Nostalgia like it used to be - and about time, too

The BigTime MkII

(Because it's Big, and it tells the Time)

Top Quality, Full-Featured,

Six Digit IN18 Nixie Clock Kit 

All the features that you'd expect from a modern clock, but with all the beauty of original retro Large Russian IN18 Nixie display tubes

Six months in the making, and based on an earlier and highly successful BigTime MkI design, The BigTime is the latest incarnation of a PIC Microprocessor-based, six-digit nixie clock. It is the marriage of electronics from two disparate eras: Cold War display technology and twenty-first century integrated electronics.

The Best Nixie Clock You Can Buy

Whoa! That's quite a claim, there. But I've done my research, now you do yours. Yes, there are other nixie clocks out there. But you simply will not find a more complete, feature-rich, professionally finished, large nixie clock. If all you want is to know the time, look at your wrist. If you want a fantastic piece of quality retro art, that also tells you the time (and lots of other stuff, too), then you are in the right place. 

Being processor (rather than discrete logic) based, The BigTime is able to offer many more functions, without loosing the charm of its raison d’etre – the glorious IN18 nixie display tubes. Uniquely, The BigTime's many functions are controlled via an infrared remote control (supplied, of course), making case design and location of the finished clock simpler.

Although the nixie tubes themselves require relatively high voltages, The BigTime is completely isolated from the mains via a CE approved external low voltage power supply (due to postal costs, this is included with UK, EU and US sales ONLY).

The BigTime is based on a professionally manufactured, high-quality, double-sided, Gold plated-though-hole (PTH) FR4 fibreglass printed circuit board. Only brand new components are used throughout.

This Kit clock INCLUDES six plug-in IN18 nixie tubes - some other 'nixie clocks' do not! The nixie tubes themselves are classified as New Old Stock – (NOS), as they were made at least 15 years ago, but have never been used. Unlike some other designs which use smaller (13 mm) or a rather naff ‘upside down’ 2’s for the 5 numeral, The BigTime features genuine Russian IN18 tubes, with their beautifully formed 40 mm high numerals. These are the now very largest nixie tubes that are still available in reasonable commercial quantities.

The BigTime is offered here as a full kit with everything you need, bar tools and your time. It includes a precision CNC-machined aluminium case cut from the solid, and finished in a stunning mirror polish. The underside is a window of a clear acrylic, showing off The BigTime's inner workings.

Three optional modules are available to further enhance The BigTime's functionality:

• A Digital temperature probe (GBP £7.00 extra)
• A Relay output module, which can be configured to drive external (even mains driven) circuitry, based on one of a number of events (GBP £6.00 extra) 
• A GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver (GBP £35 extra). Plug The BigTime in, switch it on, and watch it pluck the time from space!

SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY OFFER - this auction or Buy-It-Now price will INCLUDE the above items at no extra charge.

Note that The BigTime also runs just fine without the GPS option; it is used merely to resynchronise the time to an atomically maintained reference at regular intervals.

The BigTime Features

The BigTime is quite simply a unique offering. It is just crammed full of features. Look hard, and you'll find some of these on some other clocks – but never all of them on any other nixie clock on the market.

But then, The BigTime isn't like just any other nixie clock on the market…

• NEW FOR 2008 Direct Drive Display (not multiplexed), for quieter, longer nixie tube life
• NEW FOR 2008 Precision Temperature Compensated Crystal (TCXO) for +/- 30 seconds / year accuracy, or even better  
• NEW FOR 2008 Software controlled LED backlighting of nixie tubes (available in Blue OR Cool White)
• NEW FOR 2008 Surface Mount technology facilitates a lower profile, shallower case
• NEW FOR 2008 High efficiency, compact switched-mode mains power supply (external "Wall-wart" type) for UK, Europe and USA
• NEW FOR 2008 Mirror-finish polished, precision-machined, Aluminium case
• Fully remote controlled – The BigTime contains no (0) moving parts! (well, OK, apart from one reset switch)
• Large Six-digit display showing hours, minutes, seconds, or day, month, year
• Super-smooth fading between digits
• 12 or 24-hour hour display mode
• Indicators for AM/PM, time, and alarm-set mode
• Alarm, with snooze
• European or US date display formats
• Simple hourly beeps or complex “Westminster” chimes with software selectable Silent-Night mode
• Plays “Happy Birthday” on up to four specified dates
• Other “Easter Eggs” for you to find!
• Automatic leap-year calculation
• Universal Automatic Daylight Savings Time calculation for almost all geographies, including new US DST rules (2007 onwards) 
• Manual or automatic display brightness
• Safe, low-voltage design, via a 12V DC “wall-wart” UK, EU or US power supply
• On-board SuperCap retains The BigTime's time and settings for a minimum of 7 days in the event of power loss
• On-board loudspeaker for more compact design
• Optional external temperature probe (-50C to 120C, or 58F to +255F )
• Optional relay output to drive slave clocks or other equipment 
• NEW FOR 2008 Optional GPS receiver for permanent atomic precision
• Every BigTime is individually serial numbered and comes with its own certification

Do you really need all those features? Other previous buyers of my clocks think so! Many of these features have been developed over time in response to other customer requests.

