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Nixie & Numitron Clock Guides

Straight answers to the questions we hear most often, written from actually designing, sourcing, and hand-building these kits — not summarised from a datasheet. Each guide links to the specific clocks and manuals it's relevant to.

Tubes

How long do Nixie tubes actually last?
15,000-25,000+ hours at rated current — but storage age, over-driving, and cathode poisoning matter more than raw clock-face hours. Includes how to tell a dying tube from a dying board.
IN-14, Z570M, or IN-8-2 — which tube should I choose?
All three plug into the same medium-tube holder boards. Here's how their glow, digit font, size, and availability actually differ, and how to pick.
Is Nixie tube voltage dangerous?
Tubes need ~170-180V DC internally, generated from a low-voltage 5-12V input. What that means for safety in a finished clock versus during DIY assembly.
IS
Ian Sparkes
Founder, TSM Ltd

Ian studied Electronic Engineering at the University of Nottingham, then spent his career in software and embedded systems engineering (he now works in blockchain). He founded TSM Ltd and designs the driver electronics and firmware behind every Nixie and Numitron clock kit sold on this site, hand-building and testing each kit before it ships from Switzerland. He also answers the support inbox directly — the notes on these pages come from tubes and boards he has actually worked on, not a generic overview.