VFD-Tube Clock with ESP32 DevKit-C incl. acrylic case (170573-71)

Vintage components, up-to-date internet technology

The VFD-Tube clock (Vacuum Fluorescent Display) uses an NTP server on the Internet to keep the time synchronized. It is built around an ESP32-DevKitC module.

This Arduino compatible board not only has a powerful processor but also has Wi-Fi and Bluetooth onboard. The Wi-Fi connection is used to synchronize the time.

When the clock is switched on, it connects to the network and synchronizes with the NTP server instantaneously. This is significantly better than synchronization via radio time servers or even via GPS.

Display board: date & temperature

Six widely available Russian IV-22 7-segment VFD-Tubes make up the display of the date and time, in combination with two DM160 VFD indicators, flashing between the hours, minutes and seconds.

Arduino controlled

The program for the VFD-Tube clock was written using Arduino IDE v1.8.5. An Arduino core for the ESP32 software package available as an extension to the Arduino IDE.

• Documentation available here.
• Firmware available here.
• Assembly instructions available here.

Features

• 9 V_DC supply, maximum 3 A
• Displays hours, minutes and seconds, the date and the temperature
• Several display formats for the time, date and temperature
• Supports DS18B20, DS18S20, DS1822, LM75 and SE95 sensors
• User configurable RGB background lighting
• 1-wire and I²C interfaces
• Night mode

Full kit (all parts included)

• Complete kit for VFD-Tube clock
• Main Board + Display Board + RGB Background Lighting Board (bare PCB’s)
• 6 x IV-22 + 2 x DM160 (or equivalent) VFD-Tubes
• All components: Resistors, Capacitors, Semiconductors, Miscellaneous (connectors, sockets heat-shrink sleeving, fuse holder etc.)
• All mechanical parts (aluminum standoffs, etc.)
• Enclosure for VFD-Tube clock
• Laser cut acrylic panels
• All mechanical parts (screws, nuts, rubber feet, standoffs, etc.)
• Power Supply
• ESP32 DevKit-C board
• Assembly instructions (see download section – V1 updated 2018-04-26)

This product uses the same layout as in the New Precise Nixie Clock, published in the May/June 2016 issue of Elektor.

Update 29-05-2018:

Firmware update with new features:

• Number of time adjustments extended from 1 to 4 sets (allows multiple timezones and daylight saving time)
• More details in the updated manual revision 3

Assembly Manual Revision (v3) (see details below)