Comments on: Giant vacuum tube

By: kendon

kendon — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 20:02:16 +0000

doesn’t el-wire mean that it lights up? where is a lit-up-picture? pretty cool … NOT

By: saimhe

saimhe — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 08:26:50 +0000

@trollfood
Any vacuum tube might produce x-rays at ludicrous anode voltages (tens of kV). There was even a particular scandal with General Electric TVs: a failed rectifier supplied the regulator tube with lots of voltage and eventually someone noticed :)

And yes, a typical contemporary “geiger counter” will be sensitive to x-rays. If “someone to test it” is an acquaintance from hospital, then it’s even more probable since those meters are specifically designed for x-rays. Of course one can stumble upon more specific counters for nuclear medicine, they might be gamma-only.

Regarding that vacuum portion, I don’t think anybody understood. However I must remind that there won’t be x-rays *without* a decent vacuum.

By: steve

steve — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 03:51:52 +0000

@localroger
thank you for your constructive comment. I’ve never seen that type of tube but I usualy work with the 9-pin type and that does have filament is surounded by the grid and plate just like you said. I’m sorry for being an asshole but this isn’t a hack; art maybe, but not a hack.

By: trollfood

trollfood — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 03:50:26 +0000

@sam

you’re a troll, right?
-heating filaments producing x-rays
-geiger counters detecting x-rays
-vacuum blocking x-rays

By: Sam

Sam — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 03:35:33 +0000

slockoff,

I’d be careful if I built something like that and put it under a real vacuum. If you do it, have someone test it with a geiger counter to make sure it isn’t exposing you to x-ray radiation.

By: localroger

localroger — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 01:53:57 +0000

@steve: Actually the outside shell is a dead ringer for lots of common late 40’s/early 50’s era octal base tubes, which tended to have their nipples hidden in the base and did tend to be short and fat. Inside, the biggest error is that all practical tubes completely surrounded the filament with grid and plate. That said, the flat presentation was commonly used, and is how the Type 30 in my homemade regenerative receiver is built, except that it has grid and plate on both sides of the filament.

By: Nubie

Nubie — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 01:23:54 +0000

@ cap slackoff;

I think just one fan would be better, seeing how it is a cylinder, make the fan an intake in the center, and then have the exhaust around the edges.

It is “ok”, but it is an interesting idea, now to make a “circuit” using plastic glow wire and transistors hidden in the base to activate the fake tube and provide the function it should, would be a neat thing, maybe even make your room look like the inside of an old tube TV ;)

By: Oren Beck

Oren Beck — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 01:22:44 +0000

There are several well documented projects to make hobby built “Tubes” including more than one CRT. Many years ago there was a company building “Wire Ladder” electronic devices in glass tubes. I’m suspending flame comments on the repost as it’s well-intended even if edgy on hack cred level.

IF for example the EL inverters had been crafted from disposable cameras and the “Tube” shell had been hobby shop vacuformed We’d likely be fanboy highfiving it..

By: medix

medix — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 01:20:10 +0000

Looks like I may have a use for some giant vacuum bell jars for sputtering machines I’ve been holding on to.. ;)

By: spacecoyote

spacecoyote — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 00:54:49 +0000

It’s not that big, either.

By: AnarKIT

AnarKIT — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 00:47:45 +0000

It’s not a hack by any means, but it’s still cute. :-)

By: guyfrom7up

guyfrom7up — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 00:30:50 +0000

That’s pretty nice, goes along with my lamp ;)

I might attempt the nixie tube ;) but I got a lot on my plate.

Very nice!

By: liam

liam — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 00:10:26 +0000

I am somewhat taken aback that an Instructable with the succinct title “giant Fake Vacuum Tube” somehow made it to HAD as a “Giant Vacuum Tube” -no mention whatsoever that it is entirely ornamental.

By: fractalrock

fractalrock — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 00:00:31 +0000

@cap slockoff: i like the vacuum-tube-room-heater idea…
granted, it would probably burn the house down; but it would still be worth it.

By: Abbott

Abbott — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 22:50:18 +0000

Fairly neat i suppose, though it would be nice to see this as a real neon nixie tube…hmm, sounds like a new project…