Nixie Clock

Owning three vacuum tube amplifiers with a fourth on my to-do list, I am well aware of the fascination of these little unpredictable gems of Cold War technology. There has clearly been a resurgence in their popularity, with many vintage new-in-box tubes being sold for large markups by a scrupulous few who had the foresight to horde them in warehouses. You can also purchase Nixie tube clocks with prices ranging from a few hundred to a few grand, and with all levels of difficulty including kits complete with all the parts or just a instruction sheet. Alternatively, you can do what Friedhelm Bruegmann did and build one yourself, from scratch. Using the always respectable but sometimes archaic method of point to point wiring (as opposed to a circuit board), Bruegmann assembled an all tube Nixie clock. It took him a painstaking 7 years and employs 103 tubes in all, with 6 doing the actual display. The whole package was meticulously mounted on what seems to be a rack mount sized metal case, complete with two carrying handles. This is an incredible feat that surely anyone could appreciate! Also be sure to check out the Nixie Watch.

Via Gizmodo