You removed the US links because some people 1. Can't get it sent to the US and/or 2. Don't like the time, calendar sisplay. What about those of us who 1. can get it shipped to the US and 2. don't mind or do like the time, calendar display??? Not everyone in the US thinks the same way, lots of people us the 24 clock (ie: military, medical, police etc.) Return the US links.
Yes! I was in the Army for 26 years and can't stand AM/PM. When someone tells me to drop by at seven, I have to ask which seven they are talking about. Also, I hope TM gets some advert bucks (or I guess Pounds) since I'll be buying one of these.
Having owned one of these for 3 years now I come back to this video every six months to read the functions in the description to change the clock time by an hour!
Hey. Um. Tip for removing that blue film, maybe for the next time you run into it, or share with anyone buying something like this. Anyway, tip. Use a piece of tape looped around your finger to lift up a corner of the protective plastic film. From a machinist whom has had to deal with a lot of protective plastic. Hope it help someone, I know it doesn't always work, but especially with the numbers burned out like that, tape could help quite a bit.
Still, why are there 10 different plates on every digit? I mean, it's only used as a clock, so there's no use for 6 and up at the decimal minute and second digit, as well as 3 and up at the decimal hour digit.
I really like that people have come up with an alternative to Nixie tubes, as the supply of them is finite and prices keep rising. Excellent video as always!
Saves everyone a lot of time and effort, and it's probably cheaper to use USB rather than stepping down mains or using a 12 volt adaptor, with the handy upside of being useable anywhere that uses USB, which is basically everywhere
Oh wow the amount of dust on this thing would be disgusting after a few months of operation. There's just so much surface area for each number. Not including a case in this kit is a very poor excuse to cut corners.
Purchased one of these after watching this video. It turned up yesterday and took me about two hours to assemble. What a great clock and informative video, many thanks.
I noticed that when the countdown timer was set for 1 minute, the alarm sounds immediately when it reaches 01 seconds (14:08). Maybe they'll fix that in a firmware update, but until then, set your 3 minute eggs to 3 min 01 sec.
Hi, this is the manufacturer. You can turn off that animation. You need the Windows software that comes with the clock to do that. It is available as a download. In that software you find different files that are like different "themes". You can pick the one you like best or add new ones because those files can be shared. People who know how to change the code can create new files. The animations you see when you unwrap the clock are merely an example showing you what the clock can do. You can find detailed information on customizing the clock in our new FAQ: www.led-basic.de/wp/category/led-nixie-faq/
Yes after a year finally built this clock because of this excellent video. The small wires and soldering is the hardest. 1 hour to remove the covering of plastic on the panels. Put all the panels in back to front, it is possible. On power up spotted my issue. Working now 24hours without any issue. I have tube clocks but this is a interesting alternative. 🙂🇮🇪
Will collect dust like crazy and needs an acrylic cover. Looks VERY cool, but seems a little expensive for some leds and the acrylic.... GREAT video!!!
2 tips. I found a acrylic case with a nice oak base on eBay. It's meant for model trains and fits perfect. I extended the 4 screws on the bottom corners of the clock, and drilled corresponding holes in the base to keep the clock from sliding around in the case. I also cut a slot in the back edge of the acrylic cover for the cord. Much easier to keep clean, and looks great. The case was about $50, but is very nice. My clock kept very poor time, and the clock sped up and slowed down when the room temperature changed. I ordered a new version #2 of the controller from Germany (to US). The new controller has a "high precision watch chip" and keeps very good time. The new controller also had newer software, which has a couple new features like a 12 hour setting. The version 2 controller was about $60. These 2 tips solved all the issues I had with the clock.
Well, this is pretty neat. A bit more 'assembly required' than I'd like though. On my part, I think the novelty would wear off pretty fast. I actually have some acrylic + LED stuff around that I got some months back, and I only use one of them anymore, the others I haven't touched after a week or two of using them.
Hi, we're the manufacturer. We're happy that you like it, thank you! We're interested in finding out which part of the assembly you think is too much. We are currently working on a similar project that might cater to your needs a bit more so maybe you'd like to have a look at our FAQ where we will post new information in English. It's going to take some time until we can tell you more, though. As for the novelty: we designed the clock with many different options to customize it so we hope that this is an item that doesn't end up forgotten on a shelf. It has a modular design. (1) It's open-source so you can change the code. (2) A few elements of the hardware can be customized. (3) You can use the Windows software we provide as a download to change its look. There are several files contained in it which can be selected and which you can apply to the clock when you connect it to the computer via USB. That takes only a few seconds. Users who like writing code can create new animations, save them as a file, and share those files with others. We hope that you guys get very creative and that you find it easy to change the look. So you can integrate the clock in your lighting concept or a party decoration or come up with something we haven't even remotely thought of. This is our FAQ (it includes the link to the software): www.led-basic.de/wp/category/led-nixie-faq/
I think the inventory number are the same on all the links. I had a look on the German site and from the feedback - assuming everyone had placed feedback, it looks 1 M unit was sold during the last month and suddenly within the last 24 hours 46 was sold.
Wow! Really enjoyed that. Really enjoyed the assembly and setup. I don’t know why you have a feeling of trepidation. You seem way more competent than the rest of us!
