Bubble tube lamps - explanation and construction @AppliedScience

Uploaded April 2013 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

I've always liked these bubble tube lamps that used to be built into Christmas tree ornaments, and were also featured in classic jukeboxes. I decided to make one in my own shop and here I explain how they work and how I built one.

Bubble tube lamps - explanation and construction

$Use an oscilloscope to collect optical spectral data Im using my new Tek oscilloscope to collect data from a DIY spectrometer. The scope is in X-Y mode with infinite persistence. The X axis is controlled by the rotational position of the diffraction grating in the spectrometer, and the Y axis is controlled by the photomultiplier tube, which is detecting the spectra. In this video, I discuss the scope setup, and in future videos, I will talk more about the spectrometer, and how to use it.$

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