The Nixie Clock uses the Make Controller’s Ethernet capabilities to go online and check what the time is, via a protocol called NTP (Network Time Protocol). Once it determines the current time, it uses the digital outs on the Make Controller to communicate with a pair of custom circuit boards that drives the nixies and updates the time.
Each custom board drives a pair of nixie tubes - they use a few ICs to allow 3 digital outputs from the Make controller to generate the 8 outputs needed for each pair of tubes. So, 4 nixie tubes (2 for hours, 2 for minutes) use 6 digital outputs from the Make controller. (Nixie tubes are old vacuum tube displays - each tube contains the digits 0 to 9. The Nixie Clock creates a clock with nixie tubes.)
4 digits Nixie Clock: [Link]
Red digits on this photo appear to float in the air in front of the clock. This illusion is based on inertia of a human eye. If LED-formed digits will periodically and frequently enough flash, they will appear solid and steady. And since the matrix of digits is formed by a mechanically scanned single line of LEDs, and the fast rotating clock body is not visible, it leaves digits “suspended” in the air.
The first clock using this concept was built (and PIC microcontroller code written) by Bob Blick, please visit his page for yet more photos of his original clock and clocks built by other people. The heart of this clock is PIC16F84 microcontroller. (Older PIC16C84 version works just fine). The microcontroller is programmed with the code provided below. If you don’t have a PIC programmer, it isn’t difficult to make one. A few parts (for a couple bucks) connected to the parallel port of your PC will program the PIC for you.
POV clock based on PIC16F84: [Link]
This is simple, and the pictures tell you enough. Denkimono.com offers you the possibility to buy a kit of this alarmclock/timer that you can assembly yourself. It is available in 2 modes as a kit or ready assembled. The kit comprises of a PCB and all the necessary components.
The assembled version comprises of a fully populated and tested CPU and display PCB. All that is required is for the two boards to be connected together and mounted on the battery. Printed instructions are provided with both forms of the product. I don’t think they supply you with schematics. That would have been nice to give others the opportunity to build the project themselves. But its their idea and their right to sell it. For full details and ordering click the Link.