Edge-lit displays are really cool! I've seen them in various forms. I have a mid '70s Zenith stereo with an edge-lit radio display, and the digits change between AM and FM when you select those bands. Even now it's an awesome effect, imagine how futuristic it looked back in the day?
You actually solder quite well; Nice consistent, shiny, blobs of solder. Not holding the iron on there too long And you seem to have figured out ‘pre-tinning’ on your own (when you put solder on the pads or wire first)
Hi everyone, we are one of the two small businesses that are involved in manufacturing and selling the Diamex LED-Nixie clock. We have agreed that Diamex is going to handle the social media communication with you guys. Your response to our product is absolutely stunning and we would like to thank you a lot for the praise and all the thought you have put in your criticism. And thank you, Techmoan, for the very detailed video. It is obvious that a lot of love and work went into creating it. When we first noticed what was going on with our sales we concentrated on sorting out how exactly we are going to organize this. By now we have found a good way to deal with the sudden peak in demand and although there will be delays we are confident that we can handle your orders. Unfortunately, Labor Day got in our way because most of our employees had decided to use that 4-day-weekend for a short vacation. In Germany that is normal when there is only one day between a weekend and a holiday. About half of the country is currently on vacation. This morning we were finally able to reach everyone who is involved in the project. Meanwhile, we have started collecting your questions and we hope that we will be able to post the first answers soon. Our staff is also checking why US Americans and Australians have so much trouble placing orders. We don’t mean to disappoint anybody and we apologize for the inconvenience. UPDATE: Global orders are now possible on ebay and in the led-genial shop. A few of you should already have received a notification that we received their payments and start processing their orders. A small number of clocks were already shipped. Unfortunately, tomorrow there is no chance to ship more because of Labor Day. UPDATE (May 13th): You can now access our new FAQ in English where we answer the questions from UA-cam and your e-mail and where we will also publish new information as soon as it gets available. www.led-basic.de/wp/category/led-nixie-faq/ Thanks for your patience. We will keep you posted. UPDATE (June 1st): Today we have completed shipping all the Nixie clocks that have been ordered until today!
The sorting process is finished. :) You can now place your order on ebay or under the led-genial URL in the video description. Thanks for being so patient with us!
How nice of my fellow US viewers to complain early and ruin the links section for the rest of us. This is why we can't have nice things. For the record, I love 24-hour clocks. I know that makes me un-American or something. Thanks for sharing, as always! I love your thorough and well-edited style; so refreshing. :)
Along with sub-bass woofers, satnavs, mobile phones, in-car entertainment and yabbering kids in the back, this idea just puts you all, one bit closer to high-speed death. People and their car gadgets... smh.
I hope you see this - I liked this video so much that I ordered my own Cronixie from Germany through eBay, and received it yesterday (I live in Michigan near Detroit). I plan to use this video as my guide for assembling mine - Thank You!!
Hi, this is the manufacturer. We can at least make one of your wishes come true because the clock is customizable. We're working on providing you guys with a file that will add the 12 hour mode to the clock. If you know how to work with code you can also make that change on your own because it's open source. To add the file to the clock you need the Windows software we provide as a download and you need to connect the clock to your computer via USB. You can find more information on how that works and where you can find the software in the section on customizing the clock in our new FAQ: www.led-basic.de/wp/category/led-nixie-faq/
With your analytical mindset, I would love to see you set up a small electronics lab, including gear such as an oscilloscope, benchtop multimeter, frequency counter, function generator, decent soodering set up, component selection, all that kind of stuff. There’s actually some decent introductory beginner priced stuff being made these days. Then once you have a basic set up you can always upgrade piece by piece.... by restoring old pieces, recapping and such. I’m absolutely positive you would love it and you would be great at it.
The second countdown can be disabled though not through the clock settings but by modifying the clock software. Indeed I've done that and is straightforward with very little knowledge. Briefly; download LedBasic, open 'cronios1-nixie-complete-vanessa_1.41.bas', comment out line 201 by prefixing the line with an apostrophe, connect the clock via USB and upload the modified software. Took 30 minutes from beginning to end. Next time it will take me 5 minutes :-)
Hi, this is the manufacturer. Yeah, you've figured it out! Changing the code is one cool thing about the clock. If that was everything the clock and software could do everybody would start changing this animation from scratch and you'd have to repeat steps other people have already completed. That's not necessary. We wanted to take this a step further, so here's the other cool thing: Now that you disabled the animation you can save the changes you made as a .bas file. You can share that file with other people. All they need to do then is download the software, put the file in, connect the clock via USB, and apply the file to the clock. Done. As soon as someone created a file no knowledge concerning the code is needed anymore. This way, people who don't have experience with code can participate and the guys who change the code don't need to put lengthy descriptions online. This system is designed to change a lot more than just one animation. You can play with them and create completely new ones changing the speed and colors etc. All we provide is examples. We hope you guys exchange lots of ideas and get creative! If you like, you can also use this mechanism to change the clock's display to the 12 hour system and MMDDYY date. We are working on providing you with a .bas file but you can make those changes yourself in the code. You can find more detailed information on the options to customize the clock in our new FAQ (the link to the software is included): www.led-basic.de/wp/category/led-nixie-faq/
This would definitely need to be enclosed in some sort of clear case, as every spec of dust will show up especially in low light. And also have a solid black back panel to make the digits easier to see in bright light.
