun was a star but close up.”—Carl 
Sagan, "The Backbone Of Night", Cosmos, 1980


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[neonixie-l] eBay lot of tubes on boards

[Mac Doktor]

Any idea what is in this pile?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/255911269871 


Winning bid was by someone with one feedback. I was tempted.


Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
"The Mac Doctor"

https://www.astarcloseup.com

“...the book said something astonishing, a very big thought. The stars, it 
said, were suns but very far away. The Sun was a star but close up.”—Carl 
Sagan, "The Backbone Of Night", Cosmos, 1980


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Re: [neonixie-l] OT: Inspecting phosphor-containing devices with UV light

[Mac Doktor]

> On Jan 7, 2023, at 11:50 AM, Ryan B  wrote:
> 
> I bought two different wavelength UV lights recently. IIRC 395 and 360 nm. I 
> haven't used them much but I will check out all my CRTs now! I got them to 
> look for UV reactive glass at thrift shops and on the beach.


I have a CRT with dual phosphors, a fast blue and a slow yellow. It lights up 
like a Christmas tree when exposed to an 18" BL-B tube. 

You can draw pictures on an old television or computer monitor.


Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
"The Mac Doctor"

https://www.astarcloseup.com

“...the book said something astonishing, a very big thought. The stars, it 
said, were suns but very far away. The Sun was a star but close up.”—Carl 
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Re: [neonixie-l] Scope Clocks are available again

[Mac Doktor]

> On Dec 17, 2022, at 7:22 AM, Wo Tu  wrote:
> 
> No kits available ?! Only assembled !


Scroll to the bottom and select the kit.


Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
"The Mac Doctor"

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“...the book said something astonishing, a very big thought. The stars, it 
said, were suns but very far away. The Sun was a star but close up.”—Carl 
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Re: [neonixie-l] Jeff's Nixie watch parts layout or schematic?

[Mac Doktor]

> On Dec 12, 2022, at 2:37 PM, Dan Schnur  wrote:
> 
> I think the schematic you have is for the original Nixieclock that Jeff made 
> too.   In 2000, he made 6 of them to give to friends and clients.   I have 5 
> of 5 (of 6.). Note the replacement resistors he added later.   Can anyone 
> identify them.  The big yellow things as pictured.


They look rather like mylar caps and have a rating of 250V. Perhaps 2k2 = 
2200pF?


Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
"The Mac Doctor"

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“...the book said something astonishing, a very big thought. The stars, it 
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Re: [neonixie-l] Bubble Lights and other Christmas Lights of interest

[Mac Doktor]

> On Dec 9, 2022, at 10:04 AM, Mykiss Gold  
> wrote:
> 
> It’s funny this topic came up. Just the other day I ran into this video on 
> how to make these. I don’t have all the equipment necessary otherwise I’d 
> totally whip up a batch. 

You want the hardest vacuum you can get. I have it on good authority that it 
does make a difference.


> Have a watch. I’ve enjoyed all the Technology Connections videos I’ve seen so 
> far. The rockets and audios  series are extra fun. Watch out for very sneaky 
> Easter eggs. 
> 
> https://youtu.be/lgE6BVDl3mw 

I hadn't seen this before. I'm not sure about waring regular sunglasses when 
using an Oxy/Fuel torch on borosilicate glass. There are special goggles for 
this.


> On Dec 9, 2022, at 9:16 AM, Adrian Godwin  wrote:
> 
> Interesting to read about these old-school suppliers.
> In the UK, the supplier of all things cheap, tacky and seasonal (as well as 
> miscellaneous electrical the rest of the year) was Pifco, with products 
> usually made in Hong Kong. Did they reach other parts of the world or were 
> they just a brit phenomenom ?

Based on observation it seems that round the late '60s production of plastic 
Xmas ornamentation shifted from Japan to Hong Kong. I believe they used a 
cheaper type of plastic which was shiny and didn't hold fine detail.

As for bubble lights, NOMA's last gasp in the Sixties was making them look like 
rockets. These are highly desirable as they didn't sell very well and those of 
us who were kids at the time really want them. Unfortunately, like many other 
plastic decorations that were intended to get hot they had Tricresyl phosphate 
added as a fire retardant. This causes the plastic to decompose over time. I 
have a box of bubble lights that I call the coffin. Inside there are wires, 
light bulbs and sockets, and glass tubes. All held in place by the cardboard 
insert. No plastic to be seen anywhere except for some sugary crumbs sliding 
around.

