Sphere Research Corporation U6DNC Neonixie, ND, 6X IN-17, 6X B5092 Nixie Clock Nixie Clock Kit Instructions
Below you will find brief information for Nixie Clock U6DNC Neonixie, Nixie Clock U6DNC ND, Nixie Clock 6X IN-17, Nixie Clock 6X B5092. These are high voltage kits, and require careful handling to avoid injury. The kits come with a detailed manual that guides you through the assembly process, including safety precautions. Each kit contains all the necessary parts for building a nixie clock. You can choose between different nixie tube displays and various timebase options. Once built, the clock will provide you with a unique, stylish display of time. It is recommended to use a separate external power supply as these kits require a nominal 12V DC power supply.
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Sphere Research Corporation 3394 Sunnyside Rd., Kelowna, B.C. V1Z 2V4 CANADA Contact information: U6DNC Nixie Clock Kits Neonixie CPU-based universal 6-digit nixie clocks Release Date: January 30, 2007 Î STOP AND READ THIS BEFORE GOING ANY FURTHER! These kits require and generate high DC voltages, over 170VDC, which is very dangerous if not handled correctly. If you do not have the experience to work with these voltages, STOP NOW, and return the kit for a refund. Sphere Research Corporation Phone: (250) 769-1834 FAX: (250) 769-4106 E-Mail: [email protected] URL: http://www.sphere.bc.ca You agree by continuing that you are qualified to work with these dangerous voltages, and do so entirely at your own risk. You are responsible for any final use of the product made from this kit, and accept all responsibility for enclosing it in a safe manner to prevent any shock hazard to users, and for making any AC power connections in a safe manner. We DO NOT provide a housing for this product, that is up to you. THIS IS NOT A KIT FOR BEGINNERS! It is designed for advanced experimenters with experience and knowledge about the circuits employed, who are capable of doing this level of assembly and testing. Once again, if you feel this does not describe you, please stop and return the kit for a refund. We would prefer to refund your money than have you lying unconscious on the floor, with your heart stopped, or some similar untimely end. Software: These kits are based on the Neonixie pre-programmed Atmel CPU, which has copyrighted software. In buying this kit, you agree not to reverse engineer or copy this code for any reason, but only to use it in this specific clock kit. If you do not agree with this condition, please return the kit for a refund. Sphere is only a reseller of the code for this specific use, and no other. Copyright 2004, 2005, 2007 Sphere Research Corporation Nixie Clock Kit Instructions Page 1 Things you will need to build these kits: Like any electronic assembly project, some tools are required which are not included with our parts kit. These items are: 1. A clean, well lit assembly area. 2. A good quality soldering iron, with safety grounded tip. Weller, Hakko and Ungar all make suitable irons. You will need a sharp, long tipped iron, and a damp cleaning sponge to keep the tip clean. We include high quality 63/37 rosin core (or water soluble) solder for the assembly, which significantly helps prevent cold solder joints. 3. Needle nose pliers and diagonal cutters, plus a number 1 Philips screwdriver for some items. 4. Isopropyl alcohol (available at any pharmacy) to clean the flux from the complete board, and Q-tips and a cloth to do the cleaning. This should be done outside, in a well ventilated area. If water soluble flux solder is used, the board can be washed clean with running hot water and a small toothbrush. Compressed air is very handy to dry the board. 5. A digital multimeter capable of measuring to 500VDC, with safe, well insulated leads. General but VERY IMPORTANT Information: Please don’t skip over this section, it has important information about every kit that is essential. PARTS VALUES/BOARD IDENTS: Each kit has a schematic diagram, parts list and a circuit board. Generally, all will agree in every way, BUT early board revisions may have the wrong value printed in a component location, or other minor artwork flaw due to design revisions. If a different part is to be used than is printed on the board art revision, IT WILL BE CORRECTLY PRE-INSTALLED by us before shipment. Do not alter preinstalled parts on the circuit board. VARIABLE VALUES: Some parts do not have a specific value on the boards, they are determined by other circuit issues, like the type of Nixie tube installed, what kind of external AC power supply is used and other factors, see the schematic and instructions to determine the right value. FUSE PROTECTION: Any kit with external power has fuse protection of some type. DO NOT defeat this, or fire safety will be compromised. Use the fuse value or specific polyswitch specified. (a polyswitch is a self-resetting fuse that looks like a radial disc style yellow capacitor). OPTIONS: Many boards have SOFTWARE options that can be selected by going through the Neonixe menu, some MUST be selected for any operation such as tube sequencing, so be sure you have made a valid selection for every location that has an option. The complete NEONIXE software options document is attached as an appendix, read over the software settings and options carefully, the combined board REQUIRES that the tube sequence option be modified. MODIFICATIONS & EXPERIMENTATION: Most of the advanced clock boards have extra connections and options for different connections, external timebases, and even prototyping areas. These allow you to easily modify the kit to better suit yourself, and your own requirements. Keep in mind, only 1 single timebase (crystal, oscillator, or external source) may be used at any one time in a