I am not sure whether Gen-Z that wears a smartwatch on the wrist, uses a smartphone for media, and probably an Amazon’s Halo Rise to wake up would even relate to a Nixie clock. Forget Gen-Z, even the millennials would find it hard to resonate with an electronic device that displays time using glow discharge.
It’s been years, and the technology is forgotten or abandoned, to say the least. With the advancement in applied science, we had better alternatives to replace the Nixie tubes and as a result of growing demand and search for better quality, they were superseded by a cheaper and less power-consuming option ‘LEDs’.
However, time and again, there are clock enthusiasts who’ve been building small vacuum tubes with glowing wires for purely aesthetic reasons. A team of engineers based in Vancouver, Canada is one among them that feels it’s time Nixie makes its resurgence.
Launched on Kickstarter and available for an early bird price of about $350, NixieX – from the Canadians – is a tabletop alarm clock that boasts a number of features ranging from a vintage IN-12 nixie tube display to a built-in Bluetooth speaker.
However, it’s the aesthetic that’s the major talking point of the clock. Exhibiting a Steampunk feel, the clock is an amalgamation of vintage display and modern technology. Swaggering its space gray aluminum alloy body alongside an all-metal scratch-resistant surface, NixieX complements your home décor. The nixie tubes which are enclosed by a transparent glass chamber glow and breathe new life into an ordinary-looking metal structure.
Moving to the tech part, the clock actually works with a USB Type-C cable. All you need to do is plug it in the socket and be ready to grace yourself with the soft warm glow of the tubes that will fill your house with a sense of retro tech. It’s like turning your home into Dexter’s laboratory. The clock offers different lighting themes to choose from which can be achieved by pressing the knob on the mainboard.
The clock receives time signals from the board and displays the time with the four nixie tubes. A tiny bulb is set in the center to set the minute and hour digits apart. The company states, “Time accuracy is offered with the built-in Real Time Clock module and backed with CR1220 battery while the clock is powered off.”
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Incorporating a built-in Bluetooth speaker (equipped with a vintage VU meter), inside its alloy body, the retro-modern clock ensures instant pairing and maintains constant uninterrupted connection up to 66 feet. Offering crystal clear sound, the NixieX let you play your favorite music from any device while letting the operating digits tell the time in your space.
