The black technology named by the founder of Apple! 30 years of traditional craftsmanship, each one is unique

It is said that fashion is a circle, but in recent years, various fields have blown up the retro trend, even the technology industry that is at the forefront of the times has caught up with the retro trend.

(retro keyboard has become a Taobao fashion items on )

The combination of retro and technology naturally produces a steampunk temperament, which is also Many geeks are fascinated by this type of product, and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak is one of them. Wozniak once excitedly showed a "retro" watch with a Nixie tube as a display at an event, which made the Nixie technology attract everyone's attention.

The Nixie tube can be described as the most punk-inspired "technology" invention. Anyone who has seen the real thing will be attracted by its unique temperament, and it often plays some very powerful "roles" in various science fiction film and television works.

In Steins;Gate "World Line Rate of Change Detector"

A nixie tube is an ion tube that works on the principle of gas glow discharge , the color of the light depends on the gas species: Neon ions emit a reddish-orange glow, hydrogen ions emit a blue-violet glow, nitrogen ions emit a spectacular purple glow, and krypton ions emit a whitish blue glow. In 1857, German physicist Heinrich Gessler put this phenomenon into practice for the first time and invented the Gessler tube.

In the late 1920s and early 1930s, inventors realized that they could The discharge luminescence of the Gessler tube extends to the cathode, which in turn can be shaped to confine the luminescence. For example, using a bent wire as a cathode, numbers or words can be displayed. So the Nixie tube was born, but it had no name at that time.

In 1955, Burroughs, Michigan, at the American West Electronics Fair in California (WESCON) released a new indicator tube. They are special anodes made of metal mesh, and the cathode numbers are etched out of thin steel plates instead of hand-bent wires. The addition of mercury prolongs the life of the display tube, which can reach more than 200,000 hours.

That's when Burroughs engineer Saul Kuczynski He named it "Nixie" (nixie tube), because he thought successful brand names usually have an x. So these display tubes have their own unique names.

After that, the golden age of Nixie tube came, It showed vital data when NASA landed on the moon, showed key indicators for controlling nuclear power plants, and indicated the rise and fall of stock prices on Wall Street stock exchanges, among thousands of other applications. At that time, more than 20 companies around the world were producing and supplying Nixie tubes.

Until the 1970s light-emitting diodes (LEDs) were , a wide range of applications and other advantages to replace the Nixie tube.

Electronic Buyers' News article at the time The editorial is still predicting: "LED may follow the historical law and become a 'loser', and declare that the nixie tube is alive."

Of course, the final ending is needless to say, slowly, Nixie tube faded out of people's sight. By the early 1990s, the Soviet Union was the last country to continue producing it.

The Nixie tube has withdrawn from the stage of history, but geeks do not agree

Although the Nixie tube is out of the stage of history, it continues in geek circles "Glow". There are many Nixie tube enthusiasts all over the world, and they have formed their own circle, and there are also many masters in China.

Among these enthusiasts, Czech engineer Dalibor Farny Ni) is the most famous one. Since Farney discovered the Nixie tube in 2011, he has been out of control. Since he couldn't afford the high cost of the Nixie tube, Farney decided to manufacture it himself.

It took him nearly 3 years to finally manage to produce high quality in small batches Nixie tube. He then started a company in his own name, selling homemade Nixie tubes for $175 each. In 2016, he launched the glow clock "ZEN nixie clock", which sold for $1,685.

Currently, there are only a handful of manufacturers of Nixie tube related parts, and there are even many parts It is still an old object or inventory from the last century, so the output of nixie tubes is very tight, and more and more people love nixie tubes, the market is in short supply, and the market price of nixie tubes is rising almost every month. For example, the largest Nixie tube, the CD47, sells for about $1,000 today; in 2000, it probably cost less than $100.

All handmade, each one is unique< /strong>

Obviously, the high price is a big barrier for Nixie tube lovers to enter the circle .

A few days ago, a Nixie tube product production team in the United States released the A product generates a huge response. This product is called Retio. It is a trinity product integrating Nixie tube clock, radio and Bluetooth audio. It not only allows us to feel the nostalgia of the radio station, but also maintains the compatibility of Bluetooth and AUX input. The most important It's that old nixie tube clock.

Retio comes from an independent studio, several core members are Nixie enthusiasts, they have been manufacturing Nixie tube products for 12 years, and each product is purely handmade.

The same goes for the Retio, which uses American black walnut, brass, and real vintage Made of Nixie tubes, each one is handcrafted. Its Nixie tubes also follow the traditional manufacturing techniques of more than 30 years ago, which means that each Retio is unique.

The appearance of Retio seems to pay tribute to the old-fashioned TV, except for the four glow tubes on the front In addition, there are only 3 buttons made of brass. Turn on the Retio, and there is a sense of nostalgia, the radio is different from the way we enjoy music now, you don't know what the next song will be, it's like life is irreversible every moment.

Retio is equipped with the most advanced Bluetooth 5.0 chip and 10W amplifier, its sound quality is comparable to Harman Kardon or JBL at the same level. In addition, the sound has been fine-tuned using advanced DSP, which can provide a more balanced and comfortable listening experience, and its sound tuning is more inclined to the style of retro music.

In non-radio mode, the Retio can act as a clock and alarm. The clock display supports 12-hour or 24-hour format, and you can pause the ringing or music by tapping the top.

Retio is a modern product, but its nixie tubes are real of old objects. The production team stated that all the glass tubes are collected from various sources and are real old-fashioned stocks. However, consumers don't have to worry about their lifespan at all, because their design life is conservatively estimated to be as long as 100,000 to 200,000 hours (about 22 years), which means that these old objects are now "young adults". "period.

However, the design team added a little modern and personalized design to Retio , providing six backlight colors for Nixie tubes.

General Nixie tube needs to be powered by 170V input, but in order to make Retio more convenient and Beautiful, the design team built a 6800mAh battery in it, and it supports 5V USB port power supply.

In addition, Retio also eliminates the hum of the electronic tube very well, so don't worry Sleep quality will be affected at night.

Retio's early bird price is $299 (about 1944 yuan), and it is expected to be the fastest Shipments will begin in July this year. It should be said that this price is really not expensive. After all, the price of a Nixie tube alarm clock on a certain treasure is at least 4,000 yuan.

Nowadays, the production of Nixie tube is more like an artistic creation, a kind of Classic homage. Although the nixie tube clock is much more expensive than ordinary clocks, its collection value is over the top. When Retio is put on the table, the style is instantly improved. Friends who like retro style must not miss it!