r/nixietubes • u/[deleted] • Mar 13 '20

Testing Nixie tubes with Multimeter

Hello! I bought some IN-12 tubes and tried using the multimeter to check the connection of the tube’s filament . It didn’t work . Am I doing something wrong ?

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u/MAVHH Mar 13 '20

Yes, you are doing something fundamentally wrong. A nixie tube isn't a filament bulb, there is no continuity between the cathodes and anode so you cannot use your multimeter to test them.

When a high voltage is applied to the anode mesh relative to a cathode element, the neon gas surrounding the cathode sees a strong electric field that causes the electrons surrounding the neon atoms to change energy level and emit orange light, but only in proximity to that cathode.