[neonixie-l] Re: Nixie Tester & Healer for IN18 Nixie Tubes

[Peter H]

I appreciate your products very much.I have the old device and added an 
external socket for IN-18 together with small amper- and voltmeter. Because 
I'm not so good in mechanics it doesen't look so nice but it works.
A device with internal mA and V display made by you would be the non plus 
ultra! It is not the same if you use an multimeter, when it*'s about nixie 
esthetic is also important :-) . Many greetings

Am Freitag, 11. August 2017 20:40:20 UTC+2 schrieb Marcin Saj:
>
> Hi everyone,
> this is my first post here. I know there are people here who sometimes use 
> my toys (nixie testers, nixie power supplies etc.)
> I have a new tester kit for IN18 nixie tubes. Heart of the tester based on 
> Nick de Smith power supply: http://desmith.net/NMdS/Electronics/NixiePSU.html 
>
> Nick, thanks for sharing.
>
>
> All part are THT (even MAX1771, DIP8 CPA version) and easy to assembly I 
> think :).
>
> A few parameters:
> Voltage adjustment: 140 - 200V
> Current adjustment: 0-10mA (170V), 0-15mA (200V)
> Frequency (auto control): 1-10Hz
> Power supply: 12V DC, plug diameter 2.5 x 5.5mm
>
>
> Off course the tester can be used for healing nixie tubes with cathode 
> poisoning. 
>
> Datasheet in progress...
>
>
>
> Video: https://youtu.be/YFPnyhKus3A
> eBay: http://stores.ebay.com/nixieninja
>
>
> Kind regards
> Marcin Saj
>
>
>
> 
>
>
>
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
>
>
> 
>  
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>  
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>  
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> 
>  
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>  
> 
>
>
>

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[neonixie-l] OT: Lateral thinking: Cheap SMT reflow oven...

[Nick]

http://therandomlab.blogspot.ae/2017/07/halogen-floodlight-smt-reflow.html  


Genuine "outside the box" thinking...

Nick

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[neonixie-l] Re: OT: Eagle is now subscription-based

[Mitch]

I bought a book on Eagle to learn, but I switched to DipTrace when I 
realized how much Eagle would cost to make boards that would hold 8, Z568 
tubes. Initial cost and upgrades are very reasonable. 


On Sunday, August 13, 2017 at 9:21:24 AM UTC-4, Nick wrote:
>
> As all Eagle users will know, Eagle was acquired from Premier Farnell at 
> the start of the year and Eagle 8, the new version, has a completely 
> different licensing model - it's now subscription based, starting at USD 
> 15/pcm for the "standard" version and going up to USD 65/pcm for the 
> "professional" ones.
>
> I'm a long-time Eagle user, probably for more than 15 years, so have a lot 
> invested in it in terms of libraries and existing designs.
>
> However, I can stake USD 100/pa (the annual up-front cost of the USD 
> 15/pcm option). but you need to be connected to the internet every couple 
> of weeks for your Eagle license to stay active. If it expires, I'm told 
> that you can still generate Gerbers from your old designs and even export 
> in the old V7 format using the free version - our old licenses and software 
> will keep working.
>
> What have Eagle folk here done about this - just wondering... It annoys me 
> slightly, but I guess the previous licensing model was not paying the bills 
> and Autocad are promising great things...
>
> Thoughts?
>
> Nick
>

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Re: [neonixie-l] OT: Eagle is now subscription-based

[John Rehwinkel]

> I bought a book on Eagle to learn,

I bought an Eagle book too, but didn't find it very helpful and ended up 
learning more from online tutorials.

> but I switched to DipTrace

That's another one I plan to investigate.

> when I realized how much Eagle would cost to make boards that would hold 8, 
> Z568 tubes.

Back when I was using the Hobbyist version of Eagle, I had a similar problem 
with a board for 8 IN-8-2 tubes, and another project with a microcontroller 
controlling a bunch of triacs.  In both cases, I ended up dividing the boards 
up.  Then IN-8-2 project, I split it into two boards of 4 tubes apiece with 
right-angle connectors between them and a vertical one using the same pads to 
bring the signals in.  This way, the two boards were identical, and with some 
PCB houses, that's a cheaper way to go (for example, OSHPark offers 3 copies of 
a board for a price based on the board's size).  The triac project ended up 
working the same way, I had a CPU board and then a bunch of 8-channel triac 
boards connected with ribbon cables.  This actually ended up making the 
solution fairly versatile, as some computer controlled lighting software 
supports 16 channels (so I'd use 2 8-channel boards), but some could utilize 
all 24 channels available (so I'd plug in 3 boards).

Even though I now have the full professional version of Eagle, I've found that 
the decision I once made of necessity I now still often make by choice.

