Kindly Morrow
6-Tube RGB Nixie Clock - Programmable Desktop Display
Six RGB nixie-style tubes, each independently color-controlled and fully programmable via Arduino IDE or serial commands. No 170V supply, no fragile glass, no compromises on color. Your code decides what every tube shows and what color it glows.
Modern full-color LEDs sit inside classic nixie tube housings, rendering digits 0-9 with per-tube brightness and RGB control. An onboard timekeeping circuit keeps it running as a standalone clock when nothing is connected. Pipe in serial commands from a Raspberry Pi, a Python script, or any microcontroller and it becomes a live data display.
Things to build with this
- Pomodoro timer with per-phase RGB feedback: write an Arduino sketch that drives all six tubes green during focus blocks, shifts them amber at the five-minute warning, and flips to red when break time hits, using per-tube color commands to animate the transition tube by tube
- Live server health display: open a serial connection from a Raspberry Pi, map CPU load percentage across all six tubes as a color gradient from blue to red, and update the values every few seconds via UART so the clock becomes a glanceable sysadmin panel
- CI pipeline countdown with color state: pull your build system's release window status via a Python script, encode stages as tube colors (blue for pending, amber for building, red for failed), and use the onboard digit output to count down minutes until deployment closes
Key Features
- 6 RGB nixie-style tubes: each independently color-controlled, digits 0-9 with smooth transitions
- Arduino IDE compatible: write custom modes, animations, and color logic directly to the board
- UART serial interface: send commands from scripts, monitoring tools, or home automation pipelines
- Onboard timekeeping circuit: runs standalone as a clock without a host device attached
- Per-tube brightness control: dial down for night mode, push up for bright ambient rooms
- 2W power draw: safe to leave on 24/7 without meaningful energy cost
- ABS body with acrylic and aluminum accents: 268x69x79mm footprint, solid without dominating a desk
Frequently Asked Questions
Are these real nixie tubes or LED replicas?
LED replicas. Full-color LEDs inside nixie-style housings. No high-voltage supply required, and you get RGB control that real nixie tubes physically cannot offer.
What does the serial command interface actually look like?
Standard UART serial commands. The documentation covers the full command set. Any Arduino sketch or script that can open a serial port can drive it, including Python, Node.js, or shell scripts.
Can all six tubes show different colors at the same time?
Yes. Each tube has fully independent RGB control. You can run six different colors simultaneously or animate them individually through your code.
Does it keep time when nothing is connected to it?
Yes. The onboard timekeeping circuit runs the clock without a host device. Connect a microcontroller or computer only when you want to push custom data or trigger display changes.
Why we stock this
Curated by Kindly Morrow. We test and vet every product before it hits the store. If we wouldn't use it in our own builds, we don't sell it.
Things to build with this
Fun projects to try once you get your hands on it.
Split-flap board connected to Claude
Hook up a display to the Claude API and have it show you a new message every morning. Motivational quotes, weather, or passive-aggressive reminders to drink water.
Spotify now-playing display
Show the album art and track name on your desk display. Looks incredible on e-ink. Updates every time the song changes.
Real-time crypto/stock ticker
Pull prices from an API, show them on the display. Flip between assets. Try not to check it every 30 seconds.
Ambient room dashboard
Temperature, humidity, air quality, and time on a bedside e-ink screen. Updates every 5 minutes, uses almost no power. Looks like a museum label.
