Electronic – What are some ways to extend life of Nixie Tube

lifetimenixie

I'm working on a Nixie tube clock and have read that nixie tubes have a life of about a year.
Does anyone know of ways to extend the lifetime of a tube?

Can you use a mosfet to switch the high voltage power supply using PWM or would that just end up delivering a lower average voltage?

Specifically I'm using IN-14 Tubes, and plan on driving them with 170VDC, 3mA.

Any input is appreciated! Thanks!

Best Answer

Not all are created equally. Also note your spec final page end.. to operate all elements if not in use for extended periods... nixie

Suggest a sleep mode to disable display if inactive on 0000000

Also reduce cathode current to 1.5mA and Cathode voltage to 170

super reliable specs