Ice Tube Clock - Faulty Tube

For RTC breakouts, etc., use the Other Products from Adafruit forum

Moderators: adafruit_support_bill, adafruit

Please be positive and constructive with your questions and comments.
Locked
User avatar
mttrb
 
Posts: 2
Joined: Tue May 07, 2013 10:06 am

Ice Tube Clock - Faulty Tube

Post by mttrb »

I finished building my Ice Tube Clock yesterday and I am missing the second digit from the right (the tens of seconds digit).

This evening I have traced every connection from the VFD chip all the way to the wires that enter the tube. I have continuity on all 19 connections from the pin of the VFD chip to the wire entering the tube. I have also measured the voltages on the wires entering the tube and get about 3.8V on all of the driver wires, Vbias is a little lower and GND is ground.

If I jumper from the VFD2 wire as it enters the tube to either of the two unused segments the correct tens of seconds value appears in the unused segment of the tube. I don't believe the problem is with my soldering or the PCB as I am taking the VFD2 voltage from the wire just before it enters the tube and applying it to one of the other wires and the correct digit appears.

Is there anything else I can try or do I need to get a new tube?

User avatar
adafruit_support_bill
 
Posts: 88093
Joined: Sat Feb 07, 2009 10:11 am

Re: Ice Tube Clock - Faulty Tube

Post by adafruit_support_bill »

Good diagnostic work! I agree it sounds like a bad connection internal to the tube. If you contact [email protected] with a link to this thread we can arrange for a replacement tube.

User avatar
mttrb
 
Posts: 2
Joined: Tue May 07, 2013 10:06 am

Re: Ice Tube Clock - Faulty Tube

Post by mttrb »

Replacement tube has arrived and is working perfectly :D

Thanks for the help!

Locked
Please be positive and constructive with your questions and comments.

Return to “Clock Kits (discontinued)”