Nixie Speedometer.... in EE Times

[Terry S]

http://www.eetimes.com/electronics-blogs/other/4417505/GPS-Driven--FPGA-Decoded-Nixie-Tube-Speedometer?cid=Newsletter+-+EETimes+Daily

[fixitsan]

On Thursday, June 27, 2013 1:16:03 PM UTC+1, Terry S wrote:

http://www.eetimes.com/electronics-blogs/other/4417505/GPS-Driven--FPGA-Decoded-Nixie-Tube-Speedometer?cid=Newsletter+-+EETimes+Daily

 

I built a speedo into my motorcycle's cowling. It lasted less than three weeks before the shock and vibration meant the cathodes had all collided together one way or another and most were shorted out. Good fun though !

[Mark Moulding]

Looks like a very nice build!  If you decide to try again, you might consider using Numitron tubes - their vibration tolerance is pretty amazing.  RCA, for example, quotes lifetimes of 100,000 hours while operating at 50G impact and 2.5G continuous vibration (100G non-operating shock rating).  They were commonly used in aircraft displays during the cold war, and so were designed for high-vibration environments.  Wamco makes even more rugged ones, though they're quite pricey if you can find them.  The Russian ones are quite cheap (~$3 per tube), and although not as rugged as the RCAs, are still very robust.  Also, they are easily readable in daylight, even in direct sun, and only need 5V at 20mA per segment to operate.

I used several in a Burning Man mutant vehicle a few years ago - very rugged environment, high temperature, pervasive caustic dust, bright sunlight, and the vehicle was a Taylor-Dunn electric vehicle with essentially no suspension, over a dry lake bed.  Many other failures ensued, but the real-time sonar display (did I mention the dust? white-outs are common) worked perfectly the whole time.
~~
Mark Moulding