If you enjoy the retro look and feel of Nixie tube clocks but find their price tag a little steep for your budget. You might be interested in a new project created by YouTuber Freeform Builds who created his very own faux Nixie tube clock using tiny LEDs and a custom wire arrangement to great effect. To learn more about the project watch the video embedded below to learn how the LEDs were soldered together and combined with a custom PCB to create a fantastic looking and affordable alternative to traditional Nixie tube clocks currently on the market.
Faux Nixie tube clock
“I wanted to replicate the design of those cool looking “Nixie Tube” clocks but with a freeform circuit style that I enjoy making, so I decided to make this. Overall I think this idea can be taken further and a lot of others things could be built with this style of 7 segment led display (I have a lot of ideas in my mind, just need some time to make them).”
“An Arduino Nano board controls the LEDs. It doesn’t have enough pins for every segment, so the circuit uses shift registers. A DS3231 RTC (real-time clock) module provides accurate timekeeping. The base of the unit is a piece of wood milled on a CNC router, adding to the minimalist retro aesthetic. While it isn’t a requirement, 3D-printed jigs help to form the brass rods into the proper shapes, which would be difficult to do well entirely by hand.”
Source : AB : Instructables
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