Sphere U6DNC Series, Manual

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Copyright 2004, 2005, 2007 Sphere Research Corporation Nixie Clock Kit Instructions Page 18
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.