Copyright 2004, 2005, 2007 Sphere Research Corporation Nixie Clock Kit Instructions Page 2
Things you will need to build these kits:
Like any electronic assembly project, some tools are required which are not included with our parts kit. These
items are:
1. A
clean,
well lit assembly area
.
2. A good quality
soldering iron
, with safety grounded tip. Weller, Hakko and Ungar all make suitable irons.
You will need a sharp, long tipped iron, and a damp cleaning sponge to keep the tip clean. We include high
quality 63/37 rosin core (or water soluble) solder for the assembly, which significantly helps prevent cold
solder joints.
3.
Needle nose pliers and diagonal cutters
, plus a number 1 Philips screwdriver for some items.
4.
Isopropyl alcohol
(available at any pharmacy) to clean the flux from the complete board, and Q-tips and a
cloth to do the cleaning. This should be done outside, in a well ventilated area. If
water soluble flux solder
is used, the board can be washed clean with running hot water and a small toothbrush. Compressed air is
very handy to dry the board.
5. A
digital multimeter
capable of measuring to 500VDC, with safe, well insulated leads.
General but VERY IMPORTANT Information:
Please don’t skip over this section, it has important information about every kit that is essential.
PARTS VALUES/BOARD IDENTS:
Each kit has a schematic diagram, parts list and a circuit board
. Generally,
all will agree in every way, BUT early board revisions may have the wrong value printed in a component
location
, or other minor artwork flaw due to design revisions. If a different part is to be used than is printed on
the board art revision, IT WILL BE CORRECTLY PRE-INSTALLED by us before shipment.
Do not alter
preinstalled parts on the circuit board.
VARIABLE VALUES:
Some parts do not have a specific value on the boards, they are determined by other
circuit issues, like the type of Nixie tube installed, what kind of external AC power supply is used and other
factors, see the schematic and instructions to determine the right value.
FUSE PROTECTION:
Any kit with external power has fuse protection of some type. DO NOT defeat this, or fire
safety will be compromised. Use the fuse value or specific polyswitch specified. (a polyswitch is a self-resetting
fuse that looks like a radial disc style yellow capacitor).
OPTIONS:
Many boards have
SOFTWARE options
that can be selected by going through the Neonixe menu,
some MUST be selected for any operation such as tube sequencing
, so be sure you have made a valid
selection for every location that has an option.
The complete NEONIXE software options document is
attached as an appendix, read over the software settings and options carefully, the combined board
REQUIRES that the tube sequence option be modified.
MODIFICATIONS & EXPERIMENTATION:
Most of the advanced clock boards have extra connections and
options for different connections, external timebases, and even prototyping areas. These allow you to easily
modify the kit to better suit yourself, and your own requirements.
Keep in mind, only 1 single timebase
(crystal, oscillator, or external source) may be used at any one time in a clock.
Summary of Contents for U6DNC Series
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