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Nixie tube clocks

B7971 Smartsocket driver:

Introduction

What does it do? Movies!

Download the PDF manual

 

IN-18 nixie clock

The ball clock

Floating tube clock

The infinity clock

A slim clock

A slim couple of clocks

Pyramid clock

Panel meter clock

Two tube Charlienixie clock

A small two tube clock

 

Panaplex clocks

The pinball clock

 

LED clocks

The Holoclock

 

Charlieplexed LED clocks

Charlieplexed clocks intro

Circular clock 1

Circular clock 2

Circular clock 3

Circular clock 4

Circular clock 5

Circular clock 6

7 segment dotty clock

 

VFD clocks

Approximate clock

Russian IV-18 clock

 

Part of the reason for these pages is because I have had a number of enquiries about selling this PIC and EEPROM set.

 

The cost, including shipping, for the programmed PIC and including shipping within the UK and internationally, will be £17. That is 17 GB pounds. Postage within the UK includes insurance, but overseas insurance can be provided at cost if requested.

 

As yet I can only accept Paypal or a UK cheque (cleared) or UK postal order. Sorry about that.

Smartsocket driver - What it does

The PIC runs using its own internal 4 meg oscillator. Clock timing is derived from a 32k timing reference on the PIC's timer1 oscillator pins. A half second pulse is output on pin 18. This may be used to indicate that the clock is running, without any tubes needing to be connected and can be used with a transistor to drive a neon colon separator.

Features

The software contains four main operating styles. Some of these have alternatives, giving a total of nine selectable styles. All except one display both the time and words.

Edits are accessed through the two switches.

There is software adjustment of the clock should it run slightly slow or fast.

I have provided a 'profanity' setting which, if selected, will avoid those words likely to offend.

In addition there is a night setting which affects all styles, where the tubes will blank between 10pm at night and 8am in the morning. Or the tubes can be left on continuously.

Styles

 

The default style is called TMWD, for time/word. It works on a 5 second cycle, displaying the time for the first two five second cycles of each minute. The rest of the minute will display a different random word every five seconds. The transitions used will change each minute. The smartsockets contain nine different transition effects.

A similar setting is available that shows only the time, or only four letter words.

 

A scrolling style where the time scrolls across in the form of HH MM SS, followed by three static random words with decomposition and recomposition fades.

 

A scrolling style where the time scrolls across in the form of HH MM alternating with random four letter words.

 

A style I call slide. Characters slide into view a character at a time until the word is complete. The display then pauses before the letters slide out of view again.

 

Sequence. Words alternate with the time on a 5 second cycle. There is a delay between each letter appearing which, with the slow transitions, adds to the morphing effect between words. There are three selectable delay times.