The VFD Modular Clock is a clock based on old-fashioned VFD Display Tubes.

VFD is short for Vacuum Flourescent Display. A VFD display is typically green or blue, and emits a bright light with high contrast. VFD Displays are often found in car radios.

A VFD Display tube looks like an old Vacuum Tube, the predecessor to the transistor. The inside of the tube contains segments that can be lit up to form numbers and letters. Most tubes contain segments for one digit, and several must be stacked together to make a complete display. The clock itself is modular, it comes with a base board, which is powered by an ATMega32U4 microcontroller and contains a high-voltage VFD driver that is used to light up the display shield that sits on the top board. It comes pre-programmed with the Arduino Leonardo bootloader and firmware. It can be re-programmed from the Arduino IDE (open source firmware).

This version of the clock requires 1x 8-digit 7-segment IV-18 tube.

Select the option "With 1x IV-18 tube included" if you do not have any tubes.

If you already have IV-18 tubes, you can choose the option without tubes instead (default). Everything else needed for to build the kit will still be included.

We are currently shipping version 2.3 of the clock, which includes an upgraded base board with Arduino-based firmware and built-in Four Letter Word generator.

Tubes

IV-18 tubes are becoming rare and prices are rising. Because of this, we no longer have regular stock of the tube, but we will continue to list the clock without tubes. For buying a single tube, eBay is a good source.

Features

• Modular design: The display tube shields are swappable
• Atmega32U4 microcontroller with Arduino Leonardo bootloader
• Powered from a 5V USB mini-b connector. Can be powered directly from a computer.
• HV5812 VFD driver with 20 outputs: Can drive up to four 16-segment alphanumeric displays or twelve 7-segment numerical displays.
• Open source firmware (available at GitHub)
• DS3231M Real Time Clock with backup battery
• Four Letter Word functionality (comes with word association database EEPROM)
• GPS support in firmware (requires separate GPS module)
• Acrylic enclosure available separately

Acrylic enclosure

See here for information about the optional enclosure: http://www.akafugu.jp/posts/products/vfd-modular-clock/assembly-case/