r/nixie

I had a coupon so I picked up one of these 6 digit Chinese Nixie Clock boards with WiFi... Overall it seems pretty nice, ESP32 controller with plenty of options and it seems to sync to an internet time server so it stays accurate right to the second. Comes with a remote and some hacky looking apps for pc and Android. But in true Aliexpress style, documentation is a bit confusing and translation issues don't help.

There are a lot of options and I'm not sure that I understand them all. I actually don't care for most of them but am trying to figure out how to disable the cathode poisoning routines, which are a bit distracting at every 30 seconds. I'm sure I'll figure it out, but it's worth asking lol.

I have built my previous clock with the non-WiFi version and that's a good board other than I do like the time syncing. That said, the on board R8025 clock chip is surprisingly accurate so that's not a big deal. I do see an occasional quick single 'flicker' every once in a while on this board that the old one doesn't display - that might be related to one of these functions or the time syncing - it's hardly noticeable, but I see it lol.

Anyhoo - if anyone here is using this and can explain some of the settings that would be great.

TIA

EDIT - goes without saying that I've got this on a segregated guest network... You never know lol.

Shown at Opensauce this year. Ground-up design between the two of us w/ ZM1000 tubes. Video is from a content creator that came around and interviewed us last month. https://www.instagram.com/reels/Da_dkMzPSzn/

More renders and colors here: https://overengineering.department.wtf
If you might want one if we do a small batch, you can leave your email on the site

If you have happy memories of shopping at Radio Shack stores, you no doubt got parts vacuum sealed on cardboard.

Often these were industrial surplus, and if you didn’t buy today, a fresh resupply may never come back to the store.

These are from OLSON stores that started up as a Radio Shack clone in Akron, Ohio.

The Nixies are surplus NOS NEC CD66. One of my all time favorites, with unique horizontal “wire frame” Anodes. Very cool!

It's kinda works but, third and fourth obviously have problems with me

I made for my clock on M753Z Nixie tubes. Tomorrow I’ll install the tubes and run the first tests of the entire system.

I’ve set the time, that the 16::08:45 and when I press the button to toggle through the ‘faces’ mainly to turn it off at night there’s 2 other ones, one appears to be another clock(2nd setting)? And the other (3rd/ lat one) I have no idea, the first digit only goes to 12 so assumed it American day but the 2 set of digits got too a hundred not 30 like in a month.

Hi,

I just noticed with my clock one of the tubes isn't displaying correctly anymore.

It's the tube on the left in the photo. You can see how the number is properly displayed in the tube on the right.

It's an IN-14 tube manufactured in early 1980s.

I've had my clock continuously turned on for the past 3 years.

Is the tube burning out?

How long will it last until it dies completely?

60+ years old and still going (and glowing) strong

Soo now i have to think how to assembly 3 more of them

Did you know the Z5900M Nixie tubes we're using are more than 40 years old?

It is truly mind-blowing how all of these tubes survived until today and are still glowing like they did decades ago!

Not only that, most of them have a history of being used in calculators and lab instruments, which gives each of them a unique journey.

I’ve been sitting here, trying to figure out from old books, completely from scratch, how to build a Nixie clock. Call me crazy, do whatever you want with me, but I wanted to ask some smarter people: am I understanding everything correctly, or am I just being an idiot and missing something obvious?