clock. Copyright 2004, 2005, 2007 Sphere Research Corporation Nixie Clock Kit Instructions Page 2 PARTS IDENTIFICATION: All parts have part numbers, values or color codes to identify them. Many different but equally correct parts can often be used in specific locations, and we may use different parts because of availability issues. The parts list generally covers the details of what parts, or range of parts can be used. ICs in particular have wildly varying part identifications, each maker has their own prefix, suffix and number format wrapped around a common core number. If you are not sure, please email us for clarification, at [email protected]. Color codes are common on resistors, and you should become familiar with that type of marking. You can go to our website here for a color code decoding chart at the bottom of the page: http://www.sphere.bc.ca/test/data.html SOLDERING: The correct way to solder is to clean the tip of your iron, and first insure it has a smooth coating of solder to transfer heat. Then, heat the part and board with the tip of your iron, and feed the solder to the parts, which will melt the solder when the lead and pad are hot enough. A well-tinned, clean tip makes this very easy. There are many good assembly techniques, but the best is usually to insert the part, spread the leads to pull the part snug to the board, and clip the lead close to the board. Then solder the junction, and no further work is required. ALWAYS install any solder in Nixies as the LAST STEP in assembling the board. They are very fragile, and easily broken with handling. It can be hard to thread all the Nixie leads into the board. Sometimes trimming them evenly to just ½” makes this much easier. Adjust the tube carefully to be sure it is straight in every axis, and tack solder two leads. Recheck again, and when all if correctly aligned, go ahead and solder each pin carefully, being careful not to bridge two pads. The pads are small at the nixie tubes and ICs, so be careful, and be patient. If you are using the nixie tube pads to connect an external tube, use ribbon cable, and note that the pads are identified by function (digits 0-9 and A for anode), rather than pin numbers. MODIFICATIONS: You can use many other power supplies, or an external time base (by omitting U7 and U8, and Y1, then inject a CMOS/TTL compatible logic clock at J8 External Clock, along with a ground return) with this clock board. Other Nixies can be used in two ways, either wired to the PCB pads normally used for the on-board tubes, or via a remote display board. Observe that the Nixie Tube pads show the FUNCTION, not the pin number for ease in doing this. You can also attach different display boards via the 20 pin headers, simply pull the on-board nixie driver ICs to use this function. Copyright 2004, 2005, 2007 Sphere Research Corporation Nixie Clock Kit Instructions Page 3 U6DNC Series Neonixie Microcontroller Clock Kits U6DNC Combined clock/display board, U6NDC (lower) and accessory LED “back-lighting board” (upper). This board performs all functions, power supply, HV converter, clock, timebase, drivers and display. The back lighting board can be inserted UNDER the nixies, through the holes shown in the center of each tube, to provide a contrasting color for effect. The rubber insulator under each tube must be removed to use this option. U6DNC-ND / 6XB5092 / 6XIN17 Split clock/display board set, U6NDC-ND (upper) and remote plug-in nixie display, 6XB5092 (lower). This upper board performs clock functions, power supply, HV converter and timebase, while the remote display contains the drivers and nixie displays. The display board supports virtually all plug in 13 pin vertical display tubes, such as the B5092/A, 6844/A, 8037, 8421, ZM560M, ZM10220/22 and similar tubes. It can also be used to remote wire any other type to sockets with ribbon cable. The bottom-most board is the 6XIN17 remote display, which supports the miniature IN-17 nixie tubes and drivers. Copyright 2004, 2005, 2007 Sphere Research Corporation Nixie Clock Kit Instructions Page 4 Caution: The Microprocessor (UP1) is very static sensitive, install it into the socket as the last step, and ONLY after you have made all the required tests on the power supply. Ground yourself to a grounded object before handling the IC, and never touch the board to something before you have touched it first, to avoid static discharge though the chip. FIRST: This kit requires an external Power Supply, you should select that FIRST, and test it before attempting to assemble and test this kit. A 12VDC or 12VAC wall wart is ideal, with at least a 1A rating, or you can use a source up to 16VAC/DC, but you will then have to install the secondary onboard 12V regulator to run the HV converter. If you bought a supply from us, it will be a nominal 12VDC supply, with a barrel style DC power connector. Check to confirm it is positive on the center conductor (may be up to 16VDC if unregulated and no load), and working before proceeding. Be sure it mates with the supplied DC power connector at J2. Using our supplied 12VDC power supply, the on board 12V regulator and rectifier are not required, and they are jumpered out at U10 Input to output), D1 and D5. This routes input power directly to the internal 12VDC bus. WHAT DISPLAY? This kit can interface to many tube types, but the board patterns are tube-specific. The combined board drives IN-14 nixies, but others with flying leads can be used, IF the pins are matched to the board layout. Remember that the layout is marked by FUNCTION, not pin number, for your convenience. It is possible with minor lead changes to run IN-16 tubes in the same layout in all or some (such as seconds) positions. Check our website below for tube basing information before you attempt a tube change. http://www.sphere.bc.ca/test/nixie.html