VFD lifetime

[greg...@hotmail.com]

The recent IV-11 posts have aroused my curiosity, so does anyone have firsthand experience with long-lifetime VFD displays ?

I'd want to keep mine on all the time. Obviously the filament is a concern, and I'd be tempted to crank down the current as much

as possible before the segments are no longer uniformly illuminated.

I admit I'm spoiled by the long-life Burroughs nixies; is there any hope that a VFD would last anywhere near as long ?

[Charles MacDonald]

On 13-07-22 08:21 PM, greg...@hotmail.com wrote:
> The recent IV-11 posts have aroused my curiosity, so does anyone have
> firsthand experience with long-lifetime VFD displays ?

WE junked a 15 year old stove. the VFD clock was still nice and bright,
but I did not dare try to get it out of the stove with my wife watching.

used within ratings useable life in the area of many years should be
expected. They are just a low power triodes with some phosphor on the
multiple plates.

--
Charles MacDonald Stittsville Ontario
cm...@zeusprune.ca Just Beyond the Fringe
http://Charles.MacDonald.org/tubes
No Microsoft Products were used in sending this e-mail.

[Dennis]

A long time. I have a couple of off the shelf alarm clocks that are about 15 and 18 years old now and they are still bright and clear. I also have an IV11 clock that's been running continuously for about 5 years which isn't very long but is still in great shape. Sounds like you had better luck with your stove than I am having Warren. I think the heat from the oven got to mine as it's fading fast and it's also about 15 years old now. Not much left to grab there.
Dennis

---

From: "greg...@hotmail.com" <greg...@hotmail.com>
To: neoni...@googlegroups.com
Sent: Monday, July 22, 2013 5:21 PM
Subject: [neonixie-l] VFD lifetime

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[lai...@wcoil.com]

I have a VFD alarm clock that I bought broken at the Findlay Ohio Hamfest
a couple of years before I graduated from high school. I repaired it and
used it pretty much continuously from then till about 2 years ago when
something in the electronics died. The Display still lit up ok but the
clock would no longer work. I am almost 52 now. Do the Math!
Tim Laing
PS: No I didn't have to repeat the 2nd grade 24 times!

[jf...@my-deja.com]

I have had a cheap Lloyd AM-FM-cassette clock radio for over 30 years.  The VFD clock is still going strong.

[Quixotic Nixotic]

I suppose the Futaba VFD displays used in Gottlieb pinball machines offer a good comparison to the panaplex style displays used by WIliiams, Bally and Stern. Generally it has been found that the VFD displays have outlasted the gas plasma displays in games of a similar era, starting in 1977.

The game Cleopatra was the first VFD Gottlieb in 1977, introduced with the slogan "What's new is blue". Early Gottliebs used either Sprague UDN6118A or Dionics D1513 drivers.

Often a dim pinball VFD is regenerated by burning the crud off by whamming 12v through the filament for about 7-12 seconds on 6 digit displays, or 8v for the 4 digit displays. I don't know if this ultimately shortens display life, but I have heard of people repeating this once a year to keep them looking bright.

So in answer to your question, there is lots of hope that VFDs last as long or even exceed gas plasma.

John S