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Arduino IN-14 Nixie, Operating Instructions Manual

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Arduino IN-14 Nixie Operating Instructions Manual Download Page 9

Display Blanking Mode

During display blanking mode the tubes will be off depending on the display blanking settings, but the LEDs
will continue to work as usual, telling you that the clock is still running.

You can configure the display to blank at weekends, during week days, always or never (the default). Also 
you are able to define hours during which to blank. For example I have a setting saying that the clock is 
blanked on weekdays between 7am and 4 pm, while I am out at work. At weekends, the display runs all the
time.

You are also able to override the blanking. Press the button while the clock is blanked, and the display will 
come on again. Pressing the button will display the time for about a minute (60 seconds, but the display is 
only blanked on the minute change).

If you press the button multiple times within 5 seconds, the blanking will stay off for longer periods:

•

1 Press: 60 seconds

•

2 Presses: 1 hour

•

3 Presses: 4 hours

Tube Healing Mode

After a long period of time, tube filaments which are not often used (e.g. the “9” on the tens of hours or 
minutes) can get dim, despite the ACP that is regularly done.

If you make a “super-long” press of the button (more than 8 seconds), the clock will enter filament healing 
mode. All the power will be placed through a single filament of a single digit to clean it. A short press will 
change the selected filament. Another super-long press or cycling through all the filaments will return the 
clock to normal.

Warning!

Caution!

 Don't leave a single filament in this state for an extended period of time. It is a 

harsh process, and may damage the tube if you leave it in this mode for too long. 
Normally a few minutes will restore the cathode digit.

Warning!

Be careful using tube healing mode!

It is an extremely harsh process, and should only be used if you see dark spots or 
“shadows” on digit filaments. Normally, the ACP should take care of your tubes and only 
in exceptional cases do you “need tube healing”.

Factory Reset

To reset the clock back to initial settings, hold down the button while powering on. The “tick” LED will flash 
10 times to signal that the reset has been done.

Everything will be reset back to the factory default state.

External power supply

The perfect voltage for the external power supply is 7.5V or 9V DC. You can use 12V DC. If you use more 
than 12V be aware that you might have to provide a heat sink for the power components and adjust the HV
voltage generation. It is not advised to use more than 12V.

The absolute maximum permissible is 24V DC. Higher voltages than this will surely damage the clock.

Summary of Contents for IN-14 Nixie

Page 1: ...Arduino IN 14 Nixie Clock v42 All In One Clock Operating Instructions Construction Manual NixieClockIN14InstructionManualRev2V42 ...

Page 2: ...e is open source and is available on GitHub at the address https github com isparkes ArdunixNix6 releases This board works with Release Revision 4 boards under the Releases tab Troubleshooting If everything does not work as you expect please carefully look at the tests in the construction steps and the troubleshooting tips At the end of the manual there is a troubleshooting section which goes thro...

Page 3: ...according to the light conditions This also increases tube life Absolutely silent operation Some Nixie clocks emit an irritating buzz or hiss which is especially annoying if you keep the clock in a bedroom Automatic week day or weekend blanking extends the life of tubes even further Automatic time of day blanking can blank between a start hour and an end hour on week days weekends or every day Con...

Page 4: ...t will display 88 88 88 for several seconds This is for the calibration of the High Voltage Generator to match the power adapter you have attached During this time you might hear some faint crackling noises from the generator This is normal After finishing the calibration the version number 00 42 07 will be displayed for about a second The clock will then go into normal operating mode Time Provide...

Page 5: ...right This controls the dimming of the tubes 100 darkest 999 brightest Version Display the version number The format will be VV vv 07 where major version is VV minor version is vv and the 21 is the id for the version display 00 42 07 Setting Mode To enter setting mode press the button for more than 1 second medium press The RGB back light LEDs will start to flash white The number of consecutive fl...

Page 6: ...yed in 12 or 24 hour mode 1 12 hour 0 24 hour default 0 01 flashing Blank leading 0 Blank out the leading 0 from single digit hours 1 blank 0 don t blank default 0 02 flashing Scroll back Use the scroll back rapid count down effect when changing from 9 to 0 1 enable 0 disable default 1 03 flashing Date format Set the format that the date is displayed in 0 YY MM DD 1 MM DD YY 2 DD MM YY default 2 0...

