A nixie tube is an electronic device for displaying numerals or other information, in the form of a glass tube containing multiple cathodes and a wire mesh anode, filled with neon and often a little mercury and/or argon (a Penning mixture, typically 99% neon with 1% argon, for lower striking voltage (Weston 1968, p. 334),(Bylander 1979, p. 65) at a small fraction of atmospheric pressure. Although it resembles a vacuum tube in appearance, its operation does not depend on heating of a cathode to cause it to emit electrons (the thermionic effect). It is therefore called a cold-cathode tube (a form of gas filled tube), or a variant of neon lamp. Such tubes rarely exceed 40 ºC (104 ºF) even under the severest of operating conditions in a room at ambient (Bylander 1979, p. 60) . Image File history File links Nixie. ... Electronics is the study of the flow of charge through various materials and devices such as, semiconductors, resistors, inductors, capacitors, nano-structures, and vacuum tubes. ... Nixie tubes, LED-display and VF-display A display device, also known as an information display is a device for visual or tactile presentation of images (including text) acquired, stored, or transmitted in various forms. ... Glass can be made transparent and flat, or into other shapes and colors as shown in this sphere from the Verrerie of Brehat in Brittany. ... Diagram of a copper cathode in a Daniells cell. ... Diagram of a zinc anode in a galvanic cell. ... General Name, Symbol, Number neon, Ne, 10 Chemical series noble gases Group, Period, Block 18, 2, p Appearance colorless Standard atomic weight 20. ... General Name, Symbol, Number mercury, Hg, 80 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 12, 6, d Appearance silvery Standard atomic weight 200. ... General Name, Symbol, Number argon, Ar, 18 Chemical series noble gases Group, Period, Block 18, 3, p Appearance colorless Atomic mass 39. ... A Penning mixture is a mixture of inert gas with another gas, with lower ionization voltage than either of them. ... In electronics, a vacuum tube or (outside North America) thermionic valve or just valve, is a device generally used to amplify, switch or otherwise modify, a signal by controlling the movement of electrons in an evacuated space. ... Thermionic emission (archaically known as the Edison effect) is the flow of electrons from a metal or metal oxide surface, caused by thermal vibrational energy overcoming the electrostatic forces holding electrons to the surface. ... Note: Principles are mostly the same for cold cathode ion sources as in particle accelerators to create electrons. ... Gas filled tubes are arrangements of electrodes in a gas within an insulating, temperature-resistant envelope. ... Lighting neon lamp, two 220/230 volt and 110 V neon lamps and a screwdriver with neon lamp inside A neon lamp is a gas discharge lamp containing primarily neon gas at low pressure. ...

The most common form of nixie tube has ten cathodes in the shapes of the numerals 0 to 9 (and occasionally a decimal point or two), but there are also types that show various letters, signs and symbols. A related device is the pixie tube, which uses a stencil mask with numeral-shaped holes instead of shaped cathodes. Some Russian nixies, e.g. the IN-14, used an upside-down digit 2 as the digit 5, presumably to save manufacturing costs as there is no obvious technical or aesthetic reason. A stencil is a template used to draw or paint identical letters, symbols, shapes, or patterns every time it is used. ...

Each cathode can be made to glow in the characteristic neon red-orange color by applying about 170 volts DC at a few milliamps between a cathode and the anode. The current limiting is normally implemented as an anode resistor of a few tens of thousands of ohms as nixies exhibit negative resistance and will maintain their glow at typically 20V to 30V below the strike voltage. Some color variation can be observed between types, caused by differences in the materials and gas mixtures used. Longer-life tubes that were manufactured later in the nixie timeline have mercury added to reduce sputtering (Bylander 1979, p. 60) resulting in a purple tinge to the emitted light. Josephson junction array chip developed by NIST as a standard volt. ... Direct current (DC or continuous current) is the continuous flow of electricity through a conductor such as a wire from high to low potential. ... Current can be measured by a galvanometer, via the deflection of a magnetic needle in the magnetic field created by the current. ... Resistor symbols (non-European) Resistor symbols (Europe, IEC) Axial-lead resistors on tape. ... A multimeter can be used to measure resistance in ohms. ... A VI curve with a negative differential resistance region Negative resistance or negative differential resistance (NDR) is a property of electrical circuit elements composed of certain materials in which, over certain voltage ranges, current is a decreasing function of voltage. ... Sputtering is a physical process whereby atoms in a solid target material are ejected into the gas phase due to bombardment of the material by energetic ions. ...

