I. Thoughts and Story¶

One day I walked around the HRW Fabab and discovered a clear plastic box with many little blue packages inside. So I asked Michael Schäfer: “what mystique blue packages are this ?” And he said: “THIS....are Nixie Tubes, which are commonly used from the 50’s to the 70’s AND it would be nice, if someone will make a cool project with that tubes wink wink“

okay…challenge accepted…so my final project will have something to do with this pretty cool nixie tubes.

My first goal is to start creating a base and building up a clock.

So I definitively will have:

input from a RTC module or a service like radio clock or NTP over the internet
output from the tubes
design a custom pcb
design and 3d print a pcb holder and maybe tube sockets
design and cutting or milling a case

When the main functionality is finished, I’ll think about more features and/or addons, which can be implemented. I made the experience, that I’m getting ideas during assembling. Okay, I have some, but I don’t reveal them at this point :-P

So this project will surely NEVER be finished !

For a better overview, I split up in the following categories :

first and more sketches¶

here are

sketches of design ideas during the weeks
3D models of a possible final project

Research¶

here are

basics about the tubes
which electronic parts are needed
how to get the real-time

Prototyping¶

first assembly with arduino, breadboards and led’s
programming with arduino ide

Building up the Final¶

3D-Design
PCB-Design
Assembling