Page 7: ...ghtening for a second and then darkening for a second but always respecting the relative intensities set by the Red Green and Blue channel intensities Cycle fades the back lighting randomly and does not use the Red Green and Blue channel intensities These settings will be skipped if cycle mode is selected Options 0 1 and 2 do not dim with the bulbs Options 3 4 and 5 do 0 Fixed 1 Pulse 2 Cycle 3 Fi...

Page 8: ...ry changing this is the HV generation is noisy or you have unusual tubes Default 150 Max 50 Min 500 Information Settings 21 flashing Current case temperature Show the current temperature inside the case used as part of the temperature compensation for the clock crystal 22 flashing Clock version Show the clock software version Digit Test Will roll through all digits on all locations to check that t...

Page 9: ...e clock will enter filament healing mode All the power will be placed through a single filament of a single digit to clean it A short press will change the selected filament Another super long press or cycling through all the filaments will return the clock to normal Warning Caution Don t leave a single filament in this state for an extended period of time It is a harsh process and may damage the ...

Page 10: ...ou are driving 170V Output of high voltage for driving external neons etc GND The negative side of the input supply VIN The positive side of the input supply VCC Output of regulated 5V which can be used to drive auxiliary circuitry FRONT These are the controls that go on the front panel The input button and the Light Dependent Resistor to detect ambient light GND The ground One lead of the button ...

Page 11: ...Schematic Below is the schematic for the clock ...

Page 12: ...wer adapter down to a known and stable 5V to drive the micro controller and the 74141 K155ID Put the parts on the board in the marked locations in the order they appear on the list Notes See the section on Component Identification for help with identifying the components D1 and D2 look very similar but have different jobs to do Be careful to get the 1N4001 and not the UF4007 D1 should be placed so...

Page 13: ...side of D1 nearest the centre of the board This should measure 0 7V less than the input voltage If all is well proceed to the next step If not check carefully the orientation of the components and the power leads Diode D1 protects the board from having the power connected inverted If the LED comes on check for a few seconds that the 7805 does not heat up It should stay almost cold Hint The 220 uF ...

Page 14: ...At the end of the low voltage circuit build your board should look like this Low Voltage Circuit Low Voltage Circuit Low Voltage Circuit ...

Page 15: ...ide is marked with a stripe see hint Put Q1 so that the metal portion lines up with the white stripe on the board The metal side faces to the outside of the board D2 should be placed so that the white stripe on the body lines up with the white stripe on the board Put the micro controller socket in first and solder it Make sure that the depression on the end of the socket lines up with the marking ...

Page 16: ...frequency square wave this is the driver waveform to the HV generator which is being turned off and on by the voltage detection trying to achieve the target voltage 180V default Warning Note also that the Power header also has high voltage exposed on it This is for if you want to drive neons instead of LEDs for the colons Be careful handling the board it is easy to touch the Power header by mistak...

Page 17: ...solder one leg in place You can hold the socket firm while you wet the solder again which will hold the socket firmly enough to solder the remaining pins One leg is usually enough to hold the socket in place while you solder the others At the end of the high voltage circuit build your board should look like this Mounting 28 pin socket High Voltage Circuit ...

Page 18: ...V or VCC This step installs and checks the LEDs and neons if you chose that option We install the tick of colon indicators and all of the RGB back light LEDs We do this now because the RGB LEDs are mounted under the tubes You might want to test after you install each RGB LED The startup pattern should slowly turn on and then off the colons the Red channel of the RGB LEDs then the Green channel and...

Page 19: ...uld be orientated with the flat side as shown on the board Some FETs come with the leads in a row rather than in a triangle If this is the case bend the middle lead slightly so that it fits the holes in the board see hint R17 is needed to bias the LDR ambient light detection circuit to make sure that the LED lights up reliably Mount the RGB LEDs close to the board but be careful not to strain the ...

Page 20: ...Hint MPSA42 2N7000 mounting To mount the MSPA 42 transistor or the 2N7000 FETs bend the middle lead back slightly It will then fit in the PCB without problems ...

Page 21: ...ime The software controls the rate of the multiplexing and the order in which the anodes are activated Notes The Opto isolators fit into the 24 pin socket snugly Be careful to put them in the right way round The dot denotes pin 1 and should be on the side closest to the micro controller All 6 should fit perfectly into the 24 pin socket The Opto isolators are socketed because they are sensitive to ...

Page 22: ...assembly up is to use a piece of normal sticky tape to hold things in place while you solder them This makes is easier to solder and gives a better result Place the components and then temporarily tape them into place Using tape to hold resistors in place ...

