Making a Custom Nixie Tube for Keysight Technologies

Recently, I got an interesting order - a custom nixie tube for a KZbin channel of Keysight Technologies. I normally try to focus on our regular nixie tubes and clocks (there are still lots of improvements waiting for realization). However, in this case, there were several unexplored fields - like mesh cathodes - promising getting new knowledge. I couldn't resist :-)
Check out Keysight Labs run by Daniel Bogdanoff here:
/ keysightoscilloscope
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[@daliborfarny]

Thank you all for great response! You ask a lot about the incomplete “T” - there is a process called “burn-in” done on every tube after filling with gas. This process makes the glow around the cathode uniform. This particular tube is different to our normal tubes, so I had to tune also that process. It was simply not finished when I was making the closeups. I will show whole tube and complete T in the next video :-)

[@entity9742]

Where do you order for making custom nixies and how much does it cost?

[@grabasandwich]

@@entity9742 I am guessing a custom piece like this would be thousands! It's incredible 😳

[@entity9742]

@@grabasandwich im pretty sure not thousands cause that would mean only the rich could buy which is not alot of people

[@grabasandwich]

@@entity9742 maybe Dalibor will reply. His Puri Clock is $1630 USD so I'm confident the Keysight tube would be much higher. Companies will pay a lot of money for a commission piece.

[@adcurtin]

What spot welder do you have?

[@KeysightLabs]

I'm in love.

[@McTroyd]

@Keysight How about designing a driver board for this?? IIRC Nixies have some unique power requirements that lend themselves well to using test gear, and the Internet could always use a good nixie driver board. (It'll be a challenge just to keep up with Mr. Farny's workmanship, though!)

[@flecom5309]

in the almost zero chance I win one of those keysight giveaways can I get one of these nixie tubes instead of a scope or something? hehe

[@HeyBoz-04]

Maybe you guys at Keysight can figure out how to have a better business office next.

[@ugetridofit]

We also noticed that you never offered to pay for it in your email. Rude!!!

[@KeysightLabs]

We will definitely be building out a custom display case for it, and a driver of some type. @ugetridofit, you only saw part of the email thread :).

[@jonbos2876]

Would have been cool to see the whole Nixie tube at the end instead of just pieces of it

[@jumilifyify]

Jon Bos the T was missing

[@williehart2479]

@@jumilifyify He obviously messed up the T lol. you can see its messed up if you look hard 12:20.

[@treyharper7885]

Agreed, I feel slighted like there was no reveal 😕

[@tommasomorandini1982]

@@jumilifyify In another answer he said that the t wasn't messed up, just not fully burned-in at the time of filming

[@tylergarza8695]

@@jumilifyify that's not even what Jon was talking about.. He didn't show the entire thing in one shot. Just a ton of extreme closeups.

[@Pauls-Welt]

This reminds me of the video which inspired me to get one of your clocks: The art of making nixie tubes. Absolut fantastic work - thanks for sharing with us! Greetings from Germany 🇩🇪

[@D35T1LL3R]

Amazing work, I hope they equip your Lab with some Oscilloscopes in return 😃

[@GiacoWhatever]

Omg I’m going to binge watch your channel hard!!!

[@daliborfarny]

Unfortunately there arent so many videos, but if you want, come to my shop - we can make a geissler tube from scratch. I have all the stuff inhouse :-)

[@vilts]

Please say "yes" to Dalibors offer! :) I could throw in some hand engraving too... If you see few of my videos you know what I mean.

[@NiMareQ]

It's 5 AM and I've just finished my 10th video. Your comment was right on time, I guess I should take a break now :))

[@1010tesla]

remember how you did this. you will have to make another when they change their name.

[@grimgoreironhide9985]

HP Instruments >Agilent>Keysight>?

[@flecom5309]

ouch, I loled

[@user2C47]

And when they want to give one away.

