RobG

1,637 orders since May 18, 2013

Cary, NC, United States of America

Ships from United States of America.

Custom Work Available

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Overall Rating:

Review Breakdown

Average Ratings

Product: (4.82)

Documentation: (4.50)

Shipping: (4.78)

Communication: (4.68)

All Reviews

Artemio | Sept. 4, 2016

Overall Great product at awesome price

For PixelFlood 20W RGB flood light (WS2811 pixel)

Love the the lights and love the fact that the I did not have to solder the SMDs like the first time I bought the 10w RGBs. Thanks

Travis | Aug. 29, 2016

Awesome

For 10W RGB flood light kit (dumb RGB)

This is just what i have been looking for. I tried to diy for a while when it clicked why i was burning out leds. And i came across this. Awesome product!!!

Ned | Aug. 16, 2016

Clock is fine, case is unacceptable

For MSP430 Nixie Clock kit

Any clock involving nixie tubes operating at >100VDC absolutely requires a case that prevents inadvertent contact with high voltage. But what's sold as a case here is simply two plexiglass sheets that cover the front and back only, leaving all four sides open.

Of course it's possible to fabricate a case for the thing. But I shouldn't have to.

Andrew | July 22, 2016

Great Product

For MSP430 Nixie Clock kit

I received the order quickly, and it came in perfect condition. It looks amazing, and I can't wait to show my friends my new nixie clock!

William | July 20, 2016

Great Nixie clock, fun to build

For MSP430 Nixie Clock kit

Received it quickly, built it in three casual evenings. Could have easily built it in one sitting.
Communication is EXCELLENT. I had a problem and emailed my issue and received a reply the next day. Turns out the problem was totally my fault in having one of the chips improperly seated in it's socket.
This is the third nixie clock I've built, it was enjoyable to build, the instructions are clear. (I'm not an electronics expert by any means)
For the price this is an excellent nixie kit, it's a simple clock.
Oh, another fun thing, I write software for a living and the MSP430 chip is programmable and I just might try my hand at modifying the C code that runs the clock!

Andrew | May 27, 2016

Excellent project

For MSP430 Nixie Clock kit

I was able to complete this in a but two hours total. Documentation and instructions were easy to follow and even with limited soldering experience, it worked the first time.

James | May 10, 2016

Great Lights

For PixelFlood 10W RGB flood light kit (WS2811 pixel)

It is wonderful that Rob G. Makes this possible. I never soldiered a board before now and it was easily completed with the wiki instructions. The price and shipping are fair. These pixel acting flood lights will be used in my holiday displays and as yard decoration.

Matthew | May 2, 2016

Thanks RobG!

For PixelFlood 20W RGB flood light (WS2811 pixel)

Fast shipping, great product. I don't know why this review needs to have 100 characters, but I'm filling the space with this sentence.

Matteo | April 13, 2016

Very nice

For PixelFlood 20W RGB flood light (WS2811 pixel)

With the surface mount components already attached it was incredibly fast easy to get this operational, 30 minutes max

Tony | March 18, 2016

Good Job Rob!

For Color LCD Booster Pack 2.4" 320x240

Great product. Rob G great job. I was wondering if Rob has any future plans for a larger display but low cost. The software package is good what would be very helpfull would be a recomendation of a software library for building GUIs . Years ago there was something called C-Scape which really fit the need for taking a lot of the underlying grunt work out of building GUIs especially for embedded (not OS except RTOS's. Do you have any feedback on this for me?

Alfred | Feb. 14, 2016

MSP430 Nixie Clock

For MSP430 Nixie Clock kit

I assembled the Nixie clock in about 3 hours and it works great. I set the blue LED intensity down low so you get just a bit of blue glow against the orange from the tubes. Looks great at night and has good intensity for daytime too. Highly recommend. And it keeps good time too...

James | Feb. 7, 2016

Excellent kit, great value and fun to build

For MSP430 Nixie Clock kit

This was my very first attempt at something like this and I couldn't be happier with the result - I have a fully operational Nixie clock that makes me smile every time I gaze at it .. I goofed up with the power supply using AC instead of DC but Rob was quick to reply and diagnose the issue. I'd recommend this kit to both veterans and careful novices without hesitation. Again - the result is an incredibly cool clock !

