Is there a cheaper alternative to the IN-18 at that size?

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Zachary

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Mar 27, 2023, 9:04:08 PM3/27/23
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Hello,

I was wondering if there was any Nixie tube (American or Russian) that was similar in size (Anything bigger than the IN-14 basically) to the IN-18 but that can be found for cheaper on Ebay.

Thanks in advance

Nicholas Stock

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Mar 27, 2023, 9:23:47 PM3/27/23
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Hi Zachary, IN-18 equivalents that come to mind are Z566, Z5660, ZM1040/1042, LC631. With regards to price, they're all about the same these days, but I have noted that IN-18's have gone up a lot... the Z566 type are nicer tubes IMHO. I've seen them for about $50 each occasionally, but that's a used price these days...some NOS ones for about $60 each.

If you can find them, National had NL807/821 type nixies that are larger than IN-14 but smaller then IN-18. Lovely tubes, but a bit on the rare side. Still priced cheaper than IN18's though, the last time I saw them listed. 

Cheers,

Nick

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Mac Doktor

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Mar 27, 2023, 9:27:07 PM3/27/23
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On Mar 27, 2023, at 9:23 PM, Nicholas Stock <nick...@gmail.com> wrote:

the Z566 type are nicer tubes IMHO. I've seen them for about $50 each occasionally, but that's a used price these days...some NOS ones for about $60 each.

I bought two NOS Z566s for $100 about a year ago. Not a scratch on the contrast coating. I have a Z567 as well.


Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
"The Mac Doctor"


“...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


Audrey

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Mar 28, 2023, 4:36:15 AM3/28/23
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Z566M might be a tiny bit cheaper but no, IN-18s are a good price.

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gregebert

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Mar 28, 2023, 10:13:57 AM3/28/23
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IN-18's are also very reliable; no failures in my 14-tube clock after 7 years, though they are susceptible to cathode poisoning.

Zachary Laurin

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Mar 31, 2023, 5:11:48 AM3/31/23
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Do you know if it's possible to remove the red coating from the Z566?

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Nicholas Stock

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Mar 31, 2023, 9:16:06 AM3/31/23
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Yep, I've done it for a number of different tubes. Leave it soaking in warm soapy water for a day. The coating will bubble and separate from the glass. Carefully scrape the remainder off with a scalpel or similar. Some tubes are more stubborn than others. You can recoat them with a glass lacquer paint if you're looking for a fresh filtered look, works very well. 

Sent from my iPhone

On Mar 31, 2023, at 02:11, Zachary Laurin <zacharyl...@gmail.com> wrote:



Mac Doktor

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Mar 31, 2023, 12:09:14 PM3/31/23
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On Mar 28, 2023, at 9:07 AM, Zachary Laurin <zacharyl...@gmail.com> wrote:

Do you know if it's possible to remove the red coating from the Z566?

Oh, the humanity. They're so beautiful. 

Use Z5660Ms instead. 8D


Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
"The Mac Doctor"


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

Christian Riise Wagner

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Mar 31, 2023, 1:45:17 PM3/31/23
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I agree with Terry. Leave the coating on, unless it's damaged!

Yohan Park

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Mar 31, 2023, 1:50:34 PM3/31/23
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Strange I posted a reply as well but it got deleted...
Any reason?

Nicholas Stock

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Mar 31, 2023, 1:51:49 PM3/31/23
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A lot of the used ones have damaged coating (and even some of the alleged NOS ones too). I did experiment once with different coating colors. Blue is a No-No as is Yellow. Orange looked pretty cool as does red.


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Nicholas Stock

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Mar 31, 2023, 1:53:14 PM3/31/23
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For some reason, Google flags some responses to messages for moderators to approve before they get posted to the list. Apologies for this, but not much we can do as far as I know, except approve them when we get notified.

Cheers,

Nick

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Grahame

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Apr 1, 2023, 8:41:31 AM4/1/23
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Hi everyone

As Nick said, Google sometimes puts messages into a "Pending" folder requiring  moderator approval. I just approved 3 pending messages including the one from you, Yohan. This is a Google thing and we just have to live with it.

Moderators

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