Data Time nixie clock

81 views
Skip to first unread message

Terry S

unread,
Aug 30, 2021, 9:01:25 AM8/30/21
to neonixie-l
I've been watching these for years on ebay. Finally snagged one last night -- I hope I didn't beat out one of you with my last second bid.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/294351896097

This clock has always fascinated me. I believe it uses a mechanical clock movement -- decidedly low tech -- gears driving switches lighting nixie cathodes. An additional rotary switch to select the world time zones.

I'll add pictures once I receive it. I understand the mechanism is a mechanical wonder. 

Terry

martin martin

unread,
Aug 30, 2021, 9:18:40 AM8/30/21
to neonixie-l
Great catch!  Looking forward to pics...


--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "neonixie-l" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to neonixie-l+...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/neonixie-l/fb0f302b-5ab0-407b-8e04-48cea877e02fn%40googlegroups.com.

J Forbes

unread,
Aug 30, 2021, 9:30:10 AM8/30/21
to neonixie-l
Wow, neat find!

I like how the seller assumes those neon lights for the time zone are LEDs  :)

Mac Doktor

unread,
Aug 30, 2021, 11:55:20 PM8/30/21
to neonixie-l


On Aug 30, 2021, at 9:01 AM, Terry S <tschw...@gmail.com> wrote:

I've been watching these for years on ebay. Finally snagged one last night -- I hope I didn't beat out one of you with my last second bid.

Mine was the third highest. I stumbled across it in a "you might also like" section somewhere.

Now if only I could afford to have my Kilburg Geochron refurbished. I got it for $20 at a hamfest 25 years ago. Has two Vietnams on it.


Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
"The Mac Doctor"


“...the book said something astonishing, a very big thought. The stars, it said, were suns but very far away. The Sun was a star but close up.”—Carl Sagan, "The Backbone Of Night", Cosmos, 1980


Jon

unread,
Aug 31, 2021, 4:25:40 AM8/31/21
to neonixie-l
The drawing of time zones onto the world map is a bit uh, approximate. They've managed to exclude the UK from the GMT zone which is a pretty foundational problem!

Jon.

Dekatron42

unread,
Aug 31, 2021, 5:26:34 AM8/31/21
to neonixie-l
Maybe the auction text explains why the UK is not in the GMT time zone: "It is a special edition #01-687 and is patent pending, so I assume this is a 1st edition and #687 made." - maybe they hadn't realized the error in this early "special edition"!?  :'-) :'-)

/Martin

Paolo Cravero

unread,
Aug 31, 2021, 5:43:08 AM8/31/21
to neoni...@googlegroups.com
Hi.
According to this page https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Summer_Time , between "27 October 1968 and 31 October 1971" UK was on GMT+1. So, depending on the year the clock was made, it could be correct indeed!

The same analysis should be done for Portugal, that is currently on the same timezone of UK.

Paolo


--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "neonixie-l" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to neonixie-l+...@googlegroups.com.

Jon

unread,
Aug 31, 2021, 7:27:16 AM8/31/21
to neonixie-l
Paolo makes a great point! It'd be a cool extra talking point about the item if it had indeed been made during those weird 3 years when the UK government was running the time zone experiment.

Jon.

Terry S

unread,
Aug 31, 2021, 8:32:28 AM8/31/21
to neonixie-l
Indeed. I believe I read somewhere on the interwebs that this clock is circa 1970.
Reply all
Reply to author
Forward
0 new messages