Milton | Feb. 4, 2016

Excellent Customer Service

For MSP430 Nixie Clock kit

When I received this kit, I immediately was transported back to my younger days building Heathkit projects. I apparently went back too far and didn't realize I installed the LM1117 backwards. Needless to say, it didn't work. After some troubleshooting with Rob, he agreed to send me a replacement AT NO CHARGE. Once that was installed, I was good to go! Excellent customer server and a wonderful kit!!!

Tucker | Jan. 28, 2016

Fantastic Kit!

For MSP430 Nixie Clock kit

Great kit! Documentation very clear. Easy and fun build. Only took a few hours to assemble. The finished kit is top notch and rivals nixie kits that cost much more!

Rick | Jan. 16, 2016

Great kit!

For PixelFlood 10W RGB flood light kit (WS2811 pixel)

Great kit, thanks for putting this together. A much better solution if you have a full e1.31 pixel network. Easy to assemble with the instructions found in wiki. Just bought 5 more kits.

Rick | Jan. 8, 2016

Fun build and you get a really cool clock too!

For MSP430 Nixie Clock kit

I have nothing but good things to say about experience. The pcb is well made and thoughtfully planned. The documentation is easy to follow and the clock, well, it's a nixie clock and for under fifty bucks! It simultaneously keeps time and looks cool. I had a small problem owing to a power issue. Rob got me on track straight away.

Would I recommend this kit? You bet!

Update. My nixie is still running a year and a half later. I still very pleased with it. The clock seems to run a little fast gaining up a couple of minutes a month, no big deal as it is easy enough to set. I stand my my original recommendation. It is a great kit for a great price!

Mark | Dec. 16, 2015

Great kit, Great price

For MSP430 Nixie Clock kit

I've wanted to build a Nixie clock but other kits are too expensive. This one is a give away I think. Easy to build. Mine had a problem with the 180v power section which was traced to a bad diode. I replaced this with a 1N4007 and all was well. Looks great. It does not have battery back up so looses the time on every power up but the time is easy to set. You need to supply 12VDC at about 350mA. The blue LEDs make it look great. Since the Nixies are multiplexed they are not too bright but fine. A note to the designer: add a mode to run seconds as it is really fun to watch the Nixies and once a minute is too long to wait. Maybe a seconds count for the minute and hold the time for a bit, then count again.

Daniel | Dec. 8, 2015

10w led driver - nice kit, easy to use.

For PixelFlood 10W RGB flood light kit (WS2811 pixel)

It would be nice if there were an option to buy the kit with the 10w led module.
no other feedback.

Karl | Nov. 29, 2015

Great kit for the price

For MSP430 Nixie Clock kit

While I don't think this would be a good kit for a beginner, it is fairly easy to build. The circuit board is high quality and labelled well. I agree with others that the really small parts are hard to identify, but Rob's assembly guide helps. The one thing I wish for is a battery backup so that I don't have to reset the time when it is powered off.

Ashley | Nov. 29, 2015

Great Kit

For MSP430 Nixie Clock kit

I purchased this kit as a birthday gift for my tech nerd boyfriend. The kit was shipped quickly and packaged well. I didn't have any hiccups that required conversing with the seller, so I cannot accurately rate "communication".

I asked the BF who assembled the kit for his review, he said:
"The kit was well thought out, well documented, and a pleasure to assemble. The online assembly video was helpful, and I'd recommend this to anyone who wants a well done nixie clock kit. The only thing I would maybe add to make the clock even better is a battery backup."

Adam | Oct. 13, 2015

Awesome product, extremely happy with seller.