The BigTime Documentation

The BigTime comes with extensive high quality documentation, including spiral-bound lay-flat guides, covering construction (just in case you were wondering) and operation, running to over 110 (yes, one hundred and ten) A5 pages in total. NOW IN FULL COLOUR with many colour photos. Everything you need to know to operate it including:

Construction:

• Specifications
• Circuit Description (And Circuit Diagram)
• Parts List (Around 110 Parts In Total)
• Nixie Tube Data (In English And Russian!)
• Step-By-Step Construction
• Detailed Testing (A Multimeter is all you really need)
• Get-You-Going Service
• Software Description

Operation:

• Safety Notes
• Setting Up The Remote Control
• Setting The BigTime
• Display Modes (Six In Total)
• Parameter Setup
• Temperature Probe
• GPS Receiver 
• All About Nixie Tubes
• Driving Slave Clocks
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

So no, I do not email you a link to an afterthought of an electronic manual. This is the Real Deal.

Specifications

Power source: 12V DC at 600 mA. NB: Absolute maximum rating of 18V DC

Power consumption: Under 7W from supplied 230V > 12V DC CE-mark UK adaptor, or EuroPlug European adaptor, or 110V >12 V DC US Adaptor ( RoW will need to supply a simple 12V "wall wart" type of power supply) 

Dimensions: sleek, low profile aluminium case 300 x 62 x 25 mm (length x depth x height). IN18 nixie tubes add a further 60 mm to the overall height. 300 mm - that's almost twelve inches wide! This Time, it's Big 

Weight: 650 g (Gross shipping weight ~2 Kg)

Display: Six unused New Old Stock Russian IN18 Direct-driven plug-in Nixie tubes (digit height 40 mm) plus four mode indicators. Instant switch, or two selectable display soft-fade styles (cool)

Display modes:

• Time (HH:MM:SS) 12 hour (US) or 24 hour (Europe) display
• Date (DD MM YY or MM DD YY)
• Auto time and date
• Alarm
• Parameter setup
• Temperature (optional)

Operating altitude: 0 - 3,000m (~10,000 ft)

Operating temperature (unit:) Main clock: 0C - 50C

Measured Temperature: Optional external temperature probe: -50C > +120C (-58F > +255F ) to an accuracy of ±1C between –10C and 85C.  Temperature display in Centigrade or Fahrenheit

Timekeeping Accuracy:

• On board Precision Temperature Compensated Crystal; software adjustable to +/- 30 seconds per year or better (typically +/- 15 sec /Yr)
• Time derived from optional GPS module; accurate to within one second in the life of The BigTime :)

Brightness: Bright, dim, or auto-dim display at hours of your choosing

Backlighting: Nixie tubes under lit by blue OR cool white LEDs, dimmed with display dimming. Software controlled

Memory: All settings (including current time) retained in the event of power failure

Daylight saving: Automatic daylight saving adjustment (advance/retard) for vast majority of countries

Leap Years: Automatic Leap-Year calculations to 2099

Audio output: Hourly or quarterly chimes, alarm, birthdays and temperature: variable volume, “silent night” mode at hours of your choosing

Relay output: (optional) On, off, alarm time, over/under temperature or 30 or 60-second pulse for slave clocks. Contacts rated at 230V AC 5A AC Maximum

Operation: All functions controlled from a six-button Infra-red remote control (supplied)

Kitchen Sink: Er, no

Fun: Oh, yes

 WARNING

There are an increasing number of clocks out there on eBay and elsewhere, using the word "Nixie" to describe themselves. But some are based on VFD (Vacuum fluorescent) or seven segment displays, or even LED's!! Those are not nixie clocks! The BigTime is a genuine nixie tubed clock, plain and simple.

The Pictures

The pictures show the finished clock, with precision CNC-machined case. It’s kinda hard to photograph a shiny object! A typical small remote control unit is shown (style may vary). Also the optional GPS receiver and temperature probe. A shot of an IN18 nixie tube, reclining beside a ruler is shown. These are quite simply the largest nixie tubes still available in any quantity. Also shown is a selection of the components in the kit, and some of the high quality documentation. Please note that White or Blue Under-nixie lighting available - state your colour preference.

