PV Electronics Nixie FunKlock Assembly Instructions And User Manual

Assembly Instructions

And

User Guide

Nixie FunKlock

For Parts Bags Serial Numbers 4000 onwards

‘FunKlock’

Issue 5 (14 November 2019) www.pvelectronics.co.uk

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REVISION HISTORY

Issue

Number

5

4

3

2

1

Date Reason for Issue

14 Nov 2019 Added support for DekaDuo and 3 way header to PCB

1 February 2017 New diode for D2

27 December 2013 C7 / C8 error page 15

7 November 2013

1 November 2013

Errors corrected

New document

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1. INT RODUCTION

1.1

Nixie FunKlock - Features

- Hours, Minutes and Seconds display on four IN-12 Nixie Tubes

- Uses a Quartz Crystal Oscillator as the timebase

- Programmable leading zero blanking

- Supercapacitor backup. Keeps time during short power outages

- Simple time setting using two buttons

- Variable intensity LED backlighing in a variety of colour options

- Programmable leading zero blanking

- Five programmable neon colon settings (Flashing AM/PM indication, illuminated AM/PM indication, both flashing, both on, both off)

- 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 scrollback display modes

- ‘Slot Machine’ Cathode poisoning prevention routine

- Not AC frequency dependent – works in all countries

- All user preferences stored to non-volatile memory

- Timekeeping trimmable in configuration setup

- Dedicated 3 way header to power and Synchronise our DekaDuo

Dekatron driver.

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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 for voltage tests and for identifying the resistors.

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.

The suitable type of power adapter can be obtained at very low cost. The following specification of adapter should be obtained and used with the kit:

Output 12V DC regulated, minimum output capability of 300 mA

Output plug: 2.1mm pin, centre positive.

There is no maximum power output for the adapter as the clock only draws what it needs.

A suitable adapter is shown below:

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3. LIST OF COMPONENTS

3.1 Table of Electronic Components

Circuit Designation

Resistors

R1

R2

R3, R4, R5

R6 - R9

R10 - R13

R14, R15

R16, R17

R18, R19

Capacitors

C1, C2

C3

C4

C5

C6

C7

C8

Transistors

Q1

Q2 – Q5

Q6, Q7, Q8

Diodes

D1, D3

D2

D4

D5 - D8

Integrated Circuits

IC1

IC2

IC3

Miscellaneous

L1

AM, PM

SET, ADJ

IC Socket for IC2

J1

J2, J5

J3, J4

Part Description

4.7K, ¼ Watt

390K, ¼ Watt

4.7K, ¼ Watt

1K or 1.1K, ¼ Watt

2.7K, ¼ Watt

4.7K, ¼ Watt

390K, ¼ Watt

270R 1/4 Watt

100nF Ceramic

1uF 250V Electrolytic

220uF 16-25V Electrolytic

15pF Ceramic

33pF Ceramic

100nF Ceramic

0.1F or 0.22F

IRFD220 MOSFET

EL817 Optocoupler

MPSA42 NPN

1N5819

1N4001

UF4004

3mm LED (various colours)

78L05 5V voltage regulator

PIC16Fxxxx 8-bit microcontroller

74141 / K155ID1 Nixie driver

100uH Radial Inductor

4mm wire ended neon lamp

Miniature push button

28 Way IC socket for IC2

2.1mm PCB power socket

10 way pin header

10 way socket

FUSE

Insulation

X1

Misc

Deka

500mA fuse

Clear insulation for neons

32.768KHz watch crystal

44 X 1mm sockets

3 way 0.1” Male Header for

DekaDuo

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3.2 Electronic Components Parts List / Packing Sheet

Resistors

Part Description

270R, ¼ Watt

1K or 1.1K, ¼ Watt

2.7K, ¼ Watt

4.7K, ¼ Watt

390K, ¼ Watt

Capacitors

220uF, 16-25V, Electrolytic

1uF 250V, Electrolytic

100nF Ceramic

15pF Ceramic

33pF Ceramic

0.1F or 0.22F

Quantity

2

4

4

6

3

1

1

3

1

1

1

Transistors

IRFD220 MOSFET

EL817

MPSA42 NPN

Diodes

1N5819

1N4001

UF4004 fast recovery diode

3mm LED (various colours available)

Integrated Circuits

78L05 5V voltage regulator

PIC16Fxxxx 8-bit microcontroller

74141 / K155ID1 Nixie driver

Miscellaneous

100uH Radial inductor

4mm wire ended neon lamp

Miniature push button

28 Way IC socket for IC3

2.1mm Chassis power socket

500mA fuse

6 cm clear insulation

10 way female socket

10 way male socket

1mm socket receptacle

32.768KHz watch crystal

3 way 0.1” Male header

1

1

2

4

1

1

2

1

1

1

4

3

1

2

2

44

2

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

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alarmed if there are some extra components, as some component bags are shared between different kit types.

stors used in the kit are 1% tolerance metal film. They are marked with 4 coloured bands to identify the value. However it is sometimes unclear in which direction the bands should be read.

