NIXIECHRON Upgrade!
Mitch
Hi All,
Today I finished my Nixiechron upgrade project.
Just over a year ago, I sent a Nixiechron board to someone who considered modifying his software to run on the Nixiechron. Unfortunately, business got in the way, and it never happened.
When I received the board back a couple months ago, I looked into the possibility of learning PIC processor programming. I’m familiar with Atmel, but the learning curve was too steep.
I didn’t see any way to adapt an Atmel processor to the PLCC socket, so I moved on. Just days later I received some headers that I ordered by mistake with 1.27mm spacing, and I noticed that PLCC pin spacing is also 1.27mm, so that’s how the project got started.
Since this could only be done with a daughterboard, extra space was available to add an RTC, level converter, and connections for additional sensors and switches.
The original idea was to make it snap-in, with no additional connections necessary. But the addition of a level converter required one jumper to be added, to supply it with 12v. Then unfortunately, I noticed that POL was grounded on the HV5530s and that won’t work with the software I already developed for my clocks, so that pin must be pulled and also connected to 12v.
Other than that one reversible modification and 12v for the level converter, nothing else has to be changed on or connected to the Nixiechron board, and the changes are fully reversible.
I have three Nixiechrons that I’ll upgrade, and two upgrades going to friends. I hope to make some available shortly, but there is no long term business plan here, so we’ll see.
Features of the upgrade include:
- RGB LED lighting with a variety of interesting effects. Brightness and color of each intelligent APA102 RGB light is individually controlled, and custom colors can be set for each hour. Optional RGB LED scrolling with digits. Commonly available light strips are used.
- Three configurable override periods with independent settings for start and end times, Nixie brightness, RGB LED brightness, RGB colors and patterns, and colon patterns. Each period can be enabled for weekdays, weekends, or both. Period override button restores standard settings for user selectable time period.
- Real time clock with accuracy to approximately one second per week.
- Crossfade or vibrate digit change effects
- Original NIXIECHRON GPS receiver is supported, or substitute an Adafruit, Ublox, or other, TTL level GPS that sends standard, NMEA strings. GPS is no longer required.
- Automatic time zone setting for Daylight Saving Time. Tables are not used! Month, week, day of week, and time, are used to calculate time changes, for easy updating as rules change.
- Scrolling date display with three selectable date formats.
- Scrolling temperature using original sensor, or add a BME280 weather sensor to display temperature, pressure, and humidity.
- Ambient light sensor increases brightness at user configurable setting.
- PIR sensor optionally enables display only when motion is sensed.
- Configurable cathode anti-poisoning routing helps to keep tubes in good condition.
- Option to add two additional buttons for easier setting.
Alarms are not supported because I hate them on Nixie clocks, and no chimes. The 1PPS LED and AM/PM neon are supported.
MichaelB
MichaelB
On Friday, June 10, 2016 at 1:28:16 PM UTC-7, Mitch wrote:
Mitch
The black box on the right houses the sensors and buttons. Ublox GPS is in front.
Michael Seaton
Mitch
dixter
Jon Jackson
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