The Scope Clock - from Cathode Corner

In this video I demonstrate the 2021 Oscilloscope clock from Cathode Corner.
The clock shown in this video was provided to me free of charge.
For more information, visit scopeclock.com
If these are sold out (which is very likely by the time you read this) - and you're interested in buying one of these in the future, it might be an idea to sign up to the updates from the Scopeclock site - you'll find the info on the page linked above.
David takes the sensible approach of making and selling things in small batches. That way he can't get overwhelmed by accepting more orders than he's capable of fulfilling. Basically the opposite of Kickstarter. Only promising what he can deliver.
CORRECTION: The positioning controls are potentiometers not encoders.
UPDATE: The scope tubes are New Old Stock - they aren’t being manufactured any more.
00:00 Backstory
01:50 Price
02:27 Look at that
03:10 Settings
04:10 Clock faces
05:08 Haikus
05:47 Games
08:23 Miscellany
09:22 Clock battery backup
09:42 Less common than Nixies
10:42 Functional art
11:36 Round up
12:36 Patreon Credits
Patrons have early access to videos.
/ techmoan
FAQS
Q) Something something something SCREEN BURN?
A) There are mitigating measures in the software that shift the image over time and David tells me he made these twenty years ago using the same tubes and those are still fine. However I'd strongly suggest that if you're the nervous type who insists on firm guarantees, then this really is not the device for you. This is a hobbyist product, made by one bloke for enthusiasts. Oscilloscope tubes were never intended to be used like this, that's the charm of the device - it's unusual…but along with the unusual comes the unknown. Screen burn worriers would be better off steering clear and instead getting themselves a regular mass produced clock. No CRT screen = no worries about screen burn.
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When you click on links to various merchants posted here and make a purchase, this can result in me earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network & Amazon.
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Regularly asked question
Q) Why are there comments from days ago when this video has just gone live today?
A) Patrons / techmoan usually have early access to videos. I'll show the first version of a video on Patreon and often the feedback I get results in a video going through further revisions to improve it. e.g. Fix audio issues, clarify points, add extra footage or cut extraneous things out. The video that goes live on youtube is the final version.

[@nawwk79]

“About as deep as this piece of string” Definitely a strong contender for joke of the year.🤣

[@MrMaxeemum]

I have a piece of string here and there is no way I could fit a clock of that size in my room. 🤣

[@SianaGearz]

@Les It's about one parrot deep. How many parrots is your rope?

[@matthewnardin7304]

@@SianaGearz My dog has a rope toy that's almost as long as he is. So the rope is about 3.5 parrots.

[@BixbyConsequence]

YSMV

[@pontiuspilates]

I would never doubt Techmoan's sincerity. One of the most genuine KZbinrs out here.

[@Denvermorgan2000]

He is very trustworthy one of my favourites.

[@kalimaa999]

One of the few souls on earth who haven't sold out to the dollar. Thanks for your integrity Mr Moan you inspire others by example. Integrity is lasting, money comes and goes. One never forgets compromising their integrity but they surely forget what they spent the money they compromised it for on.

[@toquelau5715]

MrBallen and Mentour Pilot also seem to be very sincere and have great integrity, check out the videos regarding their personal stories. The way people talk, their stares, smiles and mannerisms go great lengths in mirroring their inner voices.

[@Kae6502]

I agree!

[@kalimaa999]

@@coolguy-xd1bg How at all is it insincere? It's to the point, tells you what you need to know. He didn't need to include it, but he did, in his own tone of voice. He writes as he speaks. This lack of pretence is the definition of sincerity.

[@ChristianBehnke]

In case you’re wondering about the length of that piece of string, it’s twice the distance from the middle to one end.

[@bill392]

D = 2R

[@Ritefita]

Wow!!! This should go to the top!

[@andrewgwilliam4831]

That's no use to me. Which end?!

[@ChristianBehnke]

The loose end.

[@Ritefita]

@@ChristianBehnke the loose end is for precise height measurement

[@whitestormy2021]

I met David a few years ago through his day job as radio astronomer; I saw he was wearing a Nixie watch and asked about it, then found out he was the one who made it! Among other things, David works on the Event Horizon Telescope, the project that produced the first images of a black hole.