On the remote boards, either sockets or tubes with flying leads can be used, but note that the socket pattern fits only specific socket types, and a tube does not fit directly into the holes. WHAT TIMEBASE? This kit supports 4 possible modes, 3 internal, and one external. Internally, either a simple quartz crystal can be used (Y1), or one of two different temperature stabilized oscillators from Maxim (DS32KHZ) in SMD or DIP format. Note that in the initial board layouts, the over-sized DIP package interferes with the J9 header (it can be mounted on the bottom to avoid this interference). This clearance will be fixed on later revisions. Externally, a remote source of CMOS/TTL compatible 32.768KHz data can be sent to the J8 EXT clock pin. USE ONLY ONE TIMEBASE SOURCE. The default is crystal Y1, the temp stabilized oscillators are an upgrade to the kit. Copyright 2004, 2005, 2007 Sphere Research Corporation Nixie Clock Kit Instructions Page 5 Copyright 2004, 2005, 2007 Sphere Research Corporation Nixie Clock Kit Instructions Page 6 Copyright 2004, 2005, 2007 Sphere Research Corporation Nixie Clock Kit Instructions Page 7 Copyright 2004, 2005, 2007 Sphere Research Corporation Nixie Clock Kit Instructions Page 8 U6DNC U6DNC-ND U6DNC / U6DNC-ND Annotated PARTS LIST: Shaded parts are on the combined board U6DNC ONLY. Part Identification C1, C2, C3, C4, C5, C6 C7 0.1uF/50V or better bypass Capacitor C13 0.01-0.1uF/50V or better Capacitor C10, C12, C15 10uF/16V-22uF/35V Electrolytic Capacitor Supercap, 0.1F/5.5VDC or better C11 Description 0.1uF/50V or better bypass Capacitor C14 470uF/16VDC or higher Electrolytic Capacitor C15 10uF/16V-22uF/35V Electrolytic Capacitor 0.1uF/50V or better bypass Capacitor C16, C17 C18 10uF/16V-22uF/35V Electrolytic Capacitor C19 470uF/16VDC or higher Electrolytic Capacitor C100, C101 0.1uF/50V or better bypass Capacitor C102 470uF/16VDC or higher Electrolytic Capacitor C103 3.3uF-10uF at least 250VDC C104 D1, D2, D3, D4, D5, D8 D6 2.2nF film Capacitor 1A/50V or better rectifier, 1N40014007 1N5817 or better Schottky rectifier D7 ICTE5, 1N6373A, 5V Transorb Copyright 2004, 2005, 2007 Sphere Research Corporation Mechanical Identification, Notes Radial leads, Can be marked .1 or 104, dipped or molded case. Radial leads, Can be marked .1 or 104, dipped or molded case Radial Leads, used only if AC power input used, Optional. Radial Leads, OBSERVE POLARITY! Can be dipped tantalum or alum. electrolytic Radial Leads, OBSERVE POLARITY! Stripe is negative. Radial Leads, OBSERVE POLARITY! Alum. Electrolytic, stripe is negative. If a higher voltage 470uF cap is provided, it goes HERE. Radial Leads, OBSERVE POLARITY! Can be dipped tantalum or alum. electrolytic Radial leads, Can be marked .1 or 104, dipped or molded case, required only if U10 installed, Optional Radial Leads, OBSERVE POLARITY! Can be dipped tantalum or alum. Electrolytic, required only if U10 installed, Optional Radial Leads, OBSERVE POLARITY! Alum. Electrolytic, stripe is negative. If 2 lower voltage 470uF caps are provided, one goes HERE. Radial leads, Can be marked .1 or 104, dipped or molded case. Radial Leads, OBSERVE POLARITY! Alum. Electrolytic, stripe is negative. If a lower voltage 470uF cap is provided, it goes HERE Radial Leads, OBSERVE POLARITY! Stripe is negative. Radial Leads, may be blue or red in color. Plastic or glass, axial leads Plastic, axial leads, be sure this is the correct part before installation. Zener over-voltage protection for 5V supply rail. Nixie Clock Kit Instructions Page 9 D9 D100 D101 1A/50V or better rectifier, 1N40014007 MUR160, UF160 or 1N4937 Ultra-fast rectifier T 1 ¾ Green LED DS1, DS2, DS4, DS5 NE2 short Neon Lamp DS3 NE2 short Neon Lamp F1 RXE075 Polyswitch fuse (looks like yellow disc capacitor) RXE030 Polyswitch fuse (looks like yellow disk) DC power connector 20 pin male 0.1” pitch header F100 J2 J9, J10, J11 L100 L101 Ferrite bead on a lead 100 or 150uH 2A toroid choke. CTX150-1-52 or sim. LED1 T 1 ¾ Green LED N1, N2, N3, N4, N5, N6 R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R6 R7 R8, R9, R10, R11 IN-14 Nixie Tube 680K, ¼ W Resistor 5% 499K, ¼ W Resistors 1% R12, R13 R14, R15, R16 R17 R18 33K, ¼ W Resistors 5% 4.7K Ohm, ¼ W Resistors 5% 470 Ohm, ¼ W Resistor 5% 10 Ohm 2W Flameproof Resistor 5% R100 R101 R102 33K, ¼ W Resistor 5% 1K, ¼ W Resistors 5% 221K, ¼ W Resistor 1% R103 R104 Not used 1K Trimpot R105 10K, ¼ W Resistor 5% R106 470 Ohms ¼ W Resistor 5% 22K, ½ W Resistors 5% Copyright 2004, 2005, 2007 Sphere Research Corporation Install before UP1 is installed. Plastic or glass, axial leads, Used only if U10 installed, Optional. MUR/UF160 preferred. Plastic, axial leads. Flat side is cathode (short lead), align to square PCB pad. Install plastic spacer underneath. Plain neon lamp, Colon indicator, install plastic spacer underneath. Mounts on Colon subboard, sleeving around indicator may be useful to reduce reflections on adjacent nixie tubes. Plain neon lamp, HV BITE indicator, install plastic spacer underneath. Radial Leads, larger disc. Radial Leads, smaller disc. Seat firmly to board. Can be shrouded or unshrouded, not required on combined board unless remote display operation is intended. Can be top or bottom mounted. Can be any style, single or multi-turn bead. Mount elevated as shown. RTV under to anchor the part is useful. Larger value reduces waste heat. Flat side is cathode (short lead), align to square PCB pad. Install plastic spacer underneath. Flying leads, trim for easier insertion. Remove bases if LED back lighting will be used. Axial Leads, CC: red, red, orange, gold Elevate above board slightly. Axial Leads, CC: blue, gray, yellow, gold Axial Leads, CC: yellow, white, white, orange, brown. Note that the bottom leads of R9, R10 are used to attach the colon