Steps to solder components in order for VFD7 clock ____________________________________________ 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 where possible. For transistors, I find it helpful to let the transistor stand up above the board rather than pushing the leads 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 : The VFD7 bottom layer board (power supply board) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Solder components in this order: Fuse D8, D9 - 1N4001 diodes NOTE ORIENTATION R7 - 10K resistor R10 - 100K resistor 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. In the space marked "B1", solder a jumper wire between the negative and the hole next to it as shown in the drawing "B1.jpg" This is marked with a line on the board. P1 - 200 ohm (201) potentiometer (orientation doesn't matter) Transformer - Primary side is next to fuse, use the pre-drilled holes and solder the leads to the pads. bending leads down to make good contact with the four pads on the board. The round (toroidal) Transformer will have a bolt and will bolt to the board using the center hole. Nuts can be used to set the height of the toroidal transformer above the board. C6 - 1,000 uF 25V electrolytic cap D3, D4 - 1N4001 Six-pin connector Solder the six - wire connector socket to the connection point outlined on the board, marked "OUTPUT". Be careful to orient this correctly - the points marked on the bottom layer correspond to the same points on the top layer. 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 corresponding connections on the top layer pc board. Use a small jumper wire to solder the connection marked "HZ" next to the six pin connection to make it permanent. C3 - .01 uF ( 103 ) cap R5 - 10K resistor R6 - 1K resistor Q12 - 2N3904 NPN transistor LED - 28VDC indicator (Green), solder in the circle marked "NEON" - note orientation. C8 - 470 uF 50V electrolytic cap 7805 5VDC regulator and it's heat sink. D2 -1N4001 diode solder a lead across the two holes in the square marked "5VDC" on the right of 7805 to make a permanent connection. C2 - 100uF, 25V R3 - 1K resistor Red LED marked "5VDC" note orientation. If installing gps or wifi module, solder the five pin edge connector to the GPS/WIFI port holes and solder the single wire to the hole inside the square marked "TX" white wire to NEUTRAL black wire to HOT Connect these to an AC power cord, and plug in. LEDs should light. Test for voltages at the connection points in back marked GND (negative), 30VDC, -6VDC (this will need to be adjusted with P1) 5VDC and HZ (about 2.5VDC) Adjust P1 to read zero ohms as shown in P1.jpg 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 bare wire lead to bypass this. 78L05 regulator 5VDC relay Battery holder - solder to + & - Part 3 : The VFD7 top layer board (logic board) components ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Solder the six - wire connector to the connection point marked "input" 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. This should be soldered to the bottom of the board. After connecting this, plug the cord back in and test for the correct voltages on the top layer at the connecting points. U5 - 28 pin IC socket - ORIENT CORRECTLY U7 - 16 pin IC socket - NOTE ORIENTATION R15, R16, R17 - 100 ohm resistors R1, R2, R3, R4, R67 - 2.2K resistors S1, S2, S3, S4 - push buttons C1 - .01 uF (103) cap - NOTE: IF USING BATTERY BACKUP OPTION, THIS SHOULD BE A 1,000uF 6.3V cap instead C2 - 10uF (electrolytic) C3 - .01 uF (103) cap R27, R28, R99, R6, R7, R9, R10, R12, R23, R25, R30, R31, R29, R35, R33, R38, R37, R40, R41, R44, R43, R47, R46, R50, R49, R53, R52, R55 - 10K resistors D1, D2 - 1N4001 diodes R5, R8, R11, R24, R26, R32, R36, R39, R42, R45, R48, R51, R54 - 47K resistors R13, R14, R21, R22 - 1K resistors - don't solder the double hole side yet - it will be soldered to the led lead Q39, Q40, Q13, Q42, Q44, Q49, Q51, Q53, Q54, Q57, Q58, Q61, Q14, Q48, Q47 - 2N3904 NPN transistors Q46, Q45, Q6, Q60, Q59, Q56, Q55, Q52, Q50, Q62, Q43, Q41, Q5 - 2N3906 PNP transistors Relay - 5VDC Now, test the digit drivers by plugging the cord in (with the boards connected) and using a jumper wire to connect pin #1 on the 28 pin socket (U5) to pin # 25. This should actuate the relay, supplying ~30VDC to the board's drivers. Use a jumper wire to connect pin #20 on U5 to pin #23, then test for ~30VDC at the anode hole of the first tube space (pin DD). This is the one on the right when looking at the front of the board (ones seconds count) This should read about 30-35VDC relative to ground (0VDC) or pin # 19 on U5. Do the same after connecting pin #20 on U5 to pin #24, and test for HV at the second anode hole. Continue to the next (third anode hole) by connecting pin #20 on U5 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. Part 4 : The VFD3 top layer board (logic board) VFD tubes, colons, RGB leds ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The pin connectors should be inserted over the tube's pins and aligned with the holes in the board, then soldered. After installing the tubes, read the DC voltage on f- & f+ (filament pins) on the IV-22 (any one of the tubes). Adjust P1 until this reads about -1 or -1.5VDC. The tubes should come on and brighten slowly. The green leds are used for colons, they can be soldered into the holes inside the area marked for them in between the tubes. The RGB leds can be added by bending the leads to face backwards (please see the drawing in RGBled.jpeg), so the led fits into the hole under the tube and the leads solder to the cathode holes (K's) and (anodes) R, G and B