[@Nebula1701]

That's very cool!

[@spacewolfjr]

I also met David a few years ago when I caught him pooping in my garden.

[@syrew900]

@@spacewolfjr He’s a smart man, saw it needed the fertilizer. How’d your eggplants turn out?

[@quigongin3439]

@@spacewolfjr splendid, what a scrumptious bounty

[@Irfan-pr1lu]

Cool!

[@the.internet]

I lost my dad a year ago and he, too, was a big fan of this channel. I'd often hear your voice coming from his tablet at random when he'd be watching a vid! He'd have absolutely loved one of these CRT clocks, no doubt. He loved old technology and clocks and construction of said things and I have no doubt this would have been a Christmas or birthday gift to surprise him with. What a gorgeous piece.

[@scaleop4]

👍

[@DM-ei6oo]

Me as well. He loved gadgets like me. My condolences.

[@scaleop4]

@@zognaldblormpf5127 I do, troll

[@grayrabbit2211]

My father in law passed this year as well and he absolutely loved gadgets, particularly older and out of date tech. This is right up his alley.

[@Bszewski]

@@zognaldblormpf5127 about you

[@tenchuu007]

I laughed out loud at those size comparisons. Well done.

[@Techmoan]

I didn't have any bananas in the house.

[@AGFio]

I don't know. That string might be metric.

[@flandrble]

Americans needed to know too.

[@Hans-gb4mv]

@@flandrble But they are also metric, they just don't know it.

[@cebedeuz]

Banana lenght string

[@guspaz]

Being a vector display clock, it's a shame that none of the included games originated as vector games, like Asteroids or Tempest... but with the source code to the clock being available, I'm sure somebody will put those on there in short order.

[@kathrynjaneway750]

@@danielpope3579 Then we have to get Dave Plummer to play it. He's the world record holder for Tempest and he has a play-through video on his channel, Dave's Garage.

[@peterbumper2769]

with 2 pots, you only need a trigger and you could do Atari Star Wars

[@bethaltair812]

This raises the option of vectrex clocks...if you could make a card with a clock program in.

[@gcewing]

It needs a cartridge slot!

[@easystreetphoto2401]

tennis for two, the game nolan bushnell would later adapt into pong, was originally written by ralph baer, using an oscilloscope as a display. you can find video of it online. on a vector screen it's just going back to its original home.

[@FiXato]

"It's about as deep as this piece of string." Oh Mat, never change. :D

[@asdfxcy]

Beautiful indeed! I love how the video is 13:37 long and that's the time the clock shows first :)

[@bluedeath996]

It's LEET

[@jonleonard1555]

Good observation. Would not have noticed.

[@mrxmry3264]

damn, i didn't even notice that :-O

[@SonicBoone56]

I noticed that as well

[@mrpoki9]

Damn that’s pretty neat. Wouldn’t have spotted that

[@stefanjud6345]

08:50 - great idea for a size comparison, I have the same string laying around to check the size of my clocks. What is really a coincidence, is that the clock has the exact same length as the string. I'm mind blown! ... well, as a side note, great watch!

[@alanw8834]

on your side note, i feel i need to point out it is a clock not a watch :-) that said i agree it is great!

[@SlyPearTree]

@@alanw8834 Every clock is a watch if you're strong enough.

[@RWBHere]

@@alanw8834 Two pedants sat on the floor, and one fell off.

[@scorchedearth1451]

Where did you buy your clock measuring string?

[@gcewing]

Also excellent to see it's just the right height to fit on the shelf where I keep my noodles and tangerines.

[@kenny7593]

"This piece of string" is the most accurate unit of measurement. Thank you for the precision.

[@avsystem3142]

One clever detail that I noticed was the case design. The corners could have been thermoformed out of the solid sheet but instead a pattern was cut (probably by laser) into the sheet that allowed it to be bent cold while at the same time providing openings top and bottom for ventilation of the CRT and electronics.

[@panomaniac5399]

Yes, I could not stop admiring those corners. They are almost as cool as the clock.

[@kilrahvp]

Yep it's excellent design, surprisingly flexible and not brittle after assembling mine.

