The instrument panel of a modern automobile is ablaze with the glow of LCD displays. These modern, digital displays are far more versatile than the analog gauges and mechanical dials they have replaced, but they are also, well…boring. Flooring the accelerator of a muscle car just isn’t the same when the RPMs are shown on a glorified tablet computer, rather than the needle of a physical gauge that is wildly whipping into the red zone.
Forbes had to interface with vintage hardware (📷: Griffin Riley)
David Forbes is an aficionado of classic cars who also has a penchant for all things Nixie tube. Recently, he had the idea of combining these two loves of his. So he outfitted his vintage Volvo PV544 with a brand new Nixie tube instrument panel that looks like it has been there since the car was manufactured. And technically, it could have been there—Nixie tubes existed at that time.
The instrument panel may not be able to stream music or play games like in a modern vehicle, but it does nearly everything else. It displays engine RPM, vehicle speed, battery voltage, total mileage, coolant temperature, and oil pressure—all in the glorious red glow of Nixie tubes.
A closer look (📷: Griffin Riley)
To make this work, Forbes had to introduce some modern tech. The existing, mechanical instrument interfaces were connected to a custom circuit board. These inputs are interpreted by an onboard processing unit, which in turn drives the Nixie tubes, displaying appropriate measurements.
This isn’t necessarily an easy build; interfacing with old analog components and working with the 200 volts required to drive the Nixie tubes complicates things a good deal. But with a 3D printer, a microcontroller, a handful of Nixie tubes, and a whole lot of patience, it is possible. Check out the details on how Forbes made it happen to see if this project might also be right for you.
