Michael B. of BadNixie.com has to be one of the more prolific nixie clock designers in the community. His latest creation is called the The Purple & Chrome Nixie Clock. It is based off the the end view Burroughs NL-8091 tubes and the electronics are based off of the Jeff Thomas NixiChron design. Oh, did I mention how massive this design is? Click here for a comparison to the original NixiChron. This definitely has a distinct design and it is something I would be happy to feature on my desk! Be sure to stop by his site for more information.
From his site:
The Purple and Chrome Nixie is my first foray into the world of end-view style Nixie clocks. The tube used here is the rare NL-8091 originally made by the Burroughs Company. This tube is one of the largest end-view Nixie’s ever made (2” tube OD with 1.375” character height). I believe only the Burroughs NL7094 is larger, and good luck finding any of those laying around! The NL-8091’s are socketed with Burroughs heavy duty sockets mounted to a tube board fashioned out of black walnut. Once again I have made use of Jeff Thomas NixiChron electronics and adjusted the Anode resistor to accommodate the increased current requirement of the NL-8091. The wood species used here is the exotic hardwood known as Purple Heart ( the stuff really IS purple) Interestingly enough, it is light brown upon initial machining then turns purple as it comes in contact with the air, similar to Teak that is bright green initially then turns a rich golden brown as it ages. The other material used here is my favorite metal to work with T-6061 Aluminum, polished to a high luster. BTW, all my polishing is done by Derek @DMP Polishing & Fasteners in Chatsworth, CA. plug, plug...This clock measures 21”L X 6”W X 7-1/2”H and weighs 23.5 lbs!! This baby is by far the largest clock I have ever built and, I’ll venture a guess, one of the largest Nixie clocks ever built!
The case design was another attempt at capturing the 50’s ArtDeco/Streamline Moderne design style. I especially liked the rich contrast created by the Purple Heart wood against the polished chrome-like finish of the Aluminum.
Images and Text used with permission.
Visit BadNixie.com for more information.
