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FrozenGate by Avery

Argon Ion tube (?)






That doesn't look like an argon, more like a HeNe, but I can see what looks to be a filament at one end, or the leads for a filament. You should maybe try finding out more about it and looking for a PSU .



-Adam
 
very interesting!!! It does look to have a filament, but hot-cathode argon tubes run very very hot... I would assume that the tube would need cooling, but I have seen older and DIY argon tubes (pulsed and very low power) which only use passive cooling, but also dont have a filament. I'd love to get my hands on that to find out what it is!!. Do you have a HeNe power supply?? if you do you can apply it to the tube, that will at least make the plasma glow slightly and tell us what it is. The little ring in there appears to be a 'getter' of sorts...

I would also say it's a HeNe but the mirrors are throwing me off. They look clear. It could be that this is the plasma tube and it utilized external mirrors to lase. I'm so curious now!!

Very neat!
 
I just realized that this unit is 300 miles away in a storage unit. When I see it in January, I will use a classroom-type HV demonstrator to see what colors the tube produces under exitation.
 
There's no way that's an argon. A glass bore would last 10 seconds tops. It's got to be a HeNe, but I can't explain all the contacts :-/.
 
That's definitely a HeNe. I have a very similar tube. There are two connections to the cathode an two not connected internally at all. Hope this helps.
 
Generation one Metrologic hene tube. Cold cathode. The aluminum portion is the cathode and the anode is the small pin sticking up out of the bore near the mirror in the pic. Its a soft sealed tube, making it likely to be a collectors item at best, the thing is a 1970s design, and has probably leaked up to air by now. The generation 1 epoxy seals leak over time.

Steve
 
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