Nixie tubes are, of course, an elegant display method from a more civilized age, but actually powering and controlling them can be a challenge. This can mean a great project and learning opportunity, but if you’d rather just skip ahead to programming these amazing lights, then Marcin Saj’s IN-2 binary Nixie clock is definitely worth a look.

This retro-style unit features a 6 x 3 array of small IN-2 tubes, which are turned to “1” or “0” depending on the time. Reading the results takes a bit of math, but it would be good practice for those that would like to improve their skills. 

The clock is available for purchase, and can be driven by a classic Nano, Nano Every or Nano 33 IoT — the last of which enables you to connect to an NTP server over WiFi.