Dekatrons of the World - Industrial Alchemy

Dekatrons of the World
Written by AnubisTTP on 2009-03-26

For photographs and historical information, please refer to the Glow Transfer Counting Tubes section of our electronics museum.

Soviet Dekatrons

Part Number Envelope Manufacture Type Color/Fill Speed Base Notes

A-101 Soviet Double pulse selector Orange
Helium-Neon 1kHz 13 pin base .

A-102 Soviet Double pulse selector Purple
? 20kHz 13 pin base .

A-103 Soviet Double pulse selector Purple
Helium-Hydrogen 50kHz 13 pin base .

A-106 Soviet Single guide selector Purple
Helium-Hydrogen 100kHz 13 pin base This tube has 20 shaped cathodes.

A-107 Soviet Selector Purple
Helium-Hydrogen 1MHz 12 pin base Tiny. Envelope diameter is only 19mm.

A-108 Soviet Selector Orange
Helium-Neon 10kHz 12 pin base A base-5 tube. Same envelope as A-107.

A-109 Soviet Selector Purple
Unknown 100kHz 12 pin base This is another base-5 tube. Same envelope as A-107.

A-110 Soviet Selector Unknown 1MHz 13 pin base .

A-201 Soviet Selector Orange
Helium-Neon 10kHz 14 pin base This tube is a polyatron, with a central cathode and 30 anodes.

OG-3 Soviet Single pulse counter Purple
Unknown 20kHz Octal This tube has forty cathodes and two output pins.

OG-4 Soviet Double pulse counter Orange
Helium-Neon 2kHz Octal .

OG-5 Soviet Counter Unknown 10kHz Octal Not covered in the Russian documentation, but at least one example is known to exist.

OG-7 Soviet Double pulse counter Purple
Unknown 50kHz Octal This tube has the same pinouts and construction as the OG-4.

OG-8 Soviet Single guide counter Purple
Unknown 100kHz Octal This tube has 20 shaped cathodes and a very high anode voltage. Fill gas is unknown, but the tube glows purple.

OG-9 Soviet Double pulse counter Orange
Helium-Neon 1kHz Octal Computing counter version of the OG-4

Japanese Dekatrons

Part Number Envelope Manufacture Type Fill Speed Base Notes

DK23 Rodan Single pulse counter Orange
Unknown 20Khz Octal This tube has forty cathodes.

DK24 Rodan Single pulse selector Orange
Unknown 20Khz 14 pin loctal This tube has forty cathodes.

DK25 Rodan Single pulse selector Orange
Unknown 20Khz 14 pin loctal This tube has forty cathodes.

DK26 Rodan Single pulse selector Orange
Unknown 20Khz 14 pin loctal This tube has forty cathodes.

DK27 Rodan Single pulse counter Orange
Unknown 4Khz Octal This tube has forty cathodes.

DK28 Rodan Single pulse selector Orange
Unknown 4Khz 14 pin loctal This tube has forty cathodes.

US Dekatrons

Part Number Envelope Manufacture Type Fill Speed Base Notes

6802 Sylvania Double pulse counter Neon 4Khz Octal Four output cathodes.

6909 Sylvania Double pulse counter Penning 100Khz Octal Four output cathodes. Highly vulnerable to outgassing.

6879 Sylvania Double pulse counter Neon 5Khz 7 pin One of the smallest dekatrons ever made. 3 output cathodes.

7155 Sylvania Double pulse counter Penning 100Khz 7 pin As small as the 6879. 3 output cathodes. Notorious for outgassing.
8353 Sylvania Double pulse selector Neon 4Khz 13 pin Stubby "compactron" style glass envelope. The 13 pin sockets used for some Burroughs nixie tubes will work with this dekatron.
8035 Sylvania Double pulse selector Penning 100Khz 13 pin Same envelope as the 8353. Notorious for outgassing.

6476 Sylvania Double pulse selector Neon 4Khz Duodecal This tube uses a 12 pin duodecal base with a 13th pin in the center for the anode.

6476A
CV2325 Sylvania Double pulse selector Neon 4Khz Duodecal Identical to the 6476, but with a higher cathode to cathode voltage rating.

6910 Sylvania Double pulse selector Penning 100Khz Duodecal Same envelope as the 6476. Highly vulnerable to outgassing.

CT-4251 Sylvania Double pulse selector Penning 100Khz 13 pin Internal part number version of the 8035.

CT-854 Sylvania Double pulse counter Neon 5Khz 7 pin Internal part number version of the 6879.

CT-783 Sylvania Single pulse counter Unknown Unknown Octal This tube has forty cathodes.

