Green Neon?? Now Wait A Minute!

Eric At Random

Here is a link to the BigClive video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpRMud6EFtE

Eric At Random

I think it was BigClive who did a breakdown of various UV lights (black lights, tanning lights, and UVC sanitization lights). He mentioned that he uses glass lenses in his eyeglasses because it blocks UV without needing a coating and he can trust it (the glass on the UVC lights was special to let the rays through). Perhaps the light is pure UV but can't get through the glass, but it lights the phosphors in the coating.

Mike O'Dell

Green neon sign tubes have green glass, phosphor on the inner surface and they are filled with argon and mercury vapor. The mercury vapor generates much of its output as near UV which pumps the phosphor very efficiently.

Fran Blanche

Yea - the real issue is the striking and operational voltage, and the heavier noble gasses require too much energy to run at low voltages. I'm convinced it is mercury vapor, maybe with some neon.

James Boatright

And from another source, "Each gas used in neon lights has its own color. Neon is red, helium is orange, argon is lavender, krypton is gray or green, mercury vapor is light blue, and xenon is gray or blue. Mixing gases and elements added to a neon light creates different hues. Baking fluorescent powders onto the inside walls of the glass tubes also modifies the colors and shades of the finished neon sign. "

James Boatright

Well, the wonderous wikipedia tells us that "A mixture of 95% neon, 2.5% krypton, and 2.5% argon can be used for a green glow, but nevertheless "green neon" lamps are more commonly phosphor-based." Neon lamps filled with Xenon produce uv, and the inside of the bulb is then coated with phosphors to get any color just like fluorescent lights. I'll bet a brand new shiny nickel that yours is phosphor...

Matt Wietlispach

I opened up my box of neon pilot lights and found some green versions. In the spirit of Franlab, I took it apart and found that it had a resistor in series with a neon-like bulb, but it was frosted internally, just like yours. When 115VAC was supplied, the bulb lit up green, just like yours. The press-fit pilot light was made by Leecraft and you can still buy them. The data sheet is at the following address: http://www.farnell.com/datasheets/1520289.pdf

Dr Andy Hill

Same as above I was thinking of very low pressure mercury maybe with a noble gas too and glass that bloc ks all the UV

Fran Blanche

It is a big part of managing a YT channel these days.

William Nimmo

Neato

Leigh

Many years ago in the mid 80s I bought some green neon bulbs like these at Tandy (aka Radioshack) because they were so different at the time. Think I just made a night light with a couple.

BobC

If you could take active and passive spectra of the bulb, I would not be surprised if the glass itself were absorbing the UV and also fluorescing. The only glass I know of that would fluoresce green is Uranium-doped glass, but that would have an orange-ish color rather than the clear we see here. Shine an intense UV light on the bulb (may need to try a few frequencies to cover the band) and see what happens!

John McCormick

I seen you are Frantically posting new videos. Frantastic!

Weird green...Like the Russian red better :)

Jim

The sign shop wizards have a witches brew of gas/phosphor combos that pretty much cover the rainbow 🌈. Some are tightly held secrets....🙂

fluffy

I've been curious about something for a while: Do you find that the clickbaity thumbnails actually drive engagement? (I have nothing against them and obviously you gotta do what's necessary to make The Algorithm happy.)