Pete's kits (http://www.pvelectronics.co.uk/index.php) are pretty easy to build and he offers top notch technical support if you have problems. His software is pretty sophisticated and allows you to turn off the tubes when you're not around to extend their life, etc. I really like being able to customize how they work, but some find it confusing. Consider investing in a good soldering iron, especially if you think you might build more kits.
in17's are neat little tubes. It's amazing how small they are. They'd make a great desk clock. z566m, z5660m, zm1040 & zm1042 tubes are some of the nicest looking tubes, in my opinion. They're not as tall as in18's, but their digits are better proportioned. You can buy them for around $40, fairly easily. Note that the red coating can vary darker or lighter between different lots of tubes. in18's are readily available and very popular. It's easy to get six new for $220-250. The bigger tubes would be easy to read from across the room. in12's are also a good, cheap mid sized tube ($1-2 each) that you may want to consider. nl807's are pretty rare (anyone know where I can get a few spares?), but nl840's are more common and look nice, due to their fine anode grid. Check out Brian Stuckey's nixie clock videos on YouTube. They cover several clocks not available any more, but should help you decide which tubes you like. 'just a suggestion - it's nice having seconds displayed, because it's a bit more interesting to watch the numbers count. You might not want the distraction though! On Tuesday, December 29, 2015 at 12:54:04 AM UTC-6, Golferron 54 wrote: > > Hi Folks > > I just wanted to thank you folks for your thoughtful advise, and those > that stepped to help me build a clock. I found a victim (ummm, volunteer) > that is local to me that can give me a hand. He is obviously a glutton for > punishment as he also offered to teach me how to solder. Last time someone > tried teaching me I was advised that my skills were at a level of a "monkey > with a hot stick". \-) > > As for buying my first fully assembled clock, I am going to go for > vfdclock's based on your input and ebay 100% ratings. > > Although I have not even received my first clock yet, I am now looking > looking for my next nixie - this time a kit. > > Since I already have a IN14 on order as a TV room clock, the second one is > for my desk. I still want a clean, minimalist high tech visible board > look. What do you think as a second clock .... > > IN-18 four tube clock ... much bigger than the IN-14, but so is cost, so > all I want is 4 tubes for hours and minutes. > > NL-807 four tube clock as John suggested with the "correct" 5 > > IN-17 four tube clock ... different shaped tube than the IN-14 but still > as the layered filament look > > Z series red tubes are da bomb...absolutely beautiful ... this would > probably be my first choice > > Any suggestions on where to buy an easy to build kit for these? A member > advised to stay away from DIY "SMT" kits as they are more difficult and > time consuming to build. Look for "through the hole" kits instead to keep > life simple. > > ron > > > > > > > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "neonixie-l" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/neonixie-l/7f1c0440-1f06-4f7c-b427-dae9ff768344%40googlegroups.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
