What are Nixie Tubes?
Nixie tubes are filled with neon gas and contain 10 stamped plates, one for each number, 0-9. Apply +175volts DC at the anode and connect the ground to one of the 10 cathodes, and the respective number will glow orange with a slight purple hue. These displays were used before led’s became cheaper. By the 1970’s, led’s replaced nixie tubes but led’s can’t replace the orange-purple glow from nixie tubes. The vintage-retro look is what i’m after. It’s also neat to see the seconds change in a nixie tube. Since the stamped number plates are stacked one behind the other, the numbers appear to be moving. I have several different styles of tubes in my collection. The most easibly obtainable (on ebay) are the Russian made tubes. I also have tubes made from Poland and the United States. Most of my tubes were bought from Russia. Click here to see my current tube collection.
