Re: Neon life (and death)

To: "'Tesla List'" <tesla-at-poodle.pupman-dot-com>
Subject: Re: Neon life (and death)
From: Tesla List <tesla-at-stic-dot-net>
Date: Sat, 1 Nov 1997 00:25:04 -0600
Approved: tesla-at-stic-dot-net

From: 	FutureT-at-aol-dot-com[SMTP:FutureT-at-aol-dot-com]
Sent: 	Friday, October 31, 1997 4:17 AM
To: 	tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
Subject: 	Re: Neon life (and death)

In a message dated 97-10-31 00:01:14 EST, you write:

<< snip>    because they don't last very
 >long.  I find this most disturbing, as I own only ONE neon
 >transformer, and it wasn't free.  I've seen working luminous sign
 >transformers in downtown New Orleans that appear to have been on
 >continuous duty for decades.  Obviously, neons are built to last.  So
 >why would a TC shorten the life of a neon so drastically?

 >Greg  >>

Greg,

There is absolutely no comparison between using a neon for
lighting neon tubes, and for TC operation.  When lighting tubes,
the neon provides only about 800 volts or so, since it's largely
in *shut-down* mode.  In TC use, we do the opposite, we force
it to deliver MORE than its rated voltage rather than less.  Also
there's all the RF kickback to deal with.  Neons are not designed
for this abuse, the wire is only about twice the thickness of a 
human hair or less, and the insulation is poor.  It's amazing they
work as well as they do.

That being said, it is my belief that most neon destruction is
caused by *missed gap firings* which allow the voltage to build
up much higher before the gap actually fires.  RF kickback it bad
too.  Wide gap spacings and non-sync rotaries are notorious 
neon-killers.  The use of a sync-gap seems to *protect* a neon
even when the tranny's capabilities are stressed to the max.  I've
been running my 12kV, 30ma tranny with a sync gap and obtaining
42" sparks, for quite a while now, and have had no neon failures.

John Freau