hey guys,
I'm completely new to all this stuff but I just love the look of glowing tubes in guitar amps and tubes in general and I was wondering i there is a simple way that i could make something which can have tubes that are on just to light up....no actual purpose other than to light up. Basically it would just sit on my tv in the lounge....Does anybody have any suggestions for how i could do this??(just the electronics part of it)
I'm completely new to all this stuff but I just love the look of glowing tubes in guitar amps and tubes in general and I was wondering i there is a simple way that i could make something which can have tubes that are on just to light up....no actual purpose other than to light up. Basically it would just sit on my tv in the lounge....Does anybody have any suggestions for how i could do this??(just the electronics part of it)
Yes Chris, it is horrible - horrible beyond description. Yet, I find that I strangely drawn towards providing an answer.....
Wild, you would be much better making something that actually works!
However, to answer you question, the solution is relitively simple.
The glowing part of the tubes are called the heaters. They are similar to a light bulb filament and only require 2 connections. Also, they only need AC current. Even better they run off low voltages; in other words this is relatively safe, although you can set the house on fire of course.
So, choose your tubes then check the tube data sheet to see what voltage the heaters use (mostly 6.3V but it does vary according to the tube). Get a transformer that will supply just the low voltages that you require - a custom made one from somewhere like Edcor might be best. Then you need to hook the heaters (the tube data sheet will tell you which pins to use) in parallel.
Be aware that although the tube heaters use low voltage, they need a lot of current. You will also need quite a few parts, chassis, tube sockets, wire etc plus some rudimentary tools including a soldering iron.
There yo go. If you do put it together, please post a photo. This one I have to see.
Oh the humanity......
Rob
Wild, you would be much better making something that actually works!
However, to answer you question, the solution is relitively simple.
The glowing part of the tubes are called the heaters. They are similar to a light bulb filament and only require 2 connections. Also, they only need AC current. Even better they run off low voltages; in other words this is relatively safe, although you can set the house on fire of course.
So, choose your tubes then check the tube data sheet to see what voltage the heaters use (mostly 6.3V but it does vary according to the tube). Get a transformer that will supply just the low voltages that you require - a custom made one from somewhere like Edcor might be best. Then you need to hook the heaters (the tube data sheet will tell you which pins to use) in parallel.
Be aware that although the tube heaters use low voltage, they need a lot of current. You will also need quite a few parts, chassis, tube sockets, wire etc plus some rudimentary tools including a soldering iron.
There yo go. If you do put it together, please post a photo. This one I have to see.
Oh the humanity......
Rob
All you need to do is connect the heater terminals of the tube to a power supply of the correct voltage.
So you will need a chassis, a transformer, a tube socket, a tube, and some wire. And solder and a soldering iron. And a power cord. And an electrical power outlet to plug it into.
Pretty simple, I am not sure if I left anything out.
And I just noticed Rob replied so I will stop here,
except to say another approach is to get an old radio or amp and just take the cover off.
So you will need a chassis, a transformer, a tube socket, a tube, and some wire. And solder and a soldering iron. And a power cord. And an electrical power outlet to plug it into.
Pretty simple, I am not sure if I left anything out.
And I just noticed Rob replied so I will stop here,
except to say another approach is to get an old radio or amp and just take the cover off.
You can use AC or DC voltage for the heaters. In this application, they'll never know the difference.
BTW: the first #'s (for USA tube nomenclature) of the tube is the filament voltage, so a 12AX7 is a 12v filament and a 6SN7 is a 6V filament, etc, etc. Many 12V tubes can also be wired as 6V tubes. Filaments come in many other voltages (read the first digits of the tube #) like 2.5V, 25V, 50V, etc etc.
Hopefully you'll be using tubes that are of no use for audio! (like old TV toobs)
You may want to find some cheap/free tubes that are unusual looking for an even greater aesthetic (non-functioning anode top cap, blue glass, nice glowing colors, etc).
BTW: the first #'s (for USA tube nomenclature) of the tube is the filament voltage, so a 12AX7 is a 12v filament and a 6SN7 is a 6V filament, etc, etc. Many 12V tubes can also be wired as 6V tubes. Filaments come in many other voltages (read the first digits of the tube #) like 2.5V, 25V, 50V, etc etc.
Hopefully you'll be using tubes that are of no use for audio! (like old TV toobs)
You may want to find some cheap/free tubes that are unusual looking for an even greater aesthetic (non-functioning anode top cap, blue glass, nice glowing colors, etc).
Wild,
Best bet is to collect the tubes you intend to use. Then gather all the heater value information. From there group the tubes by heater voltage then heater current.
Many 6V tubes draw the came heater current.
Same with 12V Tubes...some of which have 6V "center tapped: heaters.
For display purposed only limiting the current will probably be a priority so you can purchase transformers from Rat Shack (radio shack) in a couple different voltages to suit your needs.
For instance,
A lot of 6V tubes draw a common 0.3 Amps, you could wire 4 of them in series and use a 25.2V 450mA Tranny like this
25V Rat Shack
The tubes must draw the same heater current when used in series.
There are other CHEAP transformers at RatShack that you can use for various combos.
You can Parallel The same voltages and you ADD current. Voltage stays the same.