The Cronixie-M is absolutely _brilliant!!!_ - And your video a textbook example of an instructional and lucid how-to-DIY! Thanks a lot for posting this little gem Techmoan!!!😉👌
Just a tip for anyone wanting to build this. To get zero smudges on the plexi panels, buy yourself some cotton gloves - they’re usually branded as jewellery inspection gloves. You can handle the plexi all you like without leaving any residue and don’t have to be overly cautious.
Super cool kit and nice review. I do want to point out something though. The position of those screws is probably not an error. They might appear to be too close to each other to get a socket or wrench on them, but they are probably this close on purpose so the flat on one acorn nut lines up with the flat on the other acorn nut and prevents them from turning. This way you can tighten the screw with an allen key from the other side without needing a socket or wrench at all.
Amazing product, tons of features, and I am surprised they have accomplished as much as they did, but it just doesn't have that industrial or magical look to it, like the nixies and some other solutions do. Great video, Matt!
FUN FACT: The nixie tubes (especially the Soviet ones) have the number five digit (5) being ambiguously substituted with an upside-down two digit (2) - they did this for economy reasons... That's why the number five looks funky with the nixie tubes. ^__^
Awesome video and awesome clock there, fella! :-) Couple of handy bits to add here: 1. According to the German language instructions, the controller distinguishes between short (click) & long (hold) presses, i.e. long press to save the time & exit after setting it. 2. Besides the numerical clock featured here, they also offer a textual version which works in both Deutsch & English. Same overall idea, but with 7x ten letter placements.
Common sense says use gloves to assemble the display panels. Tech tip. Excellent job on the video, explaining how this works. As mentioned below, this looks like a cover is mandatory. The links you provided are extremely helpful!
I'm surprised this didn't catch on back in the 60's or 70's. That is an interesting kind of display, not limited to numbers. I could see automotive info displays using this.
What a coincidence! Yesterday I watched Goldfinger. My country National broadcaster (LRT) decided to show all Bond films from Dr. No to Spectre. When I saw scene with nuclear bomb, I definately took attention to that display.
You could integrate a GPS chip and a database of toilet lat/longs, then display bearing and distance to the nearest. Of course, you'd need to tape the whole lot to your arm or something...
WTF, This is so clever!!! I had no idea, very simple and looks cool. I'll make one with yellow led's or rgb set to yellow to resemble that amber color, Thanks for showcasing this great technology. You're the best channel related to general tech, audio video now this. Amazing.
Being a fan of nixie stuff myself (and kits) this really appeals to me. I would have liked to seen it against a nixie to compare brightness, but it seems to have plenty of adjustments. Thanks for bringing this to my attention!
Comprehensive vid which will surely result in increased sales. Cronixie owe you a debt of gratitude and would do well to 'see you right' retrospectively.
This is really cool. My only "complaint" is they should offer a mode button to convert to US format date (mm/dd/yy). I can deal with 24 hour time but dd/mm/yy would confuse the heck out of me lol. And yes I know that it's the standard virtually everywhere else, but it's not here lol.
A great video, Mat. Have to say I found this gadget more attractive than the Nixie tubes, which look too old fashioned for my taste. Still expensive though, given that it is largely self-assembly.
Nice. Simple yet effective, using an Arduino, a D1338 and WS2812b LEDs. I have all those parts and could probably program it, but obviously no way to obtain the CNC-cut and etched acrylic pieces and PCBs, and couldn't make it look as nice. Maybe I'll get one of these kits at some point! Great video as always.
I have one of these multi digit displays removed from some old test equipment. Big metal box covered in solder tabs. Want to do something with it someday!
Well, that film isn't on there to protect against scorching, it's there to prevent scratches while the sheet stock is handled. If the acrylic was really intended for laser cutting, it would be paper, not plastic.
Got mine yesterday; finished it today. Nice clock. Next project: looking at the possibility of either connecting it to an NTP source (ethernet) or to an old USB GPS I have...
Another great vid. Can't help wondering how much more it would have cost them to add an LCD or OLED screen to the controller to make configuring the device that much easier...
Martyn James £2.50 for a small 128x32. Probably cheaper in bulk. I guess that'd eat into profits, but would probably generate more sales to compensate.
Dave Compton for an oled? I thought they were far more expensive than that. I wanted the screen replaced in my Sony vita (oled version) but it was cheaper to buy a brand new one, the repair centre said that the cost was due to oled being "a new technology" cheeky bastards!
Martyn James It's just a tiny monochrome oled display, great for icons and small text. I use them on Arduino projects; easy to drive with a simple library and a couple of wires.
This is awesome! It will never die because the LEDs can be controlled with any brain box. This is worth way more than a old pixie tube clock that can die at any moment. I will probably get one of these clocks for my office and keep it forever.
Another fascinating video, thanks so much! I've been skeptical of edge-lit displays vs. the real neon look, but these are surprisingly crisp and bright it seems. By the way, the automatic captions are usable but just barely. Have you considered using a professional captioning service? I recently learned that these are a lot less expensive than I'd been assuming (like $1/minute!) so I'm considering doing that when I don't have time to caption a video myself. Thanks again!
