Steps to solder components in order for Nixie6.5 ____________________________________________ 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). 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 RGB 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 is for the high voltage supply. 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 (outside of the transformer area, marked "hot") Four pin jumper - solder to the square marked with V1/V2 - 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, marked as V1 & V2) to make a permanent connection. R1 - 220 ohm, 1/2 watt resistor. R9 - 1 Meg ohm C5 - 2.2 uF, 350V capacitor R7 - 220K resistor neon bulb D4 - 1N4007 diode NOTE ORIENTATION D5 - 1N4007 diode C4 - 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 C6 - 1,000 uF 35V electrolytic cap - please note the + side is through the larger hole NOT the via (small hole) next to it. D3 - 1N4001 diode R5 - 10K resistor Q12 - 2N3904 NPN transistor R6 - 1K resistor Attach the heat sink to both regulators 7805 - 5V regulator 7812 - 12V regulator D1 - 1N4001 diode D2 - 1N4001 diode C1 - 100 uF, 6.3V+ cap C2 - 100 uF, 6.3V+ R2 - 470 ohm resistor R3 - 470 ohm resistor LED - 12VDC indicator (Green) LED - 5VDC indicator (Red) Six-pin connector - see notes below 4-pin header & jumper at the square marked with "HZ" and "1PPS" - see notes below 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 line voltage pulse (HZ) or one pulse per second input (1PPS) 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 60HZ 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) R8 - 10K resistor D6 - solder a lead to bypass this diode as it is not necessary. 78L05 regulator 5VDC relay Solder a jumper across the connection for 5VDC on the board near the battery clip area. Battery holder - solder to + & - 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, this goes on the back. 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 R1 - 2.2K resistor C1 - .01 uF (103) cap - NOTE: IF USING BATTERY BACKUP OPTION, THIS SHOULD BE A 1,000uF 6.3V cap instead R32 - 2.2K R22 - 2.2K R23 - 2.2K R67 - 2.2K S3 - LED color button S2 - Fast set button S1 - Slow set button S4 - Toggle button PIEZO BUZZER - may be polarized - note orientation, the leads go through the two larger holes, not the small one (via). D1 - 1N4001 diode (If battery backup, add D2 - 1N4001) R30 - 33K resistor Q15 - MPSA44 NPN transistor R31 - 10K resistor Q16 - 2N3904 transistor R34, R38, R43, R48, R54, R58 - these are all 47K resistors R31 - 10K R33, R37, R44, R47, R53, R57 - these are 33K resistors R35, R39, R45, R49, R55, R52, R59 - these are 470K, don't solder the double hole side yet. R36, R40, R46, R50, R56, R41, R60 - these are 100K, now solder the side adjoining the 470K's R25, R26, R29 - these are all 100 ohm Q9, Q18, Q20, Q10, Q24, 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, Q25, 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 of the tube socket holes should read 0VDC. If so please proceed to Part A. If these anode holes read as ~300VDC, please follow Part B instead. Part A: 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. Part B: Use a jumper wire to connect pin #19 (ground) on U1 to pin #23, then test for 0 volts 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 0VDC relative to ground (0VDC) or pin # 8 on U1. Do the same after connecting pin #19 on U1 to pin #24, and test for 0VDC at the second anode hole. Connect #19 to #25 and test for 0VDC 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 #19 on U1 to pin #15. Next connect pin #19 to pin#16 and test for 0VDC at the fourth anode hole. Connect pin #19 to pin #17 to test the fifth anode hole. Connect pin #19 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 holes are outlined with a square. The neon bulbs are used for colons, they can be soldered into the holes inside the area marked for them in between the nixies. 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" The RGB leds can be added before or after. I place these after soldering the nixie pins in place. 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.