Applications and lifetime

Nixies were used as numeric displays in early digital voltmeters, multimeters, frequency counters and many other types of technical equipment. They also appeared in costly digital time displays used in research and military establishments, and in many early electronic desktop calculators, including the first: the vacuum tube-based Sumlock-Comptometer ANITA Mk VII of 1961. Later alphanumeric versions in fourteen segment display format found use in airport arrival/departure signs and stock ticker displays. Some elevators also used nixies to display the floor numbers. Two digital voltmeters. ... A digital multimeter A low cost digital multimeter An analog benchtop multimeter A multimeter or a multitester is an electronic measuring instrument that combines several functions in one unit. ... A frequency counter is an electronic instrument, or component of one, that is used for measuring frequency. ... A calculator is a device for performing calculations. ... The British ANITA calculator, first manufactured by Sumlock in 1960, was the first electronic desktop calculator. ... 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1961 calendar). ... Generally speaking, the term alphanumeric refers to anything that consists of only letters and numbers. ... LCD fourteen segment display as seen on the HP-41 range of engineering calculators A fourteen segment display is an optoelectronic type of display based on 14 segments that can be turned on or off according to the graphic pattern to be produced. ... The board and equipment for Stock Ticker Stock Ticker is a now out of print board game that was popular upon its release and is still played today. ... A set of lifts in the lower level of a London Underground station. ...

Pair of NL-5441 Nixie display tubes

Average longevity of nixie tubes varied depending on the manufacturing technique, materials, etc., and increased tremendously over the span of their prominence from about 5,000 hours for the earliest types, to as high as 200,000 hours or more for some of the last types to be introduced. It should be noted that there is no formal definition as to what constitutes "end of life" for nixies, mechanical failure excepted. Some sources (Weston 1968, p. 340) suggest that 50% reduction in emitted light would not be acceptable, however cathode poisoning resulting in incomplete digit display, whilst generally not preventing the tube from being used, may also be considered unacceptable. Nixie tubes are susceptible to multiple failure modes including: simple breakage or cracks and hermetic seal leaks allowing the atmosphere to enter, cathode poisoning preventing part or all of one or more characters from illuminating, increased striking voltage causing flicker or failure to light, sputtering of electrode metal onto the glass envelope blocking the cathodes from view, and internal open or short circuits which may be due to physical abuse or sputtering. Driving nixies outside of their specified electrical parameters will accelerate their demise, especially excess current, which increases sputtering of the electrodes. A few extreme examples of sputtering have even resulted in complete disintegration of nixie tube cathodes. typical Nixie display tubes, NL5441--photo by Kirk Cline This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... typical Nixie display tubes, NL5441--photo by Kirk Cline This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... In vacuum tubes, a hot cathode is a cathode electrode which emits electrons due to thermionic emission. ... The word hermetic is commonly applied to literary or graphical symbolism that is exceedingly obscure, convoluted, or esoteric. ... In vacuum tubes, a hot cathode is a cathode electrode which emits electrons due to thermionic emission. ... Sputtering is a physical process whereby atoms in a solid target material are ejected into the gas phase due to bombardment of the material by energetic ions. ...

As testament to their longevity, and that of the equipment which used them, in 2006 several suppliers still provide common nixie tube types as service replacement parts, new in original packaging. Equipment with nixie tube displays in excellent working condition is still plentiful, though much of it has been in frequent use for 30-40 years or more. Such items can easily be found as surplus and obtained at very little expense. It is worth noting that in the former Soviet Union, nixies were still being manufactured in volume in the 1980s, so Russian and Eastern European nixies are still generally easily and cheaply available.

