ICE TUBE CLOCK high Voltage second test?

[DY3JPW]

Does the voltage for the second test increase after you have all components soldered onto the board, with the exception of the battery holder and the VFD chip and tube? I am getting a reading of greater than 90+ volts!

[adafruit]

hmm that doesnt sound right. remove the tube and VFD chip. did you place the zener diode (Red glass)

[DY3JPW]

The reading of 90+ volts is with the tube and VFD chip removed. The zenzer diode is in place. I didn't have the amtel chip programmed until after I had all components placed, so figured since I was getting 7+ volts without the programmed chip that all would be OK after I programmed it. But I have lived long enough to know better

[adafruit]

are you building the kit from your own parts?

[DY3JPW]

Well yes, but they are from the parts list and links that are provided on the ICETUBE Clock parts list directed to the manufacturers pages. Does that make a difference?

[adafruit_support_bill]

It makes a difference in the amount of support you can expect. Adafruit is generous with publishing their open-source designs and providing this forum. You are welcome to post here and compare notes with other Ice Tube builders. But engineers need to eat too and it is the kit-sales that keep them fed!

[DY3JPW]

OK, I bought the PCB and the enclosure through adafruit, but wanted to save a couple dollars for the rest of the parts. So that automatically make it no help?

[adafruit_support_bill]

I'll let Adafruit answer that. But you have to understand that the difficulty or remotely diagnosing kit assembly problems increases dramatically when you start adding variables such as parts from unknown sources.

[DY3JPW]

They are not "unknown sources" they are from the links to the manufacturers that adafriut website lists on the part list webpage for the icetube clock. If those are "unknown sources" then I guess I better just go ahead and buy the kit, because I am no engineer, but do like to save money in reasonable ways where I can.

[adafruit]

OK, I bought the PCB and the enclosure through adafruit, but wanted to save a couple dollars for the rest of the parts. So that automatically make it no help?

hi DY3JPW we can help with PCB & enclosure questions (the items you bought) and general help but we cannot troubleshoot unknown parts from unknown suppliers and quality, it's hard and impossible thing for us to attempt and difficult for us to troubleshoot since there are hundreds of variables. customers who purchase a kit from us and support our open source hardware business will of course receive support for their kits since we know what parts are used, where, why and how all that said, please feel free to continue posting in our forums of course!

[DY3JPW]

I can apreciate your stance ; I also respect your time, your profesional training, and your business decisions, so I will not post anything more after this. Can I ask you to answer one question for me so I may help myself diagnose the clocks voltage problem? Please? And I am not trying to be a pain, just trying to understand the situation I got myself into.

The question:
The parts that are listed on the Icetube clocks website--are these the parts that you recomend, and are within specs for the kit to work properly? Because if they are not, and they are really just links to unknown sources then that changes my thoughts on how to build these open-source kits.

Thanks for your time, knowledge, and products,

Respectfully DY3JPW

[adafruit]

I can apreciate your stance ; I also respect your time, your profesional training, and your business decisions, so I will not post anything more after this. Can I ask you to answer one question for me so I may help myself diagnose the clocks voltage problem? Please? And I am not trying to be a pain, just trying to understand the situation I got myself into. The question: The parts that are listed on the Icetube clocks website--are these the parts that you recomend, and are within specs for the kit to work properly? Because if they are not, and they are really just links to unknown sources then that changes my thoughts on how to build these open-source kits. Thanks for your time, knowledge, and products, Respectfully DY3JPW

as we said, you're welcome to post here - we've built kits from parts too, it's fun but also filled with challenges.

in general, yes. the parts on our product page are the ones we use, from time to time we need to get new suppliers and the list(s) are not in sync on a day by day or hourly basis, when we get new parts from new supplier we test them and update the site as appropriate. as a company we need to support the customers who bought kits from us as you noted. we understand that you "wanted to save a couple dollars for the rest of the parts" - but there are trade-offs with that.

[erikd]

I don't see how you are getting any high voltage without a programmed Atmel micro controller? If your chip is programmed and you are still getting 90 volts then that zener diode is not functioning. The Zener diode, if it's the proper 60 volt part, will limit the high voltage to its break down voltage, 60 volts in this case. However, there is no current limiting resister to this zener so if your high voltage was present for any lengthy period of time that zener would have dumped all voltage over 60 volts to ground and if the power dissipation of the zener was exceeded it could have been damaged. Likewise, the VFD driver doesn't want to see anything over 80vdc so if you're pumping in 90 volts, that chip could also be damaged. In this case, that zener is present to protect the VFD tube(and VFD driver chip). It's not designed to be a regulator. If your tweeking the software keep the duty cycle of the high voltage regulator such that the high voltage stays below 60vdc under normal operating conditions.

[DY3JPW]

I decided to give you an update to my prediciment--The high voltage I was getting was due to old batteries in my multimeter. I tried a different multimeter and was getting a steady < 60V reading. I put new batteries in my other multimeter and poof. Same readings...duh. Just an FYI.

My next problem, and it is not my multimeter this time , the display of the tube goes on but after a few seconds it turns off. I read some postings about this and I don't think it is the same problem but not sure. I tried taking out the transistor and then putting a jumper between the two outside pads but get the same result. I think it has to do something with either the Tube or the maxium chip because it holds the voltage 42+ with the maxium chip installed but then when the tube goes on the voltage drops after 5-10 seconds.

Any ideas, or posts that I might have missed?

Thanks everyone is very helpful here.

[hlantz]

Do you have the fuse installed, and if so, is it getting hot? Is it the right spec?