Hardware Rev: B
Firmware Version: 1.4

Last Modified: [last_modified]

 

[toc title=”CONTENTS”]

^Introduction

Greetings ! And thank you for your interest in the Cogwheel Nixie System. This document is intended for the end-user of the device. It will describe how to setup, configure, and operate the device. More detailed information on the inner-workings will be found elsewhere. This document decribes the IN17x7 Series 1 version shown at the top of this document. As the firmware is upgradeable, it is important to check www.cogwheelcircuitworks.com for updates

 

Quick Start (for the impatient)

POWER UP: Find the power socket and wall adapter. Plug them in. The clock will turn on and start displaying time. SETTING TIME: Find the SET, UP, and DOWN buttons. Press and hold SET and release when the display blinks. Now, press UP and DOWN as necessary to adjust the time. Holding UP or DOWN will advance time faster. When the correct time is reached, press SET and the clock will resume normal operation.

 

Warnings

Nixie tubes operate at voltages which can electrocute. If you disassemble the device for any reason, do not handle the circuit board with power applied.

Liability

By purchasing this device, you release the manufacturer, seller, and any of their suppliers or affiliates from any and all legal liabilities with respect to use, inability to use, or personal or property damages stemming from purchase and use of this device.

Appearance

The nixie tubes used are Russian “New Old Stock”. At least 20 years old. While they are hand-picked for consistency, there will still be some amount of variation in appearance. The same is true for the enclosures; They are built in small batches and finished by hand, so there will be some variations.

Background

Nixie tubes are essentially neon lights with 10 or more individual elements each shaped like a number, letter symbol or segment stacked front to back inside the tube. Nixie tubes were used during the 1960’s and 1970s, and are considered obsolete and no longer manufactured. All tubes are typically New Old Stock (NOS), or salvaged from equipment. This clock utilizes IN17x7 tubes from the former Soviet Unions. They were most likely destined for cold-wa era military equipment. More info can be obtained by google, or visiting the Wikipedia page

Features

• 7 tubes allows time to be displayed accurate to one-tenth of a second
• Time-keeping accurate to within 1 second per month
• Time, Date and configuration is maintained across power failures
• Automatic Daylight Savings Time adjustment
• Month, Day and Year display
• Alarm with snooze function
• USB interface to allow control from PC and upgrade of firmware
• Daily display shutdown / start-up times
• Adjustable Brightness
• Optional periodic chime on the hour, half-hour or quarter hour
• Cross-fade (next digit is lit before previous digit extinguished)
• Transition effects: Fade down/up, ‘Slot Machine’, Curtain Wipe, Random Wipe

^{Configuration and Control using the Buttons}

The following diagram shows the location of the connectors and
buttons:

LOCATION OF BUTTONS AND CONNECTORS

 

 

CONNECTING POWER

In North America, the clock ships with a ‘wall-wart’ power supply. If a wall-wart was not supplied, the clock requires a 12VDC at a minimum of 120ma with negative on the outer conductor of the connector. The barrel connector is a very common 2.5mm x 5.5mm variety. Attaching the power is straightforward; Simply connect the wall wart’s barrel connector to the corresponding connector on the clock, connect the wall wart to the power outlet.

START-UP

When the clock powers up, it will go through a power-on-self-test routine which should complete within 5 seconds. The clock will then enter normal operation.

BUTTON COMMANDS DURING NORMAL OPERATION

If any button is briefly pressed and released, the clock will cycle between showing the current month and day, the year, and turning off the display. Pressing once more will return the clock to normal operation. The sequence of operation is shown in the following state diagram:

 

 

Setting the Time

While the clock is displaying time press and hold SET for at least 2 seconds. When the display blinks, release the button. The clock will now display what was the current time but it will not be changing.

To increase the time on the display, press the UP button. To decrease the time, press DOWN. If you press and hold either UP or DOWN the rate of time change will gradually speed up.

When the display shows the proper time, press the SET button. The clock will return to normal operation with the new time.

The best technique is to set the time against a very accurate source such as a PC clock synchronized via the Internet. Set the clock for a few seconds before the current time. When the time source and the clock match, press SET. The clock begins to keep time the moment the SET button is pressed.

