KevK
66
Ooh i love Nixies
Just to share my experience with a few clocks I had over the last 13 years or so.
First one, bought online from Germany, had an issue with a bulb after a year or so. Got them replaced and the clock lasted a good 10+ years before the ECB failed. This clock didn't have the random scroll effect but it was set to turn on after office hours when I was home. Great for checking tjme during the night.
I am now on my 3rd clock, which is from Eastern Europe, which has that random scroll thingy, first one had bulb failure upon receiving the clock, the tubes started failing one by one. The online shop which I got it from replaced another unit for me and it has been working since. Think is 6 months or so.
It's a lot cheaper now then back 10+ years ago but the build quality is not the same. It's unfortunate that I couldn't get the nixie from the one in Germany as I have enough bulbs to go 3 cycles and of course the quality was way better then the one I have now.
Cheers
The "Original Nixie Machine" and "Nixie Machine II" By Frank Buchwald and The M.A.D. Gallery
PuristSPro moderator Patrick_y explores the world of the M.A.D. Gallery’s [Original] Nixie Machine and Nixie Machine II, created by Berlin based artist Frank Buchwald. Photo Credit: M.A.D. Gallery A LITTLE HISTORY OF THE ORIGINAL NIXIE MACHINE In January ...
Totally fascinating - thanks for this great post. I love nixie tube clocks. I have just two single tube ...
... Nixies, one at home and one at work. Totally short of these pieces of art but still.... Cheers, HSTE
Thank you!
I didn't know what they were until I saw the original Nixie Machine back in January 2015! Thank you Max Busser for that introduction and insisting that I visit your store! But they're certainly addictive and I've been learning more about them over the pas...
Oh, this is a misunderstanding! I do not have a single "Buchwald" unfortunately, what I have is ...
.... two very simple single-tube nixie clocks (see pic below). A Buchwald would be a grail! Cheers, HSTE ...
You are nixie fan x2!
I like this clock! The Nixie tube supplier for "blub" is currently also Dalibor Farney, the same gentleman who makes the tubes for the Nixie Machine II. Awesome clock. I just googled blub and I think that's a fantastic concept. I might just have to treat ...
I love those Nixie tube clocks
I have one in the bedroom for many years now - perfect lume for night time It is much sharper than it looks in this crappy picture. ...
Thank you for posting!
That's a cool clock! Do you have the scroll setting activated on yours? How long have you had that? That looks great!
Don't think there is scroll setting on mine - it's a basic clock not like the mb&f masterpiece
it has been lighting up my bedroom for about 15 years.
Kudos! You're an early adopter!
Ever have to replace any bulbs? I assume the clock itself is on 24 hours a day and the tubes are activated 24 hours a day? Just wondering about the lifespan of the bulbs.
Not sure about early adopter - these have been around for decades no?
Never had to replace a bulb which surprised me. All 10 digits perfectly working on each of the 6 bulbs. It's been on all the time I never turn it off.
That's good! Replacing the bulbs will be a pain. Hopefully it never happens!
I wonder if larger Nixie Tubes are more likely to need replacement than smaller ones. I imagine larger tubes are more likely to leak gas than the smaller ones.
I'll worry about it when it happens
And in any case, I bet it won't be as crazy expensive as with the MB&F model. It does look like a million dollars, but costs like it too
I'm not sure about the price...
I'm not sure but I think it's approximately 28,800 CHF for the Nixie Machine II. The Original one was around 24,800 CHF or thereabouts. It's pretty expensive, but not totally bonkers crazy. When I first saw it back in 2015, I was thinking it'd be more tha...
Ooh i love Nixies
Just to share my experience with a few clocks I had over the last 13 years or so. First one, bought online from Germany, had an issue with a bulb after a year or so. Got them replaced and the clock lasted a good 10+ years before the ECB failed. This clock...
Oh, another Die Hard Nixie Fan! Three clocks?
Got any photos of your clocks? Thanks for sharing. So it seems that the lack of the random scroll effect doesn't seem to make too big of a difference. Did your tubes fail completely? Or did just some numbers within them fail? Sometimes just the single num...
Tubes failed
In the recent purchase where the tubes failed. The whole tube failed. At the beginning the tubes will lose luminescent on each of the digits. E.g. Maybe the digit 7 will have the top part cropped off with no light. So each digit will have some parts missi...
Good to know.
Maybe the gas leaked out partially and thus the top part got cropped off and wouldn't glow since there wasn't enough gas? Thank you for sharing your experience!
Pict of a dying nixie
The min hands first digit 3&4 dying. Eventually the tubes won't light up. ...
Looks like gas leakage to me...
I'm not an experienced expert, but if it's gas leakage, then the neon gas has leaked out (likely from the bottom) or the ambient has leaked in. Eventually, there won't be enough neon gas to glow and the tube will slowly fade probably from the bottom up. T...
Yes
Just need to replace the tubes. So that brings me back to my first clock. Will the Circuit Boards outlast the tubes? Cause if the board fails it will be tough to fix, just like my first Nixie Clock. Cheers
Hopefully the circuit board lasts...
Circuit boards are generally very reliable. On computers, the circuit board is probably the longest lasting component. Power supplies, hard drives, and definitely microprocessors can all fail. But a circuit board which has no moving parts, doesn't have ma...
Super cool post dear Patrick!
Thanks for taking time to make this great report Something to bookmark for sure Cheers D
It really is incredible!
Looking forward to getting my hands on one of the tubes soon!
