6-digit Nixie clock [150189, 180588] | Elektor Magazine

This is Simple Nixieclock (140013-1, see

). After the project was released, our readers raised a lot of questions about changing the time zone, which was fixed at GMT + 1 in the original design, but it can be changed in the source code of the PIC microcontroller. Finally, the author used the switch to change the firmware to set the time zone after resetting.

We mentioned in the article that the seconds are also counted but not displayed (after all: only four digits), some readers wondered if the design could be changed to also display the seconds. The PIC18F2480 did not have enough I/O pins to accommodate two extra digits, so it was replaced by the 40-pin DIP 18F4420. Apart from two additional 74141, Nixie tubes and an additional neon light bulb (used to separate the minutes and seconds), the schematic has hardly changed, but of course the PCB layout needs to be redesigned. In the old design, we used a Russian IN-14 digital camera, but apparently, even Ebay stores in Eastern Europe are out of stock. The sharp rise in prices makes these lamps unsuitable for new projects. We discussed this issue with Jan Wuesten, owner of Tube-webshop in Germany

(Ie Ask Jan First), and decided to use IN-12 digital tubes in this design, they are pin compatible with other oval digital tubes such as ZM1100 and CD56. Since these are top views, we made a separate PCB for the display, which can be mounted perpendicular to another PCB containing the rest of the hardware. Six 10-way (box-type) connectors (separated on a 100 million mil grid) are used between the two boards for connection. If you want to use other types of digital tubes, it is relatively easy to display your own on the vero board .

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