6482 Sylvania Double pulse counter Neon 4Khz Octal Identical to the 6802, but with only a single output cathode.

6846 Sylvania Binary flip flop Neon 10Khz 7 pin Three cathodes, one of which is the guide.

BG08220-K Burroughs Quadruple guide ring counter Neon Unknown Planar This very unusual device is a base-24 glow transfer display packaged in a flat planar envelope.

7978 Raytheon Double pulse selector Unknown 5Khz 13 pin This tube has a lengthy all glass envelope, longer than an 8353.
8262 Raytheon Double pulse selector Unknown 100Khz 13 pin Envelope is identical to the 7978.

CK6802 Raytheon Double pulse counter Neon 4Khz Octal Identical to the Sylvania part number.

CK6909 Raytheon Double pulse counter Unknown 100Khz Octal Identical to the Sylvania part number.
CK6476 Raytheon Double pulse selector Neon 4Khz Duodecal Identical to the Sylvania part number.

CK6476A Raytheon Double pulse selector Neon 4Khz Duodecal Identical to the Sylvania part number.

CK6910 Raytheon Double pulse selector Unknown 100Khz Duodecal Identical to the Sylvania part number.

6167 Western Electric Single guide selector Neon 1Khz 16 pin 21 bent cathodes (one outside the count loop to act as a zeroing cathode), and a supplemental anode.

European Dekatrons

Part Number Envelope Manufacture Type Fill Speed Base Notes

GC10A
CV2199 Ericsson Unknown Helium Unknown Octal The first dekatron commercially released Rare.

GC10/3A Ericsson Double pulse counter Unknown Unknown Octal Unconfirmed, but this is probably a three output cathode version of the GC10A. Rare.

GC10B
CV2271 Ericsson Double pulse counter Neon 4Khz Octal Single output cathode.

GC10B/S Ericsson Double pulse counter Neon 4Khz Octal 'Services' variant of the GC10B.

GC10B/L
CV6044 Ericsson Double pulse counter Neon 4Khz Octal Long life version of GC10B.

GC10/4B
CV1739 Ericsson Double pulse counter Neon 4Khz Octal "Computing" version of GC10B with four output cathodes.

GC10/4B/L Ericsson Double pulse counter Neon 4Khz Octal Long life version of GC10/4B.

GC10D
CV5143 Ericsson Single pulse counter Mixed 20Khz Octal This tube has 40 cathodes. Prone to outgassing.

GC10/2P
CV8282 Ericsson Double pulse counter Neon 1Khz 7 Pin This tube has a tiny seven pin envelope.

GC10/4C Ericsson Double pulse counter Neon Unknown Octal Shorter version of the GC10/4B.

GS10C Ericsson Double pulse selector Neon 4Khz Duodecal .

GS10C/S Ericsson Double pulse selector Neon 4Khz Duodecal 'Services' variant of the GS10C.

GS10D Ericsson Double pulse selector Hydrogen 20Khz Duodecal This tube's 20Khz count speed can only be attained when driven by a sine wave input signal. When using square wave signals, the tube is only rated for 10Khz.

GS10E Ericsson Double pulse selector Unknown 10Khz Duodecal .

GS10J Ericsson Double pulse selector Unknown 1Khz B17A .

GS10H
CV8630 Ericsson Double pulse selector Unknown 5Khz B17A .

GS10G Ericsson Double pulse selector Unknown 10Khz B27A Transistional part with top getter and side view cathodes.

GS10K Ericsson Double pulse selector Unknown 10Khz B27A Three sets of guides for higher current output.

GC12/4B Ericsson Double pulse counter Neon 4Khz Octal A base 12 version of the GC10/4B

GS12D
CV8274 Ericsson Double pulse counter Neon 4Khz Duodecal A base 12 version of the GS10C. Has a duodecal base with two flying leads exiting from either side, for a total of 15 base connections.

GS12C
CV1740 Ericsson Double pulse counter Neon 4Khz Special This base 12 tube has 16 solder tabs instead of pins on its base.

GCA10G Ericsson Double pulse counter Neon 10Khz B27A A rather complex device, the GCA10G has ten supplemental anodes for direct drive of a nixie display tube.

GSA10G Ericsson Double pulse counter Neon 10Khz B27A This a selector version of the GCA10G direct drive dekatron.

G10/240E STC Unknown Selector Unknown Unknown Duodecal This is a nomotron, a gas filled selector with a metal shield that indicates count position. Uses large 'radio envelope' with an anode cap.

G10/241E STC Single guide selector Neon 20Khz Duodecal This is a nomotron, a gas filled selector with a metal shield that indicates count position.

