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Vacuum tubes populate unique chessboard
This must be one of the coolest chess sets ever made. Artist Paul Fryer used 32 vacuum tubes to create "Chess Set for Tesla," with each tube sporting an icon up top showing which chess piece it is. Make a move by unplugging the tube, and then plugging it into the destination square.
Only seven of these unique chessboards were created, but the idea is good enough to be mass-produced — if they could find enough tubes. Kinda reminds us of those gorgeous nixie clocks. Jump for two more pics:
Make: Blog, via Oh Gizmo
By TEC at 2:30 PM ON 06/29/09
Don't they get hot? I i thought that true vacuum tubes got hot. Would be hard to play chess if you have to grab a light bulb. Are these real vacuum tubes or are they modified to hold like an LED on the inside or something.
By JimT at 4:47 PM ON 06/29/09
Didn't you see that the article says that it "must be one of the coolest chess sets ever made" so they must have solved the heating problem?
But how annoying if any of the tube pins gets bent!! I'll bet very co$tly to replace.
By polymath at 5:35 PM ON 06/29/09
I used to work in a radio station and we had tubes for the AM transmitter that were bigger than softballs and the bank of 4 in the signal generator could heat the room. I hope these are colder other wise it will be a winter pastime.
By FyrelyteGuitarist at 12:01 PM ON 07/13/09
@TEC judging from the pins and the vague look at the tubes, i'd say they're the real deal.
i totally want this now! i should write a letter to thinkgeek and see if they can come up with something similar to this. even if they didn't use real v-tubes, i'd get one!
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FyrelyteGuitarist:
@TEC judging from the pins and the vague look at the tubes, i'd say they're the real deal. i totally want this now...More »