Nixie Clocks!

[ctechbob]

I've always been a big fan of nixie tubes and actually put together a clock a few years back with a PV electronics board and some vintage russian tubes. I'd decided that I was bored and noticed a few weeks ago that the chinese have managed to throw together a functional circuit board that uses the upright IN14 tubes, which I think look a little more 'tubey' than the IN12's I built my original clock with . Decided it was worth the money to find out.

Not a bad kit, previously used IN14's are a little difficult to get into the holes, but all in all, not a bad project for a couple hours on the evening and not too bad on the pocketbook either.

for reference, the bottom clock in the pictures is my original. PV Electronics board, 3.5" HD case (Modified with the switches) and a bamboo utensil holder on top with polished copper pipes as the standoff. That one took me a few weeks to put together working on it here and there. New one was under 2 hours start to finish.

 

[Creekside]

That’s really cool. I don’t think I’ve ever seen one before

 

[ctechbob]

Well, to be fair, a lot of people haven't seen a nixie in real life. They stopped being used in most of the world in the 70's but continued on in CCCP (Soviet Union) for a while after as they were decently behind in display technology. All of the tubes I currently have are stamped 'CCCP' which I find cool in and of itself.

Nixie tube - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[ka9mnx]

I too have always loved Nixie clocks but sourcing parts (NOS) and cost prohibited me of making one. I've seen lately on Ebay the China kits are available and reasonable. There was a source for them a while back but they were like $600.00!

 

[kschachn]

I too have always loved Nixie clocks but sourcing parts (NOS) and cost prohibited me of making one. I've seen lately on Ebay the China kits are available and reasonable. There was a source for them a while back but they were like $600.00!

There are many kits for far less than $600 (including the tubes), some with GPS time correction. I've been thinking of building one myself.

 

[wings&wheels]

I remember those from gas pumps in the 70's..thought they were cool then and still do. Maybe they were Numitrons...

 

[Kira]

The video links didn't work.
Now I know what to call the countdown clock in the atomic bomb in Goldfinger.
Never saw one in a gas pump.

 

[wings&wheels]

The video links didn't work.
Now I know what to call the countdown clock in the atomic bomb in Goldfinger.
Never saw one in a gas pump.

Looking around the 'web now, those were probably Numitron vacuum tubes. I remember this one station near us that was the first one locally to replace the mechanical displays w/ these. Probably early 70's, I was 8-10 or so and I remember my Uncle, who was in electronics then, talking about them.

 

[redbone3]

Back in the '70s they were state of the art for frequency counters and digital volt meters.

 

[ctechbob]

Oops, videos should be fixed.

There are many kits for far less than $600 (including the tubes), some with GPS time correction. I've been thinking of building one myself.

My handmade clock probably has $100 in parts, the IN14 (Upright tube) clock was $80 in parts.

IN12 Tubes are far cheaper and easier to get, you'll look to spend in the $40-60 range for 6 of them. The Chinese circuit boards are in the $25-30 range. Then the only other thing you need is a micro USB power supply which most people have extras laying around.

One thing I am noticing about this Chinese board is they look to be driving the tubes quite hard. Time will tell what kind of life that takes out of them. The PV Electronics board in my handbuilt is running a much lower current. You can tell as there's no blue glow around the PV Electronics setup whereas the Chinese setup has got a lovely blue glow around the electrodes, which isn't great, but its a toy, I don't expect it to last forever.

 

[ctechbob]

Here's a link to the PV Electronics site. Their boards a very very good, and take care of the tubes. They are also very reasonable and you can buy different cases to go with your clock if you wish. Just pick up some tubes from eBay and have at it.

Nixie Tube Clock Kits - PV Electronics

Nixie Clock Kits shipped worldwide to over 60 countries. PVE Electronics #1 in Nixie Clocks!

pvelectronics.co.uk

 

[Cujet]

Very cool, I've always liked them and want one. I may have to look at this Chinese kit.

Any suggestion on what tubes are the best or most pleasing choice?

 

[ctechbob]

Very cool, I've always liked them and want one. I may have to look at this Chinese kit.

Any suggestion on what tubes are the best or most pleasing choice?

I do like the IR14 tubes as they look more 'old fashioned' to me since they're upright and have the little glass nipple at the top. IE they look more like a vacuum tube in the classic sense. They are a little more expensive and a little more fiddly to deal with as they use wires instead of pins to make the connection. It is a bit of a pain to get all 11 wires where they are supposed to go as opposed to putting something in a socket.

IN12 tubes still look good and are easier to work with. Both should have similar lifespans.

I would give a look to PV Electronics, like I mentioned above, I feel they use more reasonable drive currents with their boards and the tubes should last longer. Looks like they have an IR12 4 tube kit that starts at $60 which is pretty well priced.

Their instructions are going to be a lot better than the chinese kit as well. The instructions I got with the chinese kit were pretty much 'the white insulated pin goes here' That was just about it. Granted, they'd already assembled all of the components on the board, whereas a lot of the PV kits you have to put together, but if you are somewhat handy with a soldering iron it is no big deal.

Nixie FunKlock Kit With Tubes Included - £109.95 - PV Electronics

Nixie FunKlock Kit With Tubes Included - Hobby Clock Kit of Parts to be soldered together Hours and Minutes display on four IN-12 tubes 0.71" / 18mm Digit Height Ideal as a gift - either the kit or the completed clock. Choose from a range of colours for the tube backlighting Programmable...

www.pvelectronics.co.uk

FWIW, this is the board I used for my IR12 clock with the Hard Drive and Bamboo Utensil enclosures (The bottom clock in the pictures)

Nixie Tube Clock Kit For Remote Tubes - £42.95 - PV Electronics

Nixie Tube Clock Kit For Remote Tubes - This kit has been specially designed for creators, artists and designers, who wish to incorporate a Nixie Clock into their designs and products. The tubes are wired remotely from the PCB, so the tubes can go pretty much anywhere - limited only by your...

www.pvelectronics.co.uk

 

[Randol]

When I first started my career at GE Aircraft Engines, we had some test stands that had instruments with Nixie Tubes.

 

[ctechbob]

I brainfarted on the above. 60 pounds is about $80....I didn't do the conversion before posting. That kit does include the tubes though, so you don't have to search them out.

 

[Cujet]

Thanks for the links!! I'm not too worried about the cost though. This is a hobby type thing and I'd be happy to spend the bucks to get the style I like. Maybe around $250 is OK.

 

[ctechbob]

I decided I wanted to go ahead and build one to put on my desk at work. This is just a little IN12 tubed clock, again with a cheap import knockoff board.

Other than a single tube clock, this is probably the cheapest you could get into one of these clocks. About $25-28 for the board and anywhere from $20 and up for the tubes give or take. The kit is complete with the socket pins, which is the only thing you have to solder. Put the pins on the tubes, put the tubes in the board, and solder. That way you can assure that the pins line up properly.