PV Electronics Frank 3 Assembly Instructions And User Manual
PV Electronics Frank 3 is a compact Nixie clock featuring hours, minutes, and seconds display with a 12 or 24-hour mode, and a date display in either DD.MM.YY or MM.DD.YY format. It includes a programmable date display each minute, a quartz crystal oscillator as the timebase, and optional DCF77,5 / WWVB / MSF synchronisation. The clock also offers a supercapacitor backup for short power outages, simple time setting with two buttons, and programmable leading zero blanking, along with various neon colon settings. It maintains time during setup mode and allows for programmable night mode for display blanking or dimming.
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Assembly Instructions And User Guide Nixie Clock Type ‘Frank 3’ Software version: 2.4 PCB Version: 04 Nov 10 (Crystal Timebase version) Nixie Tube Clock ‘Frank 3’ www.pvelectronics.co.uk -1- 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 About the clock Nixie clock type ‘Frank 3’ 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 larger tubes for hours and minutes are type IN-12 with a digit height of 18mm. The smaller tubes for the seconds are type IN-17 with a digit height of 9mm. 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 (rear 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 3’ 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 - Optional DCF77,5 / WWVB / MSF synchronisation - 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 Nixie Tube Clock ‘Frank 3’ www.pvelectronics.co.uk -2- 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. Nixie Tube Clock ‘Frank 3’ www.pvelectronics.co.uk -3- 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 9-12V DC Minimum power output capability of 250 mA Output plug: 2.1mm pin A suitable adapter is shown in figure 1 below: Figure 1 Nixie Tube Clock ‘Frank 3’ www.pvelectronics.co.uk -4- 3. LIST OF COMPONENTS 3.1 Table of components Circuit Designation Resistors R1 R2 R3 R4 R5 R6 R7 R8, R9 R10 R11-R13 R14 - R17 R18, R19 R20 – R25 R26 – R31 R32, R33 R34, R35 R36 – R42 Capacitors C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 Transistors Q1 Q2, Q3 Q4 – Q9 Q10 – Q17 Diodes D1 D2 D3, D4 D5 – D8 D9 D10 D11 – D16 D17 Integrated Circuits IC1 IC2 IC3 IC4 Miscellaneous L1 NE1, NE2 SW1, SW2, SW3 VR1 IC Socket Nixie Tube Clock ‘Frank 3’ www.pvelectronics.co.uk Part Description 390K, ¼ Watt 4.3K, ¼ Watt 100R, ¼ Watt 5K6, ¼ Watt 560R, ¼ Watt 100R, ¼ Watt 560R, ¼ Watt 10K, ¼ Watt 33K, ¼ Watt Not installed 2K7, ¼ Watt 5K6, 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 1N5819 UF4004 1N5819 1N4148 5mm Green LED 3mm Orange LED 3mm Blue LED Not installed 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 1K Potentiometer 28 Way IC Socket for IC2 -5- GPS / RFT Socket J1 SKT1-44 LS1 Insulation X1 Nixie Tube Clock ‘Frank 3’ www.pvelectronics.co.uk 6-Way Mini DIN connector 2.1mm Chassis power socket 1mm Harwin solder-in socket Piezo Sounder Silicone Insulation for Neons 32.768KHz Watch Crystal -6- 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 1N5819 UF4004 fast recovery diode 1N4148 5mm Green LED 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 6-Way Mini DIN connector 2.1mm Chassis power socket 1mm Harwin solder-in socket Piezo Sounder 25 cm clear Insulation 32.768KHz Watch Crystal Quantity 2 9 4 1 3 8 3 9 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 6 10 3 1 4 1 1 6 1 1 1 1 2 3 1 1 1 1 44 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. Nixie Tube Clock ‘Frank 3’ www.pvelectronics.co.uk -7- 4. ASSEMBLY OF THE PCB 4.1 1mm Sockets For Nixie Tubes There are 44 individual sockets that need to be soldered in. The best method is a follows. Place all sockets into the holes, noting that for each tube there is one hole that has no socket as show below. When all sockets have been placed, place a flat and hard object over the top of the sockets, and turn the PCB over so you can solder from the underside. Be sure to insert the sockets FROM the front side of the PCB – the side with the white component markings. The photo below shows the solder side of