Nixie Tube Life

Nixie tubes can fail in a number of ways, but the most common failures revolve around a gradual loss of performance due to slight fading, or a blackening of the glass (unlike a filament lamp, where now you see with it, then suddenly you don't!). So any life expectancy tends to be given around the minimum number of useful hours. But that’s an opinion!

The specifications for nixie tubes often talk about life expectancies in thousands of hours. The spec for the IN18 tube mentions a figure of 5,000 hours. However, this rating is worst case, and generally taken to mean the same numeral, driven at full current, all of the time. But The BigTime doesn't drive its nixie tubes hard, in this way.

First, different numerals are being displayed, according to the time of day. If you use the soft-fade or night-time dim feature, each nixie tube is being driven even further well below its rated current for most of the time. To even things out, you might even like to swap the tubes over; once a year is quite often enough.

So here is my very best guess for the life expectancy of your nixie tubes. And discounting, for a moment, that they've slept through the first twenty-plus years of their lives, forgotten in some Russian warehouse, the ageing effects of which are not documented :)

Your nixie tubes should last for many years.

That’s it. Three or thirty, or somewhere in between.

If it really comes to it, at least the IN18 nixie tubes in The BigTime are plug-in types, much like an electronic valve, and are replaceable.

Tiny, Tiny Tiny

In kit format, The BigTime MkII now includes some Surface Mount Devices (SMDs) such as LEDs, two IC's. These can be tricky to solder if you are not proficient with surface mount soldering techniques. Just ask, and I will be happy to presolder these few components for you, at no extra charge. The majority of the kit uses more "conventional" through-hole leaded components, and completing this part of the kit should be within reach of anyone who owns a soldering iron and is not afraid to use it! Alternatively, The BigTime is also available assembled, tested and guaranteed.

Other Stuff

Do your homework. Go Googling for other nixie clocks. See how many parts they have you running around trying to find, how few functions they offer, lack of remote control, quality of documentation and backup service, and the high prices they command. Some Nixie clock kits even lack the nixie tubes! More a bag of electronic bits than a nixie clock, then. The BigTime always includes the nixie tubes. Check out any feedback. You'll be back. :)

Each BigTime is well packaged and presented, and would make an ideal gift to an electronics enthusiast, or anyone who was perhaps involved in the technology of the 1960's, or even anyone who wished they had been!

I stand by my clocks. I guarantee the assembled BigTime clock against failure for a period of six months, and the nixie tubes themselves for three months. My best advertisements are my past, pleased, customers and their comments and emails. And I want you for my next advertisement.

Note that the remote control commands used by The BigTime are based around the standard SONY TV remote control commands, and if that The BigTime and a Sony TV are within mutual range, commands for one device may affect the other.

Email Feedback

I could go on all day about The Bigtime. Indeed, those of you who have read this far probably think I already have. Here instead is some additional feedback that I received for last Year's MkI model. These comments count for much more than 'just' your standard eBay feedback line (which is 100% of course). It's what people say after they've received the goods and had a chance to really "kick the tyres" that matters.

Hi-

These are by far the nicest nixie clocks I have seen for sale.  I had noted a few home built versions with the LED under lighting which is really nice, but your version is the first offering this and the many additional options.  Thank you for producing such wonderful clocks for those of us that are not up to building one.  Best Regards, H J W, USA

Hi Laurence

The kit arrived today and I'm so impressed? It´s absolutely fantastic!!! You surely have put some thought and effort into the BigTime clock with fantastic quality hardware and super paperwork. I have read the first chapter of the constructors guide this evening and I find it to be very informative, humoristic and very satisfying, building kits should be fun besides the building process, good job. I will start to put it together tomorrow, can’t wait.

Thanks Laurence, I will send you a picture of it from a COLD Sweden when it´s completed.

Ok, all is sorted and it´s working like a clock

So I´m now a proud owner of a BigTime, It´s been fantastic to build the kit and it has a really nice finish and quality, far beyond anything I have built so far in the ways of nixie clocks, good job done, and your support has been an asset and with super good response, tank you Laurence, I have enclosed a photo.   H B, Sweden

Well it arrived on time and due to your comprehensive packing in good shape and I must say what an elegant and well thought out device-I am very pleased with it. Thanks for your swift response and instructions-all duly noted. Signal now received and RTC working and clock has reset itself-indeed it now synchronises!   B R, UK

Received the clock safely yesterday morning. I love the clock, it's a great little piece of engineering! It looks fantastic & I think you've done a great job, both with the clock & the documentation - thanks for making it worth the investment! I would also be interested to see the 2 new potential projects you mentioned.

Thanks again for all your help & patience!  J R, UK