[@N1RKW]

@@grimgoreironhide9985 - Even before "HP Instruments" they were simply "Hewlett-Packard". I have some of their test gear from that era.

[@GeorgeTsiros]

@@grimgoreironhide9985 borland > inprise > borland > codegear > embarcadero 😁 (yes, i know this is horribly inaccurate, i'm only joking)

[@tomasj.7469]

Neuvěřitelné, to je nádherná precizní práce, klobouk dolů, jsem moc hrdý na to že vše vzniká u nás v ČR. I já se letos chystám od vás na odkoupení 6 kusů digitronů + oddělovače, na vlastní konstrukce hodin, děkujeme moc. 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@edgemaker11]

8:43 glass bubble floats away....

[@Nighthawke70]

You don't want to breathe that in. Sharp stuff.

[@thomasr1051]

So cool!

[@L00peey]

who would have known glass could do that?

[@TheFlyingKiwiNZ]

Electrician, welder, glass blower, all in one! Very skilled work you do! I am impressed

[@Miguelpug]

I loved nixie tubes since I saw them in a ticket vending machine when I was a kid. Seeing them go out of style broke my heart. Ten years ago I bought some nixies to make a clock, and I love staring at it. When I found that you are bringing these little (or big) beauty's to life I was very pleased. Knowing that there are people around the world that are willing to use nixies again brings a special glow to the world. Thank you for making this happen. Keep up with the great work. Love your videos. All good, from Portugal!

[@gannas42]

Was waiting for the wide-shot payoff at the end and didn't get it because of the minor defect with the "T"?! :( You do very nice work. Remember to embrace the defects.

[@jumilifyify]

gannas42 well said

[@tommasomorandini1982]

In another answer he said that the t wasn't messed up, just not fully burned-in at the time of filming

[@thespicehoarder]

@@tommasomorandini1982 Just because it wasn't burned in means we don't get the payoff?

[@kaylons]

@thespicehoarder Who fucking cares _that_ much over a small imperfection? Enjoy it as it is

[@jarrodvsinclair]

Dalibor, been following your progress since you posted your video about homemade nixie tubes, love seeing the the progress you have made turning a hobby into a professional business. Great Job and hope you post more videos

[@Infinitesap]

Nice job. Never thought that a lathe would be used for this. But they are everywhere. Really beautiful work. Awsome

[@SpikeTheSpiker]

Masterful! I can't imagine there are many people with the skillset to do everything you just did. Beautiful work you can tell you really care about your craft by how meticulous everything was done.

[@tedvanmatje]

Ages ago, I watched a video of someone handcrafting tubes and couldn't remember the channel's name. That's been bothering me on and off for a while, until just now, when this video popped up on the recommended watching thingy. Glad to be back and thanks for posting!

[@Joetechlincolns]

Look up glassslinger, he's has some tube making vids, just be prepared for what he wears if you're bothered by lifestyle choices.

[@tedvanmatje]

@@Joetechlincolns I've been subscribed to his channel for a while now, but thanks for the info, man :) As for glassslingers lifestyle choices: he just is who he is - a very intelligent, eccentric gentleman who has more tech knowledge than I will ever have. I've watched that high voltage power supply build quite a few times now. :) Reminds me: haven't checked his channel for awhile

[@Joetechlincolns]

@@tedvanmatje . Yeah man, he is very intelligent. 😁👍

[@patmx5]

Dalibor, that's amazing work! Beautifully done, and I'm impressed at how you've basically revived a lost art.

[@electronicsworkbench]

Mr. Farný, you are an artistic engineer of a very high caliber. The products and design are outstanding and beautiful to look at. Bravo to you and your company of talented people!

[@stevencooper2464]

Absolutely beautiful! Thank you for bringing back Nixie tubes...the world has been too long without them.

[@ricknelson947]

Quite a work of art. Every once in a while you have to break away from the day to day normal and have some fun. It keeps you sharp. I hope Keysight made it worth your time $$$. After all it’s a Dalibor original.