sub-board, do not cut! Mounts on colon sub-board, note that early board art has 100K marked. Axial Leads, CC: orange, orange, orange, gold. Axial Leads, CC: yellow, violet, red, gold Axial Leads, CC: yellow, violet, brown, gold Elevate above the board, CC: brown, black, black, gold. Can be increased if input voltage is higher than the default 12VDC, used to dissipate excess heat from U9. Axial Leads, CC: orange, orange, orange, gold. Axial Leads, CC: brown, black, red, gold Axial Leads, CC: red, red, brown, orange, brown May be single or multi-turn, face adjustment out to outer edge. Can also be 1%, Axial Leads, CC: brown, black, orange, gold (5) or or brown black black, red, brown (1%) or 1002F 1%. Axial leads. CC: yellow, violet, brown, gold Nixie Clock Kit Instructions Page 10 R107 R-Ground 2.2K ¼ W Resistor 5% 1 Megohm ¼ W Resistor 5% Q1, Q2 Q100 MPSA42 Transistor IRF820 or sim. MOSFET Q101 2N2222A or PN2222 Transistor S1, S2, S3 Pushbutton switches UP1 Programmed Atmel Microcontroller U1, U2, U3, U4, U5, U6 U7 74141 or K155ID1 Nixie Driver U8 U9 U10 U100 Y1 16 Pin Sockets 8 Pin Socket 40 Pin Sockets Threaded Spacers and mating screws Screws and nuts Angle brackets & screws Ribbon Wire Solder Maxim DS32KHZ 32.768KHz TCXO, DIP Maxim DS32KHZ 32.768KHz TCXO, SMD LM340T5, 7805CT or sim. 5V Regulator LM340T12, 7812CT, or sim. 12V Regulator NE555T, LM555N etc., timer 32.768KHz Crystal, may have the frequency or a code like R38 on it. 6 pieces, under each driver, U1-U6 1 piece under U100 1 piece, under microprocessor UP1 5 pieces, mount under the board with provided screws. For U9 and Q100 For the provided remote switch assembly 4-wire For remote switch assembly. Water soluble or rosin core solder, as requested. Relevant type is CIRCLED. Copyright 2004, 2005, 2007 Sphere Research Corporation Axial leads. CC: red, red, red, gold Used to provide a static drain to a metal cabinet. Optional Align to case outline on PCB. Caution, static sensitive, handle with care. Attach to board with provided screw and nut, place head on underside to avoid track short. Board accepts either type, note that flat line is on the wrong side on early board artwork, emitter goes to the outside track. Can also be external switches of any kind, SPST, Normally Open. Install in socket, as last operation to avoid static damage. Check alignment. Install in 16 pin sockets, nixie drivers. Optional stabilized TCXO, DIP package Optional stabilized TCXO, SMD package Attach to board with mounting hardware. Used only if raw input power is higher than 12VDC. Optional Jumper input to output pads if not used. Use 8 pin dip socket underneath. Radial Leads. Default timebase. 4-40 tapped, can be used to attach the board to your own case design. 4-40 or 3mm. 4-40 screws and brackets 1 foot. Can be gray or colored. 63-37 formula, for minimal cold solder joints. Nixie Clock Kit Instructions Page 11 6X-series Remote Display Boards Annotated PARTS LIST: Mounting hardware C1, C2, C3, C4, C5, C6 C7 Stand-offs and screws provided for board attachment 0.1uF/50V or better bypass Capacitor DS1, DS2 A1A long neon lamp, with sleeve at middle to create two lit areas. NE2 short neon lamp DS1, DS2, DS3, DS4 JP1, JP2, JP3 N1, N2, N3, N4, N5, N6 N1, N2, N3, N4, N5, N6 R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R6 22uF/16VDC or better 20 pin 0.1” pitch headers IN-17 Nixie Tube on 6XIN17 board only B-5092, 8037, ZM1020, 1022, etc. Nixies on 6XB5092 board only. 22K, ½ W Resistors 5% R6, R7 330K ¼ W Resistors 5% R6, R7 249K ¼ W Resistors 1% Radial leads, Can be marked .1 or 104, dipped or molded case. Radial Leads, OBSERVE POLARITY! Can be dipped tantalum or alum. electrolytic Used on 6XIN17 board ONLY. Used on 6XB5092 board ONLY. Mount with plastic spacer underneath Can be shrouded or unshrouded. Flying leads, trim for easier insertion. Install PC sockets under tubes. Axial Leads, CC: red, red, orange, gold Elevate above board slightly. Early artwork may say 27K. Axial Leads, CC: orange, orange, yellow, gold Early boards show 150k. Used on 6XIN17 board ONLY. Axial Leads, CC: red, yellow, white, yellow, brown. Early boards show 100k. Used on 6X5092 board ONLY. To activate remote displays, you require BCD data from the main clock board (grouped in decade pairs, hours , minutes, seconds, +170VDC and the colon drive. The 20 pin headers provide the BCD data, and the JP4 pads provide the HV and colon connections. Interconnection between the main clock board and remote display is via 20 pin ribbon cables (watch out for mis-alignment or reversal end for end), and by flying leads between JP4 on the display board and J13 on the clock board. To run a remote display from a combined board, you need to run BCD data and a connection from the +170VDC test point (J1), and two wires from the colon outputs. Remove the Nixie drivers from the combined board to run the remote display. RIBBON CABLES: To connect the boards, 20 conductor ribbon cables with a female 20 socket IDC connector on each end are required. Insure the +5VDC ends (red stripe or other marker) are always aligned between boards! Copyright 2004, 2005, 2007 Sphere Research Corporation Nixie Clock Kit Instructions Page 12 SCHEMATIC: Look at the Schematic of the clock and remote displays before starting work, and be sure you understand how the clock is designed. The smaller U6DNC-ND version is just a subset of the main schematic, with the drivers and display tubes deleted. The microprocessor (UP1) (and its crystal clock) do all the timekeeping and counter control. BCD (Binary coded decimal) data (4 lines) is sent from the microprocessor to the Nixie driver chips, which can be 74141 or K155ID1 types, which convert the 5V logic to the HV line control required by the Nixie tube. The 7441 can not be used, as it does not support blanking, which is