@q61501331 This looks fantastic! The NL-902 choice makes a lot of sense, especially with the flat top, and I really admire how carefully you recreated the overall design. Thank you for sharing both your build and your reasoning!
I’ve recently been looking into building a real-life replica of the Divergence Meter from STEINS;GATE, and one question has been bothering me: which real Nixie tube model is actually the closest to the design shown in the original visual novel and the 2011 anime?
Many modern replicas use Soviet Nixie tubes, particularly the IN-16 and IN-8-2. Both are relatively obtainable and work well for an eight-digit display. The IN-16 allows for a smaller and more compact replica, while the larger IN-8-2 gives the digits and the entire device a much stronger visual presence.
However, neither seems to match the fictional design perfectly. In both the VN artwork and the anime, the tubes appear unusually tall and slender, with a comparatively smooth, rounded top, a substantial base, and a distinctive internal structure. The anime in particular gives us a fairly clear view of their proportions and construction.
Because of these differences, I have also seen suggestions that American tubes such as the National NL-5440A / NL-5441A, or their Burroughs equivalents, the B-5440A / B-5441A, may be visually closer to the original design than the Soviet IN series.
As far as I know, official material only identifies them generally as Nixie tubes and does not specify an exact real-world model. It is therefore possible that the Divergence Meter uses a fictional tube design combining features from several existing models rather than directly reproducing one particular tube.
For anyone familiar with vintage display tubes or the production design of STEINS;GATE:
Which real Nixie tube do you think most closely resembles the Divergence Meter—IN-16, IN-8-2, NL/B-5440A, NL/B-5441A, or something else entirely?
I’d be very interested to hear both technical and visual comparisons, including any differences you notice between the original VN and the anime adaptation.
#SteinsGate #シュタゲ #NixieTube
@emshmx Thank you so much! This is exactly what I wanted to know, and the article looks very helpful as well. I really appreciate you sharing all of this!!!