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Not quite LED but Nixie tube watches!

Discussion on Nixies, Jump Hours and all other digital watches, clocks and gadgets
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autochanger

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Not quite LED but Nixie tube watches!

Post30 Jan 2008, 00:32

Do these watches deserve a section of their own?
They use Nixie tubes (known as valves in the UK) Technology older than LEDs. Originally so big they were only in clocks etc, but look at the these watches in the links below.
http://www.amug.org/~jthomas/watch.html
http://www.retrothing.com/2005/12/neat_new_nixie_.html

Does anyone have any experience of either of the above?

Roy
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J Thomas

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: Not quite LED but Nixie tube watches!

Post01 Feb 2008, 15:44

:-D
Last edited by J Thomas on 30 Mar 2011, 04:28, edited 1 time in total.
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: Not quite LED but Nixie tube watches!

Post01 Feb 2008, 17:38

AH Yes that is you Jeff Thomas,i remember reading about your project some time ago.Is there still a link to the original article you wrote?
Of course my dad opted to use a wire filament display from Pin lights corp for his first digital display watch in 1968.


I did always wonder why the cathode corner watch presented itself as the first when you had already done it.
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Re: : Not quite LED but Nixie tube watches!

Post01 Feb 2008, 18:50

:-D
Last edited by J Thomas on 30 Mar 2011, 04:28, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: : Not quite LED but Nixie tube watches!

Post01 Feb 2008, 19:12

:-D
Last edited by J Thomas on 30 Mar 2011, 04:29, edited 1 time in total.
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: Not quite LED but Nixie tube watches!

Post01 Feb 2008, 21:42

Well...i can't tell people 1967.It's like saying we landed on the moon in 1968.He had a breadboard functioning circuit of over sized componets for a watch size in 1967 so i consider it not yet put into a watch size form till 1968.


Still looking for an electronis CMOS process and design specialist from my fathers generation to complete the MK V drawings he was 98% done with.Not many of those experts left i am told.No general new school electronics engineer would be able to put the pieces together.
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: Not quite LED but Nixie tube watches!

Post02 Feb 2008, 00:00

I like what Krusty says to children :lol:
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Re: : Not quite LED but Nixie tube watches!

Post04 Feb 2008, 21:46

:-D
Last edited by J Thomas on 30 Mar 2011, 04:29, edited 1 time in total.
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: Not quite LED but Nixie tube watches!

Post09 Feb 2008, 00:19

Hi Jeff,

It's great to see you here at dwf. I always wanted one of your nixie watches, but discovered them long after you sold out. I was at least lucky enough to get the last black NixiChron you had. I never regretted that purchase as she's still running like new and gets conversations going from anyone who visits my home. :-D

Just wanted to say hello, and thanks for the great Nixie Clock!
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: Not quite LED but Nixie tube watches!

Post09 Feb 2008, 06:44

Curious stuff!

Before this thread, I'd never heard of the word "Nixie". I recognize what an NIX-1 tube is, seen plenty in old sci-fi movies, but always thought of them as just "primitive LED"s.

Those Nixie clocks look so cool, so retro. It must be fun putting one of those together. :-)
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Re: : Not quite LED but Nixie tube watches!

Post10 Feb 2008, 20:39

:-D
Last edited by J Thomas on 30 Mar 2011, 04:30, edited 1 time in total.
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: Not quite LED but Nixie tube watches!

Post12 Feb 2008, 22:22

I'm saddened to see you're not making them anymore, Jeff. :cry: These are such great clocks, fantastic conversation pieces. Do you think you might make another run of them someday? Or... do you have a recommended "second best" to get somewhere else?
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: Not quite LED but Nixie tube watches!

Post13 Feb 2008, 00:27

These are such great clocks, fantastic conversation pieces


When people come to visit they always ask about my nixie clock, I'd highly recommend building one you get great satisfaction from seeing those orange numbers light up for the first time.

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This is the kit I used - http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Nixie-clock-kit-with-tube-board-new-Software_W0QQitemZ290205470695QQihZ019QQcategoryZ294QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD2VQQcmdZViewItem?_trksid=p1638.m122
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: Not quite LED but Nixie tube watches!