For MSP430 Nixie Clock kit

I ordered one Nixie clock, built it and d/t inexperienced soldering burnt out one of the chips. I had a very tight deadline for a birthday present, Rob was kind enough to ship me a second clock, pre-built as well as the spare chips to fix the original quickly. Luckily the replacement chips fixed the original and i was able to give my grandfather the clock i build on my own, housed in an oak display box with a glass lid. Now i have a the second nixie clock for myself in the same type of enclosure and love how it looks. The birthday present was a hit and everyone who saw it was very interested.
Wouldnt hesitate to order again.

p.s. Tindie really needs to fix their image linking, I was unable to upload an image and ive seen several posts say the same.
Adam Review Image

Brian | Oct. 5, 2015

Awesome Clock Kit, A+

For MSP430 Nixie Clock kit

This is an awesome clock kit at a great price. The kit is well fabricated, very well document and simple to put together. I have already ordered another one to give as a gift. I hope to see more kits from this seller, they are a real value. I hope in the future we see a kit with six digits, battery backup and the ability to turn the tubes off on a timer :). I would recommend this kit for anyone with a love of the classic nixie tubes.

Brian
Va. Beach, VA
Review Image

Mason | Sept. 21, 2015

Great kit for an amazing price.

For MSP430 Nixie Clock kit

Assembly was pretty straight forward, only took about 30 minutes. It's been running for a few weeks now without loosing a minute.
On first power up I thought I did something wrong because only the back lights came on. Turns out the power adapter I was using didn't have enough current. Swapped it out with a different one and it came right up.
The only thing I would change would be to add some additional de-bounce to the setting switches.

With the price point I can imagine Robg is going to have a tough time keeping up with demand!

Kevin | Sept. 21, 2015

NICE!

For MSP430 Nixie Clock kit

Just got around to building it. everything went smoothly. I decided on the led being from the back side. I had in mind to encase it in wood so I didn't purchase the clear case option. For the Nixie tube , the A on the board correspond to the arrow on the tube if you're wondering what direction the tube is.

I had to rank the communication in the review.... I didn't need to communicate with the seller. All was good.

Hank | Sept. 19, 2015

Great Kit

For MSP430 Nixie Clock kit

I really enjoyed building this kit. I also appreciate that Robert included the option to purchase plastic front and back plates with the necessary spacers.

One word of advice to purchasers - the resistors and ceramic capacitors are quite small and I found the color codes and printing on the caps a bit hard to read; not Robert's fault of course. I suggest having a magnifying glass and a volt-ohm meter available to confirm that you are selecting and placing the correct parts.

Robert included a schematic, parts placement diagrams, and an great PDF showing the pictures of each of the parts - all very helpful.

I would definitely purchase any other kits Robert might offer in the future.

Great Job.

Eric | Sept. 3, 2015

Great product

For MSP430 Nixie Clock kit

I got finished assembling the clock today and a loving it.

The only thing that is missing from the documentation is usage instructions. But, it didn't take me long to figure out what each of the two buttons does to program the device.

Suggestion for improvement: Add a RTC so that the owner doesn't have to reset the clock each time after the clock was turned off.

Also tried to upload an image to this review but that failed 5 times so am giving up on that. Review Image

Chris | Aug. 25, 2015

Great kit

For MSP430 Nixie Clock kit

While not a trivial build due to all the various resistor levels, it was not particularly difficult. The instructions are very clear and easy to follow. I opted not to install the blue LEDs so I could get a more old-school look. The final result is beautiful. I love this clock. One note is that it does emit a bit of a high-pitched whine; I wouldn't want to sit next to it all day, although many people probably wouldn't even notice it.

Thanks for selling a fantastic kit!

Clark | May 16, 2015

nice :-)

For MSP430 Nixie Clock kit

When I was a kid in the 70's my dad and I used to make clocks from old frequency counters - this was a fun, nostalgic, kit! The leds that came with the kit might have been mislabeled as they work, but not at the 3v (that seems a reasonable voltage after the resistors to me...) I measure at the solder pads. Frankly, the display without the blue leds is much more in tune with my memories - I doubt I'll rummage through my parts to find ones that work.

I have paid _much_ more for kits of this quality!

Response from RobG | May 18, 2015

Hi Clark,
looks like you have discovered a problem with PCB.
The latest PCB batch has a missing piece of track.

If your LEDs don't work, please contact me and I will let you know how to fix it.

Thanks,
Rob.

Al | May 8, 2015

Awesome; blue LED back-lighting of Nixie tubes looks great!

