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A six digit clock based on the IV-22 Vacuum Fluorescent Display tube.

A learning project for me, using vacuum fluorescent display tubes and the STM32 processor for the first time.

I personally built one of these, and ended up with lots of spare parts. I sold a very limited number of kits, made up mostly of those spares. I have no plans to assemble nor sell any further kits. If you are interested in building this clock yourself, check out the Bill of Materials below, and the issues tab.

Bill of Materials

Part Reference(s) Value Example Manufacturer Part Number
Battery Holder BT1 n/a BU2032SM-BT-GTR
Chip Capacitor (0603) C1, C2 4pF -
Electrolytic Capacitor C3, C4, C5, C6 47μF 25YXF47MEFC5X11
Chip Capacitor (0603) C7 330pF n/a
DC Jack CON2 - EJ508A
DC Plug - - PP3-002A
Diode D1 - STPS130A
Inductor L1 68μH RCH8011NP-680L
Transistor Q1, Q2 - MMBT4403LT1G
Resistor R1 0.22Ω LR1LJR22
Chip Resistor (0603) R2 12.4kΩ -
Chip Resistor (0603) R3 41.2kΩ -
Chip Resistor (0603) R4, R5 1kΩ -
Variable Resistor RV1 22kΩ PVA2A223A01R00 #1
Piezo Speaker SP1 - AT-1224-TWT-5V-2-R #2
Tactile Switch SW1, SW2, SW3, SW4 - FSM6JSMA
Microcontroller U1 Maple Mini -
7-Segment Driver (16-SOIC) U2, U3, U4, U5, U6, U7 - CD4056BM96
Boost Regulator (8-SOIC) U8 - MC34063ACD-TR
Volt Level Shifter (16-TSSOP) U9, U10 - CD4504BPWR
VFD Display Tube V1, V2, V3, V4, V5, V6 - IV-22 (a.k.a. IN-22, IИ-22)
Watch Crystal X1 32.7680kHz CFS-20632768DZBB
Optional GPS - - NEO-6M

Notes:

  • The official Baite store on Aliexpress is a reliable source of cheap clone Maple Mini boards.
  • You'll also need 72 single-pin sockets for the tubes, these are most commonly/affordably available on eBay. Look for "nixie pin socket". (They're $0.20 each from DigiKey, but as low as $0.05 each in quantity from eBay.) These sockets raise the tube off the board so that the vaccum seal "nipple" has some room. Plus the ability to remove and replace tubes is nice!
  • The optional GPS module, if used, should have an 0.1" four pin header of: Vcc, RX, TX, GND in that order. I used a "Ublox NEO-6M" module.
  • The battery (and its) holder is optional. If you don't mind losing the time when you unplug you don't need it.