History

Systron-Donner frequency counter from 1973 with Nixie-tube display

The Nixie display was developed by a small vacuum tube manufacturer called Haydu Brothers Laboratories, and introduced in 1954 by Burroughs Corporation, who purchased Haydu and owned the name Nixie as a trademark. Similar devices that functioned in the same way were patented in the 1920s, and the first mass-produced display tubes were introduced in the late 1930s by National Union Co. and Telefunken. However, their construction was cruder, and they failed to find many applications until digital electronics reached a suitable level of development in the 1950s. Systron-Donner frequency counter from 1973 with Nixie display - photo by E. Barbour This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Systron-Donner frequency counter from 1973 with Nixie display - photo by E. Barbour This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... William Seward Burroughs (1857-1898), US inventor William S. Burroughs (1914-1997), author and grandson of William Seward Burroughs Edgar Rice Burroughs (1875-1950), American author of Tarzan fame The Burroughs Corporation began in 1886 as the American Arithmometer Company in St. ... A trademark or trade mark[1] is a distinctive sign of some kind which is used by an individual, business organization or other legal entity to uniquely identify the source of its products and/or services to consumers, and to distinguish its products or services from those of other entities. ... The 1920s is a decade that is sometimes referred to as the Jazz Age or the Roaring Twenties, usually applied to America. ... The 1930s (years from 1930–1939) were described as an abrupt shift to more radical and conservative lifestyles, as countries were struggling to find a solution to the Great Depression, also known in Europe as the World Depression. ... Telefunken is a German radio- and television company, founded in 1903. ... This does not cite its references or sources. ...

According to an article in the June 1973 issue of Scientific American magazine (p.66), the name Nixie was derived by Burroughs from "NIX I", an abbreviation of "Numeric Indicator eXperimental No. 1". Scientific American is a popular-science magazine, published (first weekly and later monthly) since August 28, 1845, making it the oldest continuously published magazine in the United States. ...

Burroughs even had another Haydu tube that could operate as a digital counter and directly drive a Nixie tube for display. This was called a "Trochotron", in later form known as the "Beam-X Switch" counter tube. Trochotrons were used in the UNIVAC 1101 computer, as well as in clocks and frequency counters. In general, a counter is a device which stores (and sometimes displays) the number of times a particular event or process has occurred, often in relationship to a clock signal. ... The UNIVAC 1101, or ERA 1101, was a computer system designed by Engineering Research Associates (ERA) and built by the Remington Rand corporation in the 1950s. ...

Some Nixie-like displays made by other firms were called by various trademarked names including Numicator and Digitron. A proper generic term is "cold cathode neon readout tube", though the phrase "nixie tube" quickly entered the vernacular as a generic name. Hundreds of variations of this design were manufactured by many firms, from the 1950s until the 1990s. This does not cite its references or sources. ... For the band, see 1990s (band). ...

Other numeric display technologies concurrently in use included backlit columnar transparencies (a.k.a. "thermometer displays"), light pipe, rear-projection and edge-lit lightguide displays (all using individual incandescent or neon light bulbs for illumination); Numitron incandescent filament readouts; and vacuum fluorescent display tubes. Prior to nixie tubes' coming into prominence, most numeric displays were mechanical in nature, using stepping switches either directly by use of cylinders bearing printed numerals attached to their rotors, or indirectly by wiring the switches' outputs to indicator bulbs. Later, a few vintage clocks even used a form of stepping switch to drive nixie tubes! A vacuum fluorescent display (VFD) is a type of display used primarily on consumer-electronics equipment such as video cassette recorders. ... In electrical controls, a stepping switch (also called a uniselector; see Strowger switch, below) is an electromechanical device used, most prominently, in early automatic telephone exchanges to route calls. ...