[@giampaolomannucci8281]

it's quite common to lasercut wood that way in order to bend it

[@nameofthegame9664]

That was one of the first things I’ve noticed and I didn’t really like it. It stood out to much for my liking. But I’m really nitpicking here. It’s a great looking device.

[@riothero313]

@@giampaolomannucci8281 Yes, is called kerfing. You can even do it with huge sheets of mdf or plywood when a wave pattern or radius is needed.

[@ItsAMeAndrew]

if it wasnt for the alternate dimensions i wouldn't have any clue its size, thanks!

[@BobWiersema]

Yea but I don't know if a piece of string is longer or shorter than a banana.

[@ClaudioMichel]

For me it's perfect! I was looking for so long for a scope clock that has the depth of a piece of string!

[@TheModShopCO]

Even the way the laser cut acrylic was designed to fold around the front and rear faceplates is really cool and something I haven't seen done before on acrylic without heat forming. Overall it's a really nice design!

[@wilkgr]

it's called a 'living hinge' if you were curious!

[@BLenz-114]

I haven't seen that type of construction before. The whole video, I'm thinking to myself "I wonder how long before the stresses finally make that plastic snap?" Anyone know any history? Is this a construction method that will last?

[@TheModShopCO]

@@wilkgr Thanks! I ended up finding it and was gonna post it here but you beat me to it haha. I’ve seen it done on wood before just never on acrylic.

[@wilkgr]

@@BLenz-114 I expect it to last a long time. These only really wear out when you're actually using them as a hinge (ie opening and closing it often)

[@skrenos]

@@wilkgr I expect it to snap in 5 years when you have to replace the RTC battery.

[@erikziak1249]

The times when every household used to have at least one linear particle accelerator are long gone. With this product, you can get one once again. And what a beautiful one too.

[@garryclelland4481]

i crt what you did there Erik

[@eDoc2020]

At least these days everybody has kilowatt-level RF transmitters at the ready.

[@riverbraithwaite7741]

Thank you for the full disclosure about receiving the clock for free and how it's not really possible for you to be totally objective. Offbeat tech channels like yours, Technology Connections and BigClive are some of the only YT channels who I trust to have integrity. I feel lucky and thankful that we live in a time where 'make something you're passionate about, give it away for free and trust that people will donate for it' is a viable business model, and have watched and enjoyed all your vids ASAP after release for several years now. Thanks for what you do Mat.

[@Ve55el]

...so LGR gave us his MIDI Mountain episode...maybe you could do a similar thing with all your clocks and cathode tube neon awesomeness? I love to see all your favorites together in the same frame.

[@SonicBoone56]

This is so rad! Never would have imagined old scopes would be turned into a clock. And it plays games! Those displays are very sharp as well. What's not to love?

[@beest_]

@@rikimiki12 everyone is different, I really like the sides as they are,. Why would you want to cover it up? Then you'd have long brick.

[@silverdragonslair]

@@rikimiki12 Injection is not happening for the size of production run this will have

[@BigTroyT]

I don't want a CRT clock, or most of the devices reviewed here, for myself. That doesn't change the fact that the devices are fascinating and that Techmoan's videos are both nostalgic and informative - as well as entertaining - and I long ago decided that I never need to worry about his motives. I watch every video, regardless, and I always learn something.

[@chrischarla424]

I got mine in the mail yesterday and opened it today on Christmas day -- it's amazing. Just a gorgeous thing!

[@kilrahvp]

My kit arrived on the 29th, assembled the next day... It is! I've also written code for it to display audio waveforms from USB since :D Seems we need a discussion place for owners...

[@patrickpaganini]

“As long as this piece of string” excellent!!!

[@ZGryphon]

That's a very pleasing device. Reminds me of my favorite day of the electrical engineering lab course I took in the one semester before I switched to mechanical, when we got to play with actual oscilloscopes. :) If anyone is interested in metric conversions of the dimensions, I would eyeball-estimate it at approximately 0.00047 Eiffel towers in height, with a length of roughly 0.016 Paris Métro cars.

[@howardshubs7157]

How about Smoots?

[@ZGryphon]

@@howardshubs7157 The smoot is an ANSI unit, but just for you: approximately 0.09 × 0.22.

[@howardshubs7157]

@@ZGryphon Numbers without units aren't helpful. :-D 5'7" is Imperial, yes, but I was asking about the ... Got it. You meant those number are in Smoots. Good.

