10 Neon Tubes in a Lexan Block - What is it from??

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? 10 Neon Tubes in a Lexan Block - What is it from?? 
07.Feb.18 17:09
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Kevin Williams (USA)
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Hello Everyone!

 I recently bought a large lot of tubes, and as usual, there are some items I have never seen before!  This one appears to be an set of 10 Neon indicator lamps, but the package it is in is very odd.  It seems to be a thick piece of lexan, or some similar plastic that has a ton of capacitors & resistors embedded.  It also appears to have never been installed, which makes sense as it was in a box of NOS parts.  Just wondering if anyone knows where this originated, I'm super curious.

Thanks!

-Kevin

 

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10 Neon Tubes in a Lexan Block - What is it from? 
08.Feb.18 16:20
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Michael Watterson (IRL)
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Part of an early 10 channel TV remote or touch panel? I remember touch panel TV numbers with neon illumination to show the channnel.

Even it's off something else, it's likely part of something like that. I suppose "Lexan" is American for Perspex?

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10 Neon Tubes in a Lexan Block - What is it from? 
09.Feb.18 14:42
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Kevin Williams (USA)
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Hello, 

 

 Thanks for the update, I suppose that it's likely this was from a TV.  It looked a little fancy for a radio, or at least a run of the mill radio.  Lexan is a brand name, and is a type of polycarbonate.  I guess that's what threw me a little.  The material seems too modern for the 1940 style parts in it.  I did a little more research and found that Lexan was invented around 1958, which seems a little too late for this piece.  However, other types of polycarbonate seem to have existed from the late 1920's.  It's likely just something I'm not familiar with.  It just has a "PCB" feel to, the way its designed.  

 

Thanks!

-Kevin

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Frequency counter? 
09.Feb.18 21:54
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Steffen Thies (A)
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This could be a display unit for a counting instrument. The small outline would allow to stack them to show a result. The way the components are assembled is called "Craigmount". The Beckman 7360A has such "ladder" counting units, bigger though with the tube circuitry attached. Its earlier versions also have the Craigmount assembly style.
 

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10 Neon Tubes in a Lexan Block - What is it from? 
09.Feb.18 22:01
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Michael Watterson (IRL)
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The TVs I remember with neons behind the touch button channel numerals were UK Colour models in very late 1960s or maybe very early 1970s. Colour started between 1967 and 1969  in UK, depending on location and channel.

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Frequency counter? 
09.Feb.18 22:03
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Michael Watterson (IRL)
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That could be, though the Dekatron (ten integrated pins sharing a central electrode) was more common?

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10 Neon Tubes in a Lexan Block - What is it from? 
09.Feb.18 22:05
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Michael Watterson (IRL)
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The capacitors look more 1960s  than 1940s to me?

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10 Neon Tubes in a Lexan Block - What is it from? 
09.Feb.18 22:16
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Marc Gianella (CH)
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Thanks for showing.

Why don't you draw the schematic? This would be interesting and helpful.

Regards, Marc

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