Nixie Tube Watch

Objective: Build an analog watch from scratch using cathode ray Nixie tubes from the 1950s.

• Designed printed circuit boards to keep the form factor of the watch as compact as possible.
• Created a Qi standard charging module for the watch to charge wirelessly.
• Built the watch case using resin and CNC-cut glass.
• Programmed the time functions of the watch in C.

Design Process

• It took me around half a year to design the final PCB and gather all the components I needed for the watch.
  • All the parts I used are in the 'nixie-list.xlsx' file for reference.
  • 'watch-PCB.png' contains a diagram of my PCB as well.
• Initially, my watch display consisted of a small oled screen, but I quickly scrapped that idea once I found out about Nixie tubes.
• I had minimal soldering and PCB design experience before making my nixie tube watch, so I learned most of these skills on the go lol.

Coding

• I coded the time functions in C.
  • the .hex files have the code I wrote for the watch.
  • I coded on the MPLAB IDE since it has built-in MCU support is easy to use.
  • MCUs usually take hex files as code (due to memory space) so I converted my code to hex files.
• I used a 16 pin-32 pin DIP adapter to connect my PIC-16 MCU to my computer and upload the code to it.
  • I worked with a PICkit 3 to transfer files from my computer to the MCU.

Datasheets & Additional Info

• YT video explaining my build process and the science behind Nixie tubes
• Project page on my website
• The excel file contains the list of all the components I used for the watch, including links for vendors that you can buy them from.
• IN-16 Nixie Tube Datasheet.