[@E_y_a_l]

Eiffel tower? who uses Eiffel tower anymore? you French really needs to move on to the 21st century and start using string units.

[@RCAvhstape]

If it's not in rods per fortnight I can't visualize it.

[@robbieward7026]

I love your content. I especially appreciate your genuine warmth, every video feels a bit like a random run in with an old friend.

[@Kris_A]

I imagine Your videos have helped him a thousand times over, and it's nice to see him acknowledge it with such a lovely gift. Thanks for sharing.

[@kobyramsey8657]

As an American, I appreciate the alternative measurements alot.

[@LeofromFreo]

According to the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency's online The World Factbook (2016), the ONLY countries that have NOT adopted the metric system are Myanmar (also known as Burma), Liberia and the United States. Really, America? Really? 🙄🙄🙄 🤦🏻‍♂️🤦🏻‍♂️🤦🏻‍♂️ 😗

[@cojawfee]

@@LeofromFreo The United States does have the metric system. Everything is officially done via the metric system, we've just reskinned it to look like imperial.

[@Lu_Woods]

Very cool. I commend the designer for not adding cheap LED's for "ambience". I expected Asteroids in the games. ^

[@acemobile9806]

A beautiful, visually interesting timepiece is representative of the 1 thing that mankind, despite all his/her achievements, will never be able to recapture: time. Cherish each moment. It could be your last.

[@AbandonedCrisis]

Such a beautiful clock and with a lot more features than I would have thought. A very functional and attractive conversation piece. While the price is definitely up there for a clock, it's cool to see that the quality is there to back it up. I'm very happy for anyone who does pick one up and I hope the manufacturer comes up with many more cool pieces like this.

[@namelesske]

Tecmoan's full circle. What a 12 years, Im still looking for the new kitchen stuff also :D

[@Porkchop1999_]

Thank you for letting us all enjoy one of these brilliant pieces of design Glad to see this kind of old school tech being repurposed into something that is both functional and visually appealing Have a great rest of your week and have a nice Christmas, Be safe and Take care

[@theopeneye]

Thanks David. I can sense how much Mat loves this early Christmas present. It really is a thing of retro beauty. Great work.

[@stephenm4528]

it is so refreshing to see someone so genuine. passionate and enthusiastic when there is so much cynicism in the world.

[@aesculetum]

I hope the Cathode Corner guy sells all his stock. It is a very cool clock, outside my budget right now, but it looks like a great piece for a shelf. Great video as always, Mat. Thanks for showing us this clock.

[@Knitting_n_Trucking]

I just looked and it’s sold out!!

[@prettypointlessvideo]

Same :)

[@bubblehead78]

I've visited Cathode Corner's site many times over the years hoping to be able to buy a kit... they've always been out-of-stock. 8-((

[@d0ugk]

@@Knitting_n_Trucking Glad I snagged one of the kits. I was going to sit and dwell on in awhile, then I noticed in the description about only having only hundreds of the tubes. I was certain they would sell out after making it to a techmoan video. I've actually had my eyes on David's scope clock for probably a decade.

[@davidforbes8900]

I've got a waiting list, but it's already 100 people. I can make several hundred clocks, given the free time.

[@readmore8974]

I love that all the menus are done with rotary encoders, so responsive and smooth!

[@vote4carp]

Until you said (roughly) "I realize this may look like one long commercial", the thought hadn't even crossed my mind. Thank you for sharing this awesome piece of kit, and thank you to David for sending you one so we could all check it out in great detail.

[@catriona_drummond]

This is what influencers do. Works for handbags just as well as it does for tech gadgets. They're sold out btw., so it worked perfectly. There is a waiting list.

[@vote4carp]

Indeed!

[@joerobinson69]

"Tall as a cup noodle with a tangerine on top."...........hands down, the best unit of measure ever created

[@edwardsp1916]

Great video. For those that want converted measurements of the device. The height is a toilet roll (on its end and a cox's apple with stalk), the length is 4aa batteries and a orange or 1.5 strips of streaky bacon.

[@andrewhaines3259]

Did you use imperial or Whitworth bacon?

