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Proving that an old design cast in concrete can indeed be changed, [Hans Jørgen Grimstad] has revisited his Nixie clock from 2008, cleaned up the electronics and packaging, and turned it into a kit. Not that he has plans to enter the kit-making business, but he just thought it would be fun to learn how to make kits. In the video below the break, he’s a bit embarrassed to reveal the inside of his first Nixie clock design, housed in a cast-concrete electronics enclosure. Although it still works, the internal wiring is a flaky, untidy, and perhaps a bit dangerous.
Screen capture from project’s YouTube video
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<img width="250" height="141" src="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/nix-concrete-inside.png?w=250" alt="View of the inside of the clock's concrete enclosure, showing a messy array of wires and modules, held together with lots of hot glue and electrical tape." loading="lazy" srcset="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/nix-concrete-inside.png 1280w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/nix-concrete-inside.png?resize=250,141 250w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/nix-concrete-inside.png?resize=400,225 400w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/nix-concrete-inside.png?resize=800,450 800w" sizes="(max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px" data-attachment-id="496095" data-permalink="https://hackaday.com/2021/09/18/cast-in-concrete-clock-upgraded-after-thirteen-years/nix-concrete-inside/" data-orig-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/nix-concrete-inside.png" data-orig-size="1280,720" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta='{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}' data-image-title="nix-concrete-inside" data-image-description="
Screen capture from project’s YouTube video
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But [Hans] has improved his game over the years, making a number of different clock designs. The latest incarnation is pleasant to look at, built on a PCB which is visible inside a custom acrylic case. Three versions are available to support different types of tubes. The documentation he prepared for the project and the kit is very thorough. He walks you through the unboxing and assembly process in the videos below. Firmware is in C, and runs on a Raspberry Pi Zero W. If you are interesting in making electronics kits, [Hans]’s project would be a good example to follow.
All the necessary information to build the clock is published on the project’s GitHub repository. If you’re looking for enclosure ideas other than concrete or acrylic sheet, check out this write-up on hand-forging artistic Nixie clock enclosures.
Source:: Hackaday