The Cold War Clock

The Cold War Clock is my Nixie clock project, because every amateur electronics enthusiast literally has to have one of those.

The Plan

The plan is to build a Nixie clock with either a Bluetooth and/or Plex streaming “radio” inside as well. I think this will make a pleasingly retro-futuristic spin on the old clock radio concept.

Ok, But What Does the Cold War Have to Do With Anything?

Nothing in particular, I just thought it was a snappy name, plus I intend to go for a roughly ’50s-era theme with the appearance of the finished product. To that end I’ve bought some analog VU meters, some good old fashioned toggle switches and knobs for controlling the display, and I intend to use a trick from a classic hack to make the small TFT screen look more like a tube display. I also intend to plaster text set in Futura all over the damn thing.

So the goal will be for the final product to look like an Atomic Age artifact but function like a modern-day smart speaker.

Project Updates