VFDs

[Nicholas Stock]

A member asked me to post the following for all those out there that have these large VFD displays laying in a drawer somewhere... :)

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/oscilloscopeclocks/ilc1-7-vfd-clock-large-soviet-vacuum-fluorescent-display-diy?ref=discover_saved_projects&category_id=334

Many of you are probably already aware of Howard's clocks....

Cheers,

Nick

Mod

[Nick Andrews]

Are those bigger than the ilc1-1/8 vfd?  I have one of these kits.

https://www.boltind.com/open-source-projects/ilc1-1-8l-jumbo-vfd-clock-open-source-design/

Haven't soldered it yet. 

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[troutslayer]

Way bigger!

Leo

On Jun 19, 2026, at 5:57 PM, Nick Andrews <nickja...@gmail.com> wrote:



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[troutslayer]

The 1/8 are 100x45mm

The 1/7 are 140x83mm

Leo

On Jun 19, 2026, at 5:57 PM, Nick Andrews <nickja...@gmail.com> wrote:



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[Dekatron42]

Has anyone ever been able to drive these without banding across the segments along the cathode wires and also gotten even lighting of the segments?

Is it a driving problem that give rise to these effects or is it just the tubes themselves, like are they factory rejects or is it as the manufacturer intended them to look?

/Martin

[troutslayer]

It was a driving problem that took some time to figure out.

Leo

On Jun 21, 2026, at 4:38 AM, Dekatron42 <martin....@gmail.com> wrote:



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[David Pye]

Care to share more details ? :-)

Always good to know how to fix such issues

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[troutslayer]

David,

I would if I could, but it was Howard who figured out how to drive these VFDs.  I’m just a mechanical type who struggled for years to get them going.

Leo

On Jun 21, 2026, at 7:57 AM, David Pye <davi...@gmail.com> wrote:



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[Dekatron42]

But there is uneven lighting and banding on the segments shown in your photos at the Kickstarter!

The 8 is a lot less visible than the 1 ie. has lower lighting/intensity and the banding can be seen where I have drawn the red lines in the picture i edited below, the banding follows the cathode wires.

It might be that this only shows on these larger VFD-displays like the 1/8 & 1/7 and you really can't see it on smaller VFD displays, so possibly it isn't possible to solve it unless you put a coloured screen in front of the digits to blend it out.

Has anyone actually seen a Russian display with these with or without a coloured screen in front it and seen if it is possible to get rid of the unevenness and banding?

/Martin

[troutslayer]

Martin,

I see what you are saying.  Howard assures me that the banding and tube-to-tube difference in lighting/intensity doesn’t show up in person and can be adjusted by increasing the filament voltage.

Leo

On Jun 21, 2026, at 11:04 AM, Dekatron42 <martin....@gmail.com> wrote:



But there is uneven lighting and banding on the segments shown in your photos at the Kickstarter!

<Skärmbild 2026-06-21 175348 VFD Banding uneven lighting.jpg>

The 8 is a lot less visible than the 1 ie. has lower lighting/intensity and the banding can be seen where I have drawn the red lines in the picture i edited below, the banding follows the cathode wires.

It might be that this only shows on these larger VFD-displays like the 1/8 & 1/7 and you really can't see it on smaller VFD displays, so possibly it isn't possible to solve it unless you put a coloured screen in front of the digits to blend it out.

Has anyone actually seen a Russian display with these with or without a coloured screen in front it and seen if it is possible to get rid of the unevenness and banding?

To view this discussion, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/neonixie-l/f9aac2a4-f1a9-46d7-b8bb-f37af7425550n%40googlegroups.com.

<Skärmbild 2026-06-21 175348 VFD Banding uneven lighting - kopia.jpg>

[Dekatron42]

Do you have any video that shows that the banding is gone and that the lighting of the segments is even?

The YouTube video you link to above still shows banding and also uneven lighting.

/Martin

[Marcin Adamski]

C'mon Martin. The banding only adds to the charm. Seriously! It might be also possible that banding is much more pronounced on photos/videos. Fluorescence can be tricky on the sensors.

Leo: Why do you offer shipping of the 'seconds module' only to US? Most people don't live in US! By the way, do you have a picture of that 6-tube module?

Cheers,
Marcin

---

From:	Dekatron42 <martin....@gmail.com>
Date:	Monday, June 22 2026 20:14:25 GMT+10:00
To:	neonixie-l <neoni...@googlegroups.com>
Subject:	[neonixie-l] VFDs

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[Dekatron42]

Well I'm sorry, but to me it doesn't add to the charm, especially as it varies making the digits look faulty and not driven correctly - even if they aren't faulty and driven correctly, they are just not for me then and I'd like to know before I spend my money on this clock.

Some say that these displays are just prototypes or first runs but no one seems to be able to confirm that.

There have been many discussions about how these digits should be driven on this forum over the years and as far as I know there is no consensus on how they should be driven properly to produce even intensity on all segments and no banding. It might be that it isn't possible and then these displays are not for me.

The only Russian clocks and displays I've seen with the smaller 1/8th cousin always use a very dark blue perspex sheet in front of the digits and in those photos it's not possible to see if there is banding and uneven lighting of the segments.

There have been a few similar clocks shown in groups on Facebook where this banding and uneven lighting hasn't shown in any photo but it might just be the photos that doesn't show it - I've asked for information on those clocks but haven't heard back.

/Martin

[troutslayer]

Howard has the Kickstarter campaign and he says that the lack of international shipping is a glitch in how he set it up.  He’s working to correct that.

The 6-digit clock is shown on Howard’s YouTube site.

Leo

On Jun 22, 2026, at 11:50 PM, Marcin Adamski <marcin.r...@gmail.com> wrote:

 C'mon Martin. The banding only adds to the charm. Seriously! It might be also possible that banding is much more pronounced on photos/videos. Fluorescence can be tricky on the sensors.

To view this discussion, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/neonixie-l/9dd92ccd-cf89-49a0-9bc0-738803d1869f%40gmail.com.