Tag Archives: nixie

Nixie Wearable Drone Takes Your Pics, Is Worn On Your Wrist

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fly-nixie-nixie-drone-designboom02

Imagine this scenario. You go outdoors to do some cool outdoorsy activity, all by yourself. Suddenly you realize you’re doing something awesome and you’d like to immortalize it, so you unclip your fancy wristband… which immediately turns into a fully functional quadcopter drone with a camera. It flies out, takes a few pics or video, then flies right back to you. And just like that, you took a third person selfie, from angles that would normally be impossible. If that sounds too science-fiction for you, be aware that it’s a real product in development. It’s called the Nixie Drone, and the project literally just got wings: it recently won $500,000 through a design competition held by Intel.

That’s right, Intel was holding a MakeItWearable Challenge, aiming to further invigorate the wearables market. Nixie recently got the top prize, giving it enough cash to take the rough prototype much closer to becoming a product you can buy. We’re not sure how far away they are from being able to ship it, but the technology presumably exists to make something like this. So keep an eye out on this space.

Early Prototype

Early Prototype

early prototype

early prototype

[ Winner's Page ] VIA [ UberGizmo ]

The post Nixie Wearable Drone Takes Your Pics, Is Worn On Your Wrist appeared first on OhGizmo!.

Nixie Tube Chess Set: Light Moves First

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Most of the nixie tube hacks and mods we’ve seen involve clocks, which isn’t surprising considering the tubes were primarily used to show numbers. But there are also tubes that display symbols, and those are the ones put to good use by Lasermad in its Nixie Chessboards.

nixie tube chess set by lasermad 620x465magnify

Lasermad uses ex-Soviet Nixies from the 80s. They also designed a neat chessboard that uses induction coils to power the tubes. All you have to do is plug the board to an outlet and the tubes will automatically light up when you place them on the board.

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Here’s a demo video of the board:

You can order the Nixie Chessboard from Lasermad either as a ready-to-assemble kit for $340 (USD) or as a fully built set for $759. Note that the DIY kit is not for beginners, although Lasermad does have a help forum for people who opt to get their hands dirty.

[via The UberReview]

Nixie/LED Clock Combines Old School and New School Lighting Tech

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I’m a sucker for the warm orange glow of Nixie tubes. There’s just something just so retro-modern about the way they look – all I can think of is the technology in the movie Brazil. I just stumbled across a really cool Nixie tube clock which accents the tubes with modern LEDs, adding even more to the look.

nixie led clock colors

This six-digit Nixie clock has a RGB LEDs under the base of each Nixie vacuum tube, allowing it to change accent colors on demand. Just press the buttons in the included wireless remote to select your color, and the LEDs will adjust to your liking. The remote works like many other color-changing LEDs, letting you fade colors as well. Just keep in mind that the Nixie tubes will always have their distinct orange glow to them.

The clock offers 12/24-hour modes, the ability to change the digit cross-fade, and it can also display to date and work as an alarm clock. The whole thing looks really awesome when illuminated, using some of the best looking Nixie tubes I’ve seen as well.

nixie led clock

Unfortunately, all of these good looks don’t come cheap. The Nixie/LED clock retails for $599.99(USD) over on eBay. That said, there’s a cheaper version that comes with smaller Nixie tubes that I don’t think look quite as cool – but it sells for just $199.00.

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Holy Crap, This Nixie Clock is Cool

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There’s just something so cool about the design of Nixie tubes – I think it’s just that for such an old technology, they’re still sort of timeless. It’s been a little while since I saw a really good looking Nixie clock though, but this one was definitely worth the wait.

lamina nixie clock 1

The extraordinary Lamina Nixie Clock was handcrafted by artist Zoltan Acs using walnut and maple woods, along with brass gears and disks to give it a look all its own. The designer says it’s a combination of Art Deco, Industrial and Steampunk, and I think he nailed the description. He forgot to mention that it’s just freakin’ good looking.

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This thing looks just as cool from the back as it does from the front.

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The clock uses antique Russian Nixie vacuum tubes, along with a cool blue LED glow to make them look like they’re floating in some sort of test chambers. And even better yet, it’s got an alarm function, so you could put this thing by your bedside and wake up to it every morning.

Of course, all of this intricate craftsmanship comes at a cost. The Lamina Nixie clock is listed for €1,100.00 (~$1500 USD), which means that most of us will just have to admire it from afar. But if you’ve got deep pockets, you can purchase this amazing work of functional art over on Etsy now.

Nixie VU Meter: How Loud’s Your Sound?

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Looking for a cool and unusual gadget to add to your media room? This unique VU meter combines old-school Nixie tube technology with modern electronic circuitry to display sound levels in a dramatic way.

nixie vu meter

The Nixie VU meter users a pair of neon gas-filled bargraph tubes, connected to a special circuit that’s designed to display the sound levels on the long, narrow glass tubes. You can either connect the meter to your audio system by daisy-chaining its 1/8″ analog stereo jacks, or you can simply set it in your room and the built-in microphone will do the work for you – though I don’t think the microphone works in stereo. Here’s a video of the meter in action – accompanied by German narration – but it’s pretty self-explanatory even if you don’t speak the language.

The thing comes in kit form, and does require soldering skills and a multimeter to assemble it. The guy who makes it says it should take about an hour to build if you know your way around electronic kits. You can get your hands on the Nixie VU meter over on eBay for $159(USD).


Nixie Necklace Guaranteed Not to Electrocute You (We Think)

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I’ve always had a place in my heart for the delightfully retro-tastic look of Nixie and VFD tubes. Most of the time, they turn up in clocks, or maybe an old calculator or radio. But I can honestly say this is the first time I’ve seen a Nixie tube necklace.

nixie necklace

Now think about this for a moment. A Nixie tube requires a high voltage to emit its bright orange glow, and you’ll be wearing this around your neck. As a matter of fact, the power supply will be sitting in very close proximity to your heart, so I suppose you could always use it as a portable defibrillator. I kid, of course – we’ve been told it’s perfectly safe. It’s actually powered by a small CR123 lithium battery, and a small switching power supply steps up the voltage to make its Russian IN-19V Nixie tube glow. Still, I wouldn’t try wearing this in the bathtub or a rainstorm.

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The Nixie tube itself doesn’t get hot either, so you don’t have to worry about getting burnt by it, and it’s all insulated by a nice oak wood case with acrylic panes on the face, and attached to an adjustable (15″ to 30″) cord. While the photos here show the tube with a plus sign (or cross if you’re religious) on it, the switch on the side lets you choose between plus or minus signs.

If you like what you see, and want a necklace that none of your friends are likely to be wearing, head on over to Etsy now, where you can grab the Nixie necklace for $94.95(USD). Be sure to swing by Electronico Design’s shop for more of their cool Nixie and VFD creations. I’m especially fond of the Dekatron Spinner Nightlight: