ESPHome Nixie Tube Display Component

This is a custom ESPHome component for controlling a 6-digit nixie tube display with SPI interface.

Installation

Copy the esphome_component folder to your ESPHome custom components directory:
```
~/.esphome/custom_components/nixie_display/
```
The component should have:
- __init__.py - Component configuration
- nixie_display.h - Header file
- nixie_display.cpp - Implementation

Configuration

Add to your ESPHome YAML:

spi:
  id: nixie_spi
  clk_pin: GPIO18
  mosi_pin: GPIO23
  miso_pin: GPIO19

display:
  - platform: nixie_display
    id: nixie
    spi_id: nixie_spi
    anode0_pin: GPIO5
    anode1_pin: GPIO13
    anode2_pin: GPIO17
    le_pin: GPIO22
    
    # Lambda to update display with time
    lambda: |-
      it.display_text("000000");  // Display as string of 6 digits

text_sensor:
  - platform: homeassistant
    id: time_display
    entity_id: sensor.time

Features

6 Nixie Tubes: Organized as 3 anode sets of 2 tubes each
SPI Control: Fast serial interface for cathode control
Anti-poisoning: Implements digit cycling to prevent cathode poisoning
Text Display: Can display any 6-character string of digits
60 Hz Refresh Rate: Smooth flicker-free display

Pin Configuration

anode0_pin: Controls first tube pair (digits 0-1)
anode1_pin: Controls second tube pair (digits 2-3)
anode2_pin: Controls third tube pair (digits 4-5)
le_pin: Latch Enable pin for SPI data locking
SPI pins: CLK, MOSI, MISO (configured via SPI component)

Display Format

The display expects a 6-character string of digits (0-9):

Position 0-1: First anode set
Position 2-3: Second anode set
Position 4-5: Third anode set

Usage Example

lambda: |-
  // Display current time
  auto time_obj = id(homeassistant_time).now();
  if (time_obj.is_valid()) {
    char buf[7];
    snprintf(buf, sizeof(buf), "%02d%02d%02d", 
             time_obj.hour, time_obj.minute, time_obj.second);
    it.display_text(buf);
  }

Anti-Poisoning Feature

Automatically enabled during transitions to cycle through digit values and prevent cathode poisoning that occurs with static displays. The algorithm:

Cycles all digits for 10 iterations
Then incrementally changes digits to target values
Total cycle takes ~20 iterations at the refresh rate

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