Therefore, we recommend that the resistors be identified with a multimeter. resetting type and can be confused for a resistor.

Q5 (EL817). You can tell the difference, in addition to the part marking by looking at pins. Q1 has two pins that are actually joined at the resin body.

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14 November 2019) www.pvelectronics.co.uk

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4. ASSEMBLY OF THE PCB

The PCB is supplied as a single board, with a V-score to break in half. Simply bend at the score line and the PCB will split into two parts. Start work below on the tube board:

4.1 1mm Sockets For Nixie Tubes

There are 44 individual sockets that need to be placed. Note that there is 1 hole per tube with NO SOCKET.

Insert the sockets from the side shown below:

Then place a hard flat object over the sockets and flip over the PCB and solder the sockets in place as shown below:

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4.2 Low Voltage Power components:

J1, FUSE,

D1, D3 (1N5819)

D2 (1N4001)

IC1 (78L05)

C1, C2 (100 nF)

Start by installing D1-D3. Align the white band on the components with the band marked on the PCB.

Continue to mount C1, C2, J1, IC1 and FUSE. Note that J1, the DC power socket, is mounted on the opposite side of the PCB to the other components.

4.2 Testing Low Voltage.

Identify the test 5V, GND and 170V test points as shown below.

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ing 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 5.5 and 5.8

Volts. If not, disconnect power and check your work. Do not proceed with the assembly until the error is corrected.

4.3

High Voltage Generator components

R1, R3 (4.7 KΩ)

R2 (390 KΩ)

Q1 (IRFD220)

D4 (UF4004)

C3 (1 µF)

C4 (220 µF)

Socket for IC2 components. The white PCB marking will guide you.

If your L1 is the type with the longer wires, you will need to bend the wires over so the part is soldered laying on the PCB, as marked on the PCB. Otherwise install the component conventionally.

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14 November 2019) www.pvelectronics.co.uk

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C3 and C4 are polarised so must be inserted the right way round.

The white stripe on the body of the component must be next to the corresponding white marking on

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4.4 High Voltage Generator Test.

- Refer to the warnings on page 4

- Insert IC2 into its socket. Orient 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 between 167 and

173V. Disconnect the power supply.

- Finally, remove IC2 from its socket and replace on its staticprotective foam. It is best kept safe until needed for the tube tests later in the assembly.

- If you do not get this voltage, disconnect the power supply and check your work carefully. Do not proceed until you get the correct voltage at this stage.

4.5 Nixie Driver

IC3 (K155ID1)

Orient the notch on the IC body with the notch on the PCB marking and solder in place. Note that no socket is used.

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4.6 Anode Driver Components

Q2 - Q5 (EL817)

R6 - R9 (1 KΩ or 1.1 KΩ)

R10 - R13 (2.7 KΩ)

Assembly now continues on the tube PCB:

Orient the dot on the EL817 each optocoupler with the corresponding PCB mark.

4.7 Board Connectors

J2, J5 (10-Way female connector)

J3, J4 (10-Way male connector)

At this point, you will join the 2 PCBs together with the 10-way connectors. Slide the connectors together as shown below.

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Place the connectors into the main component PCB with the male connector in this PCB, so that when you place the tube PCB over the top, the female connectors go into the holes on the tube PCB.

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Be sure the 'NX4' and 'J4' component markings are at the same side of the stack, or else your tubes will be upside down!

Ensure the two PCBs are perfectly square and true, and then solder all the connectors in place. It is a good idea to solder the four top corner pins in place and then the four bottom corner pins first, so the connectors are anchored. Then you can solder all the remaining pins. After soldering, the PCBs can be split into 2 parts again.

4.8 X1 (32.768 KHz Crystal)

C5 (15pF)

C6 (33pF)

R4, R5, R14, R15 (4.7 KΩ)

R18, R19 (270 Ω)

Do not solder the body of the crystal to the PCB, just lay it over the large rectangular pad.

4.9 Q6 - Q8 (MPSA42)

Ensure these three transistors are mounted with their flat / rounded body matching the part marking on the PCB.

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4.10 D5 - D8 (3mm Coloured LED)

The LONG lead goes in the hole marked '+'. Put each LED loosely into its holes, and then place the tube PCB into position. Now you can push each LED into the matching small hole in the tube PCB.

Turn the PCBs over so you can solder the LEDs in place, ensuring they are pushed completely into the holes in the tube PCB. The two

PCBs may now be pulled apart for the rest of the assembly.

4.11 C7 (100 nF)

C8 (0.1 F or 0.22 F)

There are arrows on the component that need to be pointing the same way as the arrows on the PCB. Simply solder the component in place ensuring the arrows match up. Keep the component as close to the PCB as possible so it does not prevent the tube PCB from fitting correctly.

4.12 SET, ADJ (push buttons)

The two push buttons are now soldered onto the main component side of the PCB.

