[sdiy] the function of neon lamps?

[John P]

Yeah, they're used as oscillators.
My mother has had a Lowrey (?) organ for about 30 years...  open it up, 
lots of little neon lamps inside.
Just beware of the p-p voltage when you're playing with them though - I 
think they're close to household voltage! (~100V).

I don't remember offhand *how* they oscillate... it's possible that 
they're natural sawtooth generators in that they'll build up a charge to 
the point where they emit light, then the charge goes to zero.

Antti Pitkämäki wrote:

> Hi!
>
> Could somebody please explain me what is the function of neon lamps? I 
> know what transistors do, and I know what triode tubes do, but I 
> really don't know exactly what neon lamps do (except create light!). I 
> once read about "neon gas tubes" from some old electronics book, but 
> unfortunately this book is not available in the library of the city 
> where I live, so I can't find this information from anywhere...
>
> I'm interested in this subject because I have two Philicorda organs 
> that have over 100 neon lamps inside them. Also I heard of a Lowrey 
> tube organ that had over 1000 neon lamps inside (+64 tubes). Also I've 
> heard that neon lamps can be used to build oscillators etc. Isn't the 
> Bird organ based completely on neons except for amplification? Somehow 
> to me, maybe partly because I was born in the early 80's, all these 
> glowing tubes and neons seem much more "space age" and "science 
> fiction" to me than boring old transistors and microchips ;)
>
> Thanks in advance,
> Antti Pitkämäki
>
> _________________________________________________________________
> Don't just search. Find. Check out the new MSN Search! 
> http://search.msn.com/
>
>

-- 
m/n/m/l
surreal electronic music, sound, noise
http://mnml.soulcatcher.net