[@sophieoakes7194]

This is really magnificent craftsmanship. Thank you for documenting the process so beautifully.

[@dieterverschueren]

You sir, hats off to you! I knew about nixie tubes and how hard it was to find any these days. I also heard there was some new production. But this, this is something else, I had literally my jaw dropped the entire video. Your craft is a work of art, one new subscriber!

[@FesixGermany]

Rewatching this video and it is still beautiful. I mean both the video and the tube.

[@jaye1967]

This is so cool to see Nixie tube tech being used for something other than numbers.

[@CuriousMarc]

Gorgeous tube (and video)! Now you have to make a Hewlett-Packard one with the classic HP logo :-)

[@richardhead8264]

*People:* _"Nixie tubes are no longer needed."_ *Nixie Tubes:* _Extinct._ *People:* _"We want _*_ALL_*_ the nixie tubes!!"_

[@BlackEpyon]

While nixie tubes aren't my thing, as a retro-computer enthusiast, I can appreciate people who make an effort to keep these "lost" arts and technologies alive.

[@Smitty65721]

@@BlackEpyon "nixie tubes aren't my thing"...........what is wrong with you? lol

[@ytv2779]

Incredible craftsmanship! Also I love that little pinch welder.

[@Stemolap]

As a mechanical engineer myself, it's truly inspiring to watch how the pieces come together to blow my mind. In today's highly automated mass produced industrial world, the ways of the old is like an artwork, small pieces coming slowly together, everything takes time and patience, and the small imperfections are like a artist signature on the work, that reminds us, it's made by living breathing human, not a mindless machine. You, Sir, have my respect, and have found another subscriber, keep up the good work.

[@tiporari]

Excellent craftsmanship. A pleasure to watch.

[@MrJef06]

Beautiful. The glass work in particular is quite mesmerizing.

[@1337Shockwav3]

I just love how Agilent and now Keysight have continued the "nerd-path" initially taken by HP :) It's been almost 5 years since I bought my U1272 - definitely an investment that paid off, used it to repair an HP-85 among a ton of other 70s/80s/90s home- and microcomputers.

[@infinitesolarforall3901]

Wow.... I don’t know how much you guys at keysight spent on this but it’s soo worth it! I always say good engineering is art, I can’t think of anything better to prove the point, wonderful!

[@tecnoaddicted]

you are a true artist. you found your life way. do ot stop exploring. great!

[@CarrotDugTooDeep]

Would love to have my amateur radio call sign in one of these tubes. Amazing attention to detail and the end result is just gorgeous. Thank you for preserving this lost art.

[@ZilinaSK]

Wow... handmade custom Nixie art... that's next level stuff! It looks amazing... will we get to see the final animation?

[@mikegeilow7882]

Thoroughly enjoyed watching the process you have developed and your artwork is amazing.

[@Marco_Onyxheart]

Beautiful. I wish I could afford even just a bunch of numerical nixies. They're so beautiful and this custom one is amazing.

[@BlackEpyon]

Good on you, for keeping this "lost art" alive!

[@mikeoliver3254]

You have made a fantastic piece of artwork, your continued building of what was becoming a lost technology is inspiring, the fact that you make beautiful custom artwork makes me hope I can one day afford to buy one of your works of art. Thank you for keeping alive what is truly the best purpose built displays ever created.

[@michaelwynne2801]

From a self taught student, to a master craftsman. Just stunning

[@philliplopez8745]

A long road you have traveled Mr Farný . Bravo !

[@squidfizzy]

I never knew such things existed before this video. I've seen the clocks before but never anything like this. Incredible how easy you make it look, truly talented. Just WOW! +1 sub.

[@diamsplay17]

it's really beautiful 😍 thank you for sharing your creations with us it's really amazing you deserve much more than 40k subscribers 👏👏🤩🔥

[@TheChaps83]

For sure... but he brought back to life Nixie Tubes, this is more than any number of YT subscribers ;)

[@functiontek]

This is just a perfect work of art. Your cinematography and sound design compliment the amazing piece so well. This is amazing.