Post13 Feb 2008, 02:07

Very cool, Klippie! You did a fabulous job. I very much like the casing you chose for your Nixies. I have all kinds of ideas floating around in my head about designs... ;-)

I see that the kit comes with only a few essential parts and that you need to get the tubes and power supply yourself. Did you find the instructions easy enough to follow? If you're good at general soldering with a limited knowledge of electronics, is it feasible? Are there good US spec power supplies available that provide some kind of current protection? Where did you find the Nixie tubes that you used?
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: Not quite LED but Nixie tube watches!

Post14 Feb 2008, 00:58

Thanks for the kind words... :-) , I'am quite handy with a soldering iron but the kit is very easy to build even for a novice the instructions can be downloaded from the sellers site in Acrobat format with step by step pictures showing how to place the components on the board then through set-up and testing etc.

The nixies I used are IN-8-2 tubes they give a number size about 3/4inch high and are very plentiful and cheap on Ebay, mine came from Russia these are the best quality and are new old stock, buy twelve in case they get broken so you'll always have spare matching tubes.

Check out here - http://search.ebay.co.uk/in-8-2-nixie_W0QQ_trksidZm37QQcatrefZC6QQdfspZ32QQflocZ1QQfromZR10QQfsooZ2QQfsopZ32QQftrtZ1QQftrvZ1QQga10244Z10425QQlredZinQ208Q202Q20nixiesQQpqryZinQ208Q202Q20nixiesQQsabfmtsZ1QQsacatZQ2d1QQsaobfmtsZinsifQQsaslcZ2

I use a AC power supply which allows the clock to take its timebase from the AC frequency and is quite accurate they will be available in any electronics store, Maplins in the UK sell them and I'am sure Radio Shack in the US will do the same.

Building a nixie clock is a great project to take on and the feeling of accomplishment when its finished is amazing.
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: Not quite LED but Nixie tube watches!

Post23 Feb 2008, 20:42

My nixie clock with the russian nixie tubes. You can tell it's the russian tubes as the 2 is the inverse of the 5 thus saving in production costs.

This was fully assembled and also a kit from Ebay and keeps wonderful time. A real throwback to the mid 60's.

Cheers, Geoff

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: Not quite LED but Nixie tube watches!

Post24 Feb 2008, 19:57

Now that's a nice one :-)
I really like the plain look, not yelling "hey look at my shiny innards". And it's small enough not to dominate a desk. Can you tell where you got it?

BTW that radio: my parents had almost the same (only AM+FM, no SW) in red as kitchen radio for almost 30 years (my mother's first radio, purchased with her first self-earned money). They threw it away (!!!) when they modernized the kitchen a fews year ago. It was in perfect working order... Germanium transistors, very good sound for its size...
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: Not quite LED but Nixie tube watches!

Post31 Mar 2008, 08:28

I was inspired by the Nixie cloks you guys made and have just finished my own. See below:

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I bought the kit off Ebay, and IN-18 tubes off Ebay too. All striaght from the Ukraine ! IN-3 bulbs as colon separators.

I made the box from plywood and sprayed it with green 'hammer-finish' paint........gives it a 60s industrial look !

Rgds,
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: Not quite LED but Nixie tube watches!

Post31 Mar 2008, 19:04

IN-18's now your talking, thats the ulitimate tubes to use for a nixie clock.

Charger your clock looks fantastic very well done... :-D

How long do you sit for just looking at it flicking through the numbers... 8-)
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: Not quite LED but Nixie tube watches!

Post01 Apr 2008, 11:03

Thanks Klippie.
Sometimes I stare at the rolling seconds count for hours.......it's mesmerising ! if you stare at it for long enough you can see the minutes and hours tick over as well 8-) .

Yep, the IN-18 tubes are really good. Nice and big, with correct 5s and 2s and a plug-in base. They are pricey though.

I like the features on this clock too. Auto adjust for daylight savings, auto-shut down at night, and a GPS input. I might get a GPS receiver for it so that it becoms a super accurate time reference.

Rgds.
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: Not quite LED but Nixie tube watches!

Post01 Apr 2008, 11:35

Getting slightly off topic, heres 16 digits of nixie wonderfullness in the form a 1969 Toshiba Calculator and a variety of other every shrinking/evolving calculating devices !!


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Last edited by Diginut on 01 Apr 2008, 19:33, edited 1 time in total.
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: Not quite LED but Nixie tube watches!

Post01 Apr 2008, 16:28

Oh man, that nixie calculator looks awsome!! I wonder what the guys at work would think of me if I took something like that in and actually used it lol. :-D
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