Related Manuals for Arduino IN-14 Nixie
Summary of Contents for Arduino IN-14 Nixie
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Page 1: Operating Instructions
Arduino IN-14 Nixie Clock v42 “All-In-One” Clock Operating Instructions & Construction Manual NixieClockIN14InstructionManualRev2V42... -
Page 2: Contact Information
Contact Information If you want to get in contact with us, please email to: nixie@protonmail.ch We'll usually get back to you right away. We can help you with kits or construction. We also offer discounts for direct purchases, we save the Ebay fees, and share this with you. http://www.open-rate.com/Store.html Software The software is open source and is available on GitHub at the address:... - Page 3 Description The Arduino Nixie Clock is a beautiful mix of old and new, resulting in a high accuracy, low power clock which will be a talking point in your home. The clock has the following features: Latest technology, highly reliable and accurate.
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Page 4: Time Providers
General The clock has different modes of operation, which you select using the pushbutton. When you start the clock up th very first time, it will start in “Time Display Mode”. We set it up to be the right time for where the clock is being shipped to, so in the best case you will not even need to set the clock the first time! The other modes of operation are described in the following sections. -
Page 5: Time Display Mode
Time Display Mode Normally, the clock will show the time. To show additional information press the button with a “short” press. Each press cycles through the following information. After 5 seconds, the display will revert to the normal time display. Mode Description Values... - Page 6 Mode Description Values Time mode. This is the normal mode and displays the time. It is the normal start up mode of the clock. If you do nothing. The clock is in this mode. In this mode a short press cycles through the values given in “Time Display Mode”, but always returns to the standard time display after 5 seconds.
- Page 7 “06” Blanking Hour End. Hour blanking will end at this hour, on the Default: 07 flashing days set by the Display Blanking Mode. If the display blanking mode does not use hours, this setting is not shown. “07” Anti Cathode Poisoning night suppression. The ACP which runs “1”...
- Page 8 “18” HV Target Voltage Lower. Each press sets the HV target voltage Default: 180 flashing lower by 5V. Max: 200 Min: 150 “19” PWM On Time Longer. This setting controls how long the PWM On Default: 150 flashing pulse is. Normally you should not have to change this, but you can Max: 50 try changing this is the HV generation is noisy or you have unusual Min: 500...
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Page 9: Display Blanking Mode
Display Blanking Mode During display blanking mode the tubes will be off depending on the display blanking settings, but the LEDs will continue to work as usual, telling you that the clock is still running. You can configure the display to blank at weekends, during week days, always or never (the default). Also you are able to define hours during which to blank. -
Page 10: Board Layout
Board layout For reference, the board layout is as shown (viewed from the top): The connections are: Connector Description Values POWER External power should be applied to the board with this connector. Any DC input source is possible, from 7.5V – 12V. Higher voltages may be possible, but could cause the digits to flicker if the voltage is too high, and you might have to provide a heat sink for the the MOSFET and voltage regulator. - Page 11 Schematic Below is the schematic for the clock.
- Page 12 Construction Preparation: You should have a small tipped soldering iron, some thin (< 1mm, ideally 0.6mm) solder, and electronic side cutters. Components: You should find the following contents as listed in the BOM (Bill of Materials). It is best to check the contents before you start.
- Page 13 Once all the components are on the board, hook up the power, and check that the power LED comes on. Check also that the voltage is 5V between the “GND” test point and the “VCC” test point Test Step and at the power connector. If the LED does not come on, turn off immediately to avoid damage to the components.
- Page 14 At the end of the low voltage circuit build, your board should look like this: Low Voltage Circuit Low Voltage Circuit Low Voltage Circuit...
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Page 15: High Voltage Circuit
High Voltage Circuit: Parts List: 22pF 22pF 2.2uF 400V 100nF 100nF UF4007 SOCKET 28 16MHz 100uH IRF840 390k 4.7k MEGA8-P The high voltage circuit uses the micro-controller to drive the boost circuit with a high frequency square wave, and has a feedback loop in which the controller reads the voltage produced via an analogue input, and regulates the brightness of the tubes so that there is no flickering or unwanted dimming. - Page 16 Once all the components are on the board, hook up the power. Give your work a careful check to make sure that the orientation of the components is right. Especially check that the stripe on C1 is facing the marking on the board. Be careful, we are dealing with high voltages now! The voltage may be significantly higher than 170V at the moment, because the high voltage generator is powerful and the output is not loaded.
- Page 17 Hint: Mounting the 28 pin socket Mounting the 28 pin socket can be a little difficult. A good trick is to fix it in place with a small piece of tape, and the solder one leg in place. You can hold the socket firm while you “wet”...
- Page 18 LEDs/neons Parts List: RTC (see note) WiFi WiFi Module (see note) CONN_RTC (see note) 1k or 120k (see note) 1k or 120k (see note) Q3,Q4,Q5 2N7000 MPSA42 LED8/NEON1 LED 5mm or neon (see note) LED9/NEON2 LED 5mm (see note) Neon1 Neon indicator lamp Neon2 Neon indicator lamp...