[@tranmere292]

Was that a metric piece of string or an Imperial one?

[@LawpickingLocksmith]

So many memories coming back. Yes I was shuffling such tubes around, education at any price, never questioned the cost only to be taken for a ride.

[@butcharmstrong9645]

I am a clock freak too and when you took this out of the box, I literally screamed like a little girl! What a beautiful object d'art!

[@Quitenice]

Nice to find alternative use for cup noodles ❤️😊

[@inshadowz]

But how big is that in washing machines?

[@olmostgudinaf8100]

@@inshadowz The standard measure of height in the UK (where Techmoan lives) is double-decker busses.

[@inshadowz]

@@olmostgudinaf8100 I kind of assumed that-after all I visited Manchester a couple of years ago-but I worry that the American viewers won't be able to make sense of it 😉

[@daveuns]

That really is a thing of beauty. It’s so sharp on the screen!

[@RobToole]

This video had me at hello. Great review and best non-advertisement ever, just asked to get on the waitlist.

[@blk77sunshn]

Absolutely stunning! I am really considering purchasing one myself now! I have always had a fascination with clocks. Thanks for showing us this beauty!

[@TheWobblyCameraGuy]

This is a thing of beauty - brilliant idea and execution!

[@rambo8wradio]

"Along with the unusual comes the unknown." Soo true. I need to write it down. Thank you for another great video!

[@RWBHere]

It's 12 syllables, so not a true Haiku. 😉

[@rager1969]

Thanks for converting the depth to string - that helps us string enthusiasts immensely!

[@dukealdenofficial]

These just came back in stock and I purchased mine! Thank you for featuring this - would NEVER have seen it otherwise.

[@evilutionltd]

I wonder how quickly they'd be affected by screen burn.

[@zaprodk]

Last time i looked at the code, it moves the trace around slowly to avoid just that.

[@robroysyd]

@@zaprodk That'll sure help but the screen is still going to suffer from screen burn. At best it'll take longer and be over a wider area. Even LCD displays can suffer from screen burn but it's not as much of an issue as it is with CRT as it's not in most use cases as noticeable. Apart from moving the display around on this CRT clock it might be an idea to adjust the intensity according to ambient light levels. I have had CRT phosphors replaced but I doubt there's anyone doing that these days.

[@poruatokin]

Sadly this design falls a bit short - especially for the asking price.

[@abucketofelves]

See the video description.

[@realkrzaku]

The store page mentions Davids (the creators) clock that was built 20 years ago still works fine, and that the tube used should handle at least 10 years without any problem.

[@alanguile8945]

To keep the seconds it could have the small circles blink to represent the seconds. Great video!

[@DickDawsonTheShills]

If anyone doubts your integrity after watching this video all they have to do is watch some more of your content. Who you really are is on display in full. Thanks for sharing, it sure is beautiful.

[@ShayneJohnson]

As an American, I appreciate you augmenting the measurements with something I can understand. A Cup Noodle with a tangerine on top makes far more sense than that strange and arbitrary metric nonsense.

[@aegis3d]

Amazing device, the sharp green of real oscilloscope screens is really something else. Only one thing bothered me a little bit, the wire harnesses inside could have been cable laced like you see often in old lab equipment for that neat look.

[@josuelservin]

Well, that is a great sugestion for those that get the kit!

[@1blisslife]

I thought something along those lines while watching the video. That would definitely add to the look of it. Also from the looks of it... That should be easy enough to upgrade. 😊 Cheers

[@davidforbes8900]

Yes, but I never worked as a Navy tech, so I never learned the technique. We have a spool of that stuff at the radio astronomy lab where I work.

[@RWBHere]

Thanks for creating these beauties, @@davidforbes8900 🙂👍

[@LionsPhil]

That font really is gorgeous.

[@mackit]

What a beautiful piece of engineering. Thanks for sharing this with us!

