Assembly Instructions
And
User Guide
Nixie Clock Type
‘Frank 2 IN-8-2’
Software version: 2.4
PCB Version: 12 Jan 11
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1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 About the clock
Nixie clock type ‘Frank 2’ is a compact design with all components and tubes mounted on a single PCB. The efficient use of board space is achieved by using a multiplex design to drive the display tubes. Only a single high-voltage binary-to-decimal decoder IC (74141) is required, and each tube is switched on in sequence very quickly to give the illusion that all the tubes are actually lit.
The Clock is designed for tube type IN-8 and IN-8-2 with a digit height of
18mm. These tubes are Russian in origin and were produced during the
1980’s, when the technology was at it’s most advanced. It is expected that the tubes will last for very many years and should not need replacing.
The optional wooden case and hardware pack (base cover, screws), supplied rough-machined, can be finished to give a very attractive clock for everyday living spaces. The quality of the final finish will reflect the time and care that is taken to finish the wood with successively finer grades of sandpaper. Alternatively, you may wish to design your own enclosure for the clock.
1.2
Clock Features
Nixie clock type ‘Frank 2’ has the following features:
- Hours, Minutes and Seconds display
- 12 or 24 hour modes
- Date display in either DD.MM.YY or MM.DD.YY format
- Programmable date display each minute
- Uses a Quartz Crystal Oscillator as the timebase
- Supercapacitor backup. Keeps time during short power outages
- Simple time setting using two buttons
- Programmable leading zero blanking
- Five programmable neon colon settings (Flashing AM/PM indication, illuminated AM/PM indication, both flashing, both on, both off)
- Maintains time during setup mode, eg. When changing between
Standard Time and Daylight Savings Time
- Seconds can be reset to zero to precisely the set time
- Programmable night mode - blanked or dimmed display to save tubes or prevent sleep disturbance
- Separate modes for colon neons during night mode
- Standard or fading change of digits
- All user preferences stored to non-volatile memory
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1.3 SAFETY
DANGER: The clock pcb includes a switched-mode voltage booster circuit. This generates nominally 170 Volts DC, but is capable of generating up to 300 Volts before adjustment. Assembly may only be undertaken by individuals who are suitably qualified and experienced in electronics assembly, and are familiar with safe procedures for working with high voltages. If in doubt, refer to a suitably qualified engineer before proceeding.
The voltages generated by this circuit can give a potentially
LETHAL ELECTRIC SHOCK.
DISCLAIMER: This product is supplied as a kit of parts, intended only for suitably qualified electronic engineers, who are suitably qualified and experienced in electronics assembly, and are familiar with safe procedures for working with high voltages. The supplier, his agents or associates accept no liability for any damage, injury or death arising from the use of this kit of parts.
This is not a finished product, and the person assembling the kit is responsible for ensuring that the finished product complies with any applicable local regulations governing electrical equipment, eg. UL, CE,
VDE.
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2. TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT REQUIRED
2.1 Tools required to assemble the PCB
The following tools will be required to assemble the PCB:
- Soldering iron with a small tip (1-2 mm)
- Wire cutters (TIP: A small pair of nail clippers works very well for this function)
- Wire strippers (TIP: A small pair of scissors is quite suitable)
- Multimeter
- Small flat screwdriver for adjusting the high voltage supply
2.2 Materials you will need
Solder – lead / tin solder is preferred. Lead free solder, as now required to be used in commercial products in Europe, has a much higher melting point and can be very hard to work with.
Desoldering wick (braid) can be useful if you accidentally create solder bridges between adjacent solder joints.
2.3 Other items you will need
The clock kit does not include a power adapter. This is because the kit is sold to many countries around the world, each with very different household mains outlet socket types. It is more efficient for the user to buy a suitable adapter locally. This saves shipping a heavy adapter with the kit, and also the extra costs of managing stocks of many varied power adapters.
