Nixie clock

hotpickups

An odd one this. I’ve have an idea for a fun project but it involves a nixie valve clock. I think they’re amazing but has anyone made one before and have any advice etc. 

Alternatively I could try and search for a nixie effect clock which would be an easier solution or a ready made one.   

axisus

I came here to see what a Nixie clock was. I am none the wiser.

hotpickups

axisus said:

I came here to see what a Nixie clock was. I am none the wiser.

Lol @axisus ;basically one of these:-

https://imgur.com/a/FWwye8n

SlopeSoarer

Never heard of them but would look great in the right setting.

hotpickups

SlopeSoarer said:

Never heard of them but would look great in the right setting.

Yeah they’re amazing but pricey. Understandably though 

axisus

hotpickups said:

axisus said:

I came here to see what a Nixie clock was. I am none the wiser.

Lol @axisus ;basically one of these:-

https://imgur.com/a/FWwye8n

Ahhh .... I like it!

vasselmeyer

Nixie tubes are unbelievably cool tech for the time they were developed. Most of the ones you can buy these days are NOS, but if you have time, watch the video below, it's astonishing. A guy got into Nixie tubes, found out that they were no longer made so he set up an entire production line to manufacture new ones. These are a work of art.

The price, is $135 per tube but when you look what he has done...even down to making the glass and creating the vacuum, this is artisan-level manufacturing. I like the line in the video where he says he "ran out of room in the shed so we moved into a castle".

hotpickups

vasselmeyer said:

Nixie tubes are unbelievably cool tech for the time they were developed. Most of the ones you can buy these days are NOS, but if you have time, watch the video below, it's astonishing. A guy got into Nixie tubes, found out that they were no longer made so he set up an entire production line to manufacture new ones. These are a work of art.

The price, is $135 per tube but when you look what he has done...even down to making the glass and creating the vacuum, this is artisan-level manufacturing. I like the line in the video where he says he "ran out of room in the shed so we moved into a castle".

£135 a tube? That’s my project out of the window then 

vasselmeyer

That's for brand new handmade ones. You can see in the video why they cost so much. You can buy NOS ones for a lot less.

thermionic

I notice that some of the ebay kits are LED-powered Nixie-alikes.

hollywoodrox

I remember a frequency counter in the 80s having them (not made in the 80s I saw it in someone’s ham radio setup )