Grumpy_Mike:
When talking about a product please provide a link so we know what it is.
Grumpy_Mike:
Your problem seems to be with the hardware of a commercial product so it is your supplier who should answer the question.
The chip is working as intended, it's just not designed to drive these small bulbs. My question isn't about the operation of the chip at all. This chip I have is the russian equivalent of the 74141 BCD-to-decimal nixie driver. But I think that's irrelevant... the question is really about how and if I can to control a device with a smaller draw when I only have the capability to switch my input voltage from 170V to 70V. I'm only used to working with a "low" voltage of 0V.
Grumpy_Mike:
In where and why is it not an option?
Assume we're talking about a single path here, where I can only control the voltage to be either 170V or 70V. I want the bulb to be off when the line is at 70V and on at 170V.
I've already got 200KOhm resistance on it so it lights properly at 170V. If I make that any bigger, (I've tried 1M) the voltage does drop enough to blank it at 70V, but then the bulb is too dim at the "on" voltage of 170V.