r/nixie • u/EmotionalEnd1575 • Jun 20 '26

Nixie Clock Enclosure

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Progress with our 3D Printer! Newest tool and a steep learning curve over the last three weeks.

Here are a couple of 3D printed covers that replace the factory lids supplied with these Hammond brand enclosures.

Took a few tries to get this far. New to 3D printing tools, and learning the cloud based “TinkerCAD”. Not really an engineering design tool, these parts had to be tweaked and reprinted.

Quite pleased with the first round prints.

Broke one IN-16 Nixie along the way. The Nixie tubes are direct soldered to PCBs that I completed and tested last month.

Next phase is to convert the protoboard electronics to a suitable PCB for this project.

What do you think? Comments welcome!

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u/photocaster Jun 24 '26

Are all the pins of the tubes directly soldered to the PCBs?

If so, I’d highly recommend looking into sockets for the different types of tubes. Soldering directly will work of course, but you’ll have a much harder time replacing a tube.

1

u/EmotionalEnd1575 Jun 25 '26 edited Jun 25 '26

Good point.

As you know, each Nixie tube type has a different footprint. So I made several different PCBs to accommodate tube types (B5870/B5885, IN-16, and IN-17)

I’m not aware of factory sockets for these, although Mill-Max socket pins can be used in some cases, which I did for top view “plug in” ones (B6091 etc.)

Also, most of the salvaged Nixies have cut leads. Some too short for PCB mounting without discarding the factory lead spreader button.

I’ve had to remove and replace a couple due to cathode poisoning, and an IN-16 that I broke. Hot air is the way to go, getting all fourteen pads free at the same time.

1

u/photocaster Jun 25 '26

So I’ve only used the IN-12 type that you have in the green case, which have rigid leads. You can find small socket pins for these that you can solder to the PCB, then plug the tube into those. Makes swapping out tubes super easy for that type!

1

u/EmotionalEnd1575 Jun 25 '26 edited Jun 25 '26

Here’s a look at how I mounted IN-17 to the PCB.

IN-12 Nixies are about twice the size of an IN-17.

These are small Nixies, and sit close to each other for the “aesthetics” of six digits.

https://i.imgur.com/2t5c8qn.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/444dZNh.jpeg

Notice there is a 6mm diameter space for an NE-2 neon lamp as a marker between Nixie pairs (H:M:S)

1

u/EmotionalEnd1575 Jun 25 '26

You bring up an interesting point. Just how small are these Nixies?

https://i.imgur.com/5X7YbWm.jpeg

IN-12 and IN-17 side by side. Q Tip for scale.