Re: Why does this neon flicker?

From: Don Bruder (dakidd_at_sonic.net)
Date: 09/24/04 

Date: Fri, 24 Sep 2004 18:05:32 GMT

In article <10l8lagm3218031@corp.supernews.com>,
 Jamie <jamie_5_not_valid_after_5_Please@charter.net> wrote:

> i am sure some one else can explain that to you better but what its
> nothing but an impure mix or neon that is causing it to move the
> gas around inside causing the neon gas not to conduct.

More likely, it's a small magnet that's "guiding" the discharge. This
may in turn make the gas move in the bulb, but unless it's a god-awful
large bulb, I wouldn't expect that to be a consideration.

> you get the same effect when a neon lamp starts reaching its
> max operating hours due to break down of the gas from the reaction.

Erm... Care to explain to me how you go about "breaking down" Neon gas?
Last I knew, Neon is... Neon! It's not a compound, it's an element.
Without "going nuclear", you don't break things down any further than
that. You certainly don't do it in a light bulb, whether it's a Neon or
something else.

> the break down time is some where around 25k hours or operation
> by simply creating a mix of the same effect you have it.

Now, it IS possible that the glass (or more accurately, the glass/metal
interface where the 'trodes come out so that you can hook 'em up) leaks
something else into the bulb, eventually reaching a point where there's
too much contamination for the lamp to light up, but I'm having a
*REALLY* hard time swallowing the concept that you can somehow manage to
achieve something that typically requires a multi-million (or in some
cases, billion) dollar atom smasher to accomplish, using nothing more
than a 25 cent Neon bulb. 

-- 
Don Bruder - dakidd@sonic.net - New Email policy in effect as of Feb. 21, 2004.
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