Steps to solder components in order for Nixie18.5 ____________________________________________ Please look the board over carefully and read the instructions and parts list to familiarize yourself with the assembly procedure before you begin. Please also familiarize yourself with transistor orientation: looking at the front (flat side), the three leads are, left to right: emitter, base, collector. A diode has a + and - side, and IC's are marked on one end with a small indented "notch". The IC sockets are also notched. Electrolytic (cylindrical shape) capacitors have a + & - side . Solder all components on the bottom of the board (if possible), and insert the wires through holes & solder to bottom of board. For transistors, I find it helpful to let the transistor stand up above the board rather than pushing the leads all the way through; this lets the transistor chip inside the case standoff from the heat of the soldering iron. I also find it helps to solder one lead at a time, pausing in between to allow the transistor to cool for a minute. This also applies to the leds, particularly the blue leds, which are sensitive. Please note that some extra components are silkscreened on the bottom layer board, these are for a different configuration and don't apply to this build, so there will be some "missing" components. Part 1 : The Nixie bottom layer board (power supply board) High voltage ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Solder components in this order: Transformer - Primary side is next to fuse, solder leads to the top as well as the bottom. Fuse Four pin jumper - solder to the square marked with V1 - only necessary to switch between 120VAC (U.S.) and 240VAC (some other countries) - If this is not necessary, you may solder a small jumper to the appropriate holes (120 or 240) to make a permanent connection. R1 - 220 ohm, 1/2 watt resistor. R2 - 1 Meg ohm C1 - 2.2 uF, 350V capacitor R3 - 220K resistor Large neon bulb, this one is different from the other four. D1 - 1N4007 diode NOTE ORIENTATION D2 - 1N4007 diode C2 - 2.2 uF, 350V capacitor white wire to NEUTRAL black wire to HOT Connect these to an AC power cord, and plug in. Neon bulb should light. Test for high voltage at the connection points in back marked GND (negative) and ~300VDC (positive) Part 2 : The Nixie bottom layer board (power supply board) Low voltage ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- B1 - rectifier bridge, note orientation R4 - 100K resistor C3 - .01 uF ( 103 ) cap C4 - 1,000 uF 35V electrolytic cap D3 - 1N4001 diode R5 - 10K resistor Q1 - 2N3904 NPN transistor R6 - 1K resistor Four pin jumper/header for wifi / gps (optional) 7805 - 5V regulator Attach the heat sink to the regulator D6 - 1N4001 diode C10 - 100 uF, 25V cap C9 - 100 uF cap R19 - 470 ohm resistor LED - 5VDC indicator (Red) Solder the six - wire connector to the connection point outlined on the board. Be careful to orient this correctly - the points marked on the bottom layer correspond to the same points on the top layer, and solder to the connection points at the back, labeled "GND, 60HZ, BB, 5VDC, 12VDC and ~300VDC" These will be the six connections to the six - wire "bus" that will connect to the top layer board. It is very important, of course, that these six connecting wires are connected correctly to the coresponding connections on the top layer pc board. The second 4 pin header & jumper can be used to allow selection of the embedded wifi module (optional) or gps module (optional) Solder this into the spot outlined next to the six pin connector, with the "HZ" & "1PPS" on either side of it. If preferred, you can just make this a permanent connection to one by using a small jumper wire. Plug the power cord in, and the neon light & leds should light. Test for the correct voltages at the connecting wires, GND to HZ should read at ~2.5VDC, GND to the others should read as indicated. BATTERY BACKUP STEP (OPTIONAL) -------------------------------------------------------- If you are installing the battery backup option at this time: LED - BB (small blue) R17 - 10K resistor D7 - solder a wire lead across D7 78L05 regulator 5VDC relay Solder a jumper across the connection for 5VDC on the board near the battery holder area. Battery holder - solder to + & - "9VDC IN" Part 3 : The Nixie top layer board (logic board) components ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- On this top board, it is a good idea to let the resistors stand off a tiny bit from the board, 1mm is enough, just to ensure there will be no leakage of the high voltage from the trace under the resistors to that resistor. Solder the six - wire connector to the connection point outlined on the board. Be careful to orient