RE: [TCML] Large Plsma Tube

["Mark R Dunn" <teslamark@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Dave:

You can fill it with Neon, Krypton, or Xenon and obtain great results.
Have a glass blower seal it when you are done.

Completely evacuate it before you fill it and test it with a power supply so
you can find the best operating point.  There are an infinite number of
possibilities.  You should really bombard it first in an oven, but the glass
blower can do that for you.  He may want to neck down the fill tube so that
when he seals it off it is easier and quicker to do without loosing vacuum.

I can suggest that you will wind up no higher than -20" Hg for final
pressure and possibly as low as -29" HG depending on gas choice ( Krypton
and Neon will work better near -27" to -29", Neon a bit better at higher
pressure - less negative).

After you get it just right clamp off the fill hose with a vice grips and
take straight to the glass blower.  Just right is in the mind of the
beholder.  There are many beautiful solutions/combinations.

A Flyback Driver at 10 to 15 KVAC and mA should work fine.  For neon you
will want to be in the 5 to 15 kHz range.  For Krypton or Neon 80 to 100
kHz.

If you mix the gases (start with Neon and add a dash of one of the others)
you can get all sorts of colors.
See my globes at www.teslablys.com

The colored ones are mixes.  The pure Krypton is white and the Xenon Bluish
White.

Do NOT use a Tesla Coil, high power, or very High Voltage (unless really low
current) power supply.  You should be feeding this thing 100 or 200 watts
Max.
You want to ionize the gas in the tube. At high power it may break-out and
the high current will burn holes thru the glass and ruin it.  Worse yet, if
your hand is on the glass when it breaks out, you will get a nasty shock or
worse.  Remember, 18 KV @ 50 mA ( ~ 1 KW) is guaranteed deadly to humans. 

Mark
 
-----Original Message-----
From: tesla-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx [mailto:tesla-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf
Of David N. Van Doren
Sent: Thursday, November 29, 2007 10:04 AM
To: tesla@xxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [TCML] Large Plsma Tube

Hello All

I have a large glass tube 6" o.d. with .25" walls and 5 feet long. ( from
and old blueprint machine) And it's just begging to be made in to a large
Plasma tube. Somewhere I saw a list of gasses and their conductivities and
can't seem to find it. Does any body know where it might be? If any of you
have any experience or info that might help with this project I'd greatly
appreciate the boost in the learning curve. 
I have several HV sources that I hope will be usable for this project such
as an 85KV x-ray transformer or an 50 KVDC power supply and of course my
Tesla coil ( an OBIT powered magnifier)
This has the potential (sic) to be a very beautiful display.

Thanks
Dave 
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