Hi All,

I'm trying to round up various types of electronic clocks that have been made - ideally Neon based (Nixie / Panaplex / Neon ) displays, although there have been some very good CRT and VDF ones submitted. Only from home hobbyists.

There are some very talented and creative folks out there, and thought I would post this in a general electronics forum. If you want to see what people have made (to date) please by all means have a look:

http://www.bad-dog-designs.co.uk/submitted.html

I'm sure I can get a few more!


Thanks for your time in reading this post.
Kind regards,
Paul

 

I am currently working on a 10,000 year clock that requires no battery and no recalibration:

http://forum.allaboutcircuits.com/blog.php?b=647

 

I am currently working on a 10,000 year clock that requires no battery and no recalibration:

http://forum.allaboutcircuits.com/blog.php?b=647

Is that using a solar panel to power it? do solar panels last that long? I thought the life of a solar panel is about 20 years?

 

oops! methinks I will go look for a nuclear energy source.

 

Are you joking? or are you serious and you did not actually think about the life of a solar panel?
Actually I did some googling, and found that solar panels last for about 30 years, and then they are 0.5 percent less efficient every year.

Anyways... I've been thinking how to power your device for that long, and I can't think of anything that will last that long.... nuclear energy might be the only thing, everything else will wear out (for example, if you do wind energy, the motors will wear out in a few years, bearings first, then magnets in about 100 years)
So, for nuclear power, acording to this, you will need to get some Plutonium-239

 

MrChips could use solar thermal to power a mechanical clock. A solar reflector focusing the hot sunlight on a large bimetallic strip, which flexes when hot and winds the mechanism. Sunlight contains >1kW per square metre so if size if not a problem you can have plenty of power available.

To Paul Parry; that is an awesome web page! Thanks for sharing all the clock photos.

But no IV 18 VFD clocks like this;

 

Hi THE_RB

Smashing VDF clock and would love to add that to the site if I may?
where abouts are you just so I can put your credits at the bottom of the picture.

Also to Mr Chips, thank you for the Solar one (or however you end up powering it! )

 

Great page! I particularly enjoyed the "Cold War Nixie Tube Clock", described as "All the Neon (and Argon) glowing during operation" on your page. Especially how Hank wrote the manual in a retro style - including instructions on demolition of the clock "when capture or abandonment of the clock to an enemy is imminent".

 

I must admit that clock Hank made is something else, built from components available in 1959 and exactly as it would have been manufacured, his attention to details is stunning. If you get chance take a look at the rest of his site, there is an amazing amplifier on there he made for Ham radio.. just mindblowing!

 

Hi THE_RB

Smashing VDF clock and would love to add that to the site if I may?
where abouts are you just so I can put your credits at the bottom of the picture.
...

Sorry if I gave the worng impression!

That is not my clock, I just saw it on the internet. You can google for "IV 18 clock kit" or "Kosbo clock kits".