1978 Soviet VFD Clock (nixie style tubes)

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Taking a look inside an old Russian / Soviet VFD clock Elektronika 4 (G9.02) from 1978 with VFD displays in a nixie tube shape.
More about this clock and other vintage digital clocks:
danyk.cz/stare_digi_hodiny_en....
You can support me on Patreon:
/ diodegonewild

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7 мар 2017

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Комментарии : 132

@dasibaho 7 лет назад

I could listen to that turn on/off for hours :) thank you

@Matthew19002 5 лет назад

Matthieu G it's a very pleasant ringing sound right

@retrohipster994 5 лет назад

It gave me chills when it first happened. Ahaha ^^;; What a pleasent sound.. like it's alive!

@krnlg 4 года назад

What a beautiful device. Nice and simple, well made and those tubes are amazing - I did not know you could hear a VFD turn on!

@BARRRABANNN 6 лет назад

70 rubles in 1978 it was expensive clock. Average salary was 150 rubles...

@JanKowalski-ic6np 5 лет назад

Not so much in 70 it was nice piece od technology in USA watch like that but with worse quality cost 1,5x of average solary. And americans have to pay for doctor, hospital, for flat, or credit for flat, soviet dont have to pay for it so it was really cheap in USSR.

@evgenk8391 5 лет назад

@@JanKowalski-ic6np Not really true. Soviet's have to pay for doctor if you need really good one, and, btw, it was illigal. Flat costs ~10roubles/month in a case if it's "rented" from city. You may "buy" your own, for a ~8000..10000rub, if you was lucky to participate in "cooperative" and wait for it for 4-5years. Also, you may obtain "free" flat, if you worked constantly some ammount of time on some factory. But it is not actually your's, You can't sell it, if you die, your children dont't obtain it as legacy. And also, there was a fee for unemployment people. You can't acumulate some money, throw your job, and went to vacation for a half of year. All vacations have to be adopted by your boss. If you do not work, 1st - you get fee, after multiple fees, you may get to a jail.

@tarstarkusz 5 лет назад

and uses 1.6kw per month... But I really like VFD displays. The computer screen does not do them justice.

@evgenk8391 4 года назад

@hextakatt Maybe. But there wasn't communism in soviet union. It was communism ideology with weird and ugly economic, without most of private property and a tons of restrictions.

@Strike_Raid 4 года назад

It was expensive, but look how expensive that thing was to make.

@KeritechElectronics 2 года назад

Real damn beautiful! This clock is well worth cleaning and restoring, possibly even redesigning the enclosure so that the tubes are visible in their full grace.

@BillAnt 5 лет назад

When I was little, I had one of these exact Soviet models back in an Easter Block country, and remember spending hours looking at those mesmerizing greenish blue lights in amazement. Ahh the good old days. :) This is for the first time I'm seeing the CMOS flip flops inside, really fascinating. And of course at 5:53 you can see DiodesGoneWild on the board. :D

@scalamasterelectros3204 3 года назад

Wow iff stering at a clock was comsiderd entertentment then your childhood was extrimly boring

@BillAnt 3 года назад

@@scalamasterelectros3204 < Not at all, electronic has become my profession.

@electronixTech 5 лет назад

I had a Heathkit clock that was similar to the newer second one shown, that I soldered together as an electronics class project, in high school, back in 1985.

@38911bytefree 5 лет назад

Love anything that is VFD. Have one Realtone clock radio from late 70s and it has a futaba VFD display. It runs very strong after all this years, but the clock (made on a TI clock chip) has the segment drivers built in and a couple of them stuck on and I can fix it. It is the same sort of light green that yours.

@rpbajb 6 лет назад

It was nice seeing some of your clock collection. Thanks.

@jurivlk5433 6 лет назад

I have 4 of them, in boxes and with manuals in Russian. They are a little newer than yours and have black plastic cases. I didn't know they had Nixie tubes. A Russian brought them to my fathers watch shop in Switzerland.

@BenjaminEsposti 6 лет назад

They are VFD tubes, not nixie tubes. Nixie tubes have the orange glow. (Note that there are also Numitron tubes, which also glow orange.)

@jurivlk5433 6 лет назад

Benjamin Esposti: I never looked inside, which I usually do. But they are from the soviet era, with a small paper with a signature on it from the person responsible for the quality control, as if it were a Rolls Royce. So the tubes are the same as in the old green lighting calculators, I think?

@donmoore7785 4 года назад

They don't have nixie tubes. The poster is wrong and keeps saying it over and over.

@Killerspieler0815 6 лет назад

+DiodeGoneWild - YES , usually Socialist / Communist stuff was made to last long . because of known reasons

@Carlium 6 лет назад

True, western stuff are made to break down in months, just look at the light bulb, there is just one light bulb in the world that's been estimated to live forever and is located in one of new yourks firedepartments.

