ice tube clock voltage boost converter 0.6v

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mechbot
 
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ice tube clock voltage boost converter 0.6v

Post by mechbot »

while following the soldering tutorial for the ice tube clock kit i passed the first and the second test, but the third test failed.
so i checked the forums and saw that the soldering joints are the common problem so i reflowed them all so that the joints are all good.
i also checked the resistor values and there correct.

so this is where it goes wrong, at the third test instead of measuring a voltage of 40-75v i only got 0.6v.
it does beep when i plug it in, but after a while it beeps again, sometimes with a extra beep in a slightly different sound.

any help with this problem would be greatly appreciated

~~~mechbot~~~

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adafruit_support_bill
 
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Re: ice tube clock voltage boost converter 0.6v

Post by adafruit_support_bill »

Post clear photos of the front & back of the board and we'll take a look.

mechbot
 
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Re: ice tube clock voltage boost converter 0.6v

Post by mechbot »

i forgot to solder the inductor ....
the tube is lighting up, during the startup sequence all digits light up, but the 4th digit from the left is very dim
when it stops the startup sequence and just displays the time in 1 sec intervals or something, the 4th digit doesnt light up

its late now so im gonna test tomorrow with the schematics and post the results

mechbot
 
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Re: ice tube clock voltage boost converter 0.6v

Post by mechbot »

i just finished soldering the last things like the buttons so that i could increase the brightness to max

i don't have the time to test it right even though i had the time for it, i made some pictures so maybe you might be able to tell me which connections i need to test
the pictures are made with max brighness of the tube

also when i was done soldering it i noticed i was missing some parts, the parts i'm missing are:

12mm 3V lithium coin cell
Nylon 4-40 Hex nut X 10
Nylon 4-40 1/2" machine screw X 8
icsp 6 pin header, 0.1"x0.1" spacing

so even if we find the problem with the tube i can't finish the case
Attachments
normal function of clock
normal function of clock
IMG_20121026_123734.jpg (758.35 KiB) Viewed 4248 times
startup sequence looks a bit hazy, but u can see the missing digit from the first photo show up
startup sequence looks a bit hazy, but u can see the missing digit from the first photo show up
IMG_20121026_123714.jpg (743.99 KiB) Viewed 4248 times

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adafruit_support_bill
 
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Re: ice tube clock voltage boost converter 0.6v

Post by adafruit_support_bill »

Missing digits are usually due to soldering problems between the VFD chip and the tube. Post clear photos of the solder side of both boards and we will check them.
also when i was done soldering it i noticed i was missing some parts, the parts i'm missing are:

12mm 3V lithium coin cell
Nylon 4-40 Hex nut X 10
Nylon 4-40 1/2" machine screw X 8
icsp 6 pin header, 0.1"x0.1" spacin
Check the packaging, sometimes these small parts get lost in the packing materials.
If you are still missing parts, contact [email protected] with a link to this thread for replacements.

mechbot
 
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Re: ice tube clock voltage boost converter 0.6v

Post by mechbot »

here are the photo's
Attachments
IMG_20121030_203941.jpg
IMG_20121030_203941.jpg (936.33 KiB) Viewed 4204 times
IMG_20121030_203929.jpg
IMG_20121030_203929.jpg (798.05 KiB) Viewed 4204 times
IMG_20121030_203800.jpg
IMG_20121030_203800.jpg (892.69 KiB) Viewed 4204 times

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adafruit_support_bill
 
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Re: ice tube clock voltage boost converter 0.6v

Post by adafruit_support_bill »

Soldering on the main board looks pretty good. There are a few joints on the tube board that look either solder-starved, or have not flowed well onto both the pin and the surrounding pad. Read through this guide and touch up any joints that look suspicious.

mechbot
 
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Re: ice tube clock voltage boost converter 0.6v

Post by mechbot »

i've touched up the joints and there is still no improvement to be seen

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adafruit_support_bill
 
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Re: ice tube clock voltage boost converter 0.6v

Post by adafruit_support_bill »

The missing 4th digit is controlled by the VFD5 signal on pin 17 of the tube. Carefully, locate pin 17 and short it to pin 16 (VFD3). The 4th digit should then display the same thing as the 2nd digit.

http://www.ladyada.net/make/icetube/design.html
Image

mechbot
 
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Re: ice tube clock voltage boost converter 0.6v

Post by mechbot »

so im done with my other projects and now have time for my clock

so ive shorted the clock as you said, but the result is that the wrong one lit up

i took a screenshot of the brd file and highlighted the ones i shorted with purple

my phones pictures are to high res, so ive edited it with paint xD
Attachments
IMAG0035 mini.jpg
IMAG0035 mini.jpg (375.74 KiB) Viewed 3887 times
shorting.png
shorting.png (73.99 KiB) Viewed 3887 times

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Re: ice tube clock voltage boost converter 0.6v

Post by adafruit_support_bill »

ive shorted the clock as you said, but the result is that the wrong one lit up
Which digit(s) changed when you shorted the pins?

mechbot
 
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Re: ice tube clock voltage boost converter 0.6v

Post by mechbot »

on the picture in the post before the tube say -12 8016
the fix was supposed to do it like -12 08 16

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Re: ice tube clock voltage boost converter 0.6v

Post by adafruit_support_bill »

So, before you shorted the pins it read "12__8_16" ?

mechbot
 
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Re: ice tube clock voltage boost converter 0.6v

Post by mechbot »

when i dont short it it says: -12__8_58

after i short it it says: -12__8058

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Re: ice tube clock voltage boost converter 0.6v

Post by adafruit_support_bill »

Hmmm. Looks like you found VFD7 instead of VFD5. (These pins are really hard to trace :?)

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