Argon Piranha

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Mahdi Al Husseini

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Dec 14, 2019, 2:35:34 PM12/14/19
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A collaboration project with an old friend, using welding, 3d printing, and PCB design and manufacturing. One of Dalibor’s experimental tubes!

jb-electronics

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Dec 14, 2019, 2:42:33 PM12/14/19
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This looks absolutely amazing, great work! Do you have a video on it? Cheers, Jens
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gregebert

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Dec 14, 2019, 2:53:40 PM12/14/19
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Very cool!  How much current does the argon tube require ? My recollection is that Argon radiates significantly less energy in the visible region compared to neon.

Mahdi Al Husseini

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Dec 14, 2019, 2:57:52 PM12/14/19
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Thanks to you both! Jen I’ll put up a video soon; I’m still experimenting with optimal voltage and current levels, for best results 

You’re spot on, current draw is about 10-15mA, and the argon is noticeably less bright than the neon, even after adjusting current based on Dalibor’s recommendations

Mahdi

On Sat, Dec 14, 2019 at 2:53 PM gregebert <greg...@hotmail.com> wrote:
Very cool!  How much current does the argon tube require ? My recollection is that Argon radiates significantly less energy in the visible region compared to neon.

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Mac Doktor

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Dec 14, 2019, 7:34:23 PM12/14/19
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On Dec 14, 2019, at 2:53 PM, gregebert <greg...@hotmail.com> wrote:

Very cool!  How much current does the argon tube require ? My recollection is that Argon radiates significantly less energy in the visible region compared to neon.

As you age you lose your sensitivity to shorter wavelengths. Lunt Solar Systems used to get angry complaints from (older) customers because they literally couldn't see anything at the Calcium K line which has a wavelength of 393.4nm. That's definitely near-UV. 

I have a 24mW (tested power, not what some eBay seller claimed) 405nm "Blu-ray" laser and all I can see in a lit room is a spot on the wall. It has to be almost completely dark for me to faintly see the beam while sighting down the barrel. It's near the top of this post on my blog:



Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
"The Mac Doctor"

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

Bill Notfaded

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Dec 15, 2019, 3:27:53 PM12/15/19
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Awesome Mahdi... I like the tube in there!

Bill

GastonP

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Dec 17, 2019, 10:49:07 PM12/17/19
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Is it a one-tube clock or just a static/non-clock display?
That argon purple is really beautiful and I don't want to think how nice it would look in complete darkness...
Purple!!!! Yay!!!

Mahdi Al Husseini

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Dec 17, 2019, 10:58:06 PM12/17/19
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Currently it’s a counter that starts, stops, and resets after being remotely actuated by way of an IR sensor. Thanks! I’m a big fan of the argon shade. If only there were argon indicator lamps, I could light up the sculptured eyes...

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Charles MacDonald

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Dec 17, 2019, 11:16:47 PM12/17/19
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On 2019-12-17 10:57 p.m., Mahdi Al Husseini wrote:
> If only there were argon indicator lamps, I could light up
> the sculptured eyes...

they were made at one time "AR" series lamps. EXAMPLE ONLY:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/ARGON-AR-1-UV-UltraViolet-Discharge-Vintage-Neon-GLOW-Light-Lamp-Bulb-Free-Ship-/310322322168

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Bill Notfaded

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Dec 18, 2019, 6:22:12 AM12/18/19
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Note:

The rated life of this argon lamp is 1000 hours to 50% output, much shorter than the 8000 hours of its neon equivalent. Smaller argon lamps, where the bulb is closer to the UV source, have lives as little as 150 hours.

Bill

John Rehwinkel

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Dec 19, 2019, 10:24:14 AM12/19/19
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If only there were argon indicator lamps, I could light up the sculptured eyes...

There are some, like the AR-3:



Also, there are argon and other gas NE-2 style lamps, as well as some used for things like surge clippers:


- John

Mahdi Al Husseini

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Dec 19, 2019, 11:04:39 AM12/19/19
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John, that is exactly what I’ve been looking for. Thanks!

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Paul Andrews

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Dec 19, 2019, 12:05:33 PM12/19/19
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Where can you get the NE-2 style lamps? I can't even google them!

Joe Croft

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Dec 19, 2019, 12:48:54 PM12/19/19
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Mouser.com or allied.com. Their new number is A9A. Allied.com has the better price in quantity.

-joe

On Thursday, December 19, 2019, Paul Andrews wrote:
> Where can you get the NE-2 style lamps? I can't even google them!
>
> On Thursday, December 19, 2019 at 10:24:14 AM UTC-5, jrehwin wrote:
> >
> >
> >
> > If only there were argon indicator lamps, I could light up the sculptured
> > eyes...
> >
> >
> > There are some, like the AR-3:
> >
> >
> >
> > Also, there are argon and other gas NE-2 style lamps, as well as some used
> > for things like surge clippers:
> >
> >
> > - John
> >
> >
>
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John Rehwinkel

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Dec 19, 2019, 12:53:22 PM12/19/19
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Where can you get the NE-2 style lamps? I can't even google them!

