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help please with electronic neon Transformer?
Anyone had a problem with parts of the tube being dull when its on electronic.
If I stick it on a high voltage it gets brighter and is eventually ok but on electronic it goes back to being dull.
The section in total is 3mtrs long but coz of all the bends I suspect its because the electronics do not fire the mercury throughout the tube but I can’t use high voltage because I have to fit three in a 915mm x 610mm box and its too small with the turnback electrodes used.
Any one else experienced this problem
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7 Replies
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is the 3m section one piece is made up of several sections, coz you need to allow 0.5m for each pair of electrodes, also what is the output voltage and current of the convertor compared to the standard transformer you’ve tried.
When you say dull in parts, is it in parts or is it at one end, also what colour glass/gas is it. -
Hi
Its argon gas and the same problem is occuring in three separate sections each with their own transformer
Its dull in the centre of the tube – ends are fine
BOX (1.15mtr section) OFFICE (1.93mtr section) on a 6kv low voltage
OPEN (1.6mtr section) on a 3kv 20m/a low voltage
CLOSED (1.93mtr section) on a 3kv 20m/a low voltageIts difficult getting technical support now tunewells has gone but I have just thought that masons might know the answer
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i’m assuming the glass diameter is 12mm, in which case transformer size seems about right, may be a little on the tight side if the glass is 10mm.
Also is the box outside, in which case this cold weather doesn’t help at all especially if the transformer output is marginal, or it may be pure argon instead of a argon/neon mix.
I’d probably check the 6kv on one of the other smaller sections, you may need to go up a size.
is the sign an old one thats developed the fault.don’t want to be picky but 3kv is still high voltage, not low just for the record 🙂
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What is the diameter of the neon.
Is the electronic transformer of the same current rating as the wound transformer, voltage allows length of neon, current determines brightness, electronic transformers tend not to be as powerful current wise as the wound stablemates. We never use 20ma transfomers as they are invariably too dim. Lowest we use is 30mA but most are 40 or 50mA.Point of infomration the HT (High Tension or Voltage) does not push mercury through the tube but excites the inert gas.
Check voltage of transfomer, 3kV transfomer is 3kV but 3kV-e is a 6kV transformer
It is most likely that the coccasional dark sections in your neon tube have some contamination which was left when the tubes were filled and that with reduced current they do not light.
The first test in any neon installation is a milliampmeter, the current flowing through the tubes or HT leads should be within 5% of the current rating of the transfomer, this test should always be done after installation, as various factors can affect current drawn.
At the end of the day I have long windedly not answered your question but without visiting th site it is very hard to do
Regards Adrian
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The dim sections are generally not down to contamination, but failure to the mercury to fully vaporise, as if it was a new tube ageing in. Contamination causes stains are darkening of the phosphor.
A current readings should always be checked with a milliameter after installation, but for blue gas you can load upto 30% of the transformer output, red gas is 5%. Also milliameters used for standard transformers are generally not suitable for electronic convertors.
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Its not contamination and the sign is inside not outside. Heat the dark area up with a hairdryer and it slowly comes up bright again or reage them on a ht trannie and its fine.
It really is a strange one.
When you re age them they come up fine again but put them back on the electronic and two weeks later they go patchy & dim in parts.
What I have been told (but I am wary of) is that originally some electronic trannies did cause this affect and caused the Mercury to collect in one end and this does seem to be the case. But our new supplier says that they won’t guarantee it wont happen with the new ones and checking with others I got the impression it was a problem they ALL knew about.
It is 12mm glass and our milliamp meter can’t be used on electronic ( can any?????)
This is the only sign we have had a problem with in 15 years and I am sure its a peculiarity with electronics.
I suspect that it is a problem with the Mercury (does it dissipate after 5 years?) and its made worse by the use of electronics and perhaps a lot of tight bends as in this wording.
The tranny calibrations have been checked and rechecked and don’t forget that its supposed to calibrate its self to the length of the glass. Then again I have have been told you shouldn’t put a bigger one than you need on it but do you wonder if that comes from not putting a too big HT trannie on rather than these “self calibrating” electronics.
What gets me is that the suppliers these days don’t have the technical knowledge and experience they used to have.
I’m going to try new trannies and then new glass if that doesn’t work, I’d like to change the glass first but doing the trannies first should tell me if they have resolved the “problem with them” – we shall see
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Spoke to bruce at Direct Neon( if Bruce doesnt know nobody knows) he says try revesing the polarity of the electronic unit.
If the neon lights in one condition then there is no way it is the glass most likely the transformer. We have seen this with a demo rig that we have in the office but all we do is turn it off for an hour and turn it back on again.
Might be the unit is losing efficiency when heating up
Regards Adrian
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