@Carlium 6 лет назад

@redoverdrivetheunstoppable4637 5 лет назад

@@Carlium that lightbulb is powered at half the voltage, "forever" is big anyways, i've also read the story of a building with a set of fluorescent tubes that were forgotten on for decades, found still lit, there was an argument about the bill apparently they cared more for electronics suff rather than cars, you will bring electronics in space but not piston engines, they say :D

@westelaudio943 5 лет назад

Nope. Western stuff from the 60s/70s also lasts VERY long.

@chantumaker9554 5 лет назад

Wow it's really nice never seen this type of clock before

@raykdreisatzgehtanders7239 6 лет назад

The tubes draw a very high current when heating up. Just like a light bulb filament. The metal filament is a thermal conductor whose resistance increases with temperature.

@alansebi9597 5 лет назад

Krása! Mám rovnou dvoje tyto hodiny. Jedny z roku 1979 a druhé z roku 1981.

@pyk2099 5 лет назад

I would use it without case as the tubes looks cool

@willyou2199 5 лет назад

20mA for almost 20 years??? 9V NUCLEAR BATTERY?

@bashaaksema94 4 года назад

Thats not how it works but sure

@saschakolb7102 4 года назад

It's only a battery for backup if current is not available. The time base keeps running without tubes working and if current is back there is no need to adjust the time.

@petrhric852 6 лет назад

Tyhle hodiny dodnes použivá babička a stále fungují perfektně :D Hold, stará dobrá ruční práce...

@andreasatberlin3942 6 лет назад

I am from germany and we have Designer and Sold the First Nixie Clocks in Germany in the 1970 Years. De have Made the with nixie, komplex Tubes und At least with LEDs. The First Clock called DU 1. For all i have schematics and spares. By the way: the Ics are not cmos, the are TTLs. If you are interested, i will send you some pictures.

@AThreeDogNight 6 лет назад

Very nice find.

@evgenk8391 5 лет назад

I had exactly same clock like first one, but in plastic case. Repaired it several times.

@lez7875 5 лет назад

saudações. 1978??? e ainda funciona!!!!

@MTRPaint 5 лет назад

Я влюбился в эти часы

@change_your_oil_regularly4287 2 года назад

Love VFDs

@lsswappedcessna 6 лет назад

Looks really sturdy.

@RWBHere 6 лет назад

Very interesting. Thank-you. :-)

@martinchudacek984 5 лет назад

Same clock has my Grandma at home 😂

@38911bytefree 5 лет назад

I have some Panaplex 7-seg that run on 180 volts DC, planning to do a clock. Their colour is a deep warm orange. Very nice. We had old factory gear that used this as early digital display. Still working after 40 years of use 2 and up to 3 shifts !!!!. Drivers arent easy to find tough

@michaelturner4457 3 года назад

Use transistors MPSA42 or MPSA92, those are suitable for high voltage drivers.

@MichaelVx 6 лет назад

yes i can hear the sounds they made when on and off

@anindyamitra5091 6 лет назад

It is really necessary to use a fuse with a higher rating because of inrush surge current due to the transformer

@38911bytefree 5 лет назад

also when filaments are cold they draw a lot of current on turn on. This is the reason why old TV use termistors in series I think.

@zx8401ztv 7 лет назад

I like the simplicity of logic chips too, if one dies then its possible to create something from other chips to do the job :-D. Clean the tube face and plastic filter, should improve the display no end.

@BenjaminEsposti 6 лет назад

NEY Industries, I have to say though, it can be a challenge for some because of the number of connections that have to be made. Probably around 100 to 200 connections.

@100Transistors 5 лет назад

There are cases when you have a fried MCU and you cannot get source code.

@hullinstruments Год назад

Mr. Danyk sir..... 3:15 interesting fact you shared about slotted flat head screws. Would be interesting and cool if you had some long rambling videos about manufacturing/tools/electronics facts in the Soviet Union/Russia, and other areas you are familiar with. Just that simple fact about flat head screws is kind of interesting especially to certain folks who collects vintage electronics or tools and what not. It's just totally foreign and even the most mundane things are really interesting to hear from a completely different perspective. And I would love to hear more facts and things that you know... Especially pertaining to electronics and tools and stuff like that. It could be kind of like a podcast just with you sitting there petting the cat for an hour.....during a rambling video or something like that 😁👍

@Pavel-ir7hm 7 лет назад

Удивляюсь где ты достаёшь эти раритеты да ещё в рабочем состоянии

@DiodeGoneWild 7 лет назад

From friends, auctions or listings. Isn't Eastern Europe full of those? :)

@Flapjackbatter 7 лет назад

That's nice. Are they expencive to buy now? I bet there are many of them in the Czech republic, since the close ties with Soviets at the time.

