seconds digits fading

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DrXenon
 
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seconds digits fading

Post by DrXenon »

All the best of the new year to everyone!

My Icetube clock worked immediately upon assembly, with all digits having the same brightness, but the seconds digits faded (had decreased brightness) after a day and are now practically gone. The hours and minutes digits are still nice and bright.

Did I perhaps have the brightness jacked up too high? Can I order just a new tube and associated PCB, or do I have to order a whole kit?

adafruit
 
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Re: seconds digits fading

Post by adafruit »

hmm, interesting. email support@adafruit and ask for a new set w/a link to this post :mrgreen:

DrXenon
 
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Re: seconds digits fading

Post by DrXenon »

UPDATE: I disassembled the case to inspect the solder joints on the tube board and
to see if the slight pressure the case was exerting on the tube board (and
hence the mainboard connector) was causing flakiness. With the tube board
disconnected, I then discovered that I wasn't getting a beep when I plugged
the power supply in. I checked the voltage on the regulator output and it
was only about 4 Volts. Then I probed the power and ground pins on the uC
and beep! Now it seems to start up at least, although the seconds "tens"
digit is completely blank now.
All of which is to say that I think we have a case of pilot error here;
there is some flakiness on the board probably due to my workmanship. I bet
the tube is fine. I will try touching up the solder joints and see if that
improves matters.

adafruit
 
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Re: seconds digits fading

Post by adafruit »

ok take out the coin cell and go back and do the voltage tests without the vfd stuff in. then proceed :)

DrXenon
 
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Re: seconds digits fading

Post by DrXenon »

Boost converter voltage is 56.3 V. Voltage regulator is 4.93 V with the coin cell out. It beeps every time I plug it in now. The symptom of the dim seconds digit and blank tens-of-seconds digit remains.

adafruit
 
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Re: seconds digits fading

Post by adafruit »

posting up nice photos of the PCB, and tube would help :)

DrXenon
 
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Joined: Sun Dec 27, 2009 12:47 am

Re: seconds digits fading

Post by DrXenon »

EDIT: flickr link removed to prevent any trauma from looking at my childhood pictures
Last edited by DrXenon on Sun Jan 03, 2010 12:06 am, edited 1 time in total.

Rotzog
 
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Re: seconds digits fading

Post by Rotzog »

Check pin 22 of the tube - the digit 2 grid.

You need to post much larger pictures of the boards and tube if you want help checking your boards.

DrXenon
 
Posts: 9
Joined: Sun Dec 27, 2009 12:47 am

Re: seconds digits fading

Post by DrXenon »

Thanks, I'll check that pin.

Try clicking on the "all sizes" button in Flickr - you will see that the pictures are pretty big.

DrXenon
 
Posts: 9
Joined: Sun Dec 27, 2009 12:47 am

Re: seconds digits fading

Post by DrXenon »

Woot! I left the tube wires a little too long and two of them were intermittently being forced together when I compressed it into the case. Thanks for the assistance, everyone, sorry to have bothered you.

adafruit
 
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Re: seconds digits fading

Post by adafruit »

great news! :) much faster than resoldering the tube ;)

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