The type of power adapter can be obtained at very low cost. The following type of adapter should be obtained and used with the kit:
Output 12V DC
Minimum power output capability of 250 mA
Output plug: 2.1mm pin
A suitable adapter is shown in figure 1 below:
Figure 1
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3. LIST OF COMPONENTS
3.1 Table of components
R34, R35
R36 – R41
Capacitors
C1
C2
C3
C4
C5
C6
C7
Transistors
Q1
Q2, Q3
Q4 – Q9
Q10 – Q17
Diodes
Circuit Designation
Resistors
R1
R2
R3
R4
R5
R6
R7
R8, R9
R10
R11
R12, R13
R14 - R19
R20 – R25
R26 – R31
R32, R33
D1 – D3
D4
D5
D6 – D8
D9
D10
D11 – D16
Integrated Circuits
IC1
IC2
IC3
IC4
Miscellaneous
L1
NE1, NE2
SW1, SW2, SW3
Part Description
390K, ¼ Watt
4.3K, ¼ Watt
100R, ¼ Watt
5K6, ¼ Watt
560R, ¼ Watt
Not installed
560R, ¼ Watt
10K, ¼ Watt
33K, ¼ Watt
560R, ¼ Watt
Not installed
2K7, ¼ Watt
390K, ¼ Watt
10K, ¼ Watt
33K, ¼ Watt
390K, ¼ Watt
560R, ¼ Watt
470uF, 16-25V, Electrolytic
100uF, 16-25V, Electrolytic
1uF, 250V, Electrolytic
33pF ceramic
33pF ceramic
0.1F
100nF ceramic
IRF730 or IRF630 MOSFET
MPSA42 NPN
MPSA92 PNP
MPSA42 NPN
1N581x
UF4004
Not installed
1N4148
Not installed
3mm Orange LED
3mm Blue LED
7805 5V voltage regulator
PIC16F1936 8-bit Microcontroller
74141 / K155N Nixie driver
Not installed
100uH – 470uH inductor
4mm wire ended neon lamp
Miniature push button
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VR1
IC Socket
J1
LS1
Insulation
X1
1K Potentiometer
28 Way IC Socket for IC2
2.1mm PCB power socket
Piezo Sounder
Silicone Insulation for Neons
32.768KHz Watch Crystal
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3.2 Parts list / Packing sheet
Part Description
Resistors
100R, ¼ Watt
560R, ¼ Watt
2.7K, ¼ Watt
4.3K, ¼ Watt
5.6K, ¼ Watt
10K, ¼ Watt
33K, ¼ Watt
390K, ¼ Watt
Capacitors
470uF, 16-25V, Electrolytic
100uF, 16-25V, Electrolytic
1uF, 250V, Electrolytic
100nF, ceramic
33pF, ceramic
0.1F
Transistors
IRF730 or IRF630 MOSFET
MPSA92 PNP
MPSA42 NPN
Diodes
1N581x
UF4004 fast recovery diode
1N4148
3mm Orange LED
3mm Blue LED
Integrated Circuits
7805 5V voltage regulator
PIC16Fxxxx 8-bit Microcontroller
74141 / K155N Nixie driver
Miscellaneous
100uH – 470uH inductor
4mm wire ended neon lamp
Miniature push button
1K Potentiometer
28 Way IC Socket for IC2
2.1mm Chassis power socket
Piezo Sounder
6 cm clear Insulation
32.768KHz Watch Crystal
1
1
1
2
6
1
6
10
3
1
3
1
1
2
1
1
9
1
1
1
Quantity
1
9
6
1
1
8
3
3
1
1
1
1
1
1
It is recommended that the kit is checked against the list above, to ensure all parts are present before commencing assembly. Don’t be alarmed if there are some extra components, as some component bags are shared between different kit types.
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4. ASSEMBLY OF THE PCB
4.1 Low Voltage Power components:
J1, D1-D3, IC1, C1, C2
Start by installing D1-D3. Align the white band on the components with the band marked on the PCB.
After placement, IC1 can be placed and bent over these diodes to reduce the height of the assembled PCB. Continue to mount C1, C2 and J1. Note that C1 and C2 are polarised. The longer lead goes in the hole marked (+).
The PCB should now look like the picture below:
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4.2 Testing Stage 1 Power components
Identify the test 5V, GND and 170V test points as shown below.
Plug in the power supply, and then test using a DC voltmeter.
Touch the black probe on the GND test point and the red probe on the 5V test point. The voltage should measure between 5.1 and 5.3
Volts. If not, disconnect power and check your work. Do not proceed with the assembly until the error is corrected. Once the test is completed, disconnect the power.
4.3 High Voltage Generator components
R1, R2, R3, R4, R9, R10,
Q1, D4, C3, VR1, L1, Socket for IC2
Pay attention to mount D4 with the white band aligned with the
PCB marking. Insert the 28 way IC socket into the PCB at the IC2 position, ensuring that the notch at one end is aligned with the corresponding marking on the PCB.
Resistors R1-R4, R9 and R10, indeed all the resistors on the board need to be mounted upright to save space. The leads need to be formed as shown below. Bend the leads of each resistor as shown and solder in to the correct postion, making sure the component body is as close to the board as possible.
