Displaying unused tubes

[John Snow]

Is there a good way to display yet-to-be-used nixie and VDF tubes?

I've gotten in a few for later projects, and have a mix of pins and wired for both vertical and horizontal tubes.

I'd like to keep them safe, but also not boxed up and infoam.

Odds are it'll be a few years before I use up all of them.

[jb-electronics]

Asking the real questions here... Yeah, I know what you mean. I haven't found a good solution yet either. On a side note: Careful with that old foam stuff, sometimes it disintegrates and can rarely even destroy tube labeling.

Jens

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[SWISSNIXIE - Jonathan F.]

You mean "display" in form of putting them anywhere you can see them?

There is one material usually used when large dip-style components, its like styrofoam but its made out of plastics to you can easily push in the dip-pins, works with tubes too. Also one possible form would be to keep them in some kind of transparent tube (with caps). For Horizontal tubes it might be an idea to build some kind of a stand.

[alb.001 alb.001]

beware of some foam materials which are acidic and corrosive.  I kept a few DIP devices from the 1970's and early 1980's which were stored in the conductive black foam used with static sensitive devices.  All the pins which were in this foam material have disintegrated and sadly the IC's are no longer useable.   Is there anyone here with conservator training who could advise us on safe storage materials.

Pharma Phil. 

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[Toby Thain]

On 2020-03-01 6:44 PM, alb.001 alb.001 wrote:
> beware of some foam materials which are acidic and corrosive.  I kept a
> few DIP devices from the 1970's and early 1980's which were stored in
> the conductive black foam used with static sensitive devices.  All the
> pins which were in this foam material have disintegrated and sadly the
> IC's are no longer useable.   Is there anyone here with conservator
> training who could advise us on safe storage materials.

Exactly the same happened with Monoscope CRTs that I purchased on ebay.
The original foam in the Raytheon box had turned into dust, but before
that, had acidically corroded the pins and label on the tube.

Can still probably be restored, but it's ugly!

--Toby

>
> Pharma Phil. 
>
>> ---------- Original Message ----------
>> From: "SWISSNIXIE - Jonathan F." <jfre...@gmail.com>
>> Date: March 1, 2020 at 3:54 PM
>>
>> You mean "display" in form of putting them anywhere you can see them?
>>
>> There is one material usually used when large dip-style components,
>> its like styrofoam but its made out of plastics to you can easily push
>> in the dip-pins, works with tubes too. Also one possible form would be
>> to keep them in some kind of transparent tube (with caps). For
>> Horizontal tubes it might be an idea to build some kind of a stand.
>>
>>  
>>
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>>
>
>
>  
>
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[gregebert]

I have an informal "museum" on my desk at work; all tubes are functionally dead (gas leak), but they otherwise satisfy everyone's curiosity.

Original plan was to use a display case, but people like to hold them, etc.

Everything else is archived in tube boxes, and kept in a metal ammo box. Harbor Freight Tools sells them for about $10 with a coupon. A few tubes are in bubble-wrap. Should survive an earthquake or moderate fire.

[Mac Doktor]

> On Mar 1, 2020, at 9:02 PM, Toby Thain <to...@telegraphics.com.au> wrote:
>
> Exactly the same happened with Monoscope CRTs that I purchased on ebay.
> The original foam in the Raytheon box had turned into dust, but before
> that, had acidically corroded the pins and label on the tube.

A lot of polyurethane foam decades past has completely disintegrated. One famous example is the analog synthesizer that Radio Shack sold, the MG-1. All of the foam behind the front panel, put there to keep dust out of the linear pots, turned to tar years ago. Fortunately, that synth is so popular that replacement pot and switch kits were made available. It's a bitch to clean up but at least it does.

> Can still probably be restored, but it's ugly!

At least the foam surrounds on loudspeakers can be replaced.


Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
"The Mac Doctor"

"I've seen things you people wouldn't believe: attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion... beams...in the dark in the Tannhauser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time...like tears in the rain." — Roy Batty, Blade Runner

[newxito]

I like your idea of a ‘museum’ for dead tubes. I’m sure they would look great in a illuminated glass showcase or in a kind of infinity mirror box with LED illumination.

[newxito]

Maybe I should first try to put a working nixie clock in the infinity mirror box, before I start with the museum for the dead nixies...

[Paul Andrews]

Why have a static display? This is an extension board I built for my one tube clock. There is a movement sensor to turn them off when I'm not around and I have adapters for every tube in my collection, so I cycle tubes in and out. I have a special adapter for tubes with wire leads that uses Mill-Max sockets that the wires can be inserted into:

[newxito]

If I understood that right, your one tube clock can also show the time on all the nixies sitting on the extension board? That's coool! 

Do you have the part number of the Mill-Max sockets? I have problems desoldering broken nixies with wire leads because I'm using lead free solder in all the projects. 

[Paul Andrews]

0665-0-15-15-30-27-10-0

[newxito]

Thanks!

Am Mittwoch, 4. März 2020 04:53:20 UTC+1 schrieb Paul Andrews:

0665-0-15-15-30-27-10-0