Hacker uses Nixie Tubes to make Sudoku interesting

We are far too impatient for games like Sudoku, but we can appreciate a boss hack, such as the one that recently popped up over at Trashbear Labs. This contraption uses Nixie Tubes to solve Sudoku puzzles (with help from a modified version of code provided by Edwin Chan). By far, our favorite part of the contraption is the hardware itself: sort of looks like something from a nuclear submarine, doesn't it? Strike that: it's more like a nuclear fun-marine! (Wow, we even groaned a little there). Video after the break, and hit the source link for all the design files necessary to build your own!

[Thanks, Thomas]

[bandsaw Posted Jul 9th 2010 5:08PM]

Sudoku was always interesting. What, does no one like to use their brains anymore?

[Devotpohats Posted Jul 9th 2010 5:22PM]

@bandsaw Come on dude, Nixie tubes make anything more interesting. I love those things.

[Rick Astley Posted Jul 9th 2010 5:09PM]

Wow this has been a boring week of news.

[Plazmic Flame Posted Jul 9th 2010 5:12PM]

@Rick Astley

Guess you're finally gonna give it up...

[SolidSnake Posted Jul 9th 2010 5:30PM]

@Plazmic Flame
He'll probably let us down.

[Wulazaga Posted Jul 9th 2010 5:34PM]

@SolidSnake
Nah, he'll never desert you

[FNi Posted Jul 9th 2010 5:35PM]

@SolidSnake

He might even run around and desert us.

[altay Posted Jul 10th 2010 9:04PM]

@FNi
These jokes are going to make me cry.

[ajwoodhouse Posted Jul 9th 2010 5:15PM]

sudoku has NEVER been interesting

[CountDooku Posted Jul 9th 2010 6:05PM]

@ajwoodhouse Sudoku is sometimes interesting. There, now we have all three...

[rutter9 Posted Jul 9th 2010 5:16PM]

i think it's engadget that let you down, or hurt you.

[nikoboxxx Posted Jul 9th 2010 5:17PM]

Someone needs to teach this machine to find XYZ-Wings and Finned Fishes....

[samisax Posted Jul 9th 2010 5:19PM]

I could imagine Michael Scott reading that article.

[liquidkernel Posted Jul 9th 2010 5:52PM]

Nixie tubes are awesome.

[niclet Posted Jul 9th 2010 6:51PM]

Pretty cool. Tubes are Always interesting. BTW, does anyone knows what is this tune?

[Blaine Posted Jul 9th 2010 6:57PM]

Yeah, why the brute force algorithm? You can see it working a column at a time, but if it gets to an inconsistent or illegal state, it backtracks.

How about adding some intelligence to the algorithm? It might make for a more interesting video too as it would solve closer to the way humans do.

[fischju Posted Jul 9th 2010 11:01PM]

'Hacker' isn't the right word. A custom made device from separate components isn't a hack, it's a ...make. Or something. Needs a better term. Builder, maker, ect...

[Cpsheehan Posted Jul 10th 2010 12:45AM]

@fischju Designer, maybe? Architect?

[dgtldvtn Posted Jul 10th 2010 5:59AM]

@fischju
Agreed. How about engineer?
I have to say I was still glad to see the article. Nixie tubes- what isn't there to like?

[lnm4444 Posted Jul 10th 2010 12:50AM]

Call Sterling-Cooper-Draper-Pryce. This will be the biggest thing of 1964! Bigger than Beetlemania!
Seriously, that looks beautiful. That would make me a sudoku fan.

[Cpsheehan Posted Jul 10th 2010 1:18AM]

This is completely unrelated, but in the shortest comment line so hopefully an Engadget official will read it, but when is Engadget going to upgrade their iPhone app? I'm tired of the crappy res icon, and especially the lack of iOS app-switching support. I was under the impression that these were extremely easy to do upgrades. Either way, it's kinda ironic in a sad way that a tech blog that covered iOS' new features so thoroughly hasn't implemented them into their own application.

[miki4242 Posted Jul 10th 2010 12:58PM]

Nixies For The Brain! Yeah!