[sdiy]Stereo plasma VUmeter demos...

[Mike]

> >  Need to put together a decatron project now....
>
>
> I have checked Decatrons tubes datasheet... 450V DC psu = outch !!! :-o
>
> Is is possible to power them with less volts ?
>

I used these a long time ago as a schoolboy. Thye don't count as fast on
lower voltages, but some can run down to 250V. The main thing to remember is
that they need very little current. A mini inverter driving a voltage
multiplier would work, and whilst a bit nippy if you touch a pin, will not
have enough current to do lasting damage.

Ther are a few other amazing cold cathode tubes still out there. Does anyone
remember the 'touch button' tubes, often used in lifts?

Another bit of lost history are the neon tube dividers used in some organs?
(some might say best forgotten). The 'thyratron sawtooth' = expo rise and
fall, is typical of this type of circuit, and does have some nice timbral
features.

A few thouhts, anyway - and I (heart) Marc's VU meter design. Very elegant.
I'll be making some, that's for sure.

Mike