required in many modes. Other Nixie tubes can be used and hard wired into the board pads. Note that the pads indicate the function of the pad, NOT THE PIN NUMBER. A is for Anode, 1-9 and 0 for the specific cathode element, and DP for decimal points. Tubes like the IN-16 are easy substitutes. The remote display boards are essentially identical, with the tube footprints being the major difference between them. All the remote boards have 6 tubes, and display drivers, plus neon lamps for the colons. POWER SUPPLY CONCEPTS: To get the required HV to run the IN-14 Nixies, at least +150VDC is needed, and to insure adequate element coverage, +170-175V is ideal with the supplied 22K anode resistors. Some tubes need a bit more to give crisp digit focus, and up to +200VDC can be used with no difficulties on most tubes, but life will be reduced if the tubes are run too bright. The 12VDC bus is converted to +170VDC by the switching converter formed by 555 timer U100, MOSFET Q100, and the following rectifier/filter parts on the board. Parts selection is semi-critical, so stick to our specified items to avoid problems. The HV level is adjusted by measuring the +170VDC test point (J1) to DC common (J5), and adjusting trimpot R104. If no tubes are present, the voltage can go quite high (over +250VDC), so care must be used to set it to +170VDC as a starting value. “HV present” is indicated by neon lamp DS3 being lit. +5VDC for the digital circuitry is provided by regulator U9 via R18, and its presence is indicated by LED1. A keep-alive +5VDC for the clock is maintained by the supercap C11 via D6, and fed to UP1 and the oscillators. This keepalive voltage must be present for any CPU operation, and it prevents time loss during momentary primary power interruptions. JUMPERS/OPTIONS: Jumpers at U10, D1 and D5 are installed (and D2, D4 delted) when the primary power is a nominal 12VDC, these parts are required if primary power is AC or if it is over 12V average. C18 is required ONLY if a low drop-out 12VDC regulator is used at U9. BITE INDICATORS: Because the board is dangerous when excited with HV, a caution light is added, (DS3), to warn you that HV is applied. This can be very important during troubleshooting. A 5VDC green LED is also supplied (LED1) which warns when the logic supply is present. A crowbar Zener is across the 5V power supply to clamp any excess voltage applied by mistake, and as a static shunt. If this part shorts, or is installed backwards, the 5V bus will never rise above about 0.7VDC, and the FI polyswitch fuse will open (self-resetting when power is disconnected). The 12VDC to 170V converter has its own polyswitch (F100) to protect that circuit, and a green LED D101 monitors primary power to the HV converter, it will be ON when primary power is present, and the F100 polyswitch has not opened. POLYSWITCH FUSES: These kits use a Polyswitch for low voltage DC protection rather than a glass fuse. Primary AC line protection is still by a one-shot glass fuse for fire safety within the wall wart. Polyswitches are conductive as long as the current is at or below their specified holding value, but go essentially open circuit when the current is too high. They are reset back to proper conducting operation by removing the short, and/ or resetting the primary power. The 5VDC light will go out when the primary Polyswitch opens. This technique is used because many assembly problems may create a “short”, and this would be very inconvenient for you if you had only one glass fuse available. In addition, R18 is a fusible resistor, in series with the 5VDC regulator, it limits current to the regulator if a problem is present on the 5VDC rail, if it gets hot, remove power, and search for the problems. CABLES: Connection to the setting switch assembly is via a short length of ribbon cable, which can simply be soldered to each end. The remote displays are connected by 3 individual 20 pin ribbon cables, plus at least 3 additional wires for the colons and HV connection. The ribbon cables are designed with redundant parallel pins, so that cable construction is not affected by many types of mis-alignment and orientation. As long as the connectors are not plugged in offset, or reversed end-for end, they will work. It is also possible to solder the wires, if preferred. Copyright 2004, 2005, 2007 Sphere Research Corporation Nixie Clock Kit Instructions Page 13 Assembled Combined board Kit ASSEMBLY STEPS, both U6DNC clock board types: 1. Important Construction Variations: The headers at J9, J10 and J11 are installed only if you want to attach a remote display, they are optional on the combined board, and are required on the split version. They can be installed on the top or bottom side, it does not affect operation or cable design. The DIP version of the temperature compensated oscillator at U7 (which is an oversized package) can interfere with a top mounted header and cable at J9. 2. Insert and solder all the resistors, if you orient them all in the same direction, checking for the correct value is much easier. Install the larger polyswitch at F1. 3. Insert and solder the diodes/rectifiers. Observe the correct polarity, the parts have a banded end (cathode) that must match the banded marking on the circuit board. Note that the input bridge D1, D2, D4 and D5 is NOT normally required (unless an AC power supply is used), and jumpers are normally installed at D1 and D5. Note that D6 is a schottky rectifier, 1N5817 or similar, and D100 is a fast high voltage rectifier, type MUR160 or similar. Be careful not to mix these parts up with the other rectifiers, which may look almost identical. Check these parts carefully after insertion, a mistake here can be hard to find later, but can cause serious failure. Copyright 2004, 2005, 2007 Sphere Research Corporation Nixie Clock Kit Instructions Page 14 4. Insert and solder the IC sockets, note that one end is notched, to mark the similarly notched/marked end of the ICs themselves (pin 1 end). Be sure the sockets are fully tight to the board (insert, then bend over the corner pins to make it grip the board). The UP1 microprocessor socket has gold machined pins. A blue-green ZIF socket is shown in some pictures, but that was used only during prototyping, the normal socket is the machined pin type (black) shown on the split board picture. 