***Official Electronics Thread of Officialness (it starts off with lots of Nixie Tube Clock goodness

  • Thread starter Thread starter Aod
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arknor said:
does anywhere slel them pre made and ready to go?

btw does the actual board get hot? was thinking of incorperating one into my modem i think theres room inside :P
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yeah, you can get ready-made ones on ebay, and that nice German guy makes them too. very expensive though. :)
The board doesn't get hot at all, the only component that gets warm is the IRF630, and if it's a problem it could be heatsinked easily. of course, this only applies to the PVElectronics kits, i have no idea about others.
 
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Postie's been!

nixie.jpg
 
If I were at home then yes, it would be working by the end of the day but I won’t be home until late this evening and because the main light in my shack is out at the moment, I won’t even be able to start on it for a few days. That’s why I was really hoping it would have arrived last Friday so I could have built it at the weekend.
 
Tefal said:
shame about the mouldy looking stuff inside them :p
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simulatorman said:
It looks very tasty. :p
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It is very tasty, we have decent coffee here. I’m fussy about my coffee and I like this stuff.

PureAppleJuice said:
How hard would one of these be to assemble for someone who hasn't soldered anything or made anything electronic since Design Technology GCSE nearly a decade ago?
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If you’ve never soldered anything then I’d practise first. Pick up some veroboard and a few handfuls of small resistors and just spend some time getting used to handling the iron and associated bits. It’s a pretty straightforward kit which really shouldn’t cause problems.

Soldering is easy.

Here’s how to do it.
 
Feek said:
Postie's been!

nixie.jpg
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Hurrah! I want to see that thing up and running by tomorrow evening :D

Feek said:
If I were at home then yes, it would be working by the end of the day but I won’t be home until late this evening and because the main light in my shack is out at the moment, I won’t even be able to start on it for a few days. That’s why I was really hoping it would have arrived last Friday so I could have built it at the weekend.
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Get that malfunctioning equipment fixed, soldier! :p
Tefal said:
shame about the mouldy looking stuff inside them :p
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I'd be much more concerned about what appears to be a Tribble sitting on his box obscuring the address :eek: :p :D

PureAppleJuice said:
Thanks Feek. Yes, I think a bit of soldering experience is probably a good thing. These Nixie clocks do look damn sexy, I think it might be my wintertime project.
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Doooo iiiit! :D and post pictures in here! :D :p
 
Aod or Feek, could either of you kindly explain the difference in tubes? For example I could get the IN-14 kit which includes tubes. Is that more sensible than getting the 8-2 without tubes then locating the tubes?

Probably a stupid question and all explained on the kits but I'm having a slow day.
 
the IN-8-2, IN-8 and IN-14 tube are all almost identical with minor differences.

the IN-8-2 has 18mm digits, a correct "5" and flexible wire leads
the IN-8 has 18mm digits, a correct "5" and solid steel pins (need receptacles)
the IN-14 has 18mm digits, an upside-down "2" for the "5" and flexible wire leads

:) all of them would look good in a clock :)
 
8-2's are more expensive and harder to find. I believe they are the same, or similar in digit size to the 14's. But the 14's are easier to get and for cheaper. Handy if you need to replace any tubes in the future... Only downside is, the '5' on the IN-14's is an upside down 2. Which some people don't like. Personally I don't care :) Hence why I got the IN-14 kit.

Also, I wouldn't worry too much about not soldering for a few years... I was in the same boat and picked it back up instantly. I do welding quite frequently though, so that might have helped :P

EDIT: Lol Aod beat me to it :P
 
Aha, thanks for the replies. I don't think an upside down 2 would bother me too much, so I might go for the IN-14.

2 further moronic questions, how does one power these? I've had a nose around google, lots of talk of transformers and such... Where does one get cases? I see that site has some, but they're for a different style, I'm guessing I can easily find them on ebay and such.

Actually, 1 more question, perhaps directed at Feek who just received a kit, did it come with instructions? My knowledge of electrical diagrams is somewhat hazy, I would find it easier to follow one with instructions, rather than googling for general instructions on nixies and trying to assemble it like that.

Sorry to be a pain, but these look awesome and I want one!

Edit: Ignore the question about powering it, I was being a herp a derp, I see that there's a 12V DC input, meaning any powepack with the right adapter set at 12V DC would work fine, right?
 
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PureAppleJuice said:
Aha, thanks for the replies. I don't think an upside down 2 would bother me too much, so I might go for the IN-14.

2 further moronic questions, how does one power these? I've had a nose around google, lots of talk of transformers and such... Where does one get cases? I see that site has some, but they're for a different style, I'm guessing I can easily find them on ebay and such.

Actually, 1 more question, perhaps directed at Feek who just received a kit, did it come with instructions? My knowledge of electrical diagrams is somewhat hazy, I would find it easier to follow one with instructions, rather than googling for general instructions on nixies and trying to assemble it like that.

Sorry to be a pain, but these look awesome and I want one!

Edit: Ignore the question about powering it, I was being a herp a derp, I see that there's a 12V DC input, meaning any powepack with the right adapter set at 12V DC would work fine, right?
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As long as the 12v DC adapter has both the right connector (5.5mm, centre-positive) and is capable of more than 300mA of current output, it'll be fine.

the PV electronics kits have a comprehensive built-instructions as well as operational manual available for download from their website: http://www.pvelectronics.co.uk/index.php?main_page=page_2&zenid=2f486060cc1645d14bd9d0c6641c8281

PV Electronics also sell cases that fit their kits, but you can also make your own case if you think that their cases don't look that great.

<edit>
Toothy1911 is wrong by the way, on the IN-14's, it's not the "2" that's upside-down, it's the "5" digit that is actually an up-side-down "2" digit. they look a little unusual at first but otherwise completely legible. :)
 
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