Jf Mc Seriously stop talking this kind of bullshit. You probably weren't alive back then, I wasn't alive back then and still here we are getting shit for something that happened more than 70 years ago. Its like having an argument about how your grandfather stole my grandfather a cookie in middle school. IT DOESN'T MATTER. Stop thinking about *the current* Germany as the country that started 2 world wars. They have done and it's important to remember but this is just pathetic.
(14:08) The countdown timer immediately sounds the alarm at 01, thus a 60 sec countdown is actually a 59 sec countdown. It doesn't display 0 at the end of the countdown, which is really odd.
Do a video en the 1979 Sony Walkman, I’ve had one for quite a while, and I really like how you review and breakdown old tech like the pocket rocker you did in the previous video
I like this clock. I sunk nearly a grand Australian on a IN18 nixie clock kit, once I bought the case, gps receiver and tubes and spares. This lixie kit is much more economical to purchase. Not sure about that animation every time it returns to zero though.
LINKS, FAQ and more can be found in the *Video Description Text Box*
If you need a german translation for something, just give me a note. :)
You removed the US links because some people 1. Can't get it sent to the US and/or 2. Don't like the time, calendar sisplay. What about those of us who 1. can get it shipped to the US and 2. don't mind or do like the time, calendar display??? Not everyone in the US thinks the same way, lots of people us the 24 clock (ie: military, medical, police etc.) Return the US links.
No AU shipping. Bummer.
Yes! I was in the Army for 26 years and can't stand AM/PM. When someone tells me to drop by at seven, I have to ask which seven they are talking about. Also, I hope TM gets some advert bucks (or I guess Pounds) since I'll be buying one of these.
I hope they've bunged you a few quid. You've sent their sales through the roof
Having owned one of these for 3 years now I come back to this video every six months to read the functions in the description to change the clock time by an hour!
This type of video is the reason why I'm subscribed, letting me know of the things that I never knew that existed but need to have now.
His minidisc videos do that to me too. I now own two players, and he did it to me.
Hey.
Um.
Tip for removing that blue film, maybe for the next time you run into it, or share with anyone buying something like this.
Anyway, tip.
Use a piece of tape looped around your finger to lift up a corner of the protective plastic film.
From a machinist whom has had to deal with a lot of protective plastic.
Hope it help someone, I know it doesn't always work, but especially with the numbers burned out like that, tape could help quite a bit.
Tip from a farmer, use bale tape, if that shit doesn't work all the time i don't know what will
The zero is etched on the other side, so the front of the clock is kept smooth
Correct.
german details ;)
Still, why are there 10 different plates on every digit? I mean, it's only used as a clock, so there's no use for 6 and up at the decimal minute and second digit, as well as 3 and up at the decimal hour digit.
1. date
2. settings
3. programming capabilities
I really like that people have come up with an alternative to Nixie tubes, as the supply of them is finite and prices keep rising. Excellent video as always!
Mr. Dalibor Farny has started his own nixie design and production facility.
that is really cool. interesting how 5v USB has become an international voltage for so many things now
Saves everyone a lot of time and effort, and it's probably cheaper to use USB rather than stepping down mains or using a 12 volt adaptor, with the handy upside of being useable anywhere that uses USB, which is basically everywhere
Very cool thing, but what a dust magnet, needs a little clear fish tank like cover over the top, surely.
Oh wow the amount of dust on this thing would be disgusting after a few months of operation. There's just so much surface area for each number. Not including a case in this kit is a very poor excuse to cut corners.
Good idea!
Can of compressed air would get rid of dust
I was thinking about putting black tape around the outside of each module. It would also help keep ambient light out.
Covering the outside and the edges could also make an easier view: less stray light, the numbers standing out better.
I’ve seen an edge lit display on a Vintage Elevator that was used as a floor indicator.
Purchased one of these after watching this video. It turned up yesterday and took me about two hours to assemble. What a great clock and informative video, many thanks.
The inability to turn off the "0" reset animation seems like an oversight
I noticed that when the countdown timer was set for 1 minute, the alarm sounds immediately when it reaches 01 seconds (14:08). Maybe they'll fix that in a firmware update, but until then, set your 3 minute eggs to 3 min 01 sec.
I liked that - I know it's not accurate, but it's like how in movies the bomb countdown timer always stops at 1 :)
Hi, this is the manufacturer. You can turn off that animation. You need the Windows software that comes with the clock to do that. It is available as a download. In that software you find different files that are like different "themes". You can pick the one you like best or add new ones because those files can be shared. People who know how to change the code can create new files. The animations you see when you unwrap the clock are merely an example showing you what the clock can do. You can find detailed information on customizing the clock in our new FAQ:
www.led-basic.de/wp/category/led-nixie-faq/
@@jammin023 there's a movie where that's a major joke no one can shut off the bomb and at 01 seconds it stops itself and the bad guy is pissed.
It's inspiring to hear Techmoan not brag about his handiwork skills when you look at how much he's already repaired/assembled/etc.
He's definitely more skilled than me!