[@codysimon1724]

Yeah sure let's just say it is like a commercial, doesn't change the fact I'm enjoying this video, this is some of the reason I come back to this channel, I love old school type of tech reimagined into modern or modern old school products, even if you did get a commission or was sponsored to show this clock it doesn't change the fact I enjoyed watching it and am intrigued by the product, if it was sponsored or you were getting a commission it still flows with your usual uploads is either way it's fitting and I enjoy it, partly because it's cool but mostly you're just the right man to show it off and explain this kind of stuff because you not only draw interest into the things you feature but you get others excited about it too, bottom line if it's paid or not, you still show your interest in what you do and do a great job showing it off and explaining it I'd watch you advertise products like this any day

[@jayducharme]

That really is gorgeous. I had a vintage oscilloscope for decades. I tried to sell it on eBay but got no bids for it, so unfortunately I eventually discarded it. I still find that technology fascinating.

[@donmoore7785]

I sold a vintage Heathkit scope on Ebay, no problem. There must have been a reason your scope did not sell.

[@richfiles]

I've always wondered why no one ever adds a motion sensor to these nixie and CRT type projects. I suspect the tubes would last a lifetime if they were turned off or the brightness turned down when no motion is detected. Just having the brightness auto-dim would help save that phosphor from burn in.

[@Ritefita]

so I couldn't see the time, being not dancing? what about bed? sofa?

[@8bitwiz_]

or at least a photocell to turn down the brightness automatically at night

[@richfiles]

@@Ritefita Those sensors are pretty sensitive. Tuned right, a mere handwave is typically enough to trigger one. There's one in a bathroom where I work that will detect motion _reflecting on the door_ if it's left open at the right angle.

[@w6wdh]

It would also be good to slowly dither the X,Y location of the displayed clock to avoid phosphor burns.

[@Ritefita]

@@w6wdh this feature is already there. read the decription

[@stuartmitchell7021]

Never commented before, but I've recently been gorging on your videos, like a man with a multipack of Hula Hoops and the family's out for the day. Loving all this cool stuff, and as a new owner of a serviced cassette deck from 1983, I really enjoy your videos on cassette media and proper audio equipment from years gone by. Keep 'em coming Techmoan! :)

[@dforero5]

We can tell all your videos are completely sincere. Don't worry about it, you are right, it's a gorgeous clock 👍🏽👍🏽

[@KyleMiko]

This is awesome! Great work Mat great video on a cool device

[@Bruce-vq7ni]

"It's about as deep as this piece of string" 🤣

[@mimsnshine]

Love cathode corner, many years have passed and still have my nixie tube watch from them, on 3rd battery now. they are the best. thanks for posting.

[@wimwiddershins]

That is a thing of beauty. Bespoke objects like this are worth every cent. Superb!

[@wktodd]

Great design - I like the combined bend and vent :-) and perfect orange-on-potnoodle proportions

[@poruatokin]

Vents are really unnecessary, these tubes barely get warm. I'd prefer a sealed unit to keep out dust.

[@davidforbes8900]

The slots are there for bending purposes. There is no need for ventilation as the plastic is only 3mm thick so it doesn't retain heat. I would have preferred to not have the slots for purity of design, but it's hard to bend acrylic nicely without them.

[@ciphermatrix]

Glad you got such a cherished item!

[@cindydott452]

That is a thing of beauty. It looks like a 1950s idea of what a a clock would look like in the exciting future year of 1975! I would love to own one.

[@teacfan1080]

3/09/22: I received mine after watching your video but it took awhile before I could order it. Mine came packaged exactly like yours, covered in bubblewrap only. I'm surprised yours survived all the way to the UK! Mine was delivered in the states and came to me with part of the case broken. The back end piece that accomodates the neck of the tube broke off the rear plate & it was in several pieces. The front of the tube was laying down inside on top of the electronics. Disappointed I was, it was a beautiful piece, had to send back for a refund. Much more care was needed in packing a delicate instrument. So if anyone is interested in buying this, I hope you have better luck. As of this comment, it's $600 for the fully assembled unit or $500 for the kit version. Great review on it, it's what finally made decide to get one, but maybe later now.

[@jutulporten]

I see you made the video exactly 13:37, that's some elite editing!

[@babaroga73]

I loved the "...about as deep as this piece of string..." ... I think the "piece of string" should be used worldwide instead of banana! ...and, as that Paris place guards an original "1 meter" , you should guard the original "piece of string" by which all others pieces of string should be measured and calibrated!

[@thomaswilliams2273]

Perhaps the string should be kept with the rock that defines the stone 🙂.