- John


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[neonixie-l] Re: OT: Lateral thinking: Cheap SMT reflow oven...

[gregebert]

Is anyone here doing their own reflow-based SMT assembly ?

Every so often I see an intriguing BGA device, but I wont design with it 
because I have no way to solder, rework, test, or inspect them.
Despite my age and worsening eyesight, I'm still able to hand-solder 0.5mm 
pitch QFP devices, so unless someone has thoroughly wrung-out SMT assembly 
in their garage and is willing to provide some tips, I'm sticking with 
hand-soldered.

For those of you who are unsure about hand-soldering SMT parts, the typical 
0805 package is very easy to solder with a good pair of tweezers and a 
fine-tip soldering iron. The parts are so much cheaper, take-up less PCB 
area, and require far-less storage space that I avoid thru-hole parts 
wherever possible.

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Re: [neonixie-l] OT: Lateral thinking: Cheap SMT reflow oven...

[John Rehwinkel]

> Is anyone here doing their own reflow-based SMT assembly ?

I'm seriously considering it.  More and more parts are only available in SMT, 
and it would be nice to do quick turn PCB assembly by milling a PCB then 
assembling it.  Some parts are impractical to solder, while I haven't run into 
much call for BGA parts, I do use a lot of things with thermal pads under them 
that are tricky to hand-solder.

> Every so often I see an intriguing BGA device, but I wont design with it 
> because I have no way to solder, rework, test, or inspect them.
> Despite my age and worsening eyesight, I'm still able to hand-solder 0.5mm 
> pitch QFP devices, so unless someone has thoroughly wrung-out SMT assembly in 
> their garage and is willing to provide some tips, I'm sticking with 
> hand-soldered.

I am so far, my binocular microscope and good lighting help a lot.

However, putting down a bunch of paste dots and parts and soldering them all at 
once is attractive.  I'm looking at both hot plate soldering and a reflow oven. 
 There seem to be two camps of DIY reflow ovens, one is to buy a cheap Chinese 
purpose-built reflow oven like a T962 and upgrade it, the other is to buy an 
even cheaper toaster oven and modify it (whizoo.com  offers 
controllers, parts, kits, and instructions).

However, I'm still in the "thinking about it" stage, nowhere near "thoroughly 
wrung-out".  However, I'll share my experiences once I have some.

> For those of you who are unsure about hand-soldering SMT parts, the typical 
> 0805 package is very easy to solder with a good pair of tweezers and a 
> fine-tip soldering iron.

True.  This can be done with flux and old fashioned solder wire, or solder 
paste.  It can also be done with a hot air gun.  I find a decent board holder 
is a big help, and a simple toothpick is a handy tool.  Bigger 1206 parts are 
no problem, and I've managed 0603 without too much pain.  SOIC and 5050 parts 
are easy, and the various QFP packages are generally possible.

> The parts are so much cheaper, take-up less PCB area, and require far-less 
> storage space that I avoid thru-hole parts wherever possible.

Back when I made my own boards, I would have been thrilled about SMT.  My 
absolute least favourite part of board making is drilling holes.

- John

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Re: [neonixie-l] OT: Lateral thinking: Cheap SMT reflow oven...

[Mike Harrison]

On Mon, 14 Aug 2017 13:17:28 -0400, you wrote:

>> Is anyone here doing their own reflow-based SMT assembly ?
>
>I'm seriously considering it.  More and more parts are only available in SMT, 
>and it would be nice to do quick turn PCB assembly by milling a PCB then 
>assembling it.  Some parts are impractical to solder, while I haven't run into 
>much call for BGA parts, I do use a lot of things with thermal pads under them 
>that are tricky to hand-solder.

Even for bog-standard parts, if you have a lot of them ( maybe 50+)  reflow is 
easily way quicker.
Using a foot-operated vacuum pen, you can pick parts directly out of tape - 
particularly useful for
polarised parts so you don't have to check polarity of every one you pick from 
a random scattering
of loose parts.. 
For placing multiple parts from the same tape you can get down to 2-3 seconds 
per part.
The end result also looks nicer (assuming you stay on the right side of the 
line between "reflow"
and "incinerate".

Obviously use leaded paste, as the reflow/incinerate margin is much wider. 
If you have access to a lasercutter or vinyl cutter you can cut stencils, which 
saves even more
time, though a foot-operated dispener can be pretty qiuck - 1-2 dots per second 
once you get into a
rythm, and for stuff like SO packages you can just do a line long the pads. 
Even for fine-pitch
stuff, it;s often quicker to do a line then braid or drag-solder off the shorts 
it afterwards, or
just drag-solder them first


I did a video a while ago about this :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdGSFc7VjBE

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[neonixie-l] Re: OT: Lateral thinking: Cheap SMT reflow oven...

