Guest
Hello all!
I am curious to know how small neon glow lamps (NE-2, etc) are
constructed. Clearly you start with a small glass tube, and fill it
with neon. What pressure? Pure Ne or a mixture? I understand that
some long neon tubes, as used with multi-kV transformers in signs, have
a little mercury in them along with the gas... do little glow lamps have
mercury? Then you need metallic electrodes - is a particular metal
preferred? Finally, I know that electronic vacuum tubes often contain a
"getter" to help get rid of any residual oxygen; is this done for glow
lamps?
For reference, the kind of lamp I am talking about looks like this
http://www.jameco.com/wcsstore/jameco/Products/ProdImag/27351.jpg
and is maybe 1/4" (6 mm) diameter and anywhere from 1/2" to 1" (12
to 25 mm) long.
Thanks!
Matt Roberds
I am curious to know how small neon glow lamps (NE-2, etc) are
constructed. Clearly you start with a small glass tube, and fill it
with neon. What pressure? Pure Ne or a mixture? I understand that
some long neon tubes, as used with multi-kV transformers in signs, have
a little mercury in them along with the gas... do little glow lamps have
mercury? Then you need metallic electrodes - is a particular metal
preferred? Finally, I know that electronic vacuum tubes often contain a
"getter" to help get rid of any residual oxygen; is this done for glow
lamps?
For reference, the kind of lamp I am talking about looks like this
http://www.jameco.com/wcsstore/jameco/Products/ProdImag/27351.jpg
and is maybe 1/4" (6 mm) diameter and anywhere from 1/2" to 1" (12
to 25 mm) long.
Thanks!
Matt Roberds