the PCB after all the sockets have been inserted and soldered in. 4.2 Capacitor C7 Mount C7 on the same side of the PCB as the white cross-hatched markings for Q1 and IC1. See above. Clip the leads on the main component side very short, as the IC socket for IC2 will need to fit over the trimmed leads. Diodes D1 – D8 pay attention to mount the correct diode type in the right place. The black diodes have a white orientation band and the pink diodes have a black orientation band. Place the diodes with the orientation band aligned with the band marking on the PCB. 4.3 Nixie Tube Clock ‘Frank 3’ www.pvelectronics.co.uk -8- 4.4 IC3 and socket for IC2 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. Insert IC3 directly into the PCB. Solder both components in place, but do NOT insert IC2 at this stage. This will be inserted at the very end of the assembly. Refer the picture below. Nixie Tube Clock ‘Frank 3’ www.pvelectronics.co.uk -9- 4.5 Q3, Q10 – Q17 (MPSA42 Transistors) Insert all the MPSA42 transistors as shown below. The PCB marking shows how to orient the flat on the component body. Important: Do not insert Q2 at this stage. 4.6 Q4 – Q9 (MPSA92 Transistors) Now insert the six MPSA92 transistors as shown in figure below. 4.7 R1 – R11, R14 – R41 Note that R12 and R13 are not installed, and R42 is not installed yet. These resistors, 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. Nixie Tube Clock ‘Frank 3’ www.pvelectronics.co.uk - 10 - R36 to R41 are the current limiting resistors for the tube backlight LEDs. These need to be mounted on the reverse side of the PCB. If you choose not to install backlight LEDs, you can omit these resistors. 4.8 Q2 and R42 Due to a board error, R42 is missing from the board. It needs to be inserted between the central pad for Q2 and the central pin of Q2. Start by installing R42 (560 Ohm) as shown below. Lay the body of the resistor flat along the PCB: Then bend back the central leg of Q42: Nixie Tube Clock ‘Frank 3’ www.pvelectronics.co.uk - 11 - Finally install Q2, and solder its middle pin to the end of the resistor and clip the excess leads: Nixie Tube Clock ‘Frank 3’ www.pvelectronics.co.uk - 12 - 4.9 C1, C2, and C3 Now it is time to solder in these three electrolytic capacitors. These components must be placed the correct way round or else the circuit will fail. Each capacitor has a positive lead, which has the longer lead, and a negative lead, marked by a white or grey stripe on the body. In the picture below, the longer lead (+ve) and white stripe (-VE) can be clearly seen. Place each component as shown, with the longer lead in the hole marked ‘+’. Solder in and trim the leads Nixie Tube Clock ‘Frank 3’ www.pvelectronics.co.uk - 13 - 4.10 Backup capacitor C6 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. 4.11 Inductor L1 Inductor L1 looks a little like a capacitor, but may well have no part marking. Install as shown below: 4.12 Potentiometer VR1 VR1 will be used to tune the high voltage for the tubes to 170V. If the leads do not exactly match the PCB spacing, gently bend to fit into the holes. Nixie Tube Clock ‘Frank 3’ www.pvelectronics.co.uk - 14 - 4.13 C4, C5, X1 Mount the Crystal as shown below, laying the body onto the silver PCB pad area. Do not solder the body to the bad though. 4.14 IC1 and Q1 Be very careful to identify and install the correct component in the right location. Start by bending the leads of each component as shown below: Then install as shown below, on the opposite side of the PCB to the main components. Note that the metal heatsinks are facing outwards. Nixie Tube Clock ‘Frank 3’ www.pvelectronics.co.uk - 15 - 4.15 LS1, J1, D9, D10, GPS / RFT Connector LS1 can be installed on either side of the PCB. If you have purchased one of our cases, install LS1 on the same side of the PCB as Q1 and IC1. D9 and the GPS / RFT connector are only needed if you are using a WWVB, DCF or MSF receiver module, however you may decide to install these components for possible future use. To install D9, and D10, the longer lead goes in the hole marked (+). The PCB should now look like the picture below: Nixie