New reference expansion
Collector taxonomy
A useful museum starts by separating tube families instead of flattening every glowing numeral into one bucket.
IN-12, IN-14, ZM1000-class references
Small numeric tubes
Common in approachable clocks because they are easier to source, cheaper to match, and physically compact enough for desks and shelves.
IN-18, ZM1040, B-7971-style display tubes
Large display tubes
The visual centerpiece category. These are the tubes buyers notice first, but they raise replacement cost, case size, and matching-set difficulty.
Decimal points, plus/minus, symbols, bargraph indicators
Symbol and special-purpose tubes
Important for instruments and calculators, less common in clocks, and useful for understanding Nixie as a whole display ecosystem.
VFD, Numitron, neon bulbs, edge-lit acrylic, IPS
Relatives, not Nixies
They can all make attractive clocks, but the museum category should stay precise: not every glowing tube-like display is a Nixie tube.
Western · 1950s-1970s
Haydu, Burroughs, RCA, National Union.
The Nixie tube begins as a practical numerical indicator for counters, meters, and early electronic equipment. The glow was a readability solution before it became an aesthetic one.
Eastern Bloc · 1960-1991
IN-14, IN-18, ZM1040.
Mass production at scale in the Soviet Union and its neighbors. These are the tubes you most likely see in a modern real-Nixie clock.
Afterlife · 2005-
NOS stockpiles and small-batch revival.
Surplus tubes feed a collector market. A handful of modern makers (Dalibor Farný in Czechia) still manufacture genuinely new tubes.
Regional production map
The tube world is easiest to read by country, maker, and viewing direction.
China
Fengguang, Nanchang, Xinguang, Yuzhou, Jinggangshan, Hengyang, Ningbo
Representative models: QS30-1, QS27-1, QS18-12, QS16-12, QS16-1, SZ-8, SZ-J2.
United States
Burroughs, National Electronics, Richardson, Amperex
Representative models: B-5750, B-5441, B-6091, NL-5440A, NL-5560, NL-5870S.
Soviet Union
MELZ, Gazotron, Sovtek
Representative models: IN-2, IN-4, IN-8, IN-12A, IN-12B, IN-14, IN-16, IN-18.
Japan
Hitachi, NEC, Rodan, Matsushita, JRC
Representative models: CD-66, CD-71P, CD-81, CD-83P, CD-90P, CD24, CD28, JRC-4806.
Germany / Netherlands / Czech
Telefunken, Valvo, Siemens, Philips, RTF, Tesla
Representative models: Z570M, ZM1000, ZM1000R, ZM1042, ZM1080, ZM1082T, ZM1240.
United Kingdom
National, Hivac, Mullard, ITT
Representative models: NL-5859, XN1, XN3, GNP-7A, 5870S.
Tube index digest
48 representative Nixie tube records, sorted into side-view and top-view families.
This is an editorial digest, not a copied photo catalog: 28 side-view records and 20 top-view records are normalized for quick comparison.
| Model | View | Maker | Size | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CD-71P | side | Hitachi | 9.5 mm | Japan |
| CD-90P | side | Hitachi | 9.5 mm | Japan |
| CD-81 | side | Hitachi | 12 mm | Japan |
| CD-83P | side | NEC | 12 mm | Japan |
| LD-836 | side | NEC | 12 x 16 mm | Japan |
| B-5750 | side | Burroughs | 13 mm | U.S.A. |
| NL-5859 | side | National | 13 mm | England |
| NL-5870S | side | National | 13 mm | U.S.A. |
| NL-5560 | side | National | 15 mm | U.S.A. |
| QS16-12 | side | Nanchang | 16 mm | China |
| IN-16 | side | Gazotron | 16 mm | Soviet Union |
| B-5441 | side | Burroughs | 19 mm | U.S.A. |
| CD-66 | side | Rodan | 19 mm | Japan |
| IN-8 | side | MELZ | 19 mm | Soviet Union |
| IN-8-2 | side | MELZ | 19 mm | Soviet Union |
| IN-14 | side | Gazotron | 19 mm | Soviet Union |
| NL-5440A | side | National | 19 mm | U.S.A. |
| NL-821 | side | National | 19 mm | U.S.A. |
| NL-841 | side | National | 19 mm | U.S.A. |
| QS18-12 | side | Xinguang | 19 mm | China |
| XN1 | side | Hivac | 19 mm | England |
| Z570M | side | RTF | 19 mm | Germany |
| ZM1000 | side | Philips | 19 mm | Holland |
| ZM1080 | side | Telefunken | 19 mm | Germany |
| NL-812 | side | National | 22 mm | U.S.A. |
| Z5660M | side | RTF | 30 mm | Germany |
| ZM1042 | side | Tesla | 30 mm | Czech |
| IN-18 | side | Gazotron | 30 mm | Soviet Union |
| QS16-1 | top | Nanchang | 16 mm | China |
| IN-2 | top | MELZ | 19 mm | Soviet Union |
| CD28 | top | Rodan | 22 mm | Japan |
| CD24 | top | Rodan | 27.5 mm | Japan |
| B5031 | top | Burroughs | 27 mm | U.S.A. |
| B5092A | top | Burroughs | 27 mm | U.S.A. |
| LC-513 | top | Dolam | 27 mm | Germany |
| QS30-1 | top | Fengguang / Nanchang / Yuzhou | 30 mm | China |
| S1-1 | top | Jinggangshan | 30 mm | China |
| SZ1-1 | top | Shanghai | 30 mm | China |
| SZ-8 | top | Changjiang / Yuzhou | 30 mm | China |
| IN-4 | top | Gazotron | 30 mm | Rovno, Ukraine |
| B6091 | top | Burroughs | 30 mm | U.S.A. |
| CD11 | top | Rodan | 30 mm | Japan |
| IN-17 | top | Sovtek | 9 mm class | Soviet Union |
| JRC-4806 | top | JRC | small top-view | Japan |
| QS27-1 | top | Fengguang / Nanchang | 27 mm | China |
| SZ-J2 | top | Yuzhou | compact top-view | China |
| IN-12A | top | Sovtek | small top-view | Soviet Union |
| IN-12B | top | Sovtek | small top-view | Soviet Union |
Why a museum page matters
The clock revival only makes sense if the tubes are treated as real industrial history.
Nixie tubes were not designed for nostalgia. They were built to show numbers clearly on laboratory instruments, counters, military gear, calculators, scales, and control equipment. Their charm comes from the gap between their original purpose and how warm they feel in a modern room.
That is why this site separates the original display from later relatives. VFD has its own blue-green vacuum history, and IPS has become the modern mainstream Nixie-style format. The museum lens keeps those branches honest instead of flattening every glowing tube into the same label.
Reference starting point: Computer History Museum collection entry for a Nixie tube.
How we will expand this page
The next museum layer should be an original tube index.
The long-term target is a searchable reference table with tube model, manufacturer, country, digit height, envelope shape, pinout notes, replacement availability, and the kind of clock each tube suits. That information can be built from public datasheets, collector catalogs, and hands-on inspection without copying another site's article structure.
Further reading reviewed for topic coverage: Omnixie tube-type reference and Omnixie Nixie clock notes. We treat those as references, not as copy source material.
Now read
From tube reference to buying decision.
If the tube families here helped narrow your taste, compare finished makers in the 2026 Nixie clock maker guide or use the vintage tube inspection checklist before buying loose glass.