Before LEDs and LCDs: How Nixie Tubes Work

The video shows an old-school Nixie tube, a display technology that predates seven-segment displays and LCDs.

Inside the glass tube is a low-pressure gas, usually neon, and a stack of metal cathodes shaped like numerals. When a sufficiently high voltage is applied to the anode, and the cathode of the desired number is grounded, the gas around that cathode becomes ionized and emits light. This creates the characteristic orange glow, making the active digit appear to float inside the tube.

Although Nixie tubes look warm and nostalgic, they are not incandescent lamps. There is no heated filament involved. A Nixie tube is a gas discharge lamp, which operates on the same physical principle as a neon sign.

Because the light is produced by ionized gas rather than a hot filament, very little energy is lost as heat. Thermal camera footage captured with my Thermal Master P3 of the same tube demonstrates this clearly, showing bright light output but only a negligible temperature rise.

Видео Before LEDs and LCDs: How Nixie Tubes Work канала Baltic Lab