Description
ABOUT THIS USB POWERED VFD CLOCK
Designed around six Russian IV-11 VFD Tubes. With its extra large 22mm high digits and a blue-green fluorescent glow, it is very pleasing to look at and can be seen from a fair distance. Coupled with modern control circuitry, you get this very unique tube clock. No wall plugs just an USB port and you are done.
This particular clock is built to order so expect i’ll need a couple of weeks to built it. Thanks.
WHAT ARE VFD TUBES VS NIXIES?
A vacuum fluorescent display (VFD) is a display device used commonly on consumer-electronics equipment such as video cassette recorders, car radios, and microwave ovens.
A VFD operates on the principle of cathodoluminescence, roughly similar to a cathode ray tube, but operating at much lower voltages. Each tube in a VFD has an anode coated phosphor that is bombarded by electrons emitted from the cathode filament. In fact, each tube in VFD is a triode vacuum tube because it also has a mesh control grid.
Unlike liquid crystal displays, a VFD emits a very bright light with high contrast and can support display elements of various colours. Standard illumination figures for VFDs are around 640 cd/m2 with high-brightness VFDs operating at 4,000 cd/m2, and experimental units as high as 35,000 cd/m2 depending on the drive voltage and its timing. The choice of color (which determines the nature of the phosphor) and display brightness significantly affect the lifetime of the tubes, which can range from as low as 1,500 hours for a vivid red VFD to 30,000 hours for the more common green ones.
VFDs can display seven-segment numerals, multi-segment alpha-numeric characters or can be made in a dot-matrix to display different alphanumeric characters and symbols. In practice, there is little limit to the shape of the image that can be displayed: it depends solely on the shape of phosphor on the anode(s).
The first VFD was the single indication DM160 by Philips in 1959. The first multi-segment VFD was the 1962 Japanese single-digit, seven-segment device. The displays became common on calculators and other consumer electronics devices. In the late 1980s hundreds of millions of units were made yearly.
A CLOCK WITH A LOT OF FEATURES
3 x 2 multiplex for less tube noise and higher brightness; based on the modern Supertex HV driver HV5812
Selectable 12 or 24 hour display modes
Uses a Quartz Crystal Oscillator as timebase with software adjustable accuracy
Programmable leading zero blanking
Date display in either DD.MM.YY or MM.DD.YY or YY.MM.DD format
Programmable date display each minute or selectable with a single button push
Alarm with programmable snooze period
Dedicated DST button for easy switching between DST and standard time
Super Capacitor backup keeps time during power outages for more than 6 hours.
Simple time setting using two buttons
Five programmable IV-15 column settings:
(Flashing AM/PM indication, illuminated AM/PM indication, always flashing, always on / off)
Seconds can be reset to zero to precisely set the time
Programmable night mode – blanked or dimmed display to save tubes life or prevent sleep disturbance
Indicator LEDs dim at night mode too to prevent sleep disturbance
Weekday aware „Master Blank“ function to turn off all displays on weekends or working hours
Separate modes for column IV-11 tubes during night mode
Standard or fading display modes as an eye-catcher
„Slot Machine“ effect as eye-catcher
RGB controller with 729 different possible colours for the LED tubes lighting.
Have a different colour of your choice every hour or autochanging colours with variable speed
Programmable temperature display in °C or °F at seconds 30…35
All user preferences stored in non-volatile memory
Circuity works with 46 VDC low voltage from USB (no wall plug 🙂
Thanks to the latest high efficiency voltage converter technologies it is now possible to power Jenny only from two USB ports; similar to an external DVD burner. A SuperCap buffers the clock for more than six hours on power outages.
WHAT WILL YOU GET
Complete Clock incl. 6 IV-11 VFD tubes, and programmable RGB LEDs
USB Power cord (to your computer or a USB wall plus adapter)
Operating manual.
OPTIONAL
Get the most accurate time from satellites : DCF / WWVB / MSF / GPS sync. with status LED;
prepared for fitting the ASK receiver module from the „Wireless GPS connection“
> ask for customization (extra cost 70 euros)Hours, Minutes and Seconds display
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