Retro Style Nixie Clocks From China
By James Grahame
Nixie clocks are the neon-tube brethren of modern digital timepieces. A cottage industry sprung up recently, with dozens of tiny manufacturers turning out impressive clocks.
It seems that someone in Hong Kong has been watching and decided to get in on the action via eBay. This range of six-tube Nixie desk clocks come preassembled for a mere $120, in both stainless steel and acrylic cases. Each clock includes a 9 VDC wall adapter (110 - 240V) with user-selectable 12/24 hour display and cross-fading between digits. The digits range from 16 to 20mm in height.
For those who haven't discovered their magical allure, Nixies are neon-filled glass tubes. They usually contain ten cathodes in the shape of the numbers 0 through 9, and a wire mesh anode. When electricity is passed between one of the cathodes and the anode, the corresponding number shines with an endearing orangey-red glow. Modern Nixie clocks are based on vintage "New Old Stock" tubes controlled by microcontrollers. [via Technabob]
