up as expected when no LDR is present. Shine a bright light on the LDR.
In some cases, a factory reset can help.
Trouble
shooting
One or more of the RGB LEDs will not go out completely
One of the LEDs (either one of the R, G or B channels, or the TICK LED) does not
go out completely when it is configured to be dark or at the darkest point of the
“pulse” flash.
The FETs which drive the LEDs are very sensitive, and can pick up the stray
voltages which are carried by excess flux on the board.
Carefully
clean with a
non-scratching instrument between the three pins on the FET of the affected
channel. Alternatively, use a solvent to remove excess flux.
Trouble
shooting
The MOSFET gets really hot.
Try a factory 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 power supply. If the power supply is too “strong” (too much voltage
or too much current capacity), the MOSFET will have to carry high currents. Try
a different power supply. 9V and 500mA is ideal.
Change the settings for the “PWM On Time”. Adjust it to be as small as possible
without a loss of brightness. This also reduces the power consumption of the
module: normally it should not consume more than 3W.
Trouble
shooting
I can see some “ghosting”.
“Ghosting” is where you can see a very faint image of another number at the
same time as the one that should be shown. Some tubes are more sensitive
than others, and depending on the construction and components, it might show
up more.
If you see ghosting, increase the “anti-ghosting” setting, but only to the point
where the ghosting is no longer visible or irritating.
The “anti-ghosting” setting decreases the overall brightness of the display
slightly, and not all tubes (even of the same sort) need it, so anti-ghosting
should only be used when there is a real need to use it.