[Paul Andrews]

I've done some hot plate reflow. Discrete components down to 0603 are 
straightfoward and easy to touch up with a soldering iron. Chips, on the 
other hand... I recently burned through three boards with a ESP8285 and a 
CP2102N on it. Never did get them to work.The main problem is not being 
able to figure out why afterward. I don't know if there were shorts or 
opens or if I heated them too long or if they exceeded their MSL rating or 
if my design was bad. For chips that don't have pads that extend up the 
sides, there is just no knowing if it worked or not, unless you break 
everything out so you can check for shorts and opens.

My successes (apart from discrete components and any chips that have legs, 
which are all pretty easy) include a LIS3DH (which is why I started with 
the reflow), USB micro connectors and a few others. Having pads on the PCB 
that extend out past the chip body gives some ability to visually inspect 
the joints and touch up with a soldering iron if necessary (as in, 
separating shorts - adding solder not so much!).

Some kind of binocular magnifier is pretty much essential, and I use a pin 
to apply paste and a loupe afterward to inspect the results as far as I can.

I'm wondering if getting solder masks made would be a good idea, but I'm 
not sure my ability to apply the paste would improve much.

So for now I think I will restrict myself to smaller breakout boards for 
the really difficult chips until I get better yields!

On Monday, August 14, 2017 at 8:29:53 AM UTC-4, Nick wrote:
>
> http://therandomlab.blogspot.ae/2017/07/halogen-floodlight-smt-reflow.html  
> 
>
> Genuine "outside the box" thinking...
>
> Nick
>

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[neonixie-l] Re: Nixie Tester & Healer for IN18 Nixie Tubes

[Marcin Saj]

Thank you Peter.
I tried to add the digital meters but I was not satisfied with the result.
Now I'm thinking about analog voltmeter and ammeter. These meters better 
fit with the retro casing.

  

W dniu poniedziałek, 14 sierpnia 2017 09:32:06 UTC+2 użytkownik Peter H 
napisał:
>
> I appreciate your products very much.I have the old device and added an 
> external socket for IN-18 together with small amper- and voltmeter. Because 
> I'm not so good in mechanics it doesen't look so nice but it works.
> A device with internal mA and V display made by you would be the non plus 
> ultra! It is not the same if you use an multimeter, when it*'s about nixie 
> esthetic is also important :-) . Many greetings
>
> Am Freitag, 11. August 2017 20:40:20 UTC+2 schrieb Marcin Saj:
>>
>> Hi everyone,
>> this is my first post here. I know there are people here who sometimes 
>> use my toys (nixie testers, nixie power supplies etc.)
>> I have a new tester kit for IN18 nixie tubes. Heart of the tester based 
>> on Nick de Smith power supply: 
>> http://desmith.net/NMdS/Electronics/NixiePSU.html 
>>
>> Nick, thanks for sharing.
>>
>>
>> All part are THT (even MAX1771, DIP8 CPA version) and easy to assembly I 
>> think :).
>>
>> A few parameters:
>> Voltage adjustment: 140 - 200V
>> Current adjustment: 0-10mA (170V), 0-15mA (200V)
>> Frequency (auto control): 1-10Hz
>> Power supply: 12V DC, plug diameter 2.5 x 5.5mm
>>
>>
>> Off course the tester can be used for healing nixie tubes with cathode 
>> poisoning. 
>>
>> Datasheet in progress...
>>
>>
>>
>> Video: https://youtu.be/YFPnyhKus3A
>> eBay: http://stores.ebay.com/nixieninja
>>
>>
>> Kind regards
>> Marcin Saj
>>
>>
>>
>> 
>>
>>
>>
>> 
>>  
>> 
>>  
>> 
>>  
>> 
>>
>>
>> 
>>  
>> 
>>  
>> 
>>  
>> 
>>
>>
>> 
>>
>> 
>>  
>> 
>>  
>> 
>>
>>
>>

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[neonixie-l] Re: Nixie Tester & Healer for IN18 Nixie Tubes

[Jeff Walton]

Agree that meters are a nice add to some of the Nixie Testers.  Here’s an 
example of what can be done:

 

Meters added to existing “Retro” tester.  A dremel tool and file produced the 
openings.  Those with lasers can do an even nicer job.



 

 

IN-12 running at 3.5mA, 170 volts.



 

Little digital meters are inexpensive from eBay or other sources.  Voltage 
requires no thinking.  The current meter took a little more work and required a 
different shunt resistor to adjust from 1000mA to 100mA.   Can’t control the 
decimal but could just use a marker to cover the dots if it bothers anyone.  
This is much more convenient than having to wire external meters.  You could do 
this with any tester (if space allows).  

