[sdiy]'plasma' vu-meter

[Mike]

> > NOW, How about a dekatron tube that advances one step w/ each click of
> > the synth clock???
> >
>
> Something that might be a little easier to find the parts for: Use an
> LM3914, some driver transistors, and some neon lamps (maybe even
> arranged in a circle under a lens or diffuser of some sort).
>
>
It's a Decatron: it counts all by itself if you wire it up and pulse it
right.

Honest!

http://mypage.bluewin.ch/sagnell/id14.htm

I built a counter timer from a PE design when I was at school that used
them.

Some of the old cold cathode tubes were well cool - does anybody remember
the touch switch tubes used in lifts?

I scored some huge thyratrons years ago and used them to fire a Tesla Coil,
Much better than a spark gap,and the fast rising edge gave me better
performance, but I never felt happy running the thing with CMOS chips in the
same building. I think small thyratrons make good stable "Valve/Tube" VCO's.

I also did a door sized wall panel that flickered in an amazing random
fashion. Friends though it was packed full of logic chips, but no: a simple
150Volt DC supply and a lot of wire ended neons, capacitors and high value
resistors.

Mike