Introducing Nixie Pipe, the modern day Nixie Tube.
Introducing Nixie Pipe, the modern day Nixie Tube.
Nixie Pipe provides the unique visual intrigue of a Nixie Tube but with modern day portability, reliability and interfacing. Each Nixie Pipe contains ten individually controlled RGB LEDs, which sit below channelled layers of acrylic acting as light pipes. By laser engraving the acrylic layers, the piped light diffracts, creating controlled illumination. Nixie Pipes are modular and can be chained together to form displays, using a Master module to drive Slave modules. Read more on the development blog
Features
No HV here! 5V/500mA will do thanks. On-board USB serial also provides host connectivity.
Part of my inspiration was a Nixie Tube burning out on me. Nixie Pipes offer at least 10x the on time of a common Nixie Tube (50,000 hours).
The tab on the front features two touch buttons, allowing the Master to respond to user input.
Interface with I2C modules using Arduino libraries and create firmware for the Master to display the output - no external driver required.
Nixie Pipe modules feature electrical and mechanical mating slots, which easily connect together but constrain enough to require no additional fixing.
Powerful yet easy to use Python package, Node.js module, Electron GUI and C++ Arduino library have been created for interfacing with the Nixie Pipe via your host of choice!
With a microcontroller onboard the Master, there is no need for any external hardware. If you do want to drive it with external content, it's as simple as plugging in via USB and downloading the software.
One of the first UK projects certified with the OSHWA, firmware and design files are included in the main repository under GPL 3.0 © JBR Engineering Research Ltd. With the light pipe template, custom units can be created.
Go beyond a clock! The on-board microcontroller can be controlled via the USB power connection, to allow user control of the display. If you don't have a knowledge of programming to use the supported libraries, a user friendly interface has been developed.