@DiodeGoneWild 7 лет назад

Yes, there's still a lot of them. Sometimes I get lucky and buy it very cheap, like 4 - 8 dollars. But often they don't work. After somebody dropped it, the display is often cracked, or the transformer torn from the board. I even had one that probably went swimming. The flat VFD's are often worn out and need to be replaced with a NOS one. The capacitors are often dry. The case often scratched or cracked. The fuse is sometimes replaced by a thick wire. But sometimes I am lucky enough to find some that still works well and even has sealed screws.

@matejbrezan6887 6 лет назад

Im from slovakia and i’ve never got my hands on thoose clocks or any nixie-style devices ... im unlucky pepole thinks that they are unusable

@100Transistors 5 лет назад

I live in Australia and I managed to get one from Ukraine.

@douro20 6 лет назад

Some slightly earlier digital clocks had a larger quartz crystal sealed in glass.

@AnotherGrimyKid 6 лет назад

Cool video, dude. You deff sound like Borat, tho. That's not a bad thing.

@saarike 6 лет назад

Nice!

@thomasgrnquist9655 6 лет назад

Nice video DiodeGoneWild. I like your collection of clocks. Does anyone know where I can buy something similar like the Ekektronika 4?

@alberti.2334 4 года назад

eBay

@eurobum2012 7 лет назад

Nice video. That's a fascinating antique specimen. Electronics don't last like this anymore. Is it possible that the circuit is capable of tolerating a short circuit of around 250mA? I had no idea that VFDs could consume so little power. I also find it amusing how these soviet goods have the price stamped right into them. Is it real wood, or something fake? I assume it was made in USSR. Was this purchased there, or in ČSSR? I like your grandfather's wisdom... when somebody says my car or something is worn out, I will tell them that it provided a lot of enjoyment

@DiodeGoneWild 7 лет назад

I'm a bit afraid that the transformer could burst into flames while the fuse stays intact. In some of them I replaced the fuse with a T 40mA one, it works and I feel safer. Some newer soviet clocks from late 1980's have a (fusible?) resistor instead of a fuse (tiny 390 ohm resistor). This is also strange. All those clocks draw about 15 - 25mA and the power is 1.5 - 2.5W only. In Soviet times, the price was given and nobody could sell it for more (you would be arrested). It is a real wood. It was made in USSR, but I'm not sure it was imported in bulk, or it was brought to ČSSR by people visiting USSR. Maybe both. But the plug often was modified at home to fit the Czechoslovak socket (it was grounded, the soviet socket wasn't).

@BenjaminEsposti 6 лет назад

The fuse might be rated 250mA to prevent transformer inrush from blowing the fuse. I know that small value fuses (less than about 250mA) tend to be fragile, and sensitive to transformer inrush current. And, I hate fusible resistors. Something doesn't seem right about them, I would think they'd get really hot and possibly start a fire.

@donmoore7785 4 года назад

It is not "Nixie style". It is seven segment style. Nixie is nixie - a separate symbol for each digit displayed - totally different than this. Other types of seven segment display are LED, LCD, numitron, plasma. There is only one nixie style display - a nixie tube.

@MrCh0o 3 года назад

I think what he meant by that is that each digit is packed into a vacuum tube, which definitely is a property for a Nixie tube, since the filaments would burn, but not for all the segmented displays.

@monsantogmo505 5 лет назад

I would keep that is I were you, if it still works it is probably worth some money in the future.

@StrandKorbFilm 4 года назад

Hi, I read on your website that you can insert a resistor at the Elekronika 4 clock to adjust the heating voltage for the current 230V grid. Did you break the circuit board at that point? In the photo it looks like the resistor was soldered only on the lane?

@edgeeffect Год назад

I know it might be "blasphemy" but I always thought VFDs actually look even nicer than Nixie tubes... Like those "magic eye" VU meter tubes I had on my old open-reel tape recorder, they have an "unearthly", "ethereal" glow... (In Czechia do you call them vacuum tubes or "valves"?)

@JanKowalski-ic6np 6 лет назад

they has smaller but 0.25 is good when short circut happen

@DiodeGoneWild 6 лет назад

Yes, but the resistance of the primary winding is a little over 1000 ohm, so it doesn't blow the fuse even if you shorted all of the secondaries. In the case of secondary short circuit (short capacitor, diode in bridge, any short circuit in load, short in secondary winding) the fuse doesn't blow and the transformer keeps melting and catching fire.

@ShopperPlug 3 года назад

I would remove the box, the beauty is what's inside the box...

@michaelturner4457 3 года назад

Nice thick layer of nicotine glaze.

