Re: Nixie clocks: possibly an AH clock?

Not only did Nixie clocks not exist in the tube era, they didn't exist in
the transistor era either. For that matter, they have never existed, to
this day, as commercial products in the usual sense - mostly they are put
together by hobbyists - even the ones sold as pre-assembled clocks are
"craft built". In that sense, they hearken back to an eariler era when a
clock maker would often not only build the clock case but also would make
his own clockworks to put inside.





"John S." <hjsjms@xxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1138642350.100656.225740@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>
> Jack Denver wrote:
>> Nixies all burn out eventually, so I would build a nixie clock with
>> sockets
>> for easy replacement. Usually the calculators have 8 or more digits so
>> you
>> would have some spares. Ebay nixies usually go for around $25/dozen, so
>> buying them new is not cost prohibitive either.
>>
>> The funny thing about nixie clocks is that they did not really exist in
>> the
>> heydey of nixies - nixies and the electronics needed to drive them were
>> way
>> too expensive to waste on a clock. Even now they don't really make
>> "sense"
>> at a cost of $150 or so, when you can buy a perfectly nice LED alarm
>> clock
>> for $10. But they are kind of neat.
>
> Yes, the Nixie clocks are financially impractical in the sense that a
> fully digital alarm clock radio with RC updating can be purchased for
> $30.00 Still, something like the nixie clocks from KLOK are quite
> attractive, nostalgic and possibly a conversation piece.
>
> And here's a perfect example of why nixie clocks didn't exist in the
> tube era. It would have been unbelievably costly back then. It's
> still completely impractical, and would probably heat a small room
> .
> http://www.jogis-roehrenbude.de/Leserbriefe/Bruegmann-Digital-Roehren-Clock/pic001.jpg
>


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