If you have purchased the Finned Aluminium Case, do not use the switches supplied with the kit, but the alternative vertical switches supplied with the case

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4.13 R16, R17 (390 KΩ)

AM, PM (4mm neons)

Use small pieces of the clear insulation provided, on the leads of the 2 neons to prevent shorts. You can make a test fit of the IN-12 tubes to help you decide the best height from the PCB for them.

The insulation is actually heat-shrinkable, so for a very neat finish you can gently blow with hot air to shrink the insulation after soldering the neons in place.

4.14 Tube Test

The clock is now ready for final powering up. Insert 4 IN-12 or other compatible tubes into the tube sockets. If you look inside the tubes, you can see the correct orientation of the digits. Insert the 4 tubes and THEN assemble the 2 PCBs together, ensuring the 4

LEDs go into the holes in the tube PCB.

Power up the PCB with a 12V DC supply (centre positive). Take great care not to touch live parts on the PCB.

If all is well, the tubes should all count 0..1..2......9 repeatedly.

Pressing the SET button will exit from the tube test and the clock will start showing the time.

If this does not happen, remove power immediately and check your work carefully.

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5. HOW TO OPERATE THE CLOCK

The two buttons have the following functions:

SET: Set time.

Enter configuration menu.

ADJ: Adjust time.

Adjust configuration values.

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 for extended periods. To access the configuration mode press and hold the

‘SET’ button. After 2 seconds the seconds will display. Continue holding the button a further 2 seconds until the clock displays in this format:

00-XX .

XX is the software verson. eg. 11 means version 1.1

In configuration mode the hours digits diplay the current parameter being adjusted, and the minutes 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.

In all correspondence on support issues, please quote the board type, revision date and software version.

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Parameter

0

1

2

3

4

Description

Software revision

12 / 24 Hr mode

Leading zero blanking eg. 0 1:54:32

Night Mode start hour

Night Mode end hour

Values

10 = version 1.0, 11 = version 1.1 etc

0 – 12 Hr (default)

1 – 24 Hr

0 – leading zero blanked (default)

1 – leading zero displayed

0 - 23

0 - 23

5

6

7

Night Mode

AM / PM neon mode

AM / PM neon during night dimmed mode

1

0 – Tubes off

1 – Dimmed display (default)

0 – AM/PM Indication, flashing

1 – AM/PM Indication, illuminated

2 – Flashing (default)

3 – Illuminated

4 – Off

0 – AM/PM Indication, flashing

1 – AM/PM Indication, illuminated

2 – Flashing

3 – Illuminated (default)

4 – Off

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

LED Tube Lighting

Brightness

LED Tube Lighting

Brightness (Night Mode)

0 - 9 (default 9)

0 - 9 (default 3)

Time Calibration Factor 0 - 99 (each unit adjusts by 0.2s per day)

Time Calibration Polarity 0 - Make clock slower

1 - Make clock faster

Slots Mode

2

0 – Slots disabled

1 – Slots every minute

2 - Slots every 10 minutes (default)

3 - Slots every hour

4 – Slots at midnight

Display Mode 0 – Standard change of digits

1 – Cross-fading digits with scrollback effect (default)

Seconds display each minute

Night Mode Override

Period

Dekatron Sync Sleep

Mode

0 – Off

1 – On (default)

3

0 – 50 (default 0 gives 15 seconds override)

4

0 – Dekatron always on

1 – Dekatron off when night dimmed

2 – Dekatron off in night blanked mode

Restore default settings 0 – Keep user settings

1 – Restore original default settings

5

Notes:

1. Night time neon mode is active when night mode is set to dim. During night time blanking the tubes AM and PM neon are disabled.

2. Visual effect / cathode poisoning prevention – all digits on all tubes are cycled for 10 seconds. Not active during night blanking or dimmed modes.

3. Seconds will be displayed each minute between 55 and 58 seconds past the minute.

4. Press ‘SET’ briefly during Night Mode to show time for prescribed period.

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5. Set this parameter to ‘1’ to restore original default settings. Internal operations will then load all the original settings and restore the value to ‘0’

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Setting the Time:

From time display mode, press and hold ‘SET’ button for 2 seconds until the seconds digits are displayed

Press the ‘ADJ’ button to reset seconds to zero.

Briefly Press ‘SET’ again and the minutes will be highlighted

Press the ‘ADJ’ button to set the minutes.

Briefly Press ‘SET’ again and the hours will be highlighted.

Press the ‘ADJ’ button to set the hours.

Finally, briefly Press ‘SET’ again to revert to normal clock operation.

Night Blanking Override:

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 (15).

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6. CONNECTING OUR DEKATRON DRIVER

The clock can be connected by just 3 wires to our DekaDuo Dual

OG4 Dekatron Driver. Solder the 3 way header as shown below.

Control of the Dekatron in night modes is possible using parameter

16.

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7. CIRCUIT DIAGRAM

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PV Electronics Nixie FunKlock Assembly Instructions And User Manual

Assembly Instructions

And

User Guide

Nixie FunKlock

For Parts Bags Serial Numbers 4000 onwards

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