Someone built a Nixie-inspired ESP32 clock that also shows the weather

Credit: AudienceHorror Published Sep 20, 2026, 11:26 PM EDT Simon is a Computer Science BSc graduate who has been writing about technology since 2014, and using Windows machines since 3.1. After working for an indie game studio and acting as the family's go-to technician for all computer issues, he found his passion for writing and decided to use his skill set to write about all things tech. Since beginning his writing career, he has written for many different publications such as WorldStart, Listverse, and MakeTechEasier. However, after finding his home at MakeUseOf in February 2019, he would eventually move on to its sister site, XDA, to bring the latest and greatest in Windows, Linux, and DIY electronics. Sign in to your XDA account Summary This Nixie-inspired ESP32 clock uses ST7789 LCDs to mimic the tubes affordably. ESP32-S3 controls each tube via small round interface PCBs for power and signals. LCD 'tubes' do more than tell the time, including weather forecasts and dynamic displays. Nixie tubes look awesome, but for a simple home project, they can be a little pricey. Fortunately, there are ways to get a similar effect using hardware that doesn't cost a pretty penny; plus, it can do other cool stuff too. Such is the case of this Nixie-inspired ESP32 clock, and because it doesn't use real Nixie tubes, they can do more than tell the time. This Nixie-inspired ESP32 project makes the most out of the compromise Sometimes, less is more Over on the Arduino subreddit, user AudienceHorror showed off their Nixie-inspired ESP32 project. I say 'inspired' because they're not real Nixie tubes, but look-alikes: I spent quite some time thinking about how to imitate a real tube closely. I decided to make a real grid instead of just pasting it on the image displayed. Each tube has a small round interface PCB in the base. It connects the LCD assembly to the main PCB and carries the power and display control signals. AudienceHorror opted for ST7789 IPS LCDs running on the TFT_eSPI Arduino library. Managing everything is an ESP32-S3 microcontroller that acts as the brains of the operation. And everything is in a tidy little package that looks like the real deal. But here's the kicker. Yes, AudienceHorror wasn't using real Nixie tubes, but I'd argue that the LCDs they opted for were even cooler. After all, they're LCDs, meaning they can do a lot more than display numbers. You can see some of the examples in the video above; my fave is the mode that turns each Nixie-inspired tube into a weather forecast for the upcoming days. Very, very cool.