Talk:Dekatron

Dekatron used in Anita calculators?
Are you sure any of the Anita calculators used dekatrons? I encountered an early model once, and it had nixies. Actually very good machines for desktop use, even today.

Difficult to see how a calculator could use dekatrons as they don't provide any output for individual digits, only for sequential tens. Thus you could only add (or maybe subract using 9's complement?) but not multiply or divide. --Anteaus (talk) 12:14, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

Read up on it here. 

During development it contained several dekatrons, but they caused problems if kept at one location too long. In the actual, shipped, units it still contained one, in the keyboard scan circuitry, I believe. Yes, you can have both nixies and dekatrons in the same circuit. There were actually two dekatrons, the GCA10 and GSA10, that could actually drive a nixie directly.

Also, there are several types of dekatrons. You're just thinking about 'counters' such as the GC10B, or 6802. Those only brought out a carry. There are also, 'selectors' like the GS10C and 6476, which bring out all 10 cathodes, so any count value can be read. But they can't directly drive a nixie, since those outputs are cathodes. The GCA10 (a counter) and GSA10 (a selector), both had 10 auxiliary anodes, which could be hooked up to the cathodes of a nixie, directly. I have the literature on those devices, but have yet to get my hands on either. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Threeneurons (talk • contribs) 10:00, 26 August 2008 (UTC)

Dekatron was British
The animated illustration of the Dekatron is great - it brings back memories! There is no evidence that the Dekatron was available for most of the 1940s - the Harwell computer, described in the WITCH article, was probably its first application (started in 1949, by a research establishment).The version of the Sumlock ANITA calclator, using a few Dekatrons, was made from 1961 through 1969 (see "Known ANITA calculator models" in the ANITA article). So, the end of the second sentence in this article should be ". . counting-related products during the 1950s and 1960s."

The article does not make it clear that the Dekatron was designed and made in Britain. By the late 1940s the British and Swedish Ericsson firms were no longer affiliated. The third sentence in the article should be as follows:-

"Dekatron, now a generic trademark, was the brand name used by the British Ericsson Telephones Limited (ETL), of Beeston, Nottinghamshire - not LM Ericsson Telefon AB (LME), of Stockholm, Sweden."

I cannot find a verifiable citation for this fact, but offer several pieces of circumstantial evidence:-

+ The "Plessey" article (in its Post World War II section) states that in 1961 Plessey merged the British Ericsson Telephone company and A T & E . This merger could only have happened if British Ericsson was then independent.

+ The two products (Sumlock ANITA and WITCH computer), listed under 'See Also", were made in Britain.

+ In the "Nixie" tube article (fourth paragraph under History) it is stated that Dekatron was the well known trade name in the UK for a glow-transfer counter tube.

+ In mid-1953 I wrote to ETL, requesting the electrical specifications of the Dekatron, as I hoped to develop a drive circuit, using point-contact transistors. In my letter, I also mentioned the Trochotron (made by LME). I did not receive the requested specs - but the reply from Beeston emphasized that the British and Swedish Ericsson firms were not in any way associated.

On a lighter note - the text could be made more positive by taking out the "if" and "will" in two sentences, in the operating descriptions, as follows:-

"When a dekatron . . a glowing dot appears . ."

"The color of the dot depends on . . "

The "See Also" reference to the Trochotron should be removed, as that article is no longer in Wikipedia.


 * The above changes have been made  JohnRAbrams (talk) 23:56, 30 June 2010 (UTC)

Guide Polarity on drawing has been corrected - Aug 17, 2011
For starter's the middle round disk, is the anode(+), and the 30 rods surrounding it, are the cathodes. They are ordered in 3 sets, of ten. That is G1, G2, Mx, G1, G2, Mx+1, ... When sitting idle the glow, and conduction, rest at one of the 'M' cathodes. The guides, G1 & G2, are bias slightly positive. Usually ~+35V. To transfer (count) the glow, a negative pulse is first applied to a guide. Say its clockwise. Then a negative going pulse, of at least 80V, is first applied to G1. This forces the glow from 'Mx' to go to its nearest G1 rod, since that rod is more negative. Shortly, afterwards, a pulse is applied to G2, this will make G1 & G2 share the glow momentarily. The pulse at G1, should then be raise (made more positive), and the glow sitting at G2. G2 then can be raised. The only place for the glow to go, is "Mx+1", since the guides will both now be slightly positive again. Physics dictates the guide pulse polarity. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Threeneurons (talk • contribs) 02:38, 18 August 2011 (UTC)

External links modified
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