Because of the TCP, some types of bubble lights are impossible to find in good 
condition. The Shooting Stars made by Peerless must have had a lot of it 
because I've never seen one that wasn't at least a third gone and that was 
years ago. Clemcos are a vanishing breed as well. The upshot of this is that 
many of the NOMA lights that have survived are from very early on, second half 
of the '40s. They made them in huge quantity between '46 and '49 and those are 
still with us along with Paramounts and Royals.


Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
"The Mac Doctor"

https://www.astarcloseup.com

"I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe. Attack ships on fire off the 
shoulder of Orion. I watched c-beams glitter in the dark near Tannhäuser Gate. 

"All those moments will be lost in time like tears in rain."— Roy Batty, Blade 
Runner 

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Re: Re: [neonixie-l] Bubble Lights and other Christmas Lights of interest

[Mac Doktor]

> On Dec 7, 2022, at 6:42 PM, Terry Kennedy  > wrote:
> 
> I posted about these some 8 years ago.

Long before I joined this group. I missed out on a lot but Im trying to make up 
for it.

> I worked in the factory (in a different division) that made those in the 70’s 
> - Masden Industries on 23rd St. in North Bergen, NJ. They made the glass 
> enclosure and the contents, and then sold the sealed units to a customer 
> (Beacon Electric, somewhere in New England, IIRC) who provided the bases and 
> lamps and did the packaging and sale.
> 
> I have some that are 3’ (yep, FEET) tall.
> 
"Mr. Bubble", as Rich likes to call himself, has made some very long custom 
tubes but I doubt that he's made any quite that long.

> The chemistry was quite simple* - the ball of material in the bottom was a 
> mixture of sugar and sodium metaborate. The liquid was methylene chloride. 
> The solid would outgas at low temperatures (even from the heat of a hand) and 
> release bubbles which would float upward and eventually be reabsorbed in the 
> liquid. The trick with the giant ones was to wind a spiral of thin heating 
> wire around them to keep the bubbles from disappearing partway up.
> 
Yeah. I wonder how they did it with those Wurlitzer jukeboxes? Those tubes are 
pretty long.

> The most annoying thing about this factory was that it tended to explode a 
> lot - the machines that did the glass sealing were all 1-offs and old, and 
> the flame would back up into the main gas line, and kaboom.
> 
Oops.

> If these are made today, I’m sure the formula is different - the one I posted 
> would run afoul of safety regulations these days.
I have no clue as to what else can be used for a fast bubbling action. Rich's 
oil tubes have rapeseed oil in them, among other secret ingredients. The 
nucleator is tiny pieces of pumice.

Telsen Electric Company in Britain made tubes that were like Lava Lamps, in 
that the bubbles were colored and the rest of the fluid was clear. Shooting 
Stars are like Lava Lamps in reverse, clear bubbles in a colored liquid. They 
use freon as one of the liquids. That's hard to get these days. The nucleator 
looks like flakes of mica.

The problem with the Telsen tubes is the same as a real Lava Lamp. They get too 
hot at the top and bubbles just collect there. They have to be shaken 
periodically to make some of the fluid drop down again. Rich experimented with 
this but it was just too unreliable. He gifted me one in return for a very 
large order.


> Anyway, that factory produced several tractor trailers full per week during 
> the busy season. There were various dyes to color the liquid.

Getting dyes that remain stable when heated or in direct sunlight is another 
problem. I've had some that did that and they were replaced under lifetime 
warranty.

Also, you will often see vintage tubes that are only half full or even empty of 
liquid even though they're still sealed. This is due to microscopic cracks in 
the glass, probably from thermal cycling. Rich uses borosilicate.


BTW, if anyone is considering purchasing some bubble lights this season avoid 
Christopher Radko like the plague. His bubble likes are SO colorful when 
they're tuned off. When they're turned on, not so much. The blackbody radiation 
curve limits the colors possible with incandescent lamps. White, yellow and 
pink bases look yellowish-white. Red looks orange. Green is a bit dark and blue 
is almost a ghost. And the blue tube is so dark you can't even see the bubbles.

Also, if you see a set with NOMA artwork on it for twice the price of a no-name 
Chinese set, buy the Chinese set. Unless you really love that NOMA looking box. 
And always buy two sets for when a bulb blows. If you have a variac handy dial 
them down 10%. That will help. It's just not Christmas around here without 
variacs and 12V transformers all around the stairwell.


Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
"The Mac Doctor"

https://www.astarcloseup.com

Edward R. Murrow: “Who owns the patent on this vaccine?”
Dr. Jonas Salk: “Well, the people, I would say. There is no patent. Could you 
patent the sun?”—See It Now, 12 April 1955

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Re: [neonixie-l] Bubble Lights and other Christmas Lights of interest

[Mac Doktor]

> On Nov 28, 2022, at 8:28 PM, Charles MacDonald  wrote:
> 
> Canadian Tire has the rights to the NOMA name here in Canada these days (and 
> possibly elsewhere) , and uses it for everything from AA batteries to Lawn 
> Mowers.

I'll never forget walking up to K-Mart one fall and out on the sidewalk there 
were NOMA snow blowers. For some reason it seemed like some kind of absurdist 
sculpture installation. But it was nice to see the name.

The wet noodle logo, not their classic roman logo.


> No Microsoft Products were used in sending this e-mail.

Heh.


Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
"The Mac Doctor"

https://www.astarcloseup.com

“...the book said something astonishing, a very big thought. The stars, it 
said, were suns but very far away. The Sun was a star but close up.”—Carl 
Sagan, "The Backbone Of Night", Cosmos, 1980


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[neonixie-l] Bubble Lights and other Christmas Lights of interest

[Mac Doktor]

First off, this site has an excellent rundown on the history of holiday 
lighting. I'll jump into the post-war America section for some background info:

http://oldchristmastreelights.com/1946_1950.htm 



Next, here's the detailed history of bubble lights, including the legal battle 
over the patents:

http://oldchristmastreelights.com/bubble_lights1.htm 



There's a quick way to tell if a set of candelabra base bubble lights is "new" 
versus "vintage". Starting in the early '70s, manufacturers began crimping the 
top of the tubes to make the tip look like a flame. The old ones are straight.

If you're a Lionel train fan, NOMA made the famous talking railroad station.


I have reproduction bubble tubes made by Richard Curry who reverse-engineered 
the chemistries. I made a lifetime purchase eight or ten years ago and he 
hasn't had any for sale for a long time; that well has run dry. I paid him $10 
apiece, lifetime warranty. I asked Rich recently what original Shooting-Star 
tubes were going for on eBay and all he said was that they're "out of sight". 

He has all of his trade secrets written down and stashed away with his family. 
Anyone with deep pockets care to step up to the plate? A good investment 
opportunity in my opinion. Who doesn't love bubble lights? Oils and shooters 
are really cool, no one is going to be  making them, and collectors who came to 
the game too late would gobble them up.


eBay has banned the sale of bubble lights; you can still find a few listings 
that haven't been reported yet by some busybody. I think I mentioned in the 
other thread that new sets still around if you can find them. Don't ever buy 
just what you need, get one extra set. The bulbs in the ones made in the last 
ten or twenty years are crap. At least one will blow early on because of a bad 
vacuum or seal. Also, the action may be anemic because of an insufficiently 
hard vacuum and colder light bulbs but they're all that's available.
Note that there are bubble lights with clear tubes/bases and colored light 
bulbs. The effect is rather like Easter pastels but with more saturated colors. 
In the right setting they look very nice. A white or silver tree would be 
perfect.


Imagine if they banned Nixie tubes on eBay because some have mercury in them.  
O_O


Much, much more to tell if anyone is interested...


Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
"The Mac Doctor"

https://www.astarcloseup.com

"There is no Main Street anymore except at Disneyland—and try and buy a gun 
there"—Hank Hill

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Re: [neonixie-l] Any interest in IV-9 numitron clock kit?

[Mac Doktor]

Bubble light thread coming up in a bit. I'll move this topic to that...


> On Nov 28, 2022, at 11:32 AM, Nick Andrews  > wrote:
> 
> I have a few of both types. One string of the Silvestri 70s/80s-produced 
> smaller ones that run on a typical smaller-socket light string (box looks 
> like old K-Mart style printing).  These are a spherical holder that the glass 
> vial slides into, and an opening that slides over the smaller incandescent 
> bulbs on a typical light string.

This tiny form factor is nice BUT getting them hot enough to bubble is the 
devil's mischief. I've found that putting some kind of insulator around the 
base helps. Leaving them in the styrofoam does the trick sometimes. I've never 
gotten them to work on a tree.


