Is This the Most Lovely Calculator Ever Made?

It has been many years since producers bothered to make their calculators lovely. They’re utilitarian commodity objects and magnificence is a really low precedence normally. And that leaves a spot out there for makers to fill. Oskar did so with this gorgeous handcrafted calculator that encompasses a show constructed utilizing Soviet IV-12 VFD tubes.

Nixie tubes might obtain a lot of the consideration due to their very distinctive heat orange glow and curvy digits, however they aren’t the one possibility obtainable to makers looking for a classic look. Prior to now few years, we’ve seen an enormous surge in curiosity in VFD (vacuum fluorescent show) know-how. VFDs are available many kinds, however they usually have a attribute vivid cyan shade that feels classic now that the ‘80s and ‘90s are far sufficient previously. One significantly attention-grabbing type is the VFD tube, which encases a multi-segment (typically seven-segment) VFD in a glass tube much like a Nixie tube. For this clock, Oskar used IV-12 VFD tubes that had been manufactured in large numbers within the Soviet Union earlier than its collapse.

These tubes function quite a bit like seven-segment LED shows, however with an extra pin to allow to complete grid and two pins to warmth up the filament. IV-12 tubes require 25 volts (and 1.5V), however that’s quite a bit higher than Nixie tubes, which regularly require greater than 100V. Due to their similarity to seven-segment shows, Oskar was capable of multiplex the IV-12 tubes and scale back the variety of pins required on the microcontroller. These tubes don’t embody a decimal level section, however that’s a minor inconvenience in most conditions.

The microcontroller is an ATmega328 on an Arduino Nano board. It reads consumer enter via a customized keyboard made with Cherry MX Brown mechanical key switches and commonplace key caps. A customized PCB helped to simplify wiring.

The enclosure is attractive wooden and constructed it in an attention-grabbing method that saved some huge cash. Its panels are laser-cut plywood glued collectively, however by itself that ends in field that appears like it’s laser-cut plywood glued collectively. So, Oskar coated the complete exterior in a skinny walnut veneer. That appears nice, and may settle for stain and end. Assembled and powered-on, this calculator is a magnificence.