Tube Clock ‘Frank 3’ www.pvelectronics.co.uk - 16 - 4.16 Tube backlight LEDs D11 – D16 You can simply omit these LEDs if you do not wish to have Blue LED backlighting. They emit blue light, but they appear clear and colourless – NOT blue! Cut some pieces of clear insulation approx 12mm / ½ inch long and slide over the legs of the 3mm Blue LEDs. Then, referring to the picture below, bend the legs of the Blue LEDs. Especially note the orientation of the longer (+) lead with respect to the bend. Now insert each LED into its holes from on the PCB as shown below. The longer lead goes in the (+) hole. Remember to clip the leads on the other side of the PCB. Position the LEDs so they are pointing through the holes in the PCB. Their positions can be adjusted later under power to give a uniform brighness. Nixie Tube Clock ‘Frank 3’ www.pvelectronics.co.uk - 17 - 4.17 IN-17 Nixie tubes NX5, NX6 To facilitate easy insertion of the flying leads into the small holes, it helps enormously to trim the flying leads at an angle with a pair of scissors as shown below Feed all the wires in progressively. It is not as hard as it seems at first. Ensure the tubes are the correct way up. The part marking IN-17 should be to the RIGHT, but also check above to see if you can tell that the 5 and 3, which are visible, are the correct way up. After soldering in, trim flying leads. 4.18 SET, ADJ, ALARM Push buttons SET, ADJ and ALARM are mounted on the REVERSE side of the PCB, so that the clock is adjusted from the back. You can choose to mount them on the front face if you wish, depending on your own particular clock case design. 4.19 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. Nixie Tube Clock ‘Frank 3’ www.pvelectronics.co.uk - 18 - 5. INITIAL TESTING OF CLOCK – BEFORE IC4 INSTALLATION Make a final check that all components are well soldered in, and that there are no solder bridges – unintentional solder links between adjacent pins. Insert IC2 (PIC16FXXXX), matching up the notch on the resin body with the notch on the socket and the PCB markings. Insert the four IN-12 Nixie tubes into their sockets. It is quite easy to tell which way up they should be by looking into the glass at the numerals. Do not insert too hard, or you may break the glass seal at their base. Unscrew the adjustment screw on VR1 fully anticlockwise until it can be hear to click. This will give the lowest possible tube driving voltage at startup. Identify the 3 voltage test points ‘GND’, ‘5V’ and ‘170V’ as shown in the picture below. On cold power up, a tube test routine will sequence all digits 0-9 repeatedly until the ‘Set’ button is pressed. Power up the PCB, and check the voltages using a multimeter on DC setting. Check the 5V and 170V points with respect to ground. The 5V should read from 5.1-5.3V, and the 170V point from 140-160V. If these values are good, slowly adjust the screw on VR1 to set the voltage at the 170V point to 170-175V. When finished, disconnect the power. If you do not get these voltages, do not proceed as you may damage the PCB. Contact [email protected] Nixie Tube Clock ‘Frank 3’ www.pvelectronics.co.uk - 19 - 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 Description Software revision 12 / 24 Hr mode 2 Date format 3 4 5 Leading zero blanking eg. 01:54:32 Night mode start hour Night mode end hour 6 LED backlights 7 Display mode 8 Night mode override period (minutes) Snooze period 9 Nixie Tube Clock ‘Frank 3’ www.pvelectronics.co.uk 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 0 - 23 0 - 23 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) 3 0 1 2 3 – – – – 6 minutes (default) 9 minutes 12 minutes 15 minutes - 20 - 10 Colon neons mode 11 Colon neons night mode 12 Radio time signal source 13 14 15 18 Radio time offset hours Radio time offset mins Radio time offset polarity WWVB Auto DST Disable Auto date display each minute Night mode 19 20 21 Reserved – leave as 0 Reserved – leave as 0 Reserved – leave as 0 16 17 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 0 – No Radio Time Source (default)1 1 – DCF 2 - WWVB 3 - MSF 0-13 (default 0) 0-45 (default 0) 0 - minus time (default) 1 – plus time 0 –Auto DST on WWVB Sync (default) 1 – Disable Auto DST on WWVB Sync2 0 – Off 1 – On (default) 0 – Tubes off 1 – Dimmed display (default) 0 0 0 Notes: 1: Clock is fully functional without WWVB / DCF synchronisation. Set time manually. 