> Then I have 9 of the older Noma style screw-in replacement bulbs made in the 
> 90s for Builders Square, 3 each of blue, red, and green. 

These are candelabra base, the same as a nightlight bulb.

Sadly, like everything else these days "NOMA" is now just a registered 
trademark owned by Who Knows Who, inc. All bubble lights are made in an 
anonymous Chinese factory and put into a bespoke box. 

They did this back on the old days as well. NOMA would sell cheaper sets 
through other channels using a generic brand name. Collectors can tell who the 
real manufacturer was by the UL number on the AC cord tag. That didn't change.


> The 'festoon' part on those is simply clear plastic, not the more colorful 
> flying saucer shape vintage stuff.

In this context "festoon" means the wire and sockets. The term isn't used much 
anymore. The word "string" is common parlance.


>   You can find them on ebay sometimes relatively inexpensively.

Unfortunately, eBay has banned all sales of bubble lights. 1946, 2016—doesn't 
matter. Apparently, methylene chloride (dichloromethane) is now much more 
hazardous. 8/

You can probably find them locally. Walmart hasn't had them in years. Lowes 
maybe. They turn up at random in stores that don't sell tons of Xmas stuff like 
the big guys. Bed, Bath & Beyond, pharmacies, the seasonal aisle at a grocery 
store.


Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
"The Mac Doctor"

https://www.astarcloseup.com 

"I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe. Attack ships on fire off the 
shoulder of Orion. I watched c-beams glitter in the dark near Tannhäuser Gate. 

"All those moments will be lost in time like tears in rain."— Roy Batty, Blade 
Runner 


Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
"The Mac Doctor"

https://www.astarcloseup.com

“...the book said something astonishing, a very big thought. The stars, it 
said, were suns but very far away. The Sun was a star but close up.”—Carl 
Sagan, "The Backbone Of Night", Cosmos, 1980


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Re: [neonixie-l] Any interest in IV-9 numitron clock kit?

[Mac Doktor]

> On Nov 20, 2022, at 8:14 AM, Adrian Godwin  wrote:
> 
> Are they these bubble lights ?
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTDtyFaAZy8 
> 

Yes. I'll make a detailed post about them later today. They're quite 
interesting and have a history to match.


Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
"The Mac Doctor"

https://www.astarcloseup.com

“...the book said something astonishing, a very big thought. The stars, it 
said, were suns but very far away. The Sun was a star but close up.”—Carl 
Sagan, "The Backbone Of Night", Cosmos, 1980


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Re: Re: [neonixie-l] Any interest in IV-9 numitron clock kit?

[Mac Doktor]

> On Nov 17, 2022, at 1:48 PM, gregebert  > wrote:
> 
> Constant-current is an excellent approach for incandescent devices because it 
> eliminates the inrush current-surge that shortens the life of the filament. 
> Recall that a cold filament has lower resistance versus when hot; 
> current-limiting also allows the filament to heat-up slower, which reduces 
> mechanical shock.

PTC thermistor. I didn't understand this simple principle for a long time.


> I always hated it when I walked into a dark room, flipped-on the light 
> switch, and POOF went the light bulb.


One of my other hobbies is old Christmas lights. The inrush current is a huge 
deal because most of what I have is rated 15V and wired with 8 bulbs in series. 
You can't mix different bulbs together unless you use a dimmer or better yet a 
variac to slowly ramp the voltage up because the curves are different. The bulb 
with the lowest resistance will always heat up more rapidly and will be the 
first to blow.

What's needed are miniature base festoons with the sockets in parallel. These 
are pretty rare as the only thing wired this way were some sets with 6~8V 
blinker bulbs and a transformer that were only made for a short time in the 
mid-'50s. I managed to get three of them with 20 sockets apiece back when they 
were only $25 on eBay. I use variacs and 12V transformers intended for low 
voltage outdoor lighting. Most of them will bubble reliably at 12V which 
derates them 20%, further increasing lifetime.

Bonus feature: if a bulb blows all the others stay lit. And despite my best 
efforts it still happens occasionally but then the bulbs may have many hours on 
them.


Just as many here were stocking up on Nixies decades ago, I was chasing 
Christmas lights on eBay, especially bubble lights. I was that noob guy who 
outbid everyone by going fifty cents over the average price per unit. Today 
they can't be had for three times what I paid in 2007. Stupid noob, huh? I've 
never taken an exact count but I have well over 100 bubble lights in my 
collection. At least a dozen are purple, the rarest color. They're not for sale.


Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
"The Mac Doctor"

https://www.astarcloseup.com

"If only you could see what I've seen with your eyes."—Roy Batty, Blade Runner

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Re: [neonixie-l] Re: presentation of GR-43015 and enquiry on Siemens nixies

[Mac Doktor]

> On Oct 9, 2022, at 9:56 AM, 严泽远  wrote:
> 
> It's QS30-7A, very rare now, I have the list of QS30 series, but only a 
> <1.png><2.png>few tubes in my collection.

I have a QS30-75 with the same glyphs, honeycomb mesh. I'm not sure if its 
cathodes are exactly the same. I also have an unmarked tube which appears to be 
identical to the QS30-75 except that it has a rectangular mesh. QS30-7A, 
perhaps?


Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
"The Mac Doctor"

https://www.astarcloseup.com

"If only you could see what I've seen with your eyes."—Roy Batty, Blade Runner

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Re: [neonixie-l] presentation of GR-43015 and enquiry on Siemens nixies

[Mac Doktor]

> On Oct 8, 2022, at 8:48 PM, Jon Jackson  wrote:
> 
> "⏦" U+23E6: Ac Current (Unicode Character):
> 
> https://unicodeplus.com/U+23E6 


Thank you for that. I had found it once before but I lost it again.


Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
"The Mac Doctor"

https://www.astarcloseup.com

"Every kid starts out as a natural-born scientist, and then we beat it out of 
them. A few trickle through the system with their wonder and enthusiasm for 
science intact."—Carl Sagan, Psychology Today, 1996

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Re: [neonixie-l] Re: presentation of GR-43015 and enquiry on Siemens nixies

[Mac Doktor]

> On Oct 8, 2022, at 5:19 PM, Terry Bowman  wrote:
> 
> Gorgeous. I'm jealous. 8D

Follow up: everyone has the M1183 listed as having the characters "Ω, +, –, 
[sine with horizontal line]".

It's my understanding that the last character indicates AC current (as with the 
inverted sine). If anyone can tell me what the unicode or UTF-8 number for 
"sine with horizontal line" is I'd be very happy.


Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
"The Mac Doctor"

https://www.astarcloseup.com

"Would you like to see the relevant data?"—343 Guilty Spark, Halo 2

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Re: [neonixie-l] insidiousnixies:Utube.

[Mac Doktor]

> On Oct 6, 2022, at 5:20 AM, hall...@hotmail.com  wrote:
> 
> I am a amature in the true sense and need all the help,I can get.lol...

Sounds like me. Welcome to the hangout!

What part of Australia do you hail from? I have a friend in Adelaide.


Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
"The Mac Doctor"

https://www.astarcloseup.com

"I wouldn't join any club that would have me as a member."—Groucho Marx

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Re: [neonixie-l] Strange eBay listing text.....

[Mac Doktor]

> On Oct 5, 2022, at 2:54 PM, Dekatron42  wrote:
> 
> I just clicked the eBay photo for a GR10G Nixie listing and now I wonder what 
> eBay is up to: https://www.ebay.com/itm/115546867348 the title is funny but 
> clicking the link "Show original title" shows the correct title.

Classic screw-up on the part of the seller. Just another day on eBay.


Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
"The Mac Doctor"

https://www.astarcloseup.com 

Male voice: "That accident over in Red Sector L destroyed another 63 personnel, 
giving them a total of 242 lost to our 195. Keep up the good work and prevent 
accidents. This shift is concluded."—THX 1138

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Re: [neonixie-l] Show & Tell

[Mac Doktor]

> On Sep 29, 2022, at 7:50 PM, Richard Nicewonger  
> wrote:
> 
> Did you check my follow-up message? :-)

Fifteen seconds after I hit send. 8)


Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
"The Mac Doctor”

“My definition of an artist is someone who’s ahead of his time and behind on 
his rent.”—Kinky Friedman

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Re: [neonixie-l] Show & Tell

[Mac Doktor]

> On Sep 29, 2022, at 2:14 PM, Rich N.  > wrote:
> 
>  Just wanted to share a pix of my latest piece of orange-glowing test 
> gear!

No picture here. Or is this just a tease?  8D


Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
"The Mac Doctor"

https://www.astarcloseup.com

"Every kid starts out as a natural-born scientist, and then we beat it out of 
them. A few trickle through the system with their wonder and enthusiasm for 
science intact."—Carl Sagan, Psychology Today, 1996

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