[@DaruoshAghajaney]

Beautiful workmanship. Absolutely amazing.

[@vinen20100]

Your video are always so perfectly filmed. Thank you.

[@garyofnyc]

Just beautiful craftsmanship and technology.

[@evana3636]

Wow!!! Now that is a Nixie Tube! A big one at that. Beautiful!

[@SynthoidSounds]

Serious craftmanship, well done.

[@Mukeshmiktecrep]

So beautiful than led displays, so warm look

[@dinosoarskill17]

this is so awesome. that orange glow is so nice. you must feel great after completing a project like this!

[@aserta]

You just made bubbles out of glass. Just wow. I didn't even know that was a thing. Amazing.

[@jerrymk6846]

Yeah that is amazing it can kinda float in the air! The glass is real thin

[@donsinai2554]

Old fashion craftsmanship. Good work

[@xxexplosivexxxxexplosivexx8512]

Its just amazing how this is possible to do

[@fzigunov]

What IS amazing is how this was possible to do in the 1920's!

[@vladshmit]

Man, this is great work! And I love Keysight - they make fantastic gear. Glad you had a chance to make the unique nixie logo for them.

[@BlackEpyon]

Bloody expensive for a hobbyist, but definitely top of the line equipment. I've got an old HP 16500B with a logic analyzer card that I picked up used, and that thing is a beast of a machine!

[@adanlewis7489]

Found your youtube and website yesterday, your nixie tubes are absolutely gorgeous. love em

[@jix177]

The skill on the lathe is amazing!

[@ricksflicks-]

Damn, no wide shot of the whole lamp lit up? Beautiful work. Amazing skill.

[@BenRyherd]

What an incredibly interesting process and such a gorgeous result! Excellent video and thanks for sharing!

[@camper6285]

Dalibore Vy jste "Čáryfuk" :-) klobouk dolů. Ale čemu se divím, nějaký "pátek" Vás sleduji a toto určitě není vše čím nás ještě překvapíte a potěšíte. Přeju hodně dalších takových úspěchů.

[@supercunthunt7756]

Is this Slovenia or hrvatska

[@owwerlord6921]

@@supercunthunt7756 no, this text is in Czech language

[@scair7331]

Thank you for keeping such a awesome lost technology alive, and of course making a bad ass custom piece

[@elwindewitte]

Absolutely stunning craftsmanship!!! 😍 Cool to see you working on something different

[@kitsouk1]

Stunning craftmanship.

[@McTroyd]

This is amazing. Keysight will no doubt make great use of the tube, you had the opportunity to do some R&D on someone else's dime, and we get snazzier products! Wins all around, as I see it.

[@GaijinPaul]

I always enjoyed watching the fancy glass lathes making HP (-> Agilent -> Keysight) oscilloscope tubes in the '80s (also the wire tinning and insulation extruder for making hookup wire used in those same scopes and elsewhere). It's a little sad, and also awesome!, that Keysight hired someone to craft something they had the facility and skills and creative people to do in house (probably after hours, with promises of suitable libations) a bazillion years ago.

[@thomashellgren4658]

So beatiful, this is so steampunk technology, i love this channel. one of the best if you love superb handcraftmanship 10/10.

[@seumasmackinlay]

That is truly a work of art! Good photography and choice of music, too. 😁

[@DrakkarCalethiel]

Those absolutely beautiful Nixie Tubes are still made? That one turned out lovely! There is just something magical about that warm glow they produce.

[@pandagordo5683]

Nothing compares to the beauty of a nixie tube.

[@SightCentralVideos]

It would've been real nice to have seen the whole thing once it was finished instead of just closeups.

[@sausage5849]

That's certainly some impressive craftsmanship right there!

