Re: [neonixie-l] Re: Do IV-9 tubes get very hot?

2026-05-12 Thread newxito 


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]  *On Behalf 
> Of *Mark Moulding
> *Sent:* Sunday, May 10, 2026 5:06 PM
> *To:* neonixie-l 
> *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.
>
> -- 
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> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/neonixie-l/645f0464-9d38-4351-af98-8d2c827226efn%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer>
> .
>

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RE: [neonixie-l] Re: Do IV-9 tubes get very hot?

2026-05-12 Thread Michail Wilson 
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]  On Behalf Of 
Mark Moulding
Sent: Sunday, May 10, 2026 5:06 PM
To: neonixie-l 
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.
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Re: [neonixie-l] Re: Do IV-9 tubes get very hot?

2026-05-10 Thread Mark Moulding 
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.
>>>
>>

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Re: [neonixie-l] Re: Do IV-9 tubes get very hot?

2026-05-09 Thread newxito 
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.
>>
>

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Re: [neonixie-l] Re: Do IV-9 tubes get very hot?

2026-05-08 Thread gregebert 
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.
>

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Re: [neonixie-l] Re: Do IV-9 tubes get very hot?

2026-05-08 Thread newxito 
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.

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Re: [neonixie-l] Re: Do IV-9 tubes get very hot?

2026-05-08 Thread gregebert 
When in doubt, provide air passages on the bottom and top of the case for 
convection currents to form and that might be enough. A lot of CPUs and RTC 
chips have built-in temp sensors, so you can have software monitor the 
temperature and take appropriate action, such as cutting-back on the number 
of tubes being driven.

On Thursday, May 7, 2026 at 5:38:04 PM UTC-7 Nicholas Stock wrote:

> Agreed. I've had a DR2000 clock running for years, never noticed any 
> significant heat from the tubes at all
>
> On Thu, May 7, 2026 at 5:33 PM 'Oskar' via neonixie-l <
> [email protected]> wrote:
>
>> I have no experience with IV-9s specifically, but I do have a DR2010 
>> Numitron clock, and the tubes don't even get slightly warm. They feel close 
>> to ambient temperature even after hours of operation. Granted, I am 
>> slightly underdriving them but I doubt running them at their rated current 
>> would make a significant difference. Based on that, I am fairly confident 
>> that active cooling isn't necessary for your use case.
>>
>>
>> newxito schrieb am Freitag, 8. Mai 2026 um 00:16:43 UTC+2:
>>
>>> Has anyone measured how hot an IV-9 can get?  Right now, I don’t have 
>>> access to a tube to test myself.
>>>
>>> I'm wondering if I need to foresee some kind of active cooling for my 
>>> project. I’m designing a calculator with 16 x IV-9 tubes in a closed case 
>>> with some ventilation slots. If I calculated this correctly, they would 
>>> dissipate about 11.5 watts if all segments were on and that’s a lot… 
>>>
>> -- 
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>>  
>> 
>> .
>>
>

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Re: [neonixie-l] Re: Do IV-9 tubes get very hot?

2026-05-07 Thread Nicholas Stock 
Agreed. I've had a DR2000 clock running for years, never noticed any
significant heat from the tubes at all

On Thu, May 7, 2026 at 5:33 PM 'Oskar' via neonixie-l <
[email protected]> wrote:

> I have no experience with IV-9s specifically, but I do have a DR2010
> Numitron clock, and the tubes don't even get slightly warm. They feel close
> to ambient temperature even after hours of operation. Granted, I am
> slightly underdriving them but I doubt running them at their rated current
> would make a significant difference. Based on that, I am fairly confident
> that active cooling isn't necessary for your use case.
>
>
> newxito schrieb am Freitag, 8. Mai 2026 um 00:16:43 UTC+2:
>
>> Has anyone measured how hot an IV-9 can get?  Right now, I don’t have
>> access to a tube to test myself.
>>
>> I'm wondering if I need to foresee some kind of active cooling for my
>> project. I’m designing a calculator with 16 x IV-9 tubes in a closed case
>> with some ventilation slots. If I calculated this correctly, they would
>> dissipate about 11.5 watts if all segments were on and that’s a lot…
>>
> --
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> 
> .
>

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