The instructions are fairly basic but the steps are logically grouped and it is not hard to avoid mistakes. For example, one nice touch is that the PNP transistors are packaged separately so you can't really mess that up - as long you don't dump all of the parts.

Also I highly recommend getting the optional acrylic panels for safety and appearance. 180V DC probably isn't going to be lethal but you can easily get a little buzz if you accidentally touch components on the edge of the board.

A few minor suggestions:

* There are 48 tube pins (12 * 4) necessary for the 4 Nixie tubes. And you get exactly...48 pins. It wouldn't hurt to throw in a couple of extra of the little/cheap components to account for packing errors or accidentally dropped parts.

* The Nixie tubes are a little on the dim side. Having the ability to adjust the tube brightness in software would be nice or at least a hardware option.

* A few more configuration options would be nice, such as a non-blinking separator and additional (less active) cathode poisoning prevention options.

* I realize this is explicitly a MSP430 kit but I can't help but wish there was a way to use an alternate microcontroller that supports WiFi and NTP. Maybe an option to interface via I2C?

* Providing a layout schematic would be useful. I accidentally lifted a pad on the MSP430 but fortunately it was easy enough to trace the route and replace it with a bodge wire.

* I haven't contacted the kit creator yet to ask about source code but including that in the documentation zip file would be appreciated.

* A simple 3D printed case or STL file that works with the acrylic panels to completely enclose the clock would be good addition. I might see if I can whip something up.

* The seconds appear to be based on the hard reset time. So if you're particular about the exact time, you need to remove the battery and power up the device at precisely HH:MM:00. I would have expected that changing the minutes would also reset the seconds to zero, like most clocks.

Response from RobG | Jan. 4, 2021

Hi, thank you for your kind review and suggestions. Source code is available on the 43oh.com site, but I will add it as a download option here on Tindie.
Rob.

Erik | March 7, 2020

Amazing kit at great value

For MSP430 Nixie Clock kit

I still can't believe I have a well designed, working nixie clock with great features for the relatively little $ I spent. I am most impressed with the engineering and design considerations that went into this kit. It's really easy to set up once assembled and this is with just 2 buttons so that's design brilliance itself. This kit was not hard to put together, and the detailed and illustrated documentation cleared up any potentially confusing details, such as diode identification. But I advise to really pay attention to details as there's a lot that could go wrong if you put something backwards or switch components. I chose to back light the nixies with green LEDs rather than the included blue. The choice of LED color is really consequential as the nixie color is so brilliant. My son thinks it should be red but I'm not sure I coudl handle so much fire and brimstone. It could be nice for the seller to offer a choice of LED color you would select on purchasing but I can see that being a hard decision. It's not a big deal to change them out anyway. I got a shipping notification about a week after ordering so I had to be a little patient. One electrolytic cap was missing and one was a different voltage than spec but I was able to confirm quickly the suitable replacements I could use with the seller who responded quickly to my question about it.

Patrick | Aug. 18, 2019

Works great!!

For PixelFlood 20W RGB flood light (WS2811 pixel)

A little slow to ship but I am sure this is not his day job. This COB LED board is really bright! Worked well with a Bluetooth smart-pixel controller and an old dell 19V laptop power supply I had lying around. I am ordering another now!

Tim | Jan. 25, 2019

It took me 50 years, but I finally got some nixie tubes

For MSP430 Nixie Clock kit

Great kit, and something I've wanted to have (OK, well anything with a nixie) for about 50 years, ever since I saw them in probably some Popular Electronics or HAM radio magazine. I'm glad I stumbled onto Tindie on Twitter via a few makers who'd mentioned the kit being in stock again.

The kit went together well, and I really appreciated the close up photos of the different components to help differentiate them. Especially with the capacitors and diodes. I was pretty pleased when I gave it power first time that it lit up and worked! Doubts were only in my own mind RE: my soldering, etc. and not the kit.

One little comment in terms of instructions. I had to look a few times to confirm that you really were supposed to solder the body of the crystal down to the board. If not for the photos I'd probably have missed that part.