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After installation of step 4.3 components, this is how the PCB should look:
4.4 High Voltage Generator Test
- Refer to the warnings on page 3
- Prepare VR1 by unscrewing the brass screw fully anti-clockwise until it can be heard to click each turn. This will ensure the voltage generated at power-up is the lowest possible within the adjustment range.
- Insert IC2 into its socket. Align the notch on the IC with the notch on the IC socket and the PCB marking.
Power up the PCB, and using the GND and 170V test points, measure the high voltage generated. It should be initially 150-
160V. Using the VR1 brass screw, slowly adjust the screw until the voltage is between 170 and 175V. Disconnect the power supply.
Finally, remove IC 2 from its socket and replace on its staticprotective foam. It is best kept safe until the very end of the assembly. Remember to re-insert the IC at the end of the assembly!
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4.5 D6 - D8, C6, C7
C6 is a high capacity ‘Super Capacitor’, intended to keep the processor powered for short periods in the event of a main power failure. It is vital that it is placed in the correct orientation. See below. There are arrows on the component that need to be pointing the same way as the arrows on the PCB.
4.6 C4, C5, X1
These are the timekeeping components: 32.768KHz crystal and two load capacitors. Do not solder the crystal can to the PCB, just bend it over and lay it along the PCB. See below:
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4.7 IC3 – 74141 / K155N Nixie Driver IC
Align the notch on the IC body with the corresponding PCB mark.
See below:
4.8 Q2, Q3, Q10 – Q17 (All MPSA42)
After placement of these 10 transistors, the board should look like this:
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4.9 Q4 – Q9 (All MPSA92)
After placement of these 6 transistors, the board should look like this:
4.10 R14 – R19 (2K7)
R20 – R25 (390K)
R26 – R31 (10K)
See picture below:
4.11 R32, R33 (33K)
R34, R35 (390K)
R8 (10K)
R5, R11 (560R)
See picture below:
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4.12 R36 – R41 (560R)
These are the current-limiting resistors for the LED tube underlights. If you don’t want to have LED tube underlighting you can omit this step.
5. INSTALLING THE NIXIE TUBES
The PCB will fit either IN-8-2 or IN-8 tubes proceed via steps 5.1 or
5.2 respectively.
5.1 IN-8-2 Nixie Tubes
To facilitate easy insertion of the flying leads into the small holes, it helps enormously to trim the flying leads with a pair of scissors as shown below. Start by identifying the gap between the two flying leads at the back of the tube.
Then, working around the tube, cut each sucessive lead approx
2mm shorter than the previous one. This will allow you to feed each lead in in turn.
Now you can insert and solder in the tubes, one at a time.
PLACE THE TUBES ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE PCB TO THE
COMPONENTS!! Feed all the wires in progressively. It is not as hard as it seems at first. After soldering in, trim flying leads.
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5.1 IN-8 Nixie Tubes
You will need 66 1mm socket receptacles as shown below:
At each Nixie Tube location, there are 12 holes, but only 11 sockets need to be placed. There is one pad extra on the IN-8-2 tube that isn’t present on the IN-8 tube. Place the sockets carefully in the holes as shown below, noting the pad that has no socket:
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It is easier to solder from the TOP face as the pins won’t fall. Once all pins have been placed, re-melt as necesary with the soldering iron to align the sockets with the IN-8 tube pin spacing. The two pins either side of the unoccupied pad will need to be bent over a little. The picture below shows how the IN-8 tube fits to the sockets:
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6. FINISHING THE PCB
6.1 D11 – D16 (3mm Blue LED)
You can substitute other colour 3mm LEDs if you wish.
Bend the leads of each LED as shown below. Note that the longer
(+) lead is on the top. This is important as the leads will be trimmed to the same length, so you need to be sure that you have the correct (longer) lead in the (+) hole.
Now cut the leads to the same length:
The six LEDs may now be installed, as shown below. Insert and solder on the COMPONENT side. Take care that the LED leads are well clear of the tube leads:
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6.2 SET, ADJ, ALARM
Push buttons SET, ADJ and ALARM can be mounted on either side of the PCB, depending on your case design.
6.3 NE1, NE2
The 2 neons can now be mounted at a suitable height. Use small lengths of the clear insulation supplied on the leads to prevent shorts.
6.4 R7, D10
LED D10 is the indicator for the Alarm status. It can be mounted on either side of the PCB, as you prefer.
6.5 LS1 – Piezo Sounder
Ensure the leads for NX1 are trimmed very short. There are two sets of holes for this component, as two different types may be supplied depending on component availability.
