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I'm building a pair of belt gizmos for my son and myself. These are scratch built, not a kit. I had originally planned to use 10mm plastic test tubes with 7 segment LEDs for the display. But after some research, I realised I could use real vfd tubes using a 9v and AA battery. So I purchased 24 used bb8-3 tubes off eBay. Here's the results so far.


It took 2 months for the tubes to arrive. And the first tube I tried was dead. The wait and effort was worth it. The display is static. I'm still waiting for a pair of 4017 circuits to animate this.

Wow good work, this was an inkling of an idea I had as well as well while sourcing ways to make a belt gizmo but couldn't come up with a way to make it work. Glad to see it brought to fruition with such great results!

I made a pattern for making the belt gizmo holder.


Should print fine on letter size sheet.



Right now I'm using an old CLC 464 tape holder that I cut. After trimming a bit. It matches the latter ok.

Thanks cristovalc.

I'd seen people add Less to backlight the bed tubes or reproduction tubes. But none had light up the tube displays. I'll post a video when I install the chaser circuit.

That should be LEDs to light the VFD tubes. Stupid auto correct.

I dont see the Images that you posted to this,
Where did you host the images?
I was wondering if you could post the one of your pattern again please.
Thanks

Thats so cool!

Dang, very nicely done!

Nice! But why VFDs instead of nixies?

Hi there
I‘d like to know how exactly you got the nixies working with a 9v Battery?

Also I searched for the mentioned Bb8 tubes but couldn’t find any info about them. Can you tell more aboutbthe exact name?

Best
Steven

Working on a gizmo of my own. What I can figure out is how to make the upper housing part (all the way that top, the black "bar" that has the little box to the side)

Any suggestions?

Evilchumlee wrote: ↑February 11th, 2024, 10:29 am Working on a gizmo of my own. What I can figure out is how to make the upper housing part (all the way that top, the black "bar" that has the little box to the side)

Any suggestions?

Folded aluminium, with either folded tabs, or riveted tabs on the sides to make the "legs" that attach it to the motherboard.

Kingpin wrote: ↑February 12th, 2024, 4:16 pm

Evilchumlee wrote: ↑February 11th, 2024, 10:29 am Working on a gizmo of my own. What I can figure out is how to make the upper housing part (all the way that top, the black "bar" that has the little box to the side)

Any suggestions?

Folded aluminium, with either folded tabs, or riveted tabs on the sides to make the "legs" that attach it to the motherboard.

Appreciate the response. Probably a bit beyond my capabilities, i'm looking for something a bit more "homemade".

Evilchumlee wrote: ↑February 23rd, 2024, 12:11 pmi'm looking for something a bit more "homemade".

That was pretty much the home-made approach, it was a bit of trial and error involving cutting and bending aluminium, drilling chunks of it and riveting other bits, all done in the gararge... My first nixie tubes were cut-down lengths of clear acrylic rod with bolts threaded into the tops of them.

I wish I had the equipment to work with that. I have a pretty good stand-in for nixie tubes, found little glass bottles I get a mesh into, a light, etc. Can salvage a workable circuit board backing type thing, have the holster no problem. It's that housing that has been eluding me.

I figured I could use plywood or something, but I live in an apartment. Hard to work with those kind of materials, but it could still potentially work.