Sphere U6DNC Series, Руководство пользователя

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Copyright 2004, 2005, 2007 Sphere Research Corporation Nixie Clock Kit Instructions Page 22
Troubleshooting:
If you have a problem, FIRST, visually inspect the board for solder bridges, missing or mis-installed parts,
and unsoldered connections. This represents over 90% of all problems. Use a a magnifying glass to
inspect the board, it can really help.
Power:
Everything flows from the power supply, so be sure you have c5VDC and +170VDC operation. If these
are failed, suspect reversed diodes or capacitors, or missing jumpers.
J6 is the convenient monitor point for the raw input DC (usually around 12V), it must be present first for anything
else to work. A dead short can cause F1 to open, disconnect power and re-connect to reset F1.
The common
point for your measurements is J5.
If the internal bus is good, the LEDs for +5VDC and the HV supply input power should be lit, if not, check those
sections. If D3 is installed backwards, 12VDC will be sent to the 5V circuits, hopefully clamped by D7 to prevent
total destruction of your logic parts. If this has occurred, reverse D3 (check to be sure it is not shorted), and check
D7 to be sure it is not shorted. F1 will open under catastrophic conditions, BUT it cannot prevetn all possible
damage conditions caused by improper assembly, its main purpose is fire safety.
F100 will open if the HV power supply has a catastrophic problem. Be sure the right diode is installed in position
D100, and that C103 and C102 are in the correct way. Adjust R104 for +170-180VDC under load.
You can see the clock timebase running at J8 (32.768KHz). The clock will not run unless the keep-alive voltage
is present (check J12). A reversed diode at D6 or a reversed supercap at C11 can prevent this voltage from
being present. Check that all chips are in their sockets the right way around if you do not see correct operation!
Nixies:
If power is good, but specific nixie problems are seen, check the drivers U1-U6 (revered or bent leads), bad
soldering or incorrect nixie orientation. It is easy to swap drivers to check them. You can also remove the CPU
(with power off), store it in the anti-static foam, and connect the input lines from each driver to ground at the
headers to test a specific nixie and driver. Note that headers are labeled for the remote display, and are reversed
in sequence for the combined board.
If your clock displays backwards (left to right), (combined board), you have to select the reversed option in the
neonixie menu, item 52. See the option lists for setting that function. The remote boards use the default
connections shown on the headers.
Switches:
If your remote switches do not seem to work or work oddly, check your ribbon cable to be sure it is not reversed
at one end. Note that a hard ground to chassis jumper is possible at the switch assembly, this can cause
problems if you have some part of the external power supply grounded improperly.
Mods:
If you have used a different or AC power supply, and added the 12VDC regulator, be sure the 12VDC output is
good! It is used to drive the bus that feeds the 5V and HV supplies.
We hope you had fun building and using this clock, and that you never needed to check this page!