[@babaroga73]

@@currentsitguy IDK, man...wumble sounds like rumble with speech impediment... I just think 'a piece of string" is good enough name, laterwhen i gains traction and recognition, let the people decide.... a piece .... or just - a string.

[@genekwagmyrsingh9433]

4:11 I paused this to make a comment about the time on the clock and then I noticed the video length. No way that's a coincidence, thanks for reinforcing the leetness, Techmoan!

[@kammer007]

Dang. All sold out! Thanks for sharing this wonderful item. Hope he builds more as this is so up my alley! Thanks Matt

[@dazaro3]

Great clock, would be better with a simple system to detect motion or body heat to turn screen on and off to increase life of tube and save energy.

[@WooferCooker]

That’s smart

[@robbieaussievic]

.... And 'Burn in' would have to be an issue. I thought the designer would reposition the image slightly every 5min. or so.

[@gwesco]

Definitely burn in is a factor. Decades ago I build an on-screen clock for a CCTV channel that displayed the time and scrolling text. The audio was a classical music channel. So many people at the hospital where I worked left it on that channel that eventually we had a lot of CRT televisions with 88:88 burned into the screen. That's the reason early computer screen savers moved the text and graphics around the screen to prevent burn in.

[@jimmy21584]

Since the source code is online, I imagine it would also be an excellent platform for developing and showcasing vector graphics.

[@Schule04]

Depends on how the graphics are generated.

[@dado__]

@@Schule04 Seems pretty simple, the creator wrote a little mini drawing library in the scope code itself. Makes it relatively easy to draw shapes.

[@dado__]

@@lucasrem1870 I'm not sure what you mean with this? Revit might have been used to design the casing, I guess, but we mean the code that runs the display.

[@cheesefries7436]

A great deal of effort went into this. The price is steep but it is a work of art.

[@alexthemorgan]

David is an awesome dude. In the Tucson community he is held in high regard and has the coolest Bicycle BoomBox you'll ever see.

[@Zerbey]

What a gorgeous piece, I wish I had $500 just burning a hole in my pocket!

[@CullenCraft]

Wow! Gorgeous piece. I wonder how burn-in will effect the phosphors and how quickly.

[@andychow5509]

Especially since you can't turn off the display or set a time when the screen would be off, I expect the burn-in would be really bad after a few months. If you put the month on display, that month is being projected for 30 days straight 24/7. Also the left-most hour digit, 1 or 2, is always projected half a day. I would really like to see what the display looks like after a year of being on.

[@davidforbes8900]

The clocks that I made 20 years ago, and have been running continuously since then, still look reasonably good. These tubes last a long time! Also there's a display dithering feature to spread out the wear over a 5mm square area.

[@RookieLock]

Just beautiful ! Amazing work from Cathode Corner !

[@stephenbeyer4315]

You are becoming an expensive channel for me, first I bought a Nixie tube clock because of you, and now I'm off to buy CRT clock for myself for Christmas. Excellent video as always

[@stephenbeyer4315]

oh god, he sells the watches too! I forgot about that

[@john_hunter_]

It would be cool to see them make some new CRT displays.

[@ethand4784]

I think the very very last ones stopped in India in 2015, although you can still buy new old stock flat 5 inch ones online

[@davidforbes8900]

It would also be cool for them to make original Beetles and 10 lb telephones again, but it's not going to happen. I'm working on the old stock. Not enough demand to make new ones.

[@ZGryphon]

@@davidforbes8900 I think the main problem with the original Beetle is less about demand than that there is finally nowhere in the industrialized world with automobile safety standards low enough to allow new-production ones. :)

[@jackwilson5542]

I think there is some company that makes the clear ones for prison system.

[@zzyzx13]

In response to your comment at 11:00 about keeping it sideways as art, I imagine that you might be able to get a custom firmware to enable a horizontal reversal of the display so that you can have a it on display sideways with a mirror redirecting the light towards the room

[@mikeselectricstuff]

Or just swap the connections to the X deflection plates

[@kjiibrit]

Or just turn the CRT around by 90 degrees!

[@xenaretos]

...or just put it on an open shelf, where you can see it from both the side and the front.

