The DIY VFD Tube Clock Is as Beautiful as They Come
ChristineNZ has a tutorial explaining how she built one of the most beautiful VFD tube clocks we’ve ever seen.
Nixie tubes have been all the rage for several years now, but they start to lose their appeal after you’ve seen a few hundred devices that utilize them. If you’re going to put the blood, sweat, and tears into making something custom, you want it to be unique. That’s why VFD (Vacuum Fluorescent Display) tubes have seen resurgence recently. They don’t have quite the same level of retro appeal that Nixie tubes do, but they’re steal very cool. If that strikes your fancy, ChristineNZ has a tutorial explaining how she built one of the most beautiful VFD tube clocks we’ve ever seen.
On both a technical and visual level, VFD tubes bridge the gap between vintage Nixie tubes and more modern LED-based seven-segment displays. VFD digits are broken up into segments that are activated individually, but they are also housed within small tubes that are heated with a high voltage like Nixie tubes. They’re most often a greenish color, but can come in other colors or be tinted. For this clock build, ChristineNZ used ILC1-1/8L VFD tubes, which are a classic blueish-green. Those are also much larger than most other VFD tubes, and can be found relatively easily on sites like eBay.
The eight VFD tubes for this clock have 56 segments in total, though two of those only have the bottom segment illuminated normally. Those are controlled by an Arduino Mega 2560 board, which has many I/O pins to make it easier to control all of the segments. A MAX6921AWI VFD driver is used along with a boost converter to supply the necessary power. A DS3231 RTC (Real-Time Clock) keeps the time accurate.
A photoresistor is used to adjust the brightness, and BME280 environmental sensor is also present—though it’s not clear what its function is here. ChristineNZ even added an MP3-TF-16P mini MP3 player and a speaker for sounding chimes every hour. All of that is contained within an enclosure that was handmade from mahogany. Brass accents add to the mid-century aesthetic. If you want a nice clock and want to avoid Nixie tubes, this project should provide you with all the inspiration you need.