My in-14 tube died strangely.....

[overdoingism Lab.]

Hello, 

I have a failure nixie tube on my clock,

But its failure seems a bit peculiar...

It's CCCP IN-14, no over current or voltage.

You can see, even the anode grid have some discoloration. 
It's not normal in cathode poisoning, right?

And it's working video:
https://youtu.be/vGzF316FRBw

Color is leaning toward purple. 

Who can tell me, what happened to it , and is there any way to save it?

Thanks.

[Paolo Cravero]

Hello overdoingism

Being the color purple, the tube is leaking and there is no way back.

Since Nixies contain a gas mixture at a lower pressure than air, the leak on your tube means that air has started leaking in. As long as the gas pressure inside is low enough, the tube with light up [that beautiful purple] if enough voltage and current are provided. Don't try it unless you are aware of the risks of the experiment without someone making a list for you, and certainly not with the tube soldered to the clock board!

Paolo

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[Nicholas Stock]

Yep, Paolo hit the nail on the head. A small leak...I've seen it a number of times on IN-16's, the IN-14's tend to be a lot more robust. Time to solder a new tube in I'm afraid...

Cheers,

 Nick

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[overdoingism Lab.]

Sad... so I need to replace it.

But luckily, I used the original plastic sleeves to make the sockets. (use DIP IC socket pin)

I just need to replace the tube. ;-) 

Thanks for everyone's explanation.

overdoingism Lab. 在 2023年1月10日 星期二晚上7:10:23 [UTC+8] 的信中寫道：

[gregebert]

It's always sad when a nixie tube dies.  How long was it running ?

The only Soviet-era nixies I'm using are IN-18, and they are exceptionally good tubes. Consider those for a future project. I have not had any fail yet; my 14-tube clock has been running since 2015.

[Paul Andrews]

I've had one IN-18 (out of 6) outgas like this, and I've seen multiple reports of the same. Now I apply clear nail varnish to the joint between the glass and the pin. I'm sure it depends how you socket them.

[overdoingism Lab.]

I can't remember.
It probably worked for a few years,
After the failure, it was put into the warehouse.

Now I'm arranging the warehouse, Thinking about to fix it.

BTW, does CCCP IN-14 exist fakes?

The markings on my IN-14 fall off very easily.
It falls off when touches water.

gregebert 在 2023年1月12日 星期四清晨6:07:00 [UTC+8] 的信中寫道：

[gregebert]

I dont remember seeing any posts about fake nixies. More likely, tubes sold as NOS are actually used.  I've even bought a few that were completely dead because they were sold untested/as-is at a good price. I knew the risk, and usually it's OK. Having a few spares is always good practice.

 But, the fact is that nixies dont last forever so the best thing to do is make sure they operate at the right current, and have a PIR sensor so the tubes are only operating when someone else is there to see them.

[Terry S]

I seriously doubt nail polish will prevent gas leaks at the pins.

[Paul Andrews]

Why?

[Nicholas Stock]

I would be curious as to the gas permeability of a layer of nitrocellulose (nail polish). I imagine it may not be that good?

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[Terry S]

Because nail polish is a thin porous coating with no strength per se. Would you trust it to seal a leak in a tire or a crack in a drinking glass?

If a tube is going to outgas around the glass/pin interface, no coating or other treatment is going to prevent that leakage. The seal is either good for the life of the tube, or if it's not, it's either a faulty seal from the factory or it has been compromised by mechanical or thermal damage.