Nixie Lars Assembly Manual

Congratulations for purchasing this Nixie clock kit "Lars" or "Laura".
For successful assembly of this kit please read the following helpful hints.
• This kit is designed for someone who has advanced experience with assembling electronics.
• If you believe that the kit is too complicated for your skill level please do not try to assemble it - this
generally ends up with a device that is not repairable and results in you being very frustrated.
Please contact the provider and they can offer you other options that will end in a more fulfilling
result!
• Take your time - this kit should take 2 hours to complete if uninterrupted. Assembling the kit in a
hurry will lead to frustration and troubleshooting takes three times as long.
• Ensure your work area is well lit (daylight preferred) and clean.
• Electronic tools, such as pliers, small side-cutters or tweezers will be handy. You will also need a
T10 (Torx) Allen screwdriver for the housing assembly.
• A soldering iron station with a 1 mm round tip (maximum) and a 0.5 mm (maximum) fine electronic
solder (lead-free) is required. For lead-free solder we've had good experience with type Iso-Core
EL Sn95,5 Ag3,8 Cu0,7 with 0,5 mm Ø and 3,5% Flux from Felder Löttechnik and a 400°C soldering
tip temperature.
• For the intermediary function test you need a multimeter with at least 200 VDC range.
• A loupe (magnifying glass) to read the small device markings is often helpful.
• Assemble the board in the order as stated in the instructions - this has been proven and will
minimise mistakes.
• It is assumed that you understand that semiconductors (diodes, ICs, transistors) or electrolytic
capacitors are polarized components. Appropriate markings are silk-screened on the PCB and
shown on the board schematic.
Together with this construction guide there are some other usefull documents for
download
• The owners manual for this Nixie clock kit
• The owners manual for the BR-355 wired or "Wireless GPS Connection" system
Safety precautions:
During assembly, operation, measurements and maintenance extra precautions must be taken. The
generated high voltage of 160 V is dangerous. Assemble the circuit at your own risk.
The clock's functionality cannot be guaranteed when assembled by the customer.
No responsibility can be taken for any personal claims and damages during assembly and
commission, especially for damages based on insufficient technical knowledge.
The Nixie clock may only be operated in a solid and moisture-proof enclosure.
The person who completes the kit and assembles this board into an enclosure for operation is
considered by the German directive VDE 0869 as a manufacturer and is required to indicate their
name and address including all documents when selling the clock.
Ready-to-go devices, which are assembled from kits, are counted as a safety-related industrial
made product.
Okay, and now, Ladies and Gentlemen – start your soldering iron...
As you might notice, most of the electrical parts are just pre-assembled and soldered.
However, we recommend to check these SMT assembly for assembly faults and cold solder pads
before assembling the through hole components.
You'll find at the end of the manual a detailed assembly silk screen for reference.
Assembly Manual Miniature USB powered Nixie Clocks • Mainboard Rev.11-2013
Start with soldering the 32-pol. female header, fitted from the solder (!) side.
Following fit and solder both 28-pol. IC sockets (pay attention for the notches as shown on the silk
screen, the crystal, the potentiometer, the Super Capacitor and the buzzer. The polarity marking on the
buzzer is negligable but keep care for the correct allignment of the Super Cap (arrows on the part
package and the silk screen). Do not insert the ICs at this stage !
Next solder the 47uH shielded inductor, than bend the leads of the RFD3055L MosFet and solder them.
Take special care as this is an ESD device, so it is a good idea before handling this part that you de-
charge yourself on a metallic part of your desktop. The heatsink can have contact to the left hand's
inductor pad; this doesn't matter at all. Finally add the remaining parts like the 2u2 / 350V capacitor, both
dual LEDs (take care for the colour), both dual switches and the mounting bracket.
Notch on socket and HV5812
The following task must only be done when assembling a Laura
Nixie clock
Pick up the 4 x M3 x 8 self tapping screws and the 4 x 3 mm plastic spacers
and threat them to the drilling holes at the edges of the main board. The
spacers are a self fixing type.
Finally cut and remove the tape from the 2.200µF
capacitor. Please do not simple cut the wires at
the top of the tape as the remaining lenght will be
too short.