01 June 2015

From the past: nixie tubes!


Some blogs I follow sometimes write about Nixie tubes. Those authors are enthusiastic enough to spark some interest in me. I checked usual online sources and prices are way too high for my curiosity.

Then at the local HAM flea market in May 2015 my friend Angelo spotted a box with few Nixies on a table full of valves. I explained my interest in trying out the technology and few minutes later I walked away with four Burroughs B5092 and one B5094 (we thought they were all 5092's). I wanted just one but the price was just too good to be true (two cappuccino's).

No warranty whatsoever, of course. Nevertheless they look cute, don't they?

When I told this story on the local repeater on Monday morning I learned that Nixie tubes in Italian language are referred to as a female noun. So now I've got to light up five little ladies.