The following diagram depicts how to set the time:

SETTING THE TIME

Setting Other Configuration Parameters

The procedure starts the same way as setting the time; While the clock is displaying time press and hold SET for at least 2 seconds. When
the display blinks, release the button. Now press set once more; You should seethe following display:

The two digit number on the left is the option number, on the right is its value. Pressing the UP or DOWN buttons will adjust the value,
and pressing SET will advance to the next option number. At any point if you wish to exit SET mode, press and hold SET for at least two seconds and the clock will return to normal display mode. The following digram depicts the overall flow;

ADJUSTING CONFIGURATION PARAMETERS

Configuration Option List

01	Alarm Hours
02	Alarm Mins
03	12/24 Hour Mode
04	Year
05	Month
06	Day of Month
07	Day of Week
08	Brightness
09	Cross Fade
10	Date Order
11	Transition Effect
12	Wipe Style
13	Wipe Rate
14	Display Cycle
15	Chime
16	On Time
17	Off Time
18	DST Enable
19	DST Active
20	DST Start day of week count
21	DST Start day of week
22	DST Start month
23	DST End day of week count
24	DST End day of week
25	DST End month
26	Back lights

 

Configuration Parameters Description

01          Alarm Hours

Range: 0-23. If alarm hours and minutes are both set to 0 the alarm is disabled. Alarm must be set using 24 hour terms even if the clock is to display in 12 hour mode

02          Alarm Mins

Range: 1-59. If alarm hours and minutes are both set to 0 the alarm is disabled. Alarm must be set using 24 hour terms even if the clock is to display in 12 hour mode

03          12/24 Hour Mode

Select 0 for 12 hour mode, 1, for 24 hour mode. (Note: on the IN17x1 Series 1 enclosure that the PM indicator LED is not exposed.

04          Year

Range: 2000-2099

05          Month

Range: 1-12

06          Day of Month

Range: 1-31

07          Day of Week

Range: 1-7. 1=Sunday.

08          Brightness

Range: 0-15 (brightest). Set to minimum value that still provides acceptable brightness to maximize nixie tube life.

09          Cross Fade

Cross-fade is a pleasing effect when the next symbol in a tube is lit before the previous one extinguishes. Set this parameter to 0 for off, 1 for on.

10          Date Order

0: Displays Date in the following order: mm dd, then yyyy.
1: Displays Date in the following order: yyyy mm dd

11          Transition Effect

Affects how the display changes from showing time to showing date and back;

0	None – No special transition is applied
1	Blink – Display blinks briefly during transition
2	Fade –  Display fades during transition
3	Wipe Via Off – Display transitions like a curtain to off, then again to on
4	Wipe slot – Display transitions to a rapidly changing ‘slot machine’ effect

12          Wipe Style

When the Transition Effect parameter is set a Wipe Type (3 or 4), Wipe style controls how the wipe occurs;

0	Wipe from Right to Left
1	Wipe From Left to Right
2	Toggle Direction Right to Left, then Left to Right alternately
3	Transition tubes in random order

13          Wipe Rate

When the Transition Effect parameter is set a Wipe Type (3 or 4), Wipe Rate controls the speed of the transition; 1 is the slowest setting, 8 is the fastest.

 

 

14          Display Cycle

Controls how often the display cycles between showing time and date;

0	Show time only
1	Once per minute
2	Twice per minute
3	Three times per minute
4	Five times per minute

15          Chime

 

0	Off
1	Hourly
2	Twice per hour (:00 & :30)
3	four times per hour (:00,:15,:30,:45)

 

16          On Time

17          Off Time

Range: 0-23

To maximize the life of the tubes, the display may be turned off for period during any 24 hour cycle; The clock will go off at the hour Off Time is set to, and turn back on when On Time is reached. If On Time and Off Time are the same, the display will stay on all the time.

18          DST Enable

0: Disable, 1:Enable

When enabled, the clock will automatically shift forward 1 hour at 02:00 on a specified Start Date, and shift backward 1 hour on a specified End Date (see below).

19          DST Active

0: Not Active, 1: Active

If Daylight Savings Time is currently in effect (summer time) set this t0 1. Otherwise set it to 0.

20         DST Start day of week count

Range: 1-4, 1:First week, 2:Second Week, 3:Third Week, 4:Last Week

21         DST Start day of week

Range: 1-7, 1:Sunday

22          DST Start month

Range: 1-12, 1:January

23          DST End day of week count

Range: 1-4, 1:First week, 2:Second Week, 3:Third Week, 4:Last Week

24          DST End day of week

Range: 1-7, 1:Sunday

25          DST End month

Range: 1-12, 1:January

Clocks are shipped for USA Daylight Savings time; This corresponds to the following:

 

Parameter	Default Value	Description
DST Start day of week count	2	Second Sunday in March
DST Start day of week	1
DST Start month	3
DST End day of week count	1	First Sunday in November
DST End day of week	1
DST End month	11

26          Back Light Enable

0:Disable , 1:Enable

 Resetting To Default Values