Just needs an acrylic display cover to stop the dust.
Yes after a year finally built this clock because of this excellent video. The small wires and soldering is the hardest. 1 hour to remove the covering of plastic on the panels. Put all the panels in back to front, it is possible. On power up spotted my issue. Working now 24hours without any issue. I have tube clocks but this is a interesting alternative. 🙂🇮🇪
How have I only just seen this, the construction is so utterly simple!
Will collect dust like crazy and needs an acrylic cover.
Looks VERY cool, but seems a little expensive for some leds and the acrylic....
GREAT video!!!
2 tips.
I found a acrylic case with a nice oak base on eBay. It's meant for model trains and fits perfect. I extended the 4 screws on the bottom corners of the clock, and drilled corresponding holes in the base to keep the clock from sliding around in the case. I also cut a slot in the back edge of the acrylic cover for the cord. Much easier to keep clean, and looks great. The case was about $50, but is very nice.
My clock kept very poor time, and the clock sped up and slowed down when the room temperature changed. I ordered a new version #2 of the controller from Germany (to US). The new controller has a "high precision watch chip" and keeps very good time. The new controller also had newer software, which has a couple new features like a 12 hour setting. The version 2 controller was about $60.
These 2 tips solved all the issues I had with the clock.
Without doubt this is my most favourite channel on UA-cam
Well, this is pretty neat. A bit more 'assembly required' than I'd like though.
On my part, I think the novelty would wear off pretty fast. I actually have some acrylic + LED stuff around that I got some months back, and I only use one of them anymore, the others I haven't touched after a week or two of using them.
Hi, we're the manufacturer. We're happy that you like it, thank you! We're interested in finding out which part of the assembly you think is too much. We are currently working on a similar project that might cater to your needs a bit more so maybe you'd like to have a look at our FAQ where we will post new information in English. It's going to take some time until we can tell you more, though.
As for the novelty: we designed the clock with many different options to customize it so we hope that this is an item that doesn't end up forgotten on a shelf. It has a modular design.
(1) It's open-source so you can change the code.
(2) A few elements of the hardware can be customized.
(3) You can use the Windows software we provide as a download to change its look. There are several files contained in it which can be selected and which you can apply to the clock when you connect it to the computer via USB. That takes only a few seconds. Users who like writing code can create new animations, save them as a file, and share those files with others. We hope that you guys get very creative and that you find it easy to change the look. So you can integrate the clock in your lighting concept or a party decoration or come up with something we haven't even remotely thought of.
This is our FAQ (it includes the link to the software):
www.led-basic.de/wp/category/led-nixie-faq/
Hey you can solder too! Your soldering looks pretty good.
Sold out in 3... 2...
Nope, I'm still seeing 9 available in the US links.
The *Techmoan Effect!*
I think the inventory number are the same on all the links. I had a look on the German site and from the feedback - assuming everyone had placed feedback, it looks 1 M unit was sold during the last month and suddenly within the last 24 hours 46 was sold.
I like it, but why do the seconds (and I assume every other digit) count back from 9 to 0 rather than just jump? I would find that annoying.
It is an effect used by many normal Nixie clocks, just to look nice, but most of the time you can turn it off
I'm assuming with the right coding experience and equiptment you could change that on the internal chip.
I suspect that's the jackpot setting (#3 in the date setting mennu) - so it can be switched off.
I like it, the 3d effect is cool.
@SierraLimaOscar
Nope.
Wow! Really enjoyed that. Really enjoyed the assembly and setup. I don’t know why you have a feeling of trepidation. You seem way more competent than the rest of us!
Edge-lit displays are really cool! I've seen them in various forms. I have a mid '70s Zenith stereo with an edge-lit radio display, and the digits change between AM and FM when you select those bands. Even now it's an awesome effect, imagine how futuristic it looked back in the day?
Do you know what model number zenith? Id love to see what that looks like. Very cool!
Every week I discover there is something I've never heard of that is completely missing in my life. I love this channel. :)
Cheers!
Fantastic decorative piece. Definitely going to get one. Thanks for the great video! I'm a big fan.
You actually solder quite well;
Nice consistent, shiny, blobs of solder.
Not holding the iron on there too long
And you seem to have figured out ‘pre-tinning’ on your own (when you put solder on the pads or wire first)
Hi everyone, we are one of the two small businesses that are involved in manufacturing and selling the Diamex LED-Nixie clock. We have agreed that Diamex is going to handle the social media communication with you guys. Your response to our product is absolutely stunning and we would like to thank you a lot for the praise and all the thought you have put in your criticism. And thank you, Techmoan, for the very detailed video. It is obvious that a lot of love and work went into creating it.
When we first noticed what was going on with our sales we concentrated on sorting out how exactly we are going to organize this. By now we have found a good way to deal with the sudden peak in demand and although there will be delays we are confident that we can handle your orders.
Unfortunately, Labor Day got in our way because most of our employees had decided to use that 4-day-weekend for a short vacation. In Germany that is normal when there is only one day between a weekend and a holiday. About half of the country is currently on vacation. This morning we were finally able to reach everyone who is involved in the project. Meanwhile, we have started collecting your questions and we hope that we will be able to post the first answers soon.
