Blog

The heart of the Ice Tube Clock is a distinctive, vintage, Russian vacuum fluorescent display (VFD) housed in a transparent, laser-cut enclosure. The clock features a precision watch crystal, alarm function, and battery backup. The build quality and online instructions are excellent, as is the completeness of the kit. Anyone who stops by my studio is always […]

I had a great time building the Edo-Style clock kit from Gakken, and was amazed at its accuracy over several months of use. The kit is well designed, durable, and fun. The included picture-based directions are easy to follow, even if you don’t know Japanese, but if you plan to make one, you can also refer […]

Nixie tubes, beautiful relics of early computing, display their numerals with a quivery orange glow. Peter J. Jensen makes Nixie tube clock kits, and it was a joy to put one of them together, thanks to the clear step-by-step instructions and parts envelopes labeled with corresponding numbers. Jensen designed the clock and circuit board himself, […]

Need to add a clock function to your next Arduino project? This Real Time Clock (RTC) breakout board kit is your answer. Based on a DS1307 RTC and equipped with an onboard battery and crystal, this kit is simple to solder together, works well, and is easy to use thanks to Adafruit’s online documentation. It’s […]

Old-fashioned Nixie tubes are beautiful, but driving them in a circuit can be complicated since they often require voltages as high as 250V DC. The ArduiNIX board for Arduino makes it easy to add standard clock functions to your next project. Just be sure to design an enclosure that will keep those high voltages safe. I […]