Red Coated Tubes

[LB]

Hi all, 

I picked up a ZIN-70 tube from Millclock a few weeks ago, and after powering it up, I thought it would look nice with a red coating like that on the Z568M. I assume the coating is some kind of lacquer, but I'm not completely sure. Anyone know what it is and how it can be applied?

Thanks

[Audrey]

I saw kainkalabs suggest glass paint

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "neonixie-l" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to neonixie-l+...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/neonixie-l/7d5aa84e-5870-4012-bd35-18f3b41d8525n%40googlegroups.com.

[Nicholas Stock]

I did something similar with some B7971 tubes (and a lot of other smaller ones). I used Vitrail Glass Paint, diluted with some mineral spirits (Paint:Spirits 4:1) and dipped the tubes and dry inverted. Turned out very well. Private message me and I can give you more details....

To view this discussion on the web, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/neonixie-l/CAPDJQ6Bkz7qCaxT17kSpsbvPXouNjHeokLhBiYK0jG_MGWPhng%40mail.gmail.com.

[gregebert]

I wonder if red-coated nixies were an attempt to entice manufacturers from switching to 7-segment LEDs, which were mostly red at that time.

[John Rehwinkel]

> I picked up a ZIN-70 tube from Millclock a few weeks ago, and after powering it up, I thought it would look nice with a red coating like that on the Z568M. I assume the coating is some kind of lacquer, but I'm not completely sure. Anyone know what it is and how it can be applied?

I use VHT Nite Shades spray paint. It's made for use on taillights, and comes in smoke grey and red. The red looks quite nice and is pretty durable.

- John

[Audrey]

No I dont think so, from what I've been told it helps with visibility

To view this discussion on the web, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/neonixie-l/fd04a9fb-c23c-4095-bc9f-faff7f93d63en%40googlegroups.com.

[Mac Doktor]

On Jul 27, 2021, at 11:20 PM, Audrey <tntm...@gmail.com> wrote:

No I dont think so, from what I've been told it helps with visibility

Useful when a colored filter isn't possible or practical.

I read something recently about hiding the blue glow as well. I've wondered about that.

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

[Jon]

On Wednesday, July 28, 2021 at 7:27:47 PM UTC+1 Terry Bowman wrote:

> I read something recently about hiding the blue glow as well. I've wondered about that.

I think that was a major part of it. Looking at ETL's documentation for their nixies (which they called Digitrons), they only offer the red filter option on their long life tubes (ie those with the mercury blue haze) and they say: "amber or red tinted filters making Long Life Digitrons appear identical with other Digitrons". For general contrast enhancement on all tubes they recommend using a circular polarised filter.

Jon.

[Jeff Walton]

The color filter is all about contrast.  This was often in addition to a customer applied color filter.  Nixies were versatile with filters.

 

I can tell you from experience working for semiconductor companies manufacturing LEDs that a lot of testing to come up with a good color for the face of the display was to promote contrast and hide the unlit segments.  In the case of red LEDs, most early displays used a black painted face and other LED colors eventually used a grey display face that mimicked the color of the unlit segments.  Filters by the end user were almost always used.  The segments in a seven or 15 segment LED display are an epoxy-like material that is infused with microscopic glass beads that provide the excellent light dispersion in the segment with no hot-spots.  3M was involved with the original materials that were used when they discovered the glass bead trick in the late 1960s.  Prior to using the glass beads, LED displays were not so good with lots of hot spots and dark areas.  The early military stuff went with direct viewing LED displays, which were up to 10 LED’s per segment.  Those displays were almost always red and many were encapsulated by a soft plastic that would not shear the bond wires over temp extremes.  These replace numitron displays that were the early choice for mil spec applications. 

 

The glass beads, improvement in brightness and discovery of methods to produce different colors with high brightness were the death of nixie tubes and numitrons for most displays and the advancements were rapid in the 70’s and they’ve only improved since.

 

Jeff

--

You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "neonixie-l" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to neonixie-l+...@googlegroups.com.

To view this discussion on the web, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/neonixie-l/A6A5D8D4-0F50-430B-AB4D-E3D25774577A%40gmail.com.

[Scott McInness]

Very interesting, thanks Jeff.

To view this discussion on the web, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/neonixie-l/008201d783f4%2492b2cfd0%24b8186f70%24%40gmail.com.

[Nick]

Nope - it reduces the purple haze (!) around the cathodes due to the Hg doping, thus improving definition and legibility.

[MichaelB]

Here's another example of orange/red filtering done the easy way in front of 5680's. These were old freq analyzers from an early Ebay purchase.

[gregebert]

Would love to hear the story behind this equipment, and any interior or power-up photos.

[MichaelB]

Not much to tell. I bought these 2 site unseen from a seller in Hong Kong and as soon as I received them I ripped into them and snagged all the 5680's and the sockets and tested them. Got lucky, all were good. Never even attempted to power up the boxes up.This was 12 years ago before these tubes were out of sight.  Here's some pics

[Nicholas Stock]

Now that was a good find!!!

Sent from my iPhone

On Aug 1, 2021, at 12:59, MichaelB <Badn...@badnixie.com> wrote:



Not much to tell. I bought these 2 site unseen from a seller in Hong Kong and as soon as I received them I ripped into them and snagged all the 5680's and the sockets and tested them. Got lucky, all were good. Never even attempted to power up the boxes up.This was 12 years ago before these tubes were out of sight.  Here's some pics

<CCBC5B43-AC97-4C0A-8091-B3E71C83F7C0_1_105_c.jpeg>

To view this discussion on the web, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/neonixie-l/1b142f37-f7bd-4691-9157-aa6093bcd8bbn%40googlegroups.com.

<EC82B594-3B5E-4BCD-AB58-04946B1B4CB1_1_105_c.jpeg>

<CCBC5B43-AC97-4C0A-8091-B3E71C83F7C0_1_105_c.jpeg>

[Kevin A.]

Yup, that is an awesome score!

To view this discussion on the web, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/neonixie-l/A6203958-FFBF-4F69-9ECB-834FEE39F1A0%40gmail.com.

[gregebert]

Nice construction. The cabinetry looks like you can reconfigure it internally, and the power transformer would likely provide any voltage you could need. Judging by the presence of DIP IC's, this is probably from the 1970's.

[Audrey]

Wow that is insanely beautiful, aside from the tubes rarity those would be gorgeous to look at as complete units

To view this discussion on the web, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/neonixie-l/1b142f37-f7bd-4691-9157-aa6093bcd8bbn%40googlegroups.com.