5. Insert all the 0.1uF bypass capacitors and solder them, they can be either white marked with text as shown or brown dipped radial parts, marked 104. C13 can be either 0.1uF or 0.01uF, not critical, and is used ONLY with an AC supply. Install the switcher timing capacitor at C104, 2.2nF. 6. Insert and solder the large flat supercap at C11, check polarity carefully, the can is negative (striped end), the isolated pin is positive. 7. Insert and solder the polarized capacitors, note the polarity, if a can type, it will have the negative side marked with a stripe. If a dipped tantalum, it may have a line and sometimes a tiny plus sign at the + terminal. The board has a + marked for the positive side of every capacitor, it is VERY important that all be installed correct, double check the polarity of every part. C102 and C103 are especially critical, see the pic below, and note the negative stripes and their orientation: 8. Q100 (MOSFET) can be damaged by static discharge, so handle it carefully, and attach it to the board with the provided screw and nut, the HEAD should be on the board BOTTOM side, to avoid a short to the adjacent track. Solder and trim the leads, and attach the toroid choke L101 as shown above, the leads just reach to the holes. A dab of glue or RTV to anchor the choke is useful. Install the trimpot at location R104 as shown above, it will be adjusted from the board edge. Install the provided ferrite bead (has wire leads) at location L100, it may be a big or small bead. 9. Insert and solder the smaller polyswitch fuse at F100 (looks like a small yellow disk capacitor). You can lift one lead of the polyswitch and insert an ammeter to monitor the HV inverter current consumption if you have a problem in this area. Copyright 2004, 2005, 2007 Sphere Research Corporation Nixie Clock Kit Instructions Page 15 10. Insert and solder the transistors Q1 and Q2 (MPSA42/44 high voltage colon drivers), watch for the correct orientation, the board shows the case outline, they are at the front of the board in the combined version. Install a 2N2222A or PN2222 at Q101, note the early board art shows the flat on the wring side, install as shown below, this part will be correctly pre-installed on initial boards. The emitter goes to the outside track. 11. Install U9, the +5V Voltage Regulator, typically an LM340T5, or 7805T, etc. attach the flange to the board with a screw and nut, and solder the 3 leads to the board. Double check the large polarized capacitor orientations in the power supply against the picture below, and note that C13 and C18 are optional, and not normally required: 12. Install and solder the DC power jack at location J2, unless you have a different way of connecting power in your system. The wall wart plugs directly to the jack, a clearance hole at the rear of the case (without touching the jack in any way) is required. Note R18 above, it is a 10 Ohm, 2W flameproof part, or other larger parts could be used if the supply voltage is higher than normal. Copyright 2004, 2005, 2007 Sphere Research Corporation Nixie Clock Kit Instructions Page 16 13. Install and solder the crystal, Y1, next to the microprocessor. It looks like a tiny metal cylinder, with two leads out one end. It may have the frequency or a code like R38 on it. Either Y1, or U7 or U8 are required for the clock to run, or an external timing signal attached to J8. One crystal/osc. Ð required 14. Install and solder the 5V indicator Led at LED1 using an elevator spacer, note that the LED has a flat on one side of the plastic case, this is the cathode (it’s also the shorter lead), and should go to the square pad on the board. Leave the LED spaced a bit above the board, too much heat will destroy the LED. Repeat the process at D101 for the second green LED. 15. Install and solder the short (3AG) Neon lamp at DS3 using a spacer, this is the warning lamp for High Voltage on the board. Whenever it is lit, dangerous HV is present on the board. 16. Before going further, inspect every solder joint, re-soldering if needed, and completely clean the board. The assembly is now complete, except for inserting the ICs (which are static sensitive), and the Nixies (which are very fragile). Solder all vias (the through-holes that do not have a component lead going through them), to improve the reliability of the board. Install the headers at J9, J10 and J11 if a remote display is to be used. They can be top or bottom mounted. 