In Series the voltages ADD and the currents stay the same (and must be equal since the current will equal the highest in the series)
For even greater Safety you could just get a few Laptop and Flat Panel DC power supplies off of E-pay.
Something like this
You could run more than 20 12V .15A Heaters off this!
You could also make (2) strings of (6) 6.3V .3A heaters in parallel then wire the two strings in series and power (12) 6.3V heaters.
Just learn Ohm's Law and your good to go.
Just remember sockets aren't that cheap and don't use any useful tubes just for a display.
Best bet is to collect the tubes you intend to use. Then gather all the heater value information. From there group the tubes by heater voltage then heater current.
Many 6V tubes draw the came heater current.
Same with 12V Tubes...some of which have 6V "center tapped: heaters.
For display purposed only limiting the current will probably be a priority so you can purchase transformers from Rat Shack (radio shack) in a couple different voltages to suit your needs.
For instance,
A lot of 6V tubes draw a common 0.3 Amps, you could wire 4 of them in series and use a 25.2V 450mA Tranny like this
25V Rat Shack
The tubes must draw the same heater current when used in series.
There are other CHEAP transformers at RatShack that you can use for various combos.
You can Parallel The same voltages and you ADD current. Voltage stays the same.
In Series the voltages ADD and the currents stay the same (and must be equal since the current will equal the highest in the series)
For even greater Safety you could just get a few Laptop and Flat Panel DC power supplies off of E-pay.
Something like this
You could run more than 20 12V .15A Heaters off this!
You could also make (2) strings of (6) 6.3V .3A heaters in parallel then wire the two strings in series and power (12) 6.3V heaters.
Just learn Ohm's Law and your good to go.
Just remember sockets aren't that cheap and don't use any useful tubes just for a display.
Well wild - Probally the cheapist answer is to find an old tube radio and salvage the parts you need. Tubes, sockets, transformer ect.
If you decide to take a stab at it, you should find one and let folks on the forum know what it is, and we can probally talk you through it, But I worry about you getten shocked.
Of course I survived.
If you decide to take a stab at it, you should find one and let folks on the forum know what it is, and we can probally talk you through it, But I worry about you getten shocked.
Of course I survived.
What about something useful like a nixie clock? http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2007/08/diy_nixie_tube_clock_kit_lets_.html
SpreadSpectrum said:
Mm..yea..Voltage Regulator tubes would be cool,they glow nicely
Mercury vapor rectifiers are quite pretty,but kind of hazardous,should one break..
Were there many glass cold cathode rectifiers? I remember playing with an..0Z1 ? and it was a pretty purpley-pink color,once I took it out of the metal housing.
You are thinking of an 0Z4, a common rectifier tube from late 40's and 50's vintage car radios. Most came in silver metal envelopes, but some glass versions were made. They do light up pink to purple depending on the current draw. The 0A2 tupe gas regulators glow orange, and the 2D21 thyratrons glow purple. ALL of these tubes require a high voltage source to glow which is beyond the scope of this project.
Some transmitting tubes emit a yellowish white light that is quite bright. It may be possible to get one from a ham radio operator that is no longer useful to him but still lights up. I had some gassy 211's that were useless for audio. I gave them to an 85 year old ham radio operator who was going to mount them on a box, and hook them up to a power supply next to his Japanese solid state ham radio for a fake linear amplifier to impress his friends.
Voltage Regulator Tube Nightlight
http://www.electronixandmore.com/project/2.html
http://www.electronixandmore.com/project/2.html
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
Long ago before I knew enough about tubes to build amps I was paging through the RCA tube manual and found the multivibrator oscillator schematic. I used larger caps and put a neon lamp in series with each plate resistor and lo and behold they flashed alternately. I built it onto a nice circuit board and had it sitting in my room blinking away for years.
When I was a kid I made a game: an owl made of veneer, with eyes made of 6E1P indicators. The owl was mounted on a wooden stand, also there was a spring mounted on the same stand, about 1 inch in diameter, connected to grids of tubes. There was a huge grid resistor, something like 10 mOhm, so if to touch the spring eyes react. On the chest of the bird I mounted a round peace of metal, like a dollar coin, grounded. The rule of the game was to "kill" the owl through the spring using a rapier made of a thick aluminum wire.
Speaking of nixies, later being a graduate student I made a multivibrator on couple of transistors, emitters connected to bases of high-voltage transistors with nixies in collectors, but the frequency was about 100 Hz (50 Hz in Russia, 220V). The voltage for nixies was rectified without smoothing, so bell-like pulses present. As the result of intermodulation, "1980" smoothly winked with frequency equal to the difference between multivibrator's and powering frequencies. It was a toy for a new year eve.
It was so simple and nice, so people around repeated the toy for themselves.
Speaking of nixies, later being a graduate student I made a multivibrator on couple of transistors, emitters connected to bases of high-voltage transistors with nixies in collectors, but the frequency was about 100 Hz (50 Hz in Russia, 220V). The voltage for nixies was rectified without smoothing, so bell-like pulses present. As the result of intermodulation, "1980" smoothly winked with frequency equal to the difference between multivibrator's and powering frequencies. It was a toy for a new year eve.
It was so simple and nice, so people around repeated the toy for themselves.
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