2: Set this to ‘1’ to disable Auto DST adjust on WWVB Sync – eg. Arizona does not observe DST. Only active in WWVB Sync mode. 3. Press ‘SET’ briefly during blanking to show time for prescribed period. Nixie Tube Clock ‘Frank 3’ www.pvelectronics.co.uk - 21 - 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. Nixie Tube Clock ‘Frank 3’ www.pvelectronics.co.uk - 22 - 8. USING A RADIO FREQUENCY TIME RECEIVER The clock can automatically synchronize time from WWVB (USA), DCF (Europe) and MSF (UK) long wave time transmitters. An optional receiver and 3 metre cable is available. The Radio Frequency Time (RFT) receiver module plugs into the mini-DIN socket on the rear of the PCB. Enable WWVB, DCF or MSF reception by setting parameter (12) in the configuration menu. RFT indicator LED: The LED has the following functions: For the first 10 successful time frames (each frame is 60 seconds), the LED displays the signal output from the RFT receiver. This allows the user to position the receiver in a location that gives a good stable signal by trying to get a reliable 1 pulse per second on the LED. After the first 10 successful frames, the LED will be ON if the clock has synchronised in the last hour; flashing if the last synchronisation was between 1 hour and 24 hours ago; and off if the last synchronisation is older than 24 hours. Nixie Tube Clock ‘Frank 3’ www.pvelectronics.co.uk - 23 - Some Notes on WWVB / DCF / MSF Reception: Many other electrical applicances such as TVs and Mobile phones reception when in close proximity. Metal objects cause reception problems too. It is suggested to start off with the antenna by a window, in the approximate direction of the signal Do not point the antenna at the direction of the signal, but have the antenna side-on to the signal direction. Once a good signal has been obtained, try different locations, and progressively further from the window. Place and design your case so the antenna is as far away from the PCB as possible. 8.1 Making up the RFT Module and cable Make connections to the RFT module as follows: First, attach the antenna by soldering the two wires to the pads on the PCB: Then attach the cable with DIN connector as follows, making sure that the pink cable connects the two top pads as shown: Nixie Tube Clock ‘Frank 3’ www.pvelectronics.co.uk - 24 - 8. CIRCUIT DIAGRAM Nixie Tube Clock ‘Frank 3’ www.pvelectronics.co.uk - 25 - Nixie Tube Clock ‘Frank 3’ www.pvelectronics.co.uk - 26 - ">

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Key features
- Nixie tube display
- 12/24 hour mode
- Date display
- Quartz crystal oscillator
- Radio time sync
- Supercapacitor backup
- Programmable night mode
- Colon neon settings
Frequently asked questions
From time display mode, press and hold the 'SET' button for 2 seconds until the minutes digits start to flash. Use the 'ADJ' button to set the minutes, then briefly press 'SET' to move to the hours. Continue in this way to set the year, month, and day. Finally, press 'SET' briefly to revert to normal clock operation.
Enter configuration mode by pressing and holding the 'SET' button for 4 seconds. Use the 'SET' button to navigate to parameter 7, 'Display mode'. Press 'ADJ' to toggle between standard and fading digits. Select your desired setting and press 'SET' to return to time display mode.
The clock requires a 9-12V DC power adapter with a minimum power output capability of 250 mA and a 2.1mm output plug. Using a different adapter may damage the clock.
The Super Capacitor provides backup power to the clock during short power outages, ensuring the time is kept.
Press the 'ALARM' button. The seconds digits will show the alarm on/off status (00 for off, 01 for on). Set the on/off status, then use the 'ALARM' and 'ADJ' buttons to set the desired alarm minutes and hours. The alarm LED will light when the alarm is set.