[@unitrader403]

Or just put it on a turntable so it alternates between right side, front, left side and back :D im sure he has a spare one lying around :P

[@zzyzx13]

@@unitrader403 problem with that is the power cable can't have infinite rotations

[@graemeneale9311]

What a great review, concise, informative and to the point.

[@SierraLimaOscar]

I knew it was sold out before I clicked on the link. Turns out David is not just a talented engineer, but quite brilliant at marketing! 👍😃 Happy for him, a little sad that I missed it.

[@Gamah1991]

4:31 okay I can't stay silent anymore.... I see 1337 all over in your content sometimes (this video is 13:37 long, and so are a few others... and now the clock just happens to be showing 13:37... are you leet, Mr. Techmoan?

[@RetroOnSpeedDial]

Hey Matt, I appreciate your measuring methods but I was looking for a clock with the depth of half of a length of string. My desk wouldn't accompany it very well. Guess I'll keep looking through the lengthy library of round CRT oscilloscope clocks with GPS options in clear cases. Great video as always. It feels like time travelling back to your nixie videos.

[@mandowarrior123]

Is that British string or a French string?

[@RetroOnSpeedDial]

@@mandowarrior123 The airspeed of an unladen string?

[@andreweve8914]

Watching the outro of this video and seeing all the beautiful bits of 70's and 80's tech confirms that we haven't progressed in consumer technology, we've just removed the necessity lost what was a beautiful age

[@arthurbrands6935]

At the price, I'm not likely to purchase one without PCH coming to the door with balloons, confetti, and an oversized cardboard check, but thank you for the review of this marvel! Brings tube-age codgers joy!

[@msmith3395]

$500 is quite a bit. I think I'll hold out for the indoors sundial.

[@xjonx1]

Piece of string deep? Well, I'm sold.

[@Finuppdx]

Thank you for your transparency. Great video. Amazing clock!

[@vivangreco1710]

Out of my range for purchasing, but stunning and really quite intriguing. I agree that there really is a certain beauty in cathode ray tubes, and this is such a wonderful repurposing of "obsolete" technology. Another wonderful video!

[@Grungydan]

I really appreciate the alternate measurements. I had a string that length, so very informative.

[@deskelly9313]

Is the more or less static time display going to burn the screen like we were always warned about in the early days of PC monitors?

[@Imkrhn]

Damn, now we need screensavers for our CRT clocks...

[@ericchapman8956]

"Its about as deep as this piece of string." That really put it in perspective for me lol i love it

[@theuglycamel8122]

One of the coolest things I've seen in years!

[@mstratforduk]

Well, now when someone asks how long is a piece of string, I have something to answer with!

[@lennartbenschop656]

I vaguely remember that a similar type of device was also available as a bare microcontroller board without the oscilloscope and that you could connect it to the X and Y inputs of any old scope you already had. These were much cheaper.

[@DerSchoermbro]

Are normal oscilloscope circuits fast enough? I remember I tried Jerobeam Fenderson Oscilloscope Music on two of my analog scopes and you could see that when there was much on the screen it started struggling drawing straight lines

[@ikonix360]

@@DerSchoermbro any oscilloscope with a bandwidth of 5MHz will work fine

[@jg374]

The limiting factor would probably be the sound card / audio source - human hearing tops out in the 10s of kHz while pretty much any CRO I know of will at least be in the MHz. As for weirdness happening when other stuff is drawn - is there some AC coupling going on (either in the sound card / audio source or in the scope)? I think this would cause some unexpected artifacts and make stuff self-center over time. The gain in one channel of my scope is a bit up the creek and this failure / change in the amplifier behaviour also causes artifacts / skews shapes at moderate frequencies.

[@davidforbes8900]

Those are available still, and they are a lot cheaper. They do require blanking Z input to prevent little streaks between segments.

[@ikonix360]

@@davidforbes8900 only one I really know of was the dutchtronix oscilloscope clock board. I've wanted another since those are no longer available as kits but a lot are the whole thing minus the CRT and case

[@franktechniek]

A very nice designed CRT clock. There are not many designs around that use CRT tubes, because they are rather difficult to bring to life, with the very high voltages you need for that. Well done, very well done!

[@Kitteh.B]

Finally we've started measuring in SU - String Units! I've been waiting ages for it to catch on!