Page 23: ... be lit The cathode lit changes rapidly during normal operation because the display is multiplexed Notes Instead of the 74141 you might have the Russian equivalent K155ID1 Be careful to orient the 74141 correctly Place the 16 pin socket and the connector and then put the cathode driver chip on the board in the socket ...

Page 24: ...12 is shorter than pin 3 by 5mm at the end This means that you can thread the leads into the holes more easily You can remove the decimal point leads on each side of the anode pins 2 and 13 if you want they are not used Remember to leave an unpopulated hole on the board on each side of the anode in this case Be careful to trim the right leads if you want to remove them Place the tube base against ...

Page 25: ...t pin to pull the input to VCC when the switch is not closed The switch is de bounced in software so practically any switch you want to use is suitable A simple switch is provided in the kit but you might want to substitute this switch with one that suits you case The LDR should be mounted in such a way that the flat face of the LDR is exposed to the ambient light This will allow it to detect the ...

Page 26: ...ntacts on it You can use either the side with the pins on it or wire up the other side with flying wires If you use the side with pins you should carefully remove the two unused pins see hint If you use the contacts on the module you should leave CONN_RTC off the board If you receive the connector header as a single strip break off 4 pins for SV3 Hint Trimming the extra pins on the RTC module ONLY...

Page 27: ...igh The longer the On Time the more the MOSFET has to conduct current and this will cause it to heat up A good value for small tubes is 120 150 larger tubes may require 150 200 Trouble shooting The display is too dim Check if the auto dimming is working If the display does not change in low or high ambient light your LDR does not appear to be working Check the connections to the LDR If the LDR is ...

Page 28: ...reset There is a setting about how hard the IRF740 should be driven PWM On Time Perhaps the value has not been set properly The default value should be OK most of the time but depending on the tubes and power supply this might need adjustment The lower the value the less power will be used and the less hot the MOSFET will run but also the less power will be available to drive the tubes Check the p...

Page 29: ... the software a standard Arduino UNO is enough To program the 328P simply remove it from the clock board and place it in the Arduino UNO Then you will be able to program the controller as you would any other Arduino UNO simply upload the software onto the controller Put the 328P back into the clock board and you are done You can also program the 328P micro controller with a programmer but you will...

Page 30: ...er the same heading 10k resistor The color code for the 10k resistor is BROWN 1 BLACK 0 BLACK 0 RED 2 2 zeros in this case BROWN 1 1 Tolerance 1 0 0 0 0 with 1 tolerance 4 7k resistor The color code for the 4 7k resistor is YELLOW 4 VIOLET 7 BLACK 0 BROWN 1 1 zero in this case BROWN 1 1 Tolerance 4 7 0 0 with 1 tolerance 10k resistor 4 7k resistor ...

Page 31: ... 0 BLACK 0 BROWN 1 1 zero in this case BROWN 1 1 Tolerance 3 0 0 0 with 1 tolerance 100nF capacitor The coding on the 100nF capactor is 104 It does not matter which way round it goes This is decoded as 1 then a 0 and then 4 more zeros 100000 pF 100 nF 1 nF 1000 pF 22pF capacitor The coding on the 22pF capactor is simply 22 It does not matter which way round it goes 3k resistor 100nF capacitor 22pF...

Page 32: ...RGB LED The RGB LED has one pin longer than the rest This longer pin is the common anode LED The LED has one pin longer than the other The long pin is the anode the short pin the cathode RGB LED LED ...

Page 33: ...R10 8 3k 13 R13 R12 R9 R11 R3 R19 R18 R23 R20 R21 R22 R24 R25 R29 R31 R32 R33 R34 R35 R36 R37 R4 R5 R15 R16 27 1k 14 R38 R39 2 1k for LEDs 120k for neons 15 R30 R17 2 10k 16 IC3 1 MEGA8 P 328P 17 OK1 OK2 OK3 OK4 OK5 OK6 6 EL817 18 SV1 SV2 SV3 3 4 pin header 19 Q3 Q4 Q5 3 2N7000 20 Q6 1 MPSA42 21 C7 C2 C8 3 100nF 22 LED1 1 LED 3mm 23 L1 1 100uH 24 IC1 1 7805 25 Q1 1 IRF840 26 N2 N5 N4 N3 N6 N1 6 IN...

Page 34: ...Revisions Rev1V42 16Jul2016 First version Rev2V42 11Aug2016 Update for Rev2 boards Rev2V42 23Aug2016 450V capacitor downgraded to 400V Rev2V42 05Sep2016 remove reference to SV6 update BOM ...

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