17. It is time to do some initial tests. Install the timer IC at U100. Plug the wall wart into jack J2, and apply power. The green LEDs should both light (5V DC power and HV converter Power), and a voltmeter test at J7 to ground (J5) should show +5VDC, a test at J6 (RAWDC, the input power bus) should show about +12VDC, and a test at J1 should show high voltage. DS3 (neon lamp) should be lit, and you can adjust R104 for +170VDC at J1. If any of these steps is not possible, stop and examine the circuit in question. You cannot proceed until all of these power tests are satisfactory. Examine the IN-14 Nixies, they have a bottom spacer pad, and long leads. Normally, they are mounted flush with the board, and the spacer pad provides a shock isolating cushion. When installing them into the board, you need to be sure they are vertical in all axes (not tilted), and the same height as the other tubes, for a clean looking display. When the tubes are correctly facing forward, the one internal lead with white insulation will be in the pad marked A at the rear. Examine the tubes and the board, and be sure you understand the correct orientation of the tube, it has no gap between pins to aid this, you have to align it for the correct location. The digits must be forward, and the white insulated pin must be in pad A. If you intend to use the LED back lighting board under the tubes, you must remove the white insulator before soldering the tubes, and use a spacer to raise them all ¼” above the board. Copyright 2004, 2005, 2007 Sphere Research Corporation Nixie Clock Kit Instructions Page 17 18. You can either clip the leads short (about 1/2”), and straighten them for insertion into the board, and feed the leads into the board one at a time. This is a slow and tedious operation, so be patient, and avoid rushing, as a mistake here can be very costly in terms of time and money. It is helpful to tack each tube at one or two pins with the soldering iron before soldering all pins, so that you can be sure all tubes are in good visual alignment. Use a towel or something soft to cradle the board while installing the tubes, to avoid breaking the top glass seal. The tubes are easily broken, so be careful at this stage. 19. Clean the connections to the tubes thoroughly when finished, this is very important to prevent leakage when operating, and unwanted digit illumination. 20. Assemble the 3 pushbutton switches to the remote switch setting board, be sure they are all even and straight. Attach the two right angle support brackets (they are not symmetrical) to the board so that the front holes line up with the switches. Add the legend overlay and mount it with two screws. This will eventually be mounted to your case. Attach the 4 wire ribbon cable to the pads GRSA, this will be attached to the same pads at area W1 on the main board (G to GND, R to RESET, S to SET, A to ADVANCE). 21. Assemble the neon lamps (spacers can be used under the lamps to move them forward) and resistors on the two small colon boards. Note that the bottom resistor lead is used to anchor the board, along with an added front jumper wire, to the main clock board. There is no difference between boards, either one can be in either position. Adjust the jumper/lead height to get the exact vertical colon alignment you want before soldering. You may want sleeving around the lamps to reduce side reflections on the nixie tubes. Copyright 2004, 2005, 2007 Sphere Research Corporation Nixie Clock Kit Instructions Page 18 22. Insert the driver ICs into the sockets, watch for correct alignment and that no leads are bent under the chip. The board and socket have a notch marked, as do the chips, be sure all are aligned correctly. Note that the microprocessor (UP1) faces to the right, and the drivers to the right (as viewed from the font), as shown below: Pin 1 (notch) Orientation Î 23. Discharge yourself to any large metal object, and take the microprocessor from its protective anti-static bag, and carefully insert it into the socket, watch that the orientation is correct, and that no leads are bent under the chip. 24. At this point, assembly is complete, and you are ready to connect the power supply and begin testing and set up of the clock. If you have the split boards, you will also need to connect the units together as per the circuit board connection chart on the next page. 25. Attach power, and you should see the clock cycle though all the digits 0-9, and then show 12:00:00 (the combined board will be reversed, don’t worry). It should then begin counting seconds. The clock goes through the digit cycle only on initial power up, not once the supercap is charged, as it then displays the stored time. To force the re-cycle, unplug power, and discharge the supercap with a jumper lead, and then re-attach power. For the combined cock, you will need to reverse the display sequence, that is OPTION 52 in the Neonixie software menu, see the attached command set for the clock software for full instructions. In the menu, you can control virtually every aspect of the clock, and it will store those settings for future operation. The remote switch board must be attached and working to access those functions. Cases: Any case that appeals to you is satisfactory as long as it prevents accidental shock contact with the HV power supply, and prevents the nixie tubes from being broken. The split board set allows the most flexibility in packaging, but is more complex to assemble and wire. Heat: Nothing in the kit (at least with out power supply adaptor) gets HOT. Everything should be quite touchable and only Q100 and L101 get a bit warm during operation, and U9 less so. Case ventilation is useful to avoid thermal build up that may skew timebase operation, especially with the crystal. Copyright 2004, 2005, 2007 Sphere Research Corporation Nixie Clock Kit Instructions Page 19 A Word About Grounding: The boards do not make any connection to ground (chassis) via the mounting holes normally. This is to avoid any problem in case your power supply happens to make contact with ground for some reason, such as using an AC wall wart, and grounding the connector to the case. However, it is not a good idea to float the CMOS processor above ground, as static discharge during time setting or other handling can cause logic upsets and other problems. For this reason, both the switch sub-assembly and main board allow for a jumper to a physical chassis ground connection via the mounting stand-offs. The resistor at R-GROUND is very useful, and works even if you have some kind of power supply return path. The connection at the switch board (ground jumper) is a hard ground, and