Our staff is also checking why US Americans and Australians have so much trouble placing orders. We don’t mean to disappoint anybody and we apologize for the inconvenience.
UPDATE: Global orders are now possible on ebay and in the led-genial shop.
A few of you should already have received a notification that we received their payments and start processing their orders. A small number of clocks were already shipped. Unfortunately, tomorrow there is no chance to ship more because of Labor Day.
UPDATE (May 13th): You can now access our new FAQ in English where we answer the questions from UA-cam and your e-mail and where we will also publish new information as soon as it gets available.
www.led-basic.de/wp/category/led-nixie-faq/
Thanks for your patience. We will keep you posted.
UPDATE (June 1st): Today we have completed shipping all the Nixie clocks that have been ordered until today!
The sorting process is finished. :) You can now place your order on ebay or under the led-genial URL in the video description. Thanks for being so patient with us!
How nice of my fellow US viewers to complain early and ruin the links section for the rest of us. This is why we can't have nice things. For the record, I love 24-hour clocks. I know that makes me un-American or something.
Thanks for sharing, as always! I love your thorough and well-edited style; so refreshing. :)
The idea of the different layers is so cool
Spmeone must turn this into a three digit (or four - 000.0) speedometer to put onto a panel of a car, sort of as a HUD style.
If you had the skills I’m sure you could use the Lixie displays and an arduino to achieve this. A link to lixies is in the video description.
Along with sub-bass woofers, satnavs, mobile phones, in-car entertainment and yabbering kids in the back, this idea just puts you all, one bit closer to high-speed death.
People and their car gadgets... smh.
That's a great looking clock, and I like the controller box being made out of the clear acrylic with that big gear dial.
your "limited" skills at putting things together is much better than other peoples' advanced skills...
I hope you see this - I liked this video so much that I ordered my own Cronixie from Germany through eBay, and received it yesterday (I live in Michigan near Detroit). I plan to use this video as my guide for assembling mine - Thank You!!
They should add an option to make it "tick" using the buzzer like an analog clock, and also add 12 hour mode.
Yeah, just thought of that. It would be almost the 007 bomb countdown.
Yeah!
Hi, this is the manufacturer. We can at least make one of your wishes come true because the clock is customizable. We're working on providing you guys with a file that will add the 12 hour mode to the clock. If you know how to work with code you can also make that change on your own because it's open source. To add the file to the clock you need the Windows software we provide as a download and you need to connect the clock to your computer via USB. You can find more information on how that works and where you can find the software in the section on customizing the clock in our new FAQ:
www.led-basic.de/wp/category/led-nixie-faq/
I too would love a 12 hour option, not good with code.
Oh cool!
That silly return-to-zero animation is a distraction and major show-stopper for me. And doubly so if you can't turn it off.
There is a comment somewhere that says there's a way to turn it off using pc software witch would be good
Acording to source code (which is open) it can be switched off thru menu operated by knob.
He shows you how to turn it off in the video
With your analytical mindset, I would love to see you set up a small electronics lab, including gear such as an oscilloscope, benchtop multimeter, frequency counter, function generator, decent soodering set up, component selection, all that kind of stuff. There’s actually some decent introductory beginner priced stuff being made these days. Then once you have a basic set up you can always upgrade piece by piece.... by restoring old pieces, recapping and such. I’m absolutely positive you would love it and you would be great at it.
Only Techmoan can make a 23-minute video about a clock without being boring... Except maybe Franlab.
Hey.....!
It's Fran......
In the lab....
....Fran Lab!
I wish that 'countdown' feature could be turned off, I mean so the number jumps back to 0 after 9 instead of counting back down.
The second countdown can be disabled though not through the clock settings but by modifying the clock software. Indeed I've done that and is straightforward with very little knowledge. Briefly; download LedBasic, open 'cronios1-nixie-complete-vanessa_1.41.bas', comment out line 201 by prefixing the line with an apostrophe, connect the clock via USB and upload the modified software. Took 30 minutes from beginning to end. Next time it will take me 5 minutes :-)
Hi, this is the manufacturer. Yeah, you've figured it out! Changing the code is one cool thing about the clock. If that was everything the clock and software could do everybody would start changing this animation from scratch and you'd have to repeat steps other people have already completed. That's not necessary. We wanted to take this a step further, so here's the other cool thing:
Now that you disabled the animation you can save the changes you made as a .bas file. You can share that file with other people. All they need to do then is download the software, put the file in, connect the clock via USB, and apply the file to the clock. Done. As soon as someone created a file no knowledge concerning the code is needed anymore. This way, people who don't have experience with code can participate and the guys who change the code don't need to put lengthy descriptions online.
This system is designed to change a lot more than just one animation. You can play with them and create completely new ones changing the speed and colors etc. All we provide is examples. We hope you guys exchange lots of ideas and get creative!
If you like, you can also use this mechanism to change the clock's display to the 12 hour system and MMDDYY date. We are working on providing you with a .bas file but you can make those changes yourself in the code.
You can find more detailed information on the options to customize the clock in our new FAQ (the link to the software is included):
www.led-basic.de/wp/category/led-nixie-faq/
Great clock and project. Love it. - I especially love the fact that it reads in 24 hour time. Far more professional.
