W dniu wtorek, 18 kwietnia 2017 15:46:38 UTC+2 użytkownik jrehwin napisał: > > - while testing it I found out that striking voltage of tubes is a max > value - I've tested one Z567M and one LC-631, they both strike with > voltages lower than their normal maintaing voltage! > > > Yes, it's a maximum value, so people can design circuits that are > guaranteed to strike even with a worst-case tube, under worst-case > conditions (see below). > > I wonder if this low striking voltage is common among different tubes or > does the striking voltage change with temperature. > > > Temperature has a minimal effect on striking voltage. The big factor is > something to start the ionization cascade. If the tube is exposed to > light, photons will do the trick. Radiation of other forms will as well. > Worst case is in absolute darkness. For some designs, striking speed also > matters: the higher the voltage, the faster the tube will strike. For some > designs this can matter. > > One workaround is to have a "primer" electrode, to provide a source of > ions to start the tube. While nixies don't normally come with primer > electrodes, you can use a decimal point as a primer, just hook it up via a > very large resistance. This will reduce the striking voltage and time > significantly in the dark. > > - John > > Wow. I didn't think much about how the ionization starts. I was quite surprised as after reading this I turned off all lights in my room and with 150V the same LC-631 didn't start - but as soon as I put some light on it, it indeed started glowing. Unfortunately I can't use any decimal point as a ignition starter for the simple reason - almost none of B13B socket tubes have a decimal point :) and I own mostly those tubes (ZM1040, Z566M, LC-631, Z560M). Thank you for sharing this information and making details of how nixies work more clear to me. Also thank you for sharing the idea of programming the boost converter to have a startup routine - this is so simple and yet I didn't think about it. Do you know if there is an effect of lowered striking voltage for some time after the tube is turned off? I'm curious if it is possible to add PWM dimming or even multiplexing with 145V power supply with 180V starting routine. As I tested my LC-631 it seems to light up properly in darkness after it was lighted once with my desk lamp - after that I can disconnect it, wait few seconds and reconnect and it works immidiately. I don't know if it is a rule or just a coincidence.
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