this correctly - the points marked on the bottom layer correspond to the same points on the top layer. After connecting this, plug the cord back in and test for the correct voltages on the top layer at the connecting points. U1 - 28 pin IC socket - ORIENT CORRECTLY U3 - 16 pin IC socket - NOTE ORIENTATION C2 - .01 uF (103) cap C3 - 10 uF, 6.3-10V cap C1 - .01 uF (103) cap - NOTE: IF USING BATTERY BACKUP OPTION, THIS SHOULD BE A 1,000uF 6.3V cap instead R1, R32, R22, R23, R67 - 2.2K S3 - LED color button S2 - Fast set button S1 - Slow set button S4 - Toggle button, use the four holes closer to the word "Toggle" PIEZO BUZZER - may be polarized - note orientation. D2 - 1N4001 diode (If battery backup, add D1 - 1N4001) R30 - 10K resistor Q15 - 2N3904 NPN transistor R34, R38, R43, R48, R54, R58 - these are all 47K resistors R33, R37, R44, R47, R53, R31, R57 - these are 33K resistors R35, R39, R45, R49, R55, R42, R59 - these are 470K, don't solder the double hole side yet. R36, R40, R46, R50, R56, R51, R60 - these are 100K, now solder the side adjoining the 470K's R77, R78, R79, R52 - these are all 100 ohm R61, R62, R63, R64 - 120K If installing GPS or WiFi module on the top board, solder the five pin female connector to "GPS module" and solder the four pin header & jumper to "GPS/WiFi". Q9, Q18, Q20, Q10, Q24, Q16, Q23 - these are all MPSA44 NPN (or KSP44) transistors, they should be in a line parallel to the long side of the board. Q3, Q17, Q19, Q4, Q21, Q26, Q22 - these are all MPSA92 PNP transistors. Now, test the digit drivers by plugging the cord in (with the boards connected) there should be about ~300VDC to the board's drivers. At this point, all the anodes (A) of the tube socket holes should read 0VDC. Use a jumper wire to connect pin #20 on U1 to pin #23, then test for high voltage at the anode hole of the first nixie space. This is the one on the right when looking at the front of the board (ones seconds count) This should read about 285VDC relative to ground (0VDC) or pin # 19 on U1. Do the same after connecting pin #20 on U1 to pin #24, and test for HV at the second anode hole. Connect #20 to #25 and test for HV at the colons solder points, which are marked with a small circle and the word "NEON" Continue to the next (third anode hole) by connecting pin #20 on U1 to pin #15. Next connect pin #20 to pin#16 and test for HV at the fourth anode hole. Connect pin #20 to pin #17 to test the fifth anode hole. Connect pin #20 to pin#18 to test the sixth. Disconnect power and remove the jumper wires from the IC socket. Carefully insert the IC's into the sockets, noting proper orientation. You should now be ready to begin soldering in your nixie tubes. Part 4 : The Nixie top layer board (logic board) Nixie tubes, colons, RGB leds ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The best way I have found to solder the pin sockets in place is to place them over the pins on the nixie tube and then align them & insert into the holes marked on the board. Please note the pin numbers on the board and the anode pin which is marked "A". For the nixie in the tens of hours place (extreme left) only use pin connectors for pins # 1, 6, 10, 11, 12 & 13. For the ones of hours place, use pin connectors for all except pins # 1, 4 & 8. For the tens of minutes place, skip pins #1, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 & 14. For the ones of minutes place, skip pins # 1, 4 & 8. For the tens of seconds place, skip pins #1, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 & 14. For the ones of seconds place, skip pins # 1, 4 & 8. The neon bulbs are used for colons, they can be soldered into the holes inside the area marked for them in between the nixies. The test tubes can be used to hold the neon lights for the colons if desired. I use coated wire and twist it to add strength. These are soldered one end to the right & one to the left. The solder points are marked with a small circle and one side is marked "NEON" Place a rubber o-ring or washer over the test tube & insert through the hole in the board, then place another o-ring over the end of the tube sticking through the board. Place a stopper or cork or hot glue/caulk in the end to hold the wires & colons in place. If not using the test tubes as containers, the leads can be bent so they don't touch, and turned forward to display the round way, or just pointed up. The RGB leds can be added before or after (if after, the nixie tubes must be removed to place the led underneath) The led can stick up to the very bottom of the tube for best affect. There are four solder points under each nixie to solder the leds to. They are marked with R, G, B for anodes and K for the cathode. Small leds can also be used.