Z302C Mullard Double pulse counter Unknown 1Khz Octal These tubes are designed to be coupled together without any intermediate amplification, and have an unusual internal guide configuration to acomplish this.

Z303C Mullard Double pulse counter Neon 4Khz Octal .

Z502S Mullard Double pulse selector Neon 4Khz Duodecal .

Z504S Mullard Double pulse selector Neon 4Khz 13 pin Stubby "compactron" style glass envelope.

Z505S Mullard Double pulse selector Unknown 50Khz 13 pin This tube has the same envelope as the Z504S. Fill gas is unknown, but the tube glows orange.

ZM1070 Valvo Double pulse selector Neon 4Khz 13 pin Identical to the Z504S.

ZM1060 Valvo Double pulse selector Unknown 50Khz 13 pin Identical to the Z505S.

Z562S RFT Double pulse selector Neon 5Khz 13 pin .

Z563C RFT Double pulse counter Neon 5Khz 13 pin .

Z564S RFT Double pulse selector Unknown 25kHz 13 pin .

Z565C RFT Double pulse counter Unknown 25kHz 13 pin .

Z572S RFT Double pulse selector Neon 5kHz B27A This tube has ten supplemental anodes for direct drive of a nixie display tube.

Z573C RFT Double pulse counter Neon 5kHz B27A This tube has ten supplemental anodes for direct drive of a nixie display tube.

DZ10 Cerberus Single guide selector Neon 3Khz 14 pin This is a nomotron, a gas filled selector with a metal shield that indicates count position.

N3 Pressler Single guide counter Unknown 25Khz 8 pin special This tube is specifically designed to operate in a base -5 or base-10 manner.

N4 Pressler Single guide selector Unknown 25Khz Duodecal .

11TU7 Tesla Single guide selector Neon 20Khz Duodecal This is a nomotron, a gas filled selector with a metal shield that indicates count position.

EZ10 Elesta Single guide selector Argon 50Khz 13 pin The smallest nomotron known. Has a metal plate with mask holes covering the cathodes.

EZ10A Elesta Single guide selector Argon 300Khz 13 pin This tube has 20 shaped cathodes in a tiny envelope.

EZ10B Elesta Single guide selector Hydrogen 1Mhz 13 pin Identical envelope to the EZ10A, but with a hydrogen fill gas.

ECT100 Elesta Quadruple pulse selector Hydrogen 1Mhz 15 pin Smaller envelope than the EZ10B. 20 complex shaped cathodes and ten secondary output electrodes.

Part Number	Envelope	Manufacture	Type	Color/Fill	Speed	Base	Notes
A-101		Soviet	Double pulse selector	Orange Helium-Neon	1kHz	13 pin base	.
A-102		Soviet	Double pulse selector	Purple ?	20kHz	13 pin base	.
A-103		Soviet	Double pulse selector	Purple Helium-Hydrogen	50kHz	13 pin base	.
A-106		Soviet	Single guide selector	Purple Helium-Hydrogen	100kHz	13 pin base	This tube has 20 shaped cathodes.
A-107		Soviet	Selector	Purple Helium-Hydrogen	1MHz	12 pin base	Tiny. Envelope diameter is only 19mm.
A-108		Soviet	Selector	Orange Helium-Neon	10kHz	12 pin base	A base-5 tube. Same envelope as A-107.
A-109		Soviet	Selector	Purple Unknown	100kHz	12 pin base	This is another base-5 tube. Same envelope as A-107.
A-110		Soviet	Selector	Unknown	1MHz	13 pin base	.
A-201		Soviet	Selector	Orange Helium-Neon	10kHz	14 pin base	This tube is a polyatron, with a central cathode and 30 anodes.
OG-3		Soviet	Single pulse counter	Purple Unknown	20kHz	Octal	This tube has forty cathodes and two output pins.
OG-4		Soviet	Double pulse counter	Orange Helium-Neon	2kHz	Octal	.
OG-5		Soviet	Counter	Unknown	10kHz	Octal	Not covered in the Russian documentation, but at least one example is known to exist.
OG-7		Soviet	Double pulse counter	Purple Unknown	50kHz	Octal	This tube has the same pinouts and construction as the OG-4.
OG-8		Soviet	Single guide counter	Purple Unknown	100kHz	Octal	This tube has 20 shaped cathodes and a very high anode voltage. Fill gas is unknown, but the tube glows purple.
OG-9		Soviet	Double pulse counter	Orange Helium-Neon	1kHz	Octal	Computing counter version of the OG-4