The PCB is now complete. Note that there are several component markings which are unoccupied. These components are not used in this design.
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7. HOW TO OPERATE THE CLOCK
The three buttons have the following functions:
SET: Show date; set: time, date; enter configuration menu
ADJ: Adjust: time, date, alarm time, configuration parameters; reset seconds
ALARM: Set alarm time; snooze; cancel snooze/alarm
Entering configuration mode:
The principal settings of the clock are stored in flash memory – your preferred configuration is stored even after powering off the clock. To access the configuration mode press and hold the ‘Set’ button. After 2 seconds the minutes will start to flash or be highlighted. Continue holding the button a further 2 seconds until the clock displays in this format:
00-XX-
99.
The ‘99’ in the seconds digits tells you that you are in the configuration menu.
In configuration mode the hours digits diplay the current parameter being adjusted, and the seconds digits display the current value stored against the parameter.
For each parameter, and referring to the table below, scroll through the range of possible values by pressing the ‘ADJ’ button. When the desired value has been reached, move on to the next parameter by pressing the
‘SET’ button. When the last parameter has been set, pressing ‘SET’ one more time will revert the clock back to time display mode. The first parameter 0 cannot be changed as it is the software revision number. It will show for several seconds and then move to parameter 1.
Parameter
0
1
2
3
4
5
Description
Software revision
12 / 24 Hr mode
Date format
Leading zero blanking eg. 01:54:32
Values
20 = version 2.1, 21 = version 2.1 etc
0 – 12 Hr (default)
1 – 24 Hr
0 = MM.DD.YY (default)
1 = DD.MM.YY
0 – leading zero blanked (default)
1 – leading zero displayed
Night mode start hour 0 - 23
Night mode end hour 0 - 23
6
7
8
LED backlights
Display mode
Night mode override period (minutes)
0 - Always off
1 - Always on
2 - On, and follows tube nightblanking
(default)
0 – standard change of digits(default)
1 – fading digits
0 – 50 (default 5)
1
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9 Snooze period 0 – 6 minutes (default)
1 – 9 minutes
2 – 12 minutes
3 – 15 minutes
10
11
Colon neons mode
Colon neons night mode
0 – AM/PM Indication, flashing (default)
1 – AM/PM Indication, illuminated
2 – Both flash
3 – Both illuminated
4 – Both off
0 – AM/PM Indication, flashing
1 – AM/PM Indication, illuminated (default)
2 – Both flash
3 – Both illuminated
4 – Both off
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
Reserved – leave as 0 0
Reserved – leave as 0 0
Reserved – leave as 0 0
Reserved – leave as 0 0
Reserved – leave as 0 0
Auto date display each 0 – Off minute 1 – On (default)
Night mode 0 – Tubes off
1 – Dimmed display (default)
Reserved – leave as 0 0
Reserved – leave as 0 0
Reserved – leave as 0 0
Notes:
1. Press ‘SET’ briefly during blanking to show time for prescribed period.
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Setting the time and date:
From time display mode, press and hold ‘SET’ button for 2 seconds until the minutes digits start to flash or are highlighted.
Press the ‘ADJ’ button to set the minutes.
Briefly Press ‘SET’ again and the hours will flash or be highlighted. Press the ‘ADJ’ button to set the hours.
Proceed in this fashion to set the calendar: Year, Month, Day.
Finally, briefly Press ‘SET’ again to revert to normal clock operation.
Resetting seconds:
From time display mode, press and hold ‘ADJ’ button for 2 seconds.
Seconds will be set to zero, and held until the button is released.
Showing date:
From time display mode, briefly press ‘SET’ button. Date will be shown for 5 seconds, then revert to time display.
Auto date display:
Setting parameter (17) to ‘1’, will enable auto display of date between 50 and 55 seconds past each minute.
Night Blanking:
During programmed night blanking, the blanking may be overridden to see the time by briefly pressing the ‘SET’ button. Tubes will remain lit for the period defined in parameter (8).
Setting alarm:
Press the ‘ALARM’ Button. The seconds digits show the on / off status of the alarm – 00 or 01 (off or on)
Set on / off status, then minutes followed by hours by using the ‘ALARM’ and ‘ADJ’ buttons. When set, the alarm LED will also light.
Cancelling alarm:
Press ‘ALARM’ briefly to cancel alarm and enter snooze mode, or a longer press until the clock bleeps, to cancel snooze. Alarm remains set for the next day.
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8. CIRCUIT DIAGRAM
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