Jon's Electronic Projects for Hobbyists

Electromechanical
An electromechanical 4-digit nixie clock with a IN-13 seconds indicator.

Relay Logic
A 4-digit nixie clock using CD72 nixies and relay counting logic on a PCB.

Single Digit
A single digit nixie clock controlled by a PIC 16F84A. Two designs are included here for a standard 10-cathode nixie and another for a B7971 alphanumeric nixie.

Version 1
My first nixie clock using four Burroughs B-5560 nixies and 10 ICs.

Version 2
Improved 4-digit nixie clock using Russian IN-17 nixies and 8 ICs.

Version 3
A 4-digit nixie clock using large B7971 alphanumeric nixies and 10 ICs.

Version 4
A 6-digit nixie clock using National NL-8423 nixies and a PIC 16F628.

World's Second Nixie Propeller Clock
A single digit nixie propeller clock that displays 6-digit time.

Persistence of Vision Propeller Clocks
Mechanically scanned persistence of vision digital clock or message board using a microcontroller and a spinning array of LEDs.

Single Meter Clocks
Clocks that use an analog meter to tell the time.

Single Numitron Clock
A miniature digital clock using a numitron tube to tell the time.

Single VFD Clock
A miniature digital clock using a vacuum fluorescent display tube to tell the time.

Analog TV Pong Game
A pong game that uses 13 discrete chips and generates RF output to a TV.

Handball
A single player pong-like game using a 8x9 LED matrix and a mixed analog and digital design with discrete components.

PongMan
A TV Pong game using the GI AY-3-8500-1 IC stuffed in an era-appropriate Sony FD-40A WatchMan TV.

Smallest CRT Tetris Arcade Machine?
A tiny Tetris arcade machine using a PIC 16F84A and a miniature CRT camera viewfinder.

Flyback Drivers
Solid-state and tube designs for TV flyback drivers.

Jacob's Ladder
How to make a fun and simple device to generate a high voltage rising arc.

Marx Generator
A high voltage generator that creates big sparks from charging capacitors in parallel and dischargeing them in series.

Tesla Coils

Solid State - Medium Coil
A medium sized SSTC using a half-bridge driver design and generates up to 6 inch long discharges.

Spark Gap - Large Coil
A large spark-gap based Tesla coil that stands about 5 feet tall and generates up to 3 feet long discharges.

Spark Gap - Medium Coil
A medium sized spark-gap based tabletop Tesla coil that stands about 2 feet tall and generates up to 1 foot long discharges.

Spark Gap - Small Coil
A small spark-gap based tabletop Tesla coil using an old bug zapper transformer and generates up to 2 inch long discharges.

Vacuum Tube - Small Coil 1
A small VTTC using a 5Y3 and 6146 tube that generates one-quarter inch long discharges.

Vacuum Tube - Small Coil 2
A medium sized VTTC using a 4x150 and generates half-inch long discharges.

Relay Computers

Basic
A basic 4-bit binary adder with basic register storage made entirely out of relays.

Relay Logic
Learn all about how to design digital logic circuits with electromechanical relays.

Version Two
A larger CPU made entirely out of over 280 relays.

Tool Magnetizer and Demagnetizer
A simple project with low parts count for quickly magnetizing or demagnetizing screwdrivers.

Ultra-Simple Oscilloscope
Build your own simple electrostatic CRT oscilloscope based on solid-state or tube designs.

VGA-To-Scope Converter
Convert from computer VGA video to X, Y, and Z signals for an oscilloscope to become a computer monitor.

Mini Amp
An Altoids-based audio amplifier using a 6LU8 compactron tube.

Old-Fashioned Strobe
An all-tube strobe using the vintage 631-P1 neon strobotron tube.

Subminiature Tube Superheterodyne Radio
A 5-tube superhet radio using subminiature tubes.

TV Tube Regenerative Radio
A regenerative radio receiver using a couple "worthless" TV tubes.

Two-tube AM Transmitter
Build a two-tube AM transmitter from one of two designs including all-tube or a hybrid mixing some solid-state with tube technology.

Voltage Regulator Tube Nightlight
Great and useful circuit to light up a hallway with the warm glow of neon at night.