| Soviet Anod OG-4 Series Dekatron Tubes (OG4, OG7, OG9) | |
| Written by AnubisTTP on 2007-01-29 |
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Devices included in this entry:
Soviet OG-4 counter (octal base; pictured in thumbnail)
Soviet OG-7 counter (octal base)
Soviet OG-9 counter (octal base)
The OG-4 is a double-pulse, bidirectional counting tube with a neon fill gas. The OG-4 is a very slow dekatron: it has a rated counting speed of only 2 kHz. The OG-7 is identical to the OG-4, but with an argon fill gas. The OG-7 also has identical pinouts and internal construction as the OG-4, but its counting speed is rated at a brisk 50 kHz. The OG-9 is similar to the OG-4 in appearance, but is a 'computing' tube with multiple output cathodes. All of these tubes were manufactured in both bakelite and metal base variants. The OG-4 and OG-7 are reliable and readily available due to the abundance of Soviet-era surplus on the seondhand market, and the present day builder should should give these parts their full attention when selecting a tube for a modern project.
Soviet OG-4 Datasheet
Soviet OG-4 2kHz counter. During testing we were able to get this sample up to a speed of 2.04 kHz before it failed entirely, but the tube started to drop counts at 1.4 kHz.
Soviet OG-7 50kHz counter. The OG-4 and OG-7 are arguably the best choice tube for a novelty project. They are easier to drive than the single-pulse OG-3, and can be readily bought from sources like eBay in fairly large quantities.
Soviet OG-9 1kHz counter. The OG-9 is the Soviet's multiple output 'computing' variant of the OG-4, a humorous statement given this tube's abysmal counting speed.
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