They're tough to find.  There was an AR-9 (K4A in the new numbering system), but I don't know of any vendors (Chicago Miniature (now VCC) used to make them as part #333).  It shows a 50 hour life vs 25k for neon filled lamps.

The one I showed is actually a NHK GD412-200V "spark gap" tube I bought from a surplus outfit that is now out of stock.  NHK no longer seems to make them.

Using search terms like "glass gas discharge tube", I found that Okaya appears to make a similar one:


I've tried contacting them, to no avail.

Other vendors I've found for the Okaya C6 type:





amazon Japan claims to have them in stock (ASIN B07BM1LHXR) for ￥880 for 10 plus shipping, but they're famous for claiming to have merchandise they can't actually obtain, and will only ship to Japan.

Okaya's surge protection devices page:


Looks like the glass ones are their RA-C6, RA-MX-V7-Y, and RA-V7 lines.

- John

John Rehwinkel

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Dec 19, 2019, 1:07:28 PM12/19/19
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Mouser.com or allied.com. Their new number is A9A. Allied.com has the better price in quantity.

A9A is a neon filled lamp (old code NE-2E). AR-9 / K4A is the only argon one of that small glass (T2 bulb) wire-lead style I'm aware of.

The new style numbers for argon bulbs:

AR-1 = W1A (big edison screw base one, fairly common)
AR-3 = J2A (small candelabra screw base indicator like the one I pictured earlier)
AR-9 = K4A (wire lead T2 bulb like ordinary small neon indicator)

AR-3 on eBay:


AR-1 on eBay:


- John

Jon Jackson

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Dec 19, 2019, 1:13:14 PM12/19/19
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A9A shows as NEON on Mouser and Allied with a nominal lifetime of 25,000 hours, so that cannot be argon.

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Дмитрий Шевченко

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Dec 19, 2019, 1:17:54 PM12/19/19
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I also made such lamps.
Please watch the video to the end.
The video is my work, but the investor from VG ran out of money.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFJ1hMNmE3A

чт, 19 дек. 2019 г. в 21:13, Jon Jackson <jond...@gmail.com>:
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Paul Andrews

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Dec 19, 2019, 1:56:14 PM12/19/19
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K4A stevenengineering.com, average useful life 50 hours! Perhaps get a UV LED. Color seems to be a good match...

Robert G. Schaffrath

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Dec 20, 2019, 7:57:09 AM12/20/19
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I always found Argon have an interesting color. My late father was a Professor of Chemistry and I still have all of his elemental gas discharge tubes that I fire up occasionally. Years ago I posted a simple website demonstrating them all at http://schaffrath.net/Spectra.  The Argon tube is at http://schaffrath.net/Spectra/Argon.jpg. Years after he passed, I added Chlorine and Mercury Vapor tubes to the collection which is why their pictures are different. It interesting to see the different colors that are possible if other gases were used. Of course as someone posted on the Nixie Clock Facebook page, a lot of research went into making Neon work right and simply swapping in one of these other gases would not have been so simple.

Somewhere I still have some fluorescent lamp starters (remember those?) that used Argon instead of the traditional Neon. You would see a bluish purple glow through the little hole in the end of the starter instead of red. I would take them apart and light them up using a small hand crank magneto but they do not provide continuous light as they momentarily short in order to provide the starting function.

Bill Duane

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Jun 11, 2020, 1:30:18 PM6/11/20
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John,
I happen to have a few of the NHK GD412-200V spark gap tubes.   I accidentally thought they were neon bulbs and installed them on the Wemos Nixie Clock kit from Ian at Nixieclock.biz (a great kit btw.)

What voltage is needed to cause them to glow?  Since these are 200v spark gaps, I am assuming a voltage over 200, but and curious what you used.  Did you ever use them for a project?

- Bill

John Rehwinkel

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Jun 13, 2020, 9:35:06 AM6/13/20
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I happen to have a few of the NHK GD412-200V spark gap tubes.

Nice!

   I accidentally thought they were neon bulbs and installed them on the Wemos Nixie Clock kit from Ian at Nixieclock.biz (a great kit btw.)

Oops, did they light?

What voltage is needed to cause them to glow?  Since these are 200v spark gaps, I am assuming a voltage over 200, but and curious what you used.  Did you ever use them for a project?

I don't recall the voltage I used, it was using my Heathkit supply which can offer up to 400V.  I also don't recall what series resistor I used.  I'll have to lash it up again.

I only have a couple of them, so I'm waiting for just the right project.

Cheers,
John

Bill Duane

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Jun 13, 2020, 3:36:38 PM6/13/20
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Hi John,

They did not light.  The kit is running 170v across a 220k resistor.  Interestingly, they did not light when held next to a plasma ball.

- Bill
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