Links

Nixie tube clocks

B7971 Smartsocket driver:

Introduction

What does it do? Movies!

Download the PDF manual

 

IN-18 nixie clock

The ball clock

Floating tube clock

The infinity clock

A slim clock

A slim couple of clocks

Pyramid clock

Panel meter clock

Two tube Charlienixie clock

A small two tube clock

 

Panaplex clocks

The pinball clock

 

LED clocks

The Holoclock

 

Charlieplexed LED clocks

Charlieplexed clocks intro

Circular clock 1

Circular clock 2

Circular clock 3

Circular clock 4

Circular clock 5

Circular clock 6

7 segment dotty clock

 

VFD clocks

Approximate clock

Russian IV-18 clock

 

The infinity clock

HIVAC XN3 nixie tubes, small neons and an infinity effect

This was the first clock I ever made. I remembered nixie tubes from my youth and started to search the web for information. I came across Mike's Electricstuff and saw it was possible to build a clock using discrete components, which was the limit of my ability at the time.

Then began a hunt for some nixie tubes. After a fruitless search of various electronic surplus places in the UK I eventually bought a set of four HIVAC XN3s on ebay and I was away.

A simple clock seemed too boring so I thought of doing a clock with an infinity effect. This woks by placing half silvered film on the glass in front of the tubes and a mirror behind the glass. What you then get is mutliple reflections. You can see many of them receeding far into the distance. The camera picks up rather less although the picture below gives the idea.

In addition this clock has the tubes on clear pedestals, in which there is a small neon, which flicks across all four tubes, once a second.

A successful clock and one I am still very fond of. I have plans for more infinity clocks and also for other special optical effects which for now must remain secret.