[@AdityaMehendale]

What went amiss with the "T"? :( I am genuinely interested to know. Great craftsmanship! Wonderful attention to detail - from the ultrasonic baths to the double spot-welds.

[@colinstu]

12:20 I noticed that too... I'm curious.

[@daliborfarny]

It was not yet fully burned-in when I was filming it :-)

[@AdityaMehendale]

@@daliborfarny Ah, cool, cool..

[@kikijewell2967]

@@daliborfarny oh good to hear that. Would love to see how it was animated.

[@UtkuDemir]

@@daliborfarny Couldn't you wait?

[@The_Mimewar]

Glowing gases, and incredible glasswork. You’d have impressive skills

[@alexramos2568]

Didn't know that some one was still making this tubes. Great work

[@ThriftyToolShed]

What a piece of art! Amazing video!

[@UnkleEarth]

Great video! I would love to see close up shots of the detailed welding and assembly, it sure is incredible work.

[@unknwn6025]

damn im really trying to save up for one of these but i dont think i ever will get one of this quality. but i love how enthusiastic you are about nixie clocks! they're so beautiful and have so much life in them! keep up the great work pal!

[@deal1nk]

I really love seeing you work on this. The Videos suits just perfect. Really appreciate every bit of it.

[@niksld]

Ten pocit když najednou vidím český napisy. Skvělá práce, klobouk dolu!

[@StephenBoyd21]

Just an amazing piece of work. Such artistry.

[@iygor]

You sir, are an artist.

[@EspenStabforsmo]

Both fascinating and satisfying to watch this process - and it's such a little piece of art. :)

[@TheDanyschannel]

For me, you are the only channel that manages to blend art and engineering in such a beautiful way. From a purely engineering standpoint, nixie tubes should be extinct, but you manage to show us that beauty plays a huge factor in the longevity of any technology. Amazing work!

[@tylergarza8695]

You must not get around KZbin much then dude. the ONLY channel? ffs.

[@TetriTek]

I'm curious to know how much something like this would cost them. But I imagine that's not something that can be discussed over comments. That's some neat stuff though, I have an old nixie tube lying around here. First time I've ever seen one, but I was instantly in love. Great work here.

Šikovné české ručičky! Nádherná práce!

[@soundguydon]

That was mesmerizing to watch -- I love Nixie tubes, and you did a hell of a job!!

[@xDevscom_EE]

Great work and production. Your videos are piece of art on it's own, even if one forget for a second what is shown :)

[@KarlMiller]

Outstanding! Impressive work.

[@sanches2]

Wonderful work. My favourite brand as a nixie - even beter. Thanks for sharing the process

[@giuseppepiodimezza163]

I am amazed by your skills ,compliments!

[@nrdesign1991]

Easily the largest Nixies I have ever seen. Those are *huge!* It seems money was not an issue there :)

[@naota3k]

6:07 those were the cutest welds I've ever seen.

[@thealienontheinternet]

This is no joke one of the best videos ever uploaded on youtube

[@JohnMcCullagh]

Beautiful. And such amazing craftsmanship 🙂

[@FunfakeElectronics]

Stunning video ! You make a good job at creating these pieces of art.

[@TheForestMan1977]

Oh boy.. that tickles my geek nerve so much .. fantastic work! Now I want one 🤣

[@homegadget-mark]

Brilliant, great to see such craftsmanship.

[@StefanoBassoItaly]

Work of art, beautiful.

[@black_job]

Nechápu, jak tohle může mít dislike... Krásná práce, a jsem rád, že ve světě jsou vidět další šikovný český ručičky.

[@TheOriginalEviltech]

I am just interested in how those letters were made, were they laser cut or chemically etched? This is some fine work and really fun to watch! Glass blowing is something i am mesmerized by and adding all that design and metal work and vacuum tech to it makes it magical!

[@ARSZLB]

8:41 my man is blowing GLASS bubbles that float! 😄