Nixie Clock IN-14 All-In-One Construction Manual
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Nixie Clock IN-14 All-In-One Construction Manual

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Arduino Nixie Clock
"IN-14 All-In-One" Clock Rev3
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Summary of Contents for Nixie Clock IN-14 All-In-One

  • Page 1 Arduino Nixie Clock “IN-14 All-In-One” Clock Rev3 Construction Manual AllInOneNixieClock14ConstructionManualRev3...

  • Page 2: Troubleshooting

    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 available on GitHub at the address:...

  • Page 3: Board Layout

    Board layout For reference, the board layout is as shown (viewed from the top): The connections are: Connector Description 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 4 Schematic Below is the schematic for the clock. And for the LDR and button:...

  • Page 5: Low Voltage Circuit

    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 6 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 Step test point and at the power connector. If the LED does not come on, turn off immediately to avoid damage to the components.
  • Page 7 At the end of the low voltage circuit build, your board should look like this: Low Voltage Circuit Here is a close up of the regulator Low Voltage Circuit - Regulator...
  • Page 8 And a close up of the LED: Low Voltage Circuit - LED...

  • Page 9: 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 10 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 11 Check your soldering that there are no bridges or dry joints. • Check that the external power supply is able to supply the power needed • to achieve the high voltage: check that the VIN voltage is stable and not fluctuating.

  • Page 12: Back Light Leds

    Back light LEDs Parts List: Q3,Q4,Q5 2N7000 MPSA42 R9,R11,R12 LED2 RGB Common Anode R13,R15,R16 LED3 RGB Common Anode R21,R22,R23 LED4 RGB Common Anode R24,R25,R29 LED5 RGB Common Anode R31,R32,R33 LED6 RGB Common Anode R34,R35,R36 LED7 RGB Common Anode This step installs the RGB back light LEDs. We do this now, because the RGB LEDs are mounted under the tubes.
  • Page 13 the components depending on which you choose. For LEDs: You need to connect P1 “VIN” to “COM” and choose 1k values for R38 and • R39. You need to take care of the polarity of the LEDs, following what is marked on the board.
  • Page 14 RGB Backlight LEDs mounted...

  • Page 15: 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 16 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.

  • Page 17: Cathode Control Circuit

    Cathode Control Circuit: Parts List: K155ID1 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: Be careful to orient the K155ID1 correctly •...

  • Page 18: Mounting The Tubes

    Mounting the tubes The tubes must be mounted carefully so that they sit neatly over the top of the RGB LEDs, and so that they are upright and parallel. It is quite tricky to mount the tubes, so take your time and read through the instructions carefully before you start.
  • Page 19 To make the tube stand upright, solder just three leads at the beginning (e.g. pin 1, pin6 • and pin 10). This makes a sort of “tripod” out of the pins you have solderedm and you can then easily align the tube so that it is perfectly upright by reheating only one of the pins at a time.

  • Page 20: Separator Leds/Neons

    Separator LEDs/Neons Parts List: 1k or 120k (see note) 1k or 120k (see note) LED8/NEON1 LED 5mm or neon (see note) LED9/NEON2 LED 5mm (see note) Neon1 Neon indicator lamp Neon2 Neon indicator lamp Connect COM to HV or VCC Now that we have the tubes mounted, we can mount the separators.

  • Page 21: Front Panel Components

    Front Panel components When all the components are installed, you are finished with the main build of the clock. You can now add the “front panel” components. These will usually be added on the outside of the clock case. 4 pin connector SWITCH The switch connects to ground when closed.

  • Page 22: Wifi Module

    WiFi module Parts List: 10k 1206 SMD 10k 1206 SMD 10k 1206 SMD 10k 1206 SMD 100nF 1206 SMD 100nF 1206 SMD 10uF 1206 SMD BSS138 BSS138 AP1117-3V3 2x4 Female Header WiFi Preprogrammed ESP-8266 If you have the WiFi module, you need to install the SMD components on the board. If you are using the WiFi module, don’t install header SV3, otherwise it becomes very hard to install the resistors R40 and R41.

  • Page 23: Rtc Module

    RTC module Parts List: CONN_RTC The RTC module is a traditional Real Time Clock module. Unfortunately we are no longer permitted to post the battery with the kit, so you will have to get your own. The battery you need to get is a CR2032, or a LIR20132 (rechargeable). You can mount the RTC module directly on the board, or as a separate board connected by flying leads.
  • Page 24 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 25 up as expected when no LDR is present. Shine a bright light on the LDR. In some cases, a factory reset can help. 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 Trouble “pulse”...

  • Page 26: Programming The Micro-Controller

    Arduino UNO, unless you remember to burn the boot loader again. That's it! One last thing: The controller used in the IN-14 All-In-One clock Rev is completely compatible with the Classic Nixie Clock module Rev2, Rev3 and Rev4. They can be interchanged without...

  • Page 27: Parts List / Bom

    Parts list / BOM Here is the list of the parts needed for the main board: # 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...
  • Page 28 Parts needed for the optional WiFi module: # ID Qty Value 1 R40, 41, 42, 43 4 10k 1206 SMD 2 C9, C10 2 100nF 1206 SMD 3 C11 1 10uF 1206 SMD 4 Q7, Q8 2 BSS137 5 U1 1 AP1117-3V3 6 P2 1 2x4 Female Header...

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