Nixie tubes were superseded in the 1970s by light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and Vacuum fluorescent displays (VFDs), often in the form of seven-segment displays. The direct descendant was the VFD, a cross between a nixie tube and a cathode ray tube. VFDs were simpler than nixie tubes, brighter, and did not require the complex cathode structure, resulting in high resolution graphics. The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, In the Western world, the focus shifted from the social activism of the sixties to social activities for ones own pleasure, save for environmentalism, which continued in a very visible way. ... Led is also the past tense of the verb to lead Blue, green and red LEDs. ... A vacuum fluorescent display (VFD) is a type of display used primarily on consumer-electronics equipment such as video cassette recorders. ... A seven-segment display (abbreviation: 7-seg(ment) display), less commonly known as a seven-segment indicator, is a form of display device that is an alternative to the more complex dot-matrix displays. ... Cathode ray tube employing electromagnetic focus and deflection Cutaway rendering of a color CRT Electron guns Electron beams Focusing coils Deflection coils Anode connection Mask for separating beams for red, green, and blue part of displayed image Phosphor layer with red, green, and blue zones Close-up of the phosphor...

LEDs were better suited to the low voltages that integrated circuits used, which was a definite (sometimes essential) advantage for portable devices such as the emerging pocket calculators and handheld digital measurement instruments. Also, LEDs were much smaller and sturdier without needing a fragile sealed glass tube and had lower power consumption than both VFDs and Nixie tubes, though they could not match the VFD in brightness. Integrated circuit showing memory blocks, logic and input/output pads around the periphery Microchips with a transparent window, showing the integrated circuit inside. ...

Revival

Citing dissatisfaction with the aesthetics of modern digital displays and a nostalgic fondness for the styling of obsolete technology, significant numbers of electronics enthusiasts in recent years have shown interest in reviving nixies. Unsold tubes that have been sitting in warehouses for decades are being brought out and used, the most common application being in homemade digital clocks. This is somewhat ironic, since during their heyday, nixies were generally considered too expensive for use in mass-market consumer goods such as clocks. This recent surge in demand has caused prices to increase significantly, particularly for large tubes. The largest type known to be in the hands of collectors, the Rodan CD-47/GR-414 (220 mm [8.7 in.] tall), have been sold for hundreds of dollars apiece, but these are extremely rare and only found in a few areas of the world by persistent and fortunate seekers. Prices for other large types displaying digits over 25 mm (1 inch) tall have increased by double, triple or more between 1998 and 2005.

In addition to the nixie tube itself, another important consideration is the circuitry to drive the tube. One of the more popular ways to do this is to use the Texas Instruments' SN74141 BCD Decoder Driver IC (or its Russian equivalents, the K155ID1 and KM155ID1 {plastic and ceramic packages, respectively}). These have long since been out of production, much like the nixie tubes they were designed for. Texas Instruments (NYSE: TXN), better known in the electronics industry (and popularly) as TI, is an American company based in Dallas, Texas, USA, renowned for developing and commercializing semiconductor and computer technology. ...

See also

• Genericized trademark
• Sixteen-segment display
• Neon lamp
• Vacuum fluorescent display

A genericized trademark, generic trade mark, generic descriptor, or proprietary eponym, is a trademark or brand name which has become the colloquial or generic description for a particular class of product or service. ... Segment layout, showing all 16 segments. ... Lighting neon lamp, two 220/230 volt and 110 V neon lamps and a screwdriver with neon lamp inside A neon lamp is a gas discharge lamp containing primarily neon gas at low pressure. ... A vacuum fluorescent display (VFD) is a type of display used primarily on consumer-electronics equipment such as video cassette recorders. ...

References

• Bylander, E.G. (1979), Electronic Displays, New York: McGraw Hill, ISBN 0-07-009510-8, LCCN 78-31849.
• Dance, J.B. (1967), Electronic Counting Circuits, London: ILIFFE Books Ltd, LCCN 67-13048.
• Weston, G.F. (1968), Cold Cathode Glow Discharge Tubes, London: ILIFFE Books Ltd (Reprints available under "Books"...).

NY redirects here. ... The McGraw-Hill Companies logo. ... The Library of Congress Control Number or LCCN is a serially based system of numbering books in the Library of Congress in the United States. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Elseviers logo. ... The Library of Congress Control Number or LCCN is a serially based system of numbering books in the Library of Congress in the United States. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Elseviers logo. ...

External links

• Brief history of Haydu Brothers
• Mike's Electric Stuff: Display and Counting Tubes
• Information and photos of nixie tubes In English and German.
• Nixie tube cross-reference tables