Lets see your Nixie Tube equipment

[Cubdriver]

<snip>

You would have to change your power supply to accommodate standard 74 series devices and rig up a level converter in between .  RTL needs 3.6V.
I am assuming both have RTL devices or does it have a mixture of standard 74 series and HP's version of TTL ?

I just took a quick look through the manual and at the schematics - I think it's 74XX and HP TTL - all the ICs I saw seemed to be fed with a 5.1V supply and nothing else.  Unfortunately I don't yet have an 'HP to real world part number' decoder ring yet, and by and large the stuff I've had to go into and work on ain't had none of these here newfangled aye-sees in it, so my HP IC-fu has not yet been developed...

-Pat

[bitseeker]

No worries. We'll just have to get up to speed during our co-op restoration.

[Cubdriver]

What I should do (but won't, of course!) is turn off e-mail notifications. 

Yeah, that wouldn't help in my case. I found that I see new items faster than eBay can email me, so I don't even bother turning on those notifications anymore.

I start to run into 'problems' when I'm bored and start doing random searches of test equipment.  That's how I have several other-than-HP digital meters here, shipping shortly or enroute as we speak.  (I also partly blame Enigma-man and his panaplex postings for this!)  Brown Santa dropped off a Data Precision 3500 the other day (after opening it and extracting a pair of loose star washers and nuts that were rattling around because someone along the way stole the rear feet I fired it up and it appears to be functional.  Mmmm, panaplex! ); a Data Precision 134 and a United Systems 252-1 should be on their way shortly and a Triplett 8035 (individual VFD tubes) may show up tomorrow.   

Nope, I have no problems,  I can quit any time.  No worries.   

-Pat

[Cubdriver]

No worries. We'll just have to get up to speed during our co-op restoration.

Yep!   

-Pat

[bitseeker]

Nope, I have no problems,  I can quit any time.  No worries.   

Yeah, those Panaplex displays. Gonna get me in trouble. I don't dare do a search now. Must...resist...

[Cubdriver]

Yeah, those Panaplex displays. Gonna get me in trouble. I don't dare do a search now. Must...resist...

 

Quick and dirty iPhone pics.

Meter front panel:


The HP supply feeding it (including a bit of parallax error):


Looking into the open top of the meter:


And finally a closer view of the display:


Gaze into the pretty digits...  You're getting sleepy...  ..sleepy...  ..now, when I snap my fingers, you will go to eBuy and search for old digital voltmeters that you really don't need...  <SNAP>

Yeah, I know, I'm awful, aren't I?   

 

-Pat

[Enigma-man]

@Cubdriver:

Yes, HP used standard TTL and their own chips with different pinouts.  I'm sure you and bitseeker should be able to come up with any HP IC to get them up
and running .  The piece of equipment that has RTL logic is the Eldorado 1820A. I have a few dozen RTL's in DIP packages, but none are counter or decoders.
My 5221A has the 74XX and HP TTL mix.  Sphere has a partial TTL cross reference and there are others out there that I have come across.

You partly blame me for your current addiction for Panaplex display equipment ?   Get serious. Gimme a break.
I take full responsibility. Why do you think I posted those pix ?  Planting the seed... Gettin' ya hooked... 

Disclaimer:
As you search for more Panaplex gear you will be assimilated and all your beloved HP Nixie equipment will be taken to my location in Canada.  Resistance is futile...

[bitseeker]

Dual hypnotic suggestion. I'm doomed!

[Cubdriver]

Dual hypnotic suggestion. I'm doomed!

Open your wallet.  Feel the burn.  Embrace it.  Become one with it.   

-Pat

[Cubdriver]

Oh, and E-Man - the panaplex stuff will AUGMENT, not replace the nixie gear!  My beloved HP anchors will not be needing passports or Canadian visas any time soon if I have anything to say about it!   

Resistance is voltage over current!     

 

-Pat

[guido]

I have two of those (see page 4 ). I see you have the original caps (Illinois brand). I had to replace them as they leaked, a few badly. No wonder if you put them next to the cooling fins.