@didyman79 6 лет назад

I have a question, regarding of these soviet era VFD clocks. Everyone of them, every type has a soldered cable in them, wich leads to nowhere, connects to nowhere. Maybe one end connects to some part of the electronics, but the other is usually just a pad, and no further connection to anything. What is this? A secret rocket-launcher has been built in? :-) And: it's really nice to see and hear :-) your videos, thank you for them!

@colerumpel 2 года назад

Do you reckon it matters what frequency it runs at? Could I run it here on Canada if I were to step up the voltage at 60hz?

@user-nm1bm5vb9d 6 лет назад

Woow....my clock....

@user-db6pw4kr4p 7 лет назад

i thing that they are made here in Bulgaria... but im not 100% sure... im looking for some clock like that from a long time and i cant find. :( :(

@lukapredojevic3952 2 года назад

Hi, i have aquestion, i have the same clock but it makes some unpleasant huming sound. Do you know what could be the problem and if that can be fixed? Thank you!

@benjamindietrich6389 5 лет назад

Hallo ich hätte ein paar fragen zu dieser VFD Clock. Ich habe genau solch eine erworben aber "defekt" da der Transformator fehlt aber ich kann keine Informationen zu diesem Finden. Im Internet gibt es keine genauen Informationen zu dem "TC-4-2", weis irgendwer über diesen Transformator etwas bzw wie viel Volt an den Schaltkreisen und an den Röhren anliegen? Ich würde mich über jede Antwort freuen.

@jstro-hobbytech 2 года назад

The crystal probably uses a cd4026.

@ja.935g67 5 лет назад

Use a paint brush to get the dust off 😊👍

@ivankirola2707 3 года назад

vacuum cleaner is better

@miroslavpetrasek4328 3 года назад

To nie su nixie zobrazovace (digitrony), ale fluorescencne, v principe elekronka s luminoforom. Ma to zhavenie asi do 2V, pracoval som s nimi, su aj v starych stolnych kalkulackach.

@whatevernamegoeshere3644 3 года назад

1:34 never do that again. Extension cords only break one wire usually. If it breaks the neutral, you would be fucked. Always unplug

@jairmartinez998 5 лет назад

Where can i find one of these?

@carlosberruti5662 4 года назад

Hoy en dia, toda esa electrónica cabe en un chip de unos milímetros cuadrados.

@sonyx5332 10 месяцев назад

Is it ok to have around a CRT monitor?

@creblabo 3 года назад

why do these clocks make this sound? is it because of heat?

@dominusgms8098 2 года назад

Ahoj mam tieto iste hodiny ale elektronky nesvietia cele iba dake časti čo si misliš v čom by mohol biť problem ja uvažujem nad tymy pnp že su odpalene ma info že išli 47 rokov skoro v kuse

@StakrCZ 5 лет назад

Něco málo česky :-) Kolik tak ty hodiny stojí? o jedněch bych věděl :-)

@neilstarkey8048 2 года назад

What type of tubes are those?

@foxmoulder2430 5 лет назад

High End Quality Made in Russia.

@-John-Rambo- 3 года назад

Not "Nixie", VFD is VFD exactly.

@fpvcowboy2635 3 года назад

I'm looking to build your numitron you have on your page but i really would like to pick your brains if your up for it willing to pay for some advice thanks

@__-bt5qm 2 года назад

У меня электроника 6

@FloppyBoom 6 лет назад

I have same clocks! But it not show all number 😀

@wanico24 6 лет назад

and knew that our Russian goods to you, too, are coming!

@hackleberrym 4 года назад

nixie belbs

@davidmarek6141 6 лет назад

měl bych do toho digitrony, kdyby jsi chtěl :-)

@matusgajovsky7964 6 лет назад

And the price of these clocks is?

@RWBHere 6 лет назад

They cost 70 roubles when new. That was a lot of money for many people, maybe half of their monthly salary. Yes, it would be interesting to know how much they are worth today.

@SHTRLZ 4 года назад

70р это очень очень дорого! это сейчас как 30 тысяч рублей. это почти 500$

@DigitalBhangari 4 года назад

Tell us about your grandfather?

@electrosound4595 5 лет назад

Can you make a clock?? If you can than you will make a digital clock. Pls plz plz

@redoverdrivetheunstoppable4637 5 лет назад

they had chips?

@skyem5250 4 года назад

Yes! Integrated Circuits AND potato chips!

@etienneguyot9069 4 года назад

Nice video, thanks. But please, put some money in a new microphone!

@therealjammit 6 лет назад

Why did they use over rated fuses? Maybe it was population control... I'm thinking the fuse blew once and the user replaced the fuse with the wrong type, but the fuse rating is printed on the case.