1970s Minitron Project?

[Mitch]

Hi All,

Back when I was in HS in the 1970s, I built a clock based on an article that despite searching everywhere, I can't find. I think I asked this question several years ago, but I'll ask again.

The clock used two 5v Minitron (or equivalent) displays, TTL logic, and it was built on two breadboards, each about 6" square. The article showed the point to point wiring layout on the boards.

I checked old Popular Electronics and Radio Electronics, at least what I could find online, with no luck. I'm guessing it was around 1972. Does anyone remember?

[John Rehwinkel]

Back when I was in HS in the 1970s, I built a clock based on an article that despite searching everywhere, I can't find. I think I asked this question several years ago, but I'll ask again.

The clock used two 5v Minitron (or equivalent) displays, TTL logic, and it was built on two breadboards, each about 6" square. The article showed the point to point wiring layout on the boards.

I checked old Popular Electronics and Radio Electronics, at least what I could find online, with no luck. I'm guessing it was around 1972. Does anyone remember?

I don't remember that one in particular, but it sounds like something you'd find in "Elementary Electronics" magazine.  I subscribed to this magazine for years and quite enjoyed the construction and theory articles, but didn't bother with the extensive CB radio coverage.

http://americanradiohistory.com/Elementary_Electronics_Master_Page.htm

I scanned the six issues from 1972 but didn't see any minitron (or numitron) clocks.  I'd guess projects like that would be a few years later, when clock chips became commonly available to hobbyists.

- John

[Mitch]

Thanks, John. The clock definitely used 7400 series logic. I remember soldering in the chips without sockets because I couldn't afford them at the time. 

I'll keep looking. 

[Nick]

I think this may be the clock Elektor published in 1975 - it could use either Minitron or LED displays.

I've uploaded the two copies of Elektor to the group's library at https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B93DAeV7sPGsc1hfaTZrMG9ZS3c 

They're in directory: NEONIXIE-L > Project Designs (clocks, etc.) > Elektor TTL Minitron Clock 1975

The TTL clock is in the 1975-09 (September) edition, page 918 and it uses the previously published Minitron/LED "Universal display" from the 1975-02 (February) edition, page 223.

HTH

Nick

[Ian Vine]

Cheers for those Nick,

got to love those 1970's PCBs. Very rounded and, er, blobby. They follow the illustration style of the time.

Ian

On Tuesday, 8 August 2017, 16:43, Nick <ni...@desmith.net> wrote:

I think this may be the clock Elektor published in 1975 - it could use either Mintoron or LED displays.

I've uploaded the two copies of Elektor to the group's library at https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B93DAeV7sPGsc1hfaTZrMG9ZS3c 

They're in directory: NEONIXIE-L > Project Designs (clocks, etc.) > Elektor TTL Minitron Clock 1975

The TTL clock is in the 1975-09 (September) edition, page 918 and it uses the previously published Minitron/LED "Universal display" from the 1975-02 (February) edition, page 223.

HTH

Nick

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[Mitch]

Thanks, Nick. That one is close, but the one I'm looking for had a two digit display, and it was built on two breadboards. 

[Nick]

That was my best guess - someone else's turn now...

Nick

[Terry S]

Wow, thanks for introducing me to Elektor. I wish I'd known about that magazine back in the day. A ton of great projects.

Terry

[Nick]

Elektor has been around since about 1965 - enormously popular - used to be all analogue but recently has become pretty much all digital/uP. They publish annual compendiums of all their circuits, including the bumper Summer editions which can have up to 100 projects. The main difference between Elektor and the others is that everything they print is lab tested by their own engineers - the PCB designs are also done by them (from the authors' originals).

Enormously popular in Europe and elsewhere - they publish in French, German, Dutch & English and sell in 50 countries - about 125,000 copies/month.

There have also been about 12 annual circuit book - they're call "301 Circuits", "302 Circuits" etc. They are a great resource for analogue ideas - each one contains 100s of tested ideas..

A year or so ago they published a bit about unusual valves and borrowed a load of trochotrons etc. from me.

Cheers

Nick

[Nick]

On Tuesday, 8 August 2017 20:00:20 UTC+4, iavine wrote:

Cheers for those Nick,

got to love those 1970's PCBs. Very rounded and, er, blobby. They follow the illustration style of the time.

For those of us who are UK-based and of that era, "hoopy" is a word that springs to mind (HHGTTG).

Just reading those volumes again bought back so many memories - I still get Elektor - got crates of them around - they do a reasonable amount of nixie stuff.

Ho, hum...

Nick