Thanks for posting all the Ebay links for your international viewers. Canada usually gets left off, nice to see it there :D
Great review! Your outro is impressive and a nice reminder of the cool products you've covered and the quality of all your b-roll shots :)
This would definitely need to be enclosed in some sort of clear case, as every spec of dust will show up especially in low light.
And also have a solid black back panel to make the digits easier to see in bright light.
Goldfinger was on TV at the time you posted this in Sydney
The Cronixie-M is absolutely _brilliant!!!_ - And your video a textbook example of an instructional and lucid how-to-DIY! Thanks a lot for posting this little gem Techmoan!!!😉👌
Just a tip for anyone wanting to build this. To get zero smudges on the plexi panels, buy yourself some cotton gloves - they’re usually branded as jewellery inspection gloves. You can handle the plexi all you like without leaving any residue and don’t have to be overly cautious.
Super cool kit and nice review.
I do want to point out something though. The position of those screws is probably not an error. They might appear to be too close to each other to get a socket or wrench on them, but they are probably this close on purpose so the flat on one acorn nut lines up with the flat on the other acorn nut and prevents them from turning. This way you can tighten the screw with an allen key from the other side without needing a socket or wrench at all.
There's something neatly magical about the way the panels seem to physically jump around.
I need that!!!
What he said - especially 'cause I AM German!
I've always wanted a nixie clock but this modern take on a nixie clock is very much intriguing
Well, I got it. It looks really neat. 😎
And here you can actually watch me build the thing: ua-cam.com/video/JJefLByR4z4/v-deo.html
Same
Got a medium one for Xmas using your affiliated link. Very pleased you introduced us to this, looks great!
A similar type of a display was first used in Non-Linear Systems Model 481. That was 1950's ! Used standard light bulbs along with relays.
Amazing product, tons of features, and I am surprised they have accomplished as much as they did, but it just doesn't have that industrial or magical look to it, like the nixies and some other solutions do. Great video, Matt!
FUN FACT: The nixie tubes (especially the Soviet ones) have the number five digit (5) being ambiguously substituted with an upside-down two digit (2) - they did this for economy reasons... That's why the number five looks funky with the nixie tubes. ^__^
Awesome video and awesome clock there, fella! :-)
Couple of handy bits to add here:
1. According to the German language instructions, the controller distinguishes between short (click) & long (hold) presses, i.e. long press to save the time & exit after setting it.
2. Besides the numerical clock featured here, they also offer a textual version which works in both Deutsch & English. Same overall idea, but with 7x ten letter placements.
Common sense says use gloves to assemble the display panels. Tech tip. Excellent job on the video, explaining how this works. As mentioned below, this looks like a cover is mandatory. The links you provided are extremely helpful!
I love how this looks, I am sorely tempted to get one of these now.
I'm surprised this didn't catch on back in the 60's or 70's. That is an interesting kind of display, not limited to numbers. I could see automotive info displays using this.
Wow...You have found my next project...Thank you very much. A great video as ever.
It plays Frère Jacques when the countdown ends? But why? 🤔🤔🤔
Because it's awesome.
You can reprogram it to play any chip tune.
**Bruder Jakob*
_Morning bells are ringing, morning bells are ringing_
_Ding ding dong, ding ding dong._
Should be The Final Countdown
My favourite UA-cam channel by far! Love seeing a new video
What a coincidence! Yesterday I watched Goldfinger. My country National broadcaster (LRT) decided to show all Bond films from Dr. No to Spectre. When I saw scene with nuclear bomb, I definately took attention to that display.
I think I would've used bare pieces of wire (i.e. resistor legs) as connections between those boards.
I got mine yesterday and it is working beautifully!!!!
Dusting this seems like a nightmare
My nightmares usually involve being unable to find a toilet.
You could integrate a GPS chip and a database of toilet lat/longs, then display bearing and distance to the nearest. Of course, you'd need to tape the whole lot to your arm or something...
Techmoan I would be surprised if there isn't some sort of smart watch app for that. Or phone app if smart watches aren't your thing.
I’m referring to real nightmares (when you’re asleep).
Techmoan Ah... I'm fortunate to be able to say that I have absolutely no idea what happens between going to sleep and waking up.
Something new to put on my shopping list...
This looks pretty cool, good build quality, I like it.
WTF, This is so clever!!! I had no idea, very simple and looks cool. I'll make one with yellow led's or rgb set to yellow to resemble that amber color, Thanks for showcasing this great technology. You're the best channel related to general tech, audio video now this. Amazing.
That is clocking amazing. Just like the till signs in Aldi. We are opening till number 4....
Being a fan of nixie stuff myself (and kits) this really appeals to me.
I would have liked to seen it against a nixie to compare brightness, but it seems to have plenty of adjustments.
Thanks for bringing this to my attention!
Comprehensive vid which will surely result in increased sales. Cronixie owe you a debt of gratitude and would do well to 'see you right' retrospectively.
Love it. Just bought one, they are selling out fast, thanks to your video.
Thanks. A Cronixie is just what I need.
This is really cool. My only "complaint" is they should offer a mode button to convert to US format date (mm/dd/yy). I can deal with 24 hour time but dd/mm/yy would confuse the heck out of me lol. And yes I know that it's the standard virtually everywhere else, but it's not here lol.