your power supply must not be incorrectly returned to the chassis for it to work. Ï Provided Ground Connections You can use stand-offs (conductive) to heat sink U10 and U9 to your metal chassis if you wish, but DO NOT ground U100 for any reason, or serious damage will result. Clock Board Connections: Origin J1 (+170VDC) J2 (Power In) J3 (ACIN2) J4 (ACIN1) J5 (DC Common) J6 (+DCRAW) J7 (+5VDC) J8 (EXT CLOCK) J9 (Hours) Method Test probe Power supply connector from wall wart Wire (optional) Wire (optional) Test Probe Test Probe Test Probe Wire (optional) 20-wire Ribbon cable J10 (Minutes) 20-wire Ribbon cable J11 (Seconds) 20-wire Ribbon cable J12 (+Vcc BACKUP) Test Probe AC Power Input AC Power Input Meter common (ground) Meter, Internal 12V bus monitor Meter, +5VDC test point Remote 32.768KHZ timebase Hours BCD Data to remote display Goes to JP3 on remote display. Minutes BCD Data to remote display Goes to JP2 on remote display. Seconds BCD Data to remote display Goes to JP1 on remote display. Meter, +4.5VDC keep-alive test point W1 (Remote Switches) 4-wire ribbon cable, soldered To remote setting switch board Copyright 2004, 2005, 2007 Sphere Research Corporation Destination Meter, +170VDC test point To 12VDC input power Nixie Clock Kit Instructions Page 20 Nixie Reference Data (bottom views): IN14: IN16: IN17: B5092, 8037, 8421 and Similar: Electrolytic Orientation : Tantalum Capacitor Orientation: Negative is DOWN (Stripe) Copyright 2004, 2005, 2007 Sphere Research Corporation Negative Positive Nixie Clock Kit Instructions Page 21 Troubleshooting: If you have a problem, FIRST, visually inspect the board for solder bridges, missing or mis-installed parts, and unsoldered connections. This represents over 90% of all problems. Use a a magnifying glass to inspect the board, it can really help. Power: Everything flows from the power supply, so be sure you have correct +5VDC and +170VDC operation. If these are failed, suspect reversed diodes or capacitors, or missing jumpers. J6 is the convenient monitor point for the raw input DC (usually around 12V), it must be present first for anything else to work. A dead short can cause F1 to open, disconnect power and re-connect to reset F1. The common point for your measurements is J5. If the internal bus is good, the LEDs for +5VDC and the HV supply input power should be lit, if not, check those sections. If D3 is installed backwards, 12VDC will be sent to the 5V circuits, hopefully clamped by D7 to prevent total destruction of your logic parts. If this has occurred, reverse D3 (check to be sure it is not shorted), and check D7 to be sure it is not shorted. F1 will open under catastrophic conditions, BUT it cannot prevetn all possible damage conditions caused by improper assembly, its main purpose is fire safety. F100 will open if the HV power supply has a catastrophic problem. Be sure the right diode is installed in position D100, and that C103 and C102 are in the correct way. Adjust R104 for +170-180VDC under load. You can see the clock timebase running at J8 (32.768KHz). The clock will not run unless the keep-alive voltage is present (check J12). A reversed diode at D6 or a reversed supercap at C11 can prevent this voltage from being present. Check that all chips are in their sockets the right way around if you do not see correct operation! Nixies: If power is good, but specific nixie problems are seen, check the drivers U1-U6 (revered or bent leads), bad soldering or incorrect nixie orientation. It is easy to swap drivers to check them. You can also remove the CPU (with power off), store it in the anti-static foam, and connect the input lines from each driver to ground at the headers to test a specific nixie and driver. Note that headers are labeled for the remote display, and are reversed in sequence for the combined board. If your clock displays backwards (left to right), (combined board), you have to select the reversed option in the neonixie menu, item 52. See the option lists for setting that function. The remote boards use the default connections shown on the headers. Switches: If your remote switches do not seem to work or work oddly, check your ribbon cable to be sure it is not reversed at one end. Note that a hard ground to chassis jumper is possible at the switch assembly, this can cause problems if you have some part of the external power supply grounded improperly. Mods: If you have used a different or AC power supply, and added the 12VDC regulator, be sure the 12VDC output is good! It is used to drive the bus that feeds the 5V and HV supplies. We hope you had fun building and using this clock, and that you never needed to check this page! Copyright 2004, 2005, 2007 Sphere Research Corporation Nixie Clock Kit Instructions Page 22 ">
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Key Features
- High Voltage (170V)
- Detailed Instructions
- Nixie Tube Clock
- Multiple Display Options
- Various Timebase Options
- External Power Supply Required
- Modular Design
Frequently Answers and Questions
What kind of power supply is required for these kits?
These kits require an external 12VDC or 12VAC wall wart with at least a 1A rating. You can use a source up to 16VAC/DC, but you will then have to install the secondary onboard 12V regulator to run the HV converter.
Can I use different types of nixie tubes in these kits?
Yes, the kits can interface to many tube types. The combined board drives IN-14 nixies, but others with flying leads can be used, IF the pins are matched to the board layout.
What are the timebase options available?
The kit supports 4 possible timebase modes, 3 internal and 1 external. You can use either a simple quartz crystal, a temperature-stabilized oscillator from Maxim (DS32KHZ) in SMD or DIP format, or an external source of CMOS/TTL compatible 32.768KHz data.