- Page 19 If any of the channels does not go out completely: Sometimes the LEDs don't go out completely (especially the Blue channel, because the blue LED is very sensitive). If this happens, carefully clean the flux residue from around Trouble Q3-6 (of course with the power off) using a cotton bud and pure alcohol. The FETs are very shooting sensitive to being partially turned on due to tracking over the flux.
- Page 20 Hint: MPSA42/2N7000 mounting To mount the MSPA 42 transistor or the 2N7000 FETs, bend the middle lead back slightly. It will then fit in the PCB without problems.
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Page 21: Anode Control Circuit
Anode Control Circuit: Parts List: SOCKET 24 EL817 EL817 EL817 EL817 EL817 EL817 This circuit controls passing the HV to the anodes of the tubes. The micro-controller multiplexes the anodes by turning each of them on it turn for a very short period of time. The software controls the rate of the multiplexing and the order in which the anodes are activated. - Page 22 Hint: Putting the resistors in A trick that can speed assembly up is to use a piece of normal sticky tape to hold things in place while you solder them. This makes is easier to solder and gives a better result. Place the components, and then temporarily tape them into place.
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Page 23: Cathode Control Circuit
Cathode Control Circuit: Parts List: 74141N/K155 SOCKET 16 This part of the circuit controls which cathode will be lit. The cathode lit changes rapidly during normal operation, because the display is multiplexed. Notes: Instead of the 74141, you might have the Russian equivalent “K155ID1”. •... -
Page 24: Mounting The Tubes
Mounting the tubes The tubes are the last components on the board. They must be mounted carefully so that they sit neatly over the top of the RGB LEDs, and so that they are upright and parallel. The pin out diagram is viewed from the bottom of the tubes. Pins 2 and 13 are decimal points, and are often removed on the tubes. -
Page 25: Front Panel Components
Front Panel components When all the components are installed, you are finished with the board. 4 pin connector SWITCH The switch connects to ground when closed. It uses the internal pull-up resistor provided by the Atmega on the input pin to pull the input to VCC when the switch is not closed. The switch is de-bounced in software, so practically any switch you want to use is suitable. - Page 26 RTC or WiFi module The clock needs to know the time. To do this, an RTC or WiFi module is supplied with the kit, (depending on the option you chose). You can mount these modules directly on the board, or as a separate board connected by flying leads.
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Page 27: Troubleshooting
Troubleshooting If not everything goes as you expect, please refer to the test steps during the construction and the associated troubleshooting tips. If that does not cover the problem you have, please see below. If you still can't find the answer, contact us! The tubes flash (or blink) on and off. - Page 28 One or more of the RGB LEDs will not go out completely One of the LEDs (either one of the R, G or B channels, or the TICK LED) does not go out completely when it is configured to be dark or at the darkest point of the “pulse” flash. Trouble The FETs which drive the LEDs are very sensitive, and can pick up the stray voltages which shooting...
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Page 29: Programming The Micro-Controller
Arduino UNO is enough. To program the 328P, simply remove it from the clock board, and place it in the Arduino UNO. Then you will be able to program the controller as you would any other Arduino UNO, simply upload the software onto the controller. -
Page 30: Component Identification
Component Identification We can't always guarantee to get exactly the the same components. Where we have alternatives, they are listed separately under the same heading. 10k resistor The color code for the 10k resistor is: BROWN = 1 BLACK = 0 BLACK = 0 RED = 2 (2 zeros in this case) BROWN = 1 (1% Tolerance) - Page 31 390k resistor The color code for the 390k resistor is: ORANGE = 3 WHITE = 9 BLACK = 0 ORANGE = 3 (3 zeros in this case) BROWN = 1 (1% Tolerance) 390k resistor = 3 9 0 0 0 0 with 1% tolerance 3k resistor The color code for the 3k resistor is: ORANGE = 3...
- Page 32 RGB LED The RGB LED has one pin longer than the rest. This longer pin is the common anode. RGB LED The LED has one pin longer than the other. The long pin is the anode, the short pin the cathode.
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Page 33: Parts List / Bom
Parts list / BOM Here is the list of the parts needed: # ID Qty Value 1 C5,C6 2 22pF 2 LED9,LED8 2 LED 5mm 3 C1 1 2.2uF 4 C3,C4 2 220uF 5 LED2,LED7,LED6,LED5,LED4,LED3 6 LED RAGB (common anode) 6 Q2 1 16MHz 7 D2... - Page 34 Revisions: Rev1V42: 16Jul2016: First version Rev2V42: 11Aug2016: Update for Rev2 boards Rev2V42: 23Aug2016: 450V capacitor downgraded to 400V Rev2V42: 05Sep2016: remove reference to SV6, update BOM...
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