Thanks for your photosensitive warnings, I always appreciate that in your videos! :-)
That's pretty cool. Thanks for the note about the Goldfinger reference. Nifty!
I enjoy this channel more that releases of new phones or anything
Because of your videos, i bought my son a nixie clock. Now i have to buy one of these.
That is so cool! Thanks for sharing. It would be interesting to make a controller for this with a Raspberry PI.
A great video, Mat. Have to say I found this gadget more attractive than the Nixie tubes, which look too old fashioned for my taste. Still expensive though, given that it is largely self-assembly.
Fantastic- I want one! Clearly the alarm is a work in progress.... hopefully!
You earned my subscription! Cheers from outback Australia, Rolf
Very slick! I never knew of Lixie until now.
Lixie guy here! If you ever pick up some of my displays, feel free to reach out for any help. :)
Nice. Simple yet effective, using an Arduino, a D1338 and WS2812b LEDs. I have all those parts and could probably program it, but obviously no way to obtain the CNC-cut and etched acrylic pieces and PCBs, and couldn't make it look as nice. Maybe I'll get one of these kits at some point! Great video as always.
I have one of these multi digit displays removed from some old test equipment. Big metal box covered in solder tabs. Want to do something with it someday!
Well, that film isn't on there to protect against scorching, it's there to prevent scratches while the sheet stock is handled. If the acrylic was really intended for laser cutting, it would be paper, not plastic.
The ''3D'' effect shows up fairly well with the brightness up and the studio lights dimmed.
Especially on the leftmost and rightmost digits.
Great video. You did however forget tog show what it looks like when the clock wraps around at midnight at 235959 🙂
Benjamin Buter Petersen what does it do at midnight? Dance the Macarena?
Maybe it just jumps to 000001
Got mine yesterday; finished it today. Nice clock. Next project: looking at the possibility of either connecting it to an NTP source (ethernet) or to an old USB GPS I have...
Thanks for clarifying the lexie tubes in goldfinger, I love that movie and always wondered about the timer. I assumed they were regular nixies!
Another great vid. Can't help wondering how much more it would have cost them to add an LCD or OLED screen to the controller to make configuring the device that much easier...
Dave Compton an LCD screen wouldn't cost much but an oled screen would add quite a lot to the price, they aren't cheap.
Martyn James £2.50 for a small 128x32. Probably cheaper in bulk. I guess that'd eat into profits, but would probably generate more sales to compensate.
Dave Compton for an oled? I thought they were far more expensive than that. I wanted the screen replaced in my Sony vita (oled version) but it was cheaper to buy a brand new one, the repair centre said that the cost was due to oled being "a new technology" cheeky bastards!
Dave Compton I'd definitely prefer oled over LCD and it would be a very useful addition.
Martyn James It's just a tiny monochrome oled display, great for icons and small text. I use them on Arduino projects; easy to drive with a simple library and a couple of wires.
An English version of the user manual is available on their website as well as in French, Italian and Spanish
This is awesome! It will never die because the LEDs can be controlled with any brain box. This is worth way more than a old pixie tube clock that can die at any moment. I will probably get one of these clocks for my office and keep it forever.
Another fascinating video, thanks so much! I've been skeptical of edge-lit displays vs. the real neon look, but these are surprisingly crisp and bright it seems.
By the way, the automatic captions are usable but just barely. Have you considered using a professional captioning service? I recently learned that these are a lot less expensive than I'd been assuming (like $1/minute!) so I'm considering doing that when I don't have time to caption a video myself.
Thanks again!
+Techmoan Don't sell yourself short, Matt, your soldering skills are fine.
Now that's German engineering.
Missing a crucial part to turn off the alarm? Yep, that's german engineering.
Cooking With Cows I mean compared to some of the other stuff featured on this channel it's not that bad right? ... RIGHT? ;.;
When the alarm sounds, you are supposed to do the thing the alarm was set for. f.e. get out of bed, not turn over and sleep in. Its a german thing
username , start another world war? It is a German thing...
Jf Mc Seriously stop talking this kind of bullshit. You probably weren't alive back then, I wasn't alive back then and still here we are getting shit for something that happened more than 70 years ago. Its like having an argument about how your grandfather stole my grandfather a cookie in middle school. IT DOESN'T MATTER. Stop thinking about *the current* Germany as the country that started 2 world wars. They have done and it's important to remember but this is just pathetic.
(14:08) The countdown timer immediately sounds the alarm at 01, thus a 60 sec countdown is actually a 59 sec countdown. It doesn't display 0 at the end of the countdown, which is really odd.
This is right up my street. I'll be picking one up soon!
Do a video en the 1979 Sony Walkman, I’ve had one for quite a while, and I really like how you review and breakdown old tech like the pocket rocker you did in the previous video
Love all your episodes! Keep it up! I hope to get a Lixie clock soon too!
I like this clock. I sunk nearly a grand Australian on a IN18 nixie clock kit, once I bought the case, gps receiver and tubes and spares. This lixie kit is much more economical to purchase. Not sure about that animation every time it returns to zero though.
Just ordered one, can't wait!