 

Jeff

 

 

From: neonixie-l@googlegroups.com [mailto:neonixie-l@googlegroups.com] On 
Behalf Of Marcin Saj
Sent: Monday, August 14, 2017 1:48 PM
To: neonixie-l
Subject: [neonixie-l] Re: Nixie Tester & Healer for IN18 Nixie Tubes

 

Thank you Peter.
I tried to add the digital meters but I was not satisfied with the result.
Now I'm thinking about analog voltmeter and ammeter. These meters better fit 
with the retro casing.

 

  

W dniu poniedziałek, 14 sierpnia 2017 09:32:06 UTC+2 użytkownik Peter H napisał:

I appreciate your products very much.I have the old device and added an 
external socket for IN-18 together with small amper- and voltmeter. Because I'm 
not so good in mechanics it doesen't look so nice but it works.

A device with internal mA and V display made by you would be the non plus 
ultra! It is not the same if you use an multimeter, when it*'s about nixie 
esthetic is also important :-) . Many greetings


Am Freitag, 11. August 2017 20:40:20 UTC+2 schrieb Marcin Saj:

Hi everyone,
this is my first post here. I know there are people here who sometimes use my 
toys (nixie testers, nixie power supplies etc.)
I have a new tester kit for IN18 nixie tubes. Heart of the tester based on Nick 
de Smith power supply: http://desmith.net/NMdS/Electronics/NixiePSU.html  
 
Nick, thanks for sharing.


All part are THT (even MAX1771, DIP8 CPA version) and easy to assembly I think 
:).

 

A few parameters:

Voltage adjustment: 140 - 200V

Current adjustment: 0-10mA (170V), 0-15mA (200V)

Frequency (auto control): 1-10Hz

Power supply: 12V DC, plug diameter 2.5 x 5.5mm

 

Off course the tester can be used for healing nixie tubes with cathode 
poisoning. 

Datasheet in progress...

 


Video: https://youtu.be/YFPnyhKus3A
eBay: http://stores.ebay.com/nixieninja


Kind regards

Marcin Saj

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

  

  

 

 

  

  

  

 

 

 

 

  

  

 

 

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 .
For more options, visit http

[neonixie-l] Re: Nixie Tester & Healer for IN18 Nixie Tubes

[gregebert]

For current, there aren't any 20mA meters that I could find, but there are 
plenty of 0-20V meters, so just measure the voltage-drop across a 1K / 1% 
(or better) resistor.
Just be careful to use at least a 1/2W resistor; recommend 1W to reduce 
self-heating, which affects the accuracy.

I went thru this in-depth with my nixie bench supply last year, and 
ended-up using isolated DCDC converters to drive the meters. Batteries are 
another option, but they are annoying to recharge.

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[neonixie-l] Re: PV Electronics R568 Clock Project With Black R|Z568M Nixie Tubes

[Edward Van Belkom]

Just an update where I am at.

My kit arrived safe and sound from Pete today.

I have the design pretty well finished up. I did not need a CAD program as 
outlined below.
A shop with a CNC mill  just wanted the X and Y coordinates for each hole, 
what size were the plates and where was "0" located.

They will use those coordinates to cut out the basic holes for me to finish 
tapping and countersinking.
I will use a 1/4"-1-3/8" Unibit to get the two step look. for the 23 front 
and rear holes in the 3/8" plates.

I am doing this all on paper but I have it just about done and will bring 
it to them to get the holes drilled. I just did not have the skill Michael 
has to be right on the mark for each hole so this should get me close.

I also was able to calculate the two radius needed for the curve on the 
bottom of the plates with the tangent points where they meet. When I get 
done with the plates the shop will stack all four of them together and cut 
out the curve and the angle on each end in one shot.

The rest will be up to me to finish.

It was funny that I did it in metric and they wanted everything in 
decimals. I had to convert everything over. The shop was very reasonable in 
the price as they will load my calculations into the CNC mill saving a lot 
of time for them. The shop also could of done all the other machining but 
that would drive the price up quite a bit so this was the best bank for the 
buck so to speak.

The full size drawings I drafted looks like everything fits well and should 
come together without too many problems.

I also got all the switches, Jacks and LED's and fitted them in a scrap 
piece of aluminum to see what panel thickness, clearance hole size and 
depth  would needed to be milled out from the back side of the plate for 
them to fit.  The shop would be able to do both operations per hole at one 
time if they drilled all the pilot holes from the backside of the plate.  I 
was able to get that included when they drill all the holes for each of the 
4 plates. 

Any hints or comments are welcome:)



>

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