[Cubdriver]

I have two of those (see page 4 ). I see you have the original caps (Illinois brand). I had to replace them as they leaked, a few badly. No wonder if you put them next to the cooling fins.

Ahh - that means that yours were probably the first ones I saw.  I have another bought a while ago (shortly after your post on P. 4) that has a bad display driver chip.  I got a replacement chip, but never got to replacing it.  Thanks for the tip regarding the filter caps.  Right next to what I'm guessing is the toasty voltage regulator pass transistor wasn't exactly the ideal spot for them, was it?  The ones in this one appear to be in good shape for the moment, but I'll put getting some 105*C spares for them on my list of things to do.

I think at this point I need to get a semi trailer load of round tuits.   

-Pat

[Martin.M]

a grandpa of nixie 
the 3 tubes count self and display that directly
http://www.wellenkino.de/fer/fer-1.AVI

[Gyro]

When you look at the internal structure diagrams of those tubes the operation is really clever. Real ingenuity!

[Cubdriver]

Very nice as always, Martin!   

-Pat

[Enigma-man]

I saw some pictures of the BN4721 at radiomuseum.org. 
That one is pretty old with nine vacuum tubes in it.
Good to that it survived.

[Martin.M]

FER have including the gas stabilizer 11 tubes,

there are 3 pcs E1T counting tubes, a 150-OB2, the input amplifier is a EF800, and 6 pcs E90CC.
in rmorg are 2 FER registered, the one is from my friend Harald, and the second is this one. They are very rare today.
I think they was in use to do long time countings from geiger mueller tubes in nuclear plants (radiation related to a longer time).
Also there is a input for a light sensitivity sensor, for shure they mean a tube in that time, I will build one, 90 CG or like that 

greetings
Martin

[Cyberdragon]

AC/DC Voltmeter only. Other functions not included. IC A/D converter, Diode-transistor logic controller. Open-air zener reference (still needs warm-up time).

[bitseeker]

No worries. We'll just have to get up to speed during our co-op restoration.

Yep!   

So, Pat, did you receive your 5216? How's it looking?

[Cubdriver]

No worries. We'll just have to get up to speed during our co-op restoration.

Yep!   

So, Pat, did you receive your 5216? How's it looking?

Yes, it arrived a few weeks ago.  I haven't had a chance to dig into it yet, but popped off a few pictures tonight goofing around with it.  It powers up, and the tubes light, but no counting.  It will take some digging; hopefully in the not too distant future.  I ordered the shock mounts I need for the stepping relays in the Electro Instruments DVM that presently occupies the bench; I'd like to at least get those mounted again before doing anything else.

HP 5216A Electronic Counter:




And lastly what it actually looks like from a normal perspective:


A few more with the fisheye are at: https://pmanning.smugmug.com/Electronics/HP-5216A-Electronic-Counter

-Pat

[bitseeker]

Yeah, no rush on diving into it. Was just curious if it had arrived and what its present state of being was. Looks good overall and all the tubes still light up. If all else fails, that's enough to make it an operational nixie counter even if the circuitry has to be replaced.

[VK5RC]

Looks lovely, ++++.

[TheSteve]

HP 5340A 10Hz-18GHz frequency counter.

[richfiles]

 Alright... You win this round of awesomeness... Man, that is a beautiful beast!
18 GHz feels like it must been just screamin' back in the era of nixie tubes!
Geez, is that mostly RF stuff, or were there applications I'm not even aware of?

[TheSteve]

Alright... You win this round of awesomeness... Man, that is a beautiful beast!
18 GHz feels like it must been just screamin' back in the era of nixie tubes!
Geez, is that mostly RF stuff, or were there applications I'm not even aware of?

Not sure how many industries would have needed an 18 GHz counter back when mine was made(1977). It must have been for RF use - I am thinking maybe satellite. The highest frequency I can generate is 8.4 GHz, now I need a signal gen that can go higher just to play with the counter. The inside is glorious - all gold, all the time, a total work of art.