Re: Why does this neon flicker?

From: Watson A.Name - \ (NOSPAM_at_dslextreme.com)
Date: 09/25/04 

Date: Fri, 24 Sep 2004 21:03:19 -0700

"Don Bruder" <dakidd@sonic.net> wrote in message
news:MlZ4d.14976$54.225540@typhoon.sonic.net...
> 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.

Any atom in a plasma gets its electrons stripped out of their orbits.
Now that sure ain't too nice! I can't put my finger on whether to call
that atomic breakdown.

But what he was talking about would be considered a contamination of the
neon gas by other atoms.

> --
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