For MSP430 Nixie Clock kit

This is a great clock kit with very clever led/blue back-lighting of the glass "nixie" tubes - which gives it a unique and attractive appearance. Assembly is straight forward - although there are a lot of soldered joints to make and it will take some time if you want a neat/clean finished board. Allow 3 hours to do the job well and ensure you have a soldering iron that has a small tip. Here are a couple of pointer: a) for the power supply, ensure that the center pin is positive (the usual convention). Also, read the comments or watch the video to learn how to use the push button controls (both these points should be covered in the installation instructions IMHO). Also consider purchasing the perspex case if you don't have plans to build your own. One other point: in the assembly instructions, there are a couple of images to allow you to choose between mounting the glass tube LEDs either on the front of the board, or into a central hole on the rear of the board. These images don't point out, that in the photos, two nixie tubes are shown with "front" lighting, and two are shown with rear lighting. I'd recommend lighting from the rear. Would I buy another one: Yes - actually my son already wants one... :) Question to the (talented) designer: When is the 6-tube version (HH MM SS) coming out with an option for a 1 pulse-per-second input to sync the time to a GPS chip?

Randal | May 3, 2015

Where can I find the V3 Schematic?

For 2.2" Color LCD Booster Pack (320x240)

I have been using the V2 versions with Tiva and CC3200 LaunchPads and have recently purchased 2 of the V3 Booster Packs. Where can I find the V3 Schematic?

Response from RobG | May 4, 2015

Hi,
documentation link now points to the v3 schematic.
http://430things.com/pdf/320x240_LCD_BP_v3.pdf
If you want to use your existing code, you have to change solder bridges JP1, JP2, and JP4 from #1 to #2.

Paul | April 17, 2015

RobG Nixie Clock

For MSP430 Nixie Clock kit

Completed this kit today and it works! It did take a while to summon the courage to install Soviet-era vacuum tubes. Once I was past that, it was easy.

All parts are included and everything is well marked, so no mysteries in assembly. It even runs on a 9 volt battery (not sure for how long).

Thanks for explaining how to set the time.

Details: the Nixie tubes use the same shape for 2 and 5. The 5 is an upside-down 2!

Response from RobG | April 17, 2015

Hi Paul,
top button cycles through functions: 1- set hour, 2- set minutes, 3- set mode 12/24hr, 4- dim LEDs
bottom button changes the value: hours 1-12 or 0-23, minutes 0-59, mode 12 or 24, dim level 0-9
If you don't press any switch for 5 sec, clock goes back to it's normal operation

Dan | March 29, 2015

Easy, Gorgeous, and Affordable Kit!

For MSP430 Nixie Clock kit

I saw this kit come up in Tindie’s twitter feed, and instantly knew that I wanted one. It’s relatively inexpensive, not very complex, and it looks amazing (especially with the acrylic front and back plates). And Nixie Tubes! I love the effect and being able to see the inner workings of these very much Old School display devices. The build was pretty straight-forward, and I’m really happy with the final product. It turns out that Rob was sitting a few tables down from us at NC Maker Faire last year, so it was neat to connect with someone local. Thanks Rob! Review Image

Teresa | March 22, 2015

Great kit - lots of fun to build - detailed instructions

For MSP430 Nixie Clock kit

I just finished building this Nixie clock and really enjoyed it. The circuit board is very well designed and the Nixie tubes look great. I like building electronics kits for the fun, the learning, and the relaxation - for me it's like a jigsaw puzzle on steroids. This was a perfect weekend kit.

Update: pictured here with a very basic 3d printed enclosure. I totally forgot to put an opening for the buttons, so that'll be the next print. Review Image

Chris | March 19, 2015

Fantastic kit!

For MSP430 Nixie Clock kit

Fantastic kit! The parts were well laid out and were easy to solder. Instructions were nice and clear - Rob also provided documentation via Email which was nice. I will probably tweak the code a bit - but that's the nice thing about this type of kit :) Clock is easy to use, setting the time and brightness is very easy. Looks phenomenal on my desk (I got the extra acrylic front plate). I personally like the blue LEDs (although I know a lot of others don't) - but they're optional and can be dimmed or disabled via settings.

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