Anyone play with Glow Tubes?

[cadman]

Just wondering if anyone here has played around with cold-cathode voltage regulator tubes or used them in your design? 0A3-0D3's?

I'm thinking they'd be great replacements for zeners in low current apps like preamps. And of course the purple glow

http://frank.pocnet.net/sheets/141/g/GL874.pdf

Any ideas, picts or wisdom from experience?

 

[fdegrove]

GLOWING ALREADY

Hi,

These are my darlings indeed.
I usually don't use them on their own but in a shuntreg.

I also prefer the red district type of glow of the 85A2 over the purple OA2.

Speak up Cadman.

 

[Brett]

Just wondering if anyone here has played around with cold-cathode voltage regulator tubes or used them in your design? 0A3-0D3's?

I'm thinking they'd be great replacements for zeners in low current apps like preamps. And of course the purple glow

Any ideas, picts or wisdom from experience?

Generally quieter than zeners, won't always come back to <i>exactly</i> the same voltage each time you power up (within a few volts; could be significant with a number in a series stack), won't accept any capacitance after them, a bit inductive. Not a bad regulator, easy and cheap to impliment, but not very tight, though any shunt is preferrable to a series reg.

Purple glow is very nice, much prettier than LEDs.

Cheers

 

[fdegrove]

TRICK UP THE SLEEVE.

Hi,

within a few volts; could be significant with a number in a series stack),

The better ones can be quite precise...but the trick is not to stack them but make them believe they clamp a lower voltage than the actual B+.
And when you need spot on voltages you use a shuntreg with very high Gm for the series element,a two stage comparator high mu comparator and the X-mass glow discharge tube as if you would a zener.

My cookbook dedicated to you Brett,

 

[fdegrove]

SOME MORE GLOW.

Hi,

I like to add some more glow.
After all we're nearing X-mass so I hope none of you mind...

won't accept any capacitance after them, a bit inductive. Not a bad regulator, easy and cheap to impliment, but not very tight,

You can,but be ware of oscillation,a small cap in the 100 nF won't do much harm,experiment though.

But here's a bit more: with a shunt reg,well designed you can actually add several hundreds of microF and still have a rock solid PSU well within the microvolt range.

Cheers,

 

[Neutron Bob]

Glow Baby Glow

I use a 5651 regulator tube in my preamplifier. Love to watch her flashover into life. There's something organic about a happy cloud of electrons...

There's a shunt regulator tube that rests atop my monitor here, a 6BK4C, replete with its X-Ray warning logo. With a shunt regulator, one can get pretty precise voltage control.

Bob

 

[fdegrove]

ORGANIC NEUTRONS?

Hi,

It is reasuring to see it all come to life,isn't it?

There are other advantages other the the regulation as well.
It provides for a very natural ramp up of the B+ giving you a soft start for the tubes.
And the shunt reg gives in essence good isolation from the mains and the previous PSU stage.

All very nice thing to have.

Bob,

The 5651A from RCA and Raytheon are the ones I prefer for my preamp.

I recall a British manufacturer that had a version of the OA2 where you saw the neon glow through a little triangular cutout.
Very cute!

Ciao,

 

[misok]

i know, 13 years old thread that i'm recycling.

in short - i want to build PSU for a DAC with different regulation that those 3-legged LMxx. The chip wants 50-60 mA. Gas tube regs are 30 or 40mA max. Is there a way around? something like paralleling them? i know there are rare big ones but they are hard to obtain, expensive, etc.

thanks for suggestions.

best,
misok

 

[nec3]

"Operation of glow tubes in parallel is not recommended"

http://frank.pocnet.net/sheets/141/g/GL874.pdf

 

[misok]

"Operation of glow tubes in parallel is not recommended"

http://frank.pocnet.net/sheets/141/g/GL874.pdf

thank you, i've had this feeling.. it looks like i can't use them in DAC PSU then..