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IN-12A/B Nixie Tube Breakout Board

Breadboard (0.1" header pin) adapter for IN-12A/B nixie tubes

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Nixie tubes are notoriously difficult to use with a breadboard/protoboard. This makes prototyping nixie displays, clocks and counters very difficult. This project is a breakout board with integrated current limiting resistor that aims to reduce the difficulties inherent in prototyping with nixie tubes.

The kit is now available for sale on eBay!

Want to buy this kit? 


Here's the eBay product page

build_guide.pdf

A PDF version of the build guide - the same one included with the kit when you purchase it!

Adobe Portable Document Format - 423.91 kB - 08/14/2018 at 14:01

Preview

  • 12 × Nixie Tube Pins For the nixie tube, obviously
  • 15 × 0.1" Header Pins For resistor bypass jumper and breadboard connection
  • 1 × 15k Ohm Resistor Current limiting resistor
  • 1 × 0.1" Header Jumper For bypassing the current limiting resistor
  • 1 × PCB Probably self-explanatory

  • Now on Tindie again!

    skelly03/28/2019 at 14:02 0 comments

    Hi all,

    As you may have noticed, I've recently put the kits back up on Tindie. To celebrate, you can use discount code HACKADAY to get 10% off your order! We also offer volume discounts.

  • Back in stock again!

    skelly03/07/2019 at 19:45 0 comments

    It's been a while since I've updated, and recently the nixie kits went out of stock again. But they're available! And even cheaper! $12 per set of 4 kits, free shipping, and bulk discouts!

    Get them on eBay while you can!

  • Changes to how the kits are sold

    skelly10/01/2018 at 22:21 0 comments

    After selling a few kits and seeing how people order them, I’ve decided to make a bit of a change to how they’re listed for sale.

    The good news is: They’re cheaper per unit for everyone now!

    This is because I’m selling them in sets of 4 for $14.50 with free shipping instead of $3.75 as single units. This will simply make things a lot easier for me on my end and will hopefully be a convenient way for people to buy them. Feel free to let me know via my contact form or message me on eBay if you’d like a different way to buy them, and we might be able to work something out!

    Just as before, they can be purchased at the eBay link here!

  • More stock now available!

    skelly09/09/2018 at 16:47 0 comments

    First, here's the eBay page. Get them while they're hot!

    There's now 50 more kits in stock, pick them up while you can! Hopefully if I start to run low I can get more in time without having to have a long period with no stock available. Enjoy the kits!

  • Out of stock - but more coming!

    skelly08/22/2018 at 12:12 0 comments

    So I've currently exhausted my stock of the first run of boards and parts, but more is on the way! Hopefully I'll have everything I need to start shipping more orders by early next week, so if you can't find the product on eBay, this is why. It'll be back soon, thanks!

  • No longer selling with Tindie

    skelly08/21/2018 at 19:28 0 comments

    First off, I want to say thank you so much to everyone who has purchased my kits so far! It's really great to know that this is something people want, and I can't wait for more stock to arrive. 

    However, I've noticed the very vast majority of my sales have been through eBay, so I'm going to be discontinuing my usage of Tindie for selling this product. Tindie simply isn't worth it and their shipping is much more difficult to set up, so I'd much rather use eBay which I'm much more familiar with, have more of a reputation on, and which makes the process a lot more streamlined for shipping.

  • Minor design change & more stock coming!

    skelly08/14/2018 at 14:10 0 comments

    I've received a few orders at this point so my stock is running a little low - I've just ordered all the bits and pieces to make 50 more kits, and I'll place a update when everything has arrived and they're ready to be ordered! I'm not sure how eBay/Tindie handle backordering, so I wouldn't suggest anyone try to place any large orders or anything.

    Since I've ordered more parts, I made a slight change to the board design. I simply added my website URL and nickname to the silkscreen so they're identifiable as my boards. Can't wait to get everything and start sending out more boards!

  • The boards work!

    skelly07/20/2018 at 15:48 0 comments

    I received the newly redesigned boards and they work! I've also received the extra nixie pins that I need. As of now, the project is for sale as a kit on eBay and Tindie. Check out the project links for those once the Tindie product is approved for sale!

  • PCB Mistakes

    skelly07/20/2018 at 15:47 0 comments

    Oops...

    I got the PCBs designed in a single evening and quickly sent them off to China for manufacture. They've arrived, and turns out there's a bit of a problem: I'm a dingus.

    The first problem is that one of the pins for the nixie tube was never actually routed to its corresponding header pin. So that digit doesn't work at all.

    The second problem is that I put the footprint for the nixie tube upside down. So in order for the board to work, it has to be placed upside down. Not very convenient or aesthetically pleasing.

    So I've fixed the board and sent the order off to be manufactured.

View all 9 project logs

  • 1
    Use a Nixie tube as a guide for installing the pins

    Place the Nixie tube pins onto the Nixie tube itself, this will allow them to be soldered into the circuit board much more easily. Don't slide the pins fully onto the Nixie tube, make sure they're just on enough to be held in place. If you slide them on completely, you might accidentally solder the pins to the Nixie tube itself.

  • 2
    Solder the Nixie pins in place

    Insert the Nixie tube with the pins into the circuit board. Solder the pins in place. 

  • 3
    Snip excess pin length

    After the pins have been soldered in place, snip away excess pin length from the back side of the board.

View all 7 instructions

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