Mark | Feb. 24, 2018

Awesome Clock

For MSP430 Nixie Clock kit

Great kit. Assembly was straightforward. Read everything before you start. Component identification is at the end of the build instructions. Overall this is a great kit. I will have to build another one.

Rayman | Jan. 19, 2018

Love It

For MSP430 Nixie Clock kit

Great kit, easy to follow instructions, and it looks beautiful! This is the least expensive nixie tube clock I could find, yet it is still high quality.

David | Dec. 27, 2017

This is the one to get.

For MSP430 Nixie Clock kit

Very well packaged. I had no problem assembling and I do recommend the plastic case if you are not supplying your own. The setting is of the clock is straightforward.

Travis | June 12, 2017

Awesome!!

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

I have bought these a few times now and love them. I also bought the 20w version and the dumb 10w version. Love them all. Thanks so much Rob!!

Jon | May 18, 2017

Excellent packaging and quality product

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

Had to search online for assembly instructions.
Would be nice to at least include a photo of a finished board OF THE SAME REVISION
My boards are Rev 7 and instructions online are older than that. Not much difference but enough to slow me down.

Thomas | Feb. 23, 2017

Great little project

For MSP430 Nixie Clock kit

Built it over two consecutive nights while wranglin' my kids. Awesome little clock, I look forward to integrating it into a 3D printed enclosure. Great work!

Dale | Feb. 14, 2017

This product rocks....

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

After trying some of my own designs this product totally out did mine. The communications where great when needed.

Ian | Jan. 30, 2017

Great Nixie Project Clock

For MSP430 Nixie Clock kit

This is a really neat looking nixie clock. Took a couple of hours between work projects to solder it up.
So maybe an hour for me to do it. I would recommend using RA flux when you solder the pins for the Nixies in.
I used MG #835 and it worked perfectly. I put the flux on all of the pins then put a blob of solder on my iron (A real Hakko 888).
The touched the solder blob (60/40) to the pin. Soldered it in a second without overheating the tube.

Also i noted that in the nixie tube, there is a pin that has white ceramic surround (inside the glass).
That is the Anode pin and should line up with the silkscreen on the PCB. The pins are symmetric so you can put it in backwards.
I didn’t notice in the manual that it was noted so i thought i should mention it.

Another thing, put it all of the chips before you put the battery holder and the other tall parts in.
Same for soldering in the DC jack. Put that in before you solder the other components in that cover or are near it.
That would have been good to know before i did it. But with some fancy iron movements i got it all.

Also get the Acrylic case, its really nice and makes the clock a lot safer to have around.

So all in all, i would definitely recommend buying it!

Francis | Jan. 12, 2017

Very nice kits!

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

These kits are very easy to assemble. I highly recommend you put the LED on the underside of the board to prevent the board from shorting against the enclosure you put it in.

Response from RobG | Jan. 12, 2017

I usually put a piece of plastic sheet between PCB and enclosure (folder dividers are great for that.)
If you mount LED on the bottom, make sure to isolate pads on the top with tape, they may come in contact with the reflector.

Mark | Oct. 21, 2016

MSP430 Easy to Order - Easy to Build - Works Great

For MSP430 Nixie Clock kit

I ordered the MSP430 because I wanted to see what the Tindie customer experience was and because it looked like a cool kit. Placing the order with a credit card was simple and easy and I received the kit in only 5 days. The documentation was good and I had no trouble assembling the clock in 1 evening and 1 afternoon. Once assembled, everything worked just fine. I brought up everything one section at a time, first testing that the 3.3 VDC regulator was working, then that the microcontroller was sending signals (I have an oscilloscope) and then turning on the 180 VDC power supply. I just bought some black and gray smoke acrylic sheets to make a box for the clock so I can hang it on a wall.

At $39.75 USD, just the Russian nixie tubes are worth the cost of the kit. My only suggestion would be to add an alarm function in the firmware. You could just add a few more numbered functions to add an Alarm Hour, Alarm Minute and Alarm On/Off setting for the clock. An alarm event could flash the