Source for Dekatrons?

[Mike Mitchell]

I'm thinking about building a clock using Dekatrons as the counting logic.

It looks like A101 dekatrons are fairly easy to find, but I cannot locate socket for them.

I'll probably use QS30-1 nixies as an alternate display.  They use B13B sockets, so a dekatron that also uses the B13B socket would be more visually appealing.

I'd like to find a small-height dekatron to match the QS30-1 profile, something like the Z504S, ZM1070, or 8433.

Does anyone have a good source for low-height selector dekatrons with a B13B base?

Each clock will need eight dekatrons, and I plan on building two clocks.

The finished product will have two rows of seven tubes, the first 6 in the top row nixies and the rest dekatrons.  The left-most top row will be a dekatron showing tenths of seconds.  Under each nixie tube will be the dekatron for that digit.

Thanks!

[threeneurons]

eBay, for B13B sockets, for Philips (Amperex/Mullard/Valvo) Z504S/ZM1070, Sylvania 8353, and Raytheon 7978 dekatrons. Also works for B5092 & B6091 nixies:

http://stores.ebay.com/ZHANG-SHENG/10-and-more-pin-sockets-/_i.html?_nkw=B13B&submit=Search&_fsub=3681221016&_sid=79851816

Yes, sockets for A101 dekatrons are next to impossible to find. That doesn't stop me:

This is a homemade socket for a 6476, but made my first one for an A101. The pins themselves fit nicely into Molex 0.093 female connector pins:

http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Molex/02-09-1104/?qs=%2fha2pyFaduifASeTOyBQ3Abh4gM7BY4w4eA6hXXpOE4%3d

Careful drilling and filing, and there you have it. Or you can spring for some PCBs made. I used integrated octal sockets using those Molex pins for my original DoHickies:

But I've had some boards made for the duodecal (6476 & GS10C) tubes.

[Mike Mitchell]

Since I can't find sockets for the A101's I've been worried about how I was going to mount them to the chassis.
It looks like these will fill the bill:

http://media.digikey.com/pdf/Data%20Sheets/Richco%20Inc%20PDFs/SCH-1.pdf

They will cinch down on the base of the tube.  Since they are made of nylon they shouldn't cause any damage.
I don't know if they will release though.

[Nick]

These can be released but its a pain. In the past, I've unbolted them and then slid the locking part sideways to disengage the teeth...

...not that you should hopefully have to do that often !

Nick

[Dekatron42]

Mike,

You shouldn't need to worry about any fasteners with the A101's, with 13 pins and a socket with either "mouser" pins like Dieter Waechter use in his spinners or the ones Threeneurons use there is enough contact pressure to keep them seated even if you would swing them around! Even with just 8 pins like the GC10B there is enough contact pressure to keep them seated.

There are similar fasteneres like the ones you show where you push one of the pieces with teeth upwards and the other one downwards to release them, so that the teeth glide on each other and release, however that only works if the teeth portion isn't so wide so that they can release fully when pushed up/down.

/Martin

On Tuesday, 11 February 2014 01:40:32 UTC+1, Mike Mitchell wrote:

[Paul Parry]

Hi,

 

I've got 4 of the A101's going spare if you're interested.

 

Cheers,

Paul

[Bill van Dijk]

You can find sockets  for the A101 at: http://www.gstube.com/catalog/rsh30-0/

 

I got some from him a short while back. Note that the picture shows a metal clamp; he does not have them anymore.

 

Cheers, Bill van Dijk

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[Mike Mitchell]

I checked gstube.com before I posted and he was out-of-stock without any indications he'd get more.

I've placed an order for 24 A101's (50% spare) from http://tubehobby.com/

and 18 QS30-1's (50% spare) from http://www.tubemalls.com/

I'll use capacitor clamps and molex pins for the A101's, and B13B sockets for the QS30-1's.

[Mike Mitchell]

I finished the first clock and have started on the second.
A youtube video of the clock in operation is at http://youtu.be/pK276xZWyo4
I borrowed heavily from http://959radio.co.uk/dekatron.html but mine runs on 120v 60Hz instead of 220v 50Hz and I use MOSFETs for interstage coupling instead of 12AT7 tubes.
 

On Sunday, February 9, 2014 6:37:22 PM UTC-5, Mike Mitchell wrote:

[Dekatron42]

Hi,

Nice!

Could you share the circuit diagram?

/Martin

[Mike Mitchell]

Old school, drafted on 11" x 17" paper.  I had to change some some component values to get the first clock to work.  This is the corrected schematic, with suggested values instead of what I had in my junk box.  The only thing I'm not sure of is the resistor tying the MOSFET gate to ground.  I have it as 100K, but it might have to be smaller.  Originally it was 1 Meg,  but in the first clock I put a 47K in parallel with the 1 Meg to get it to work.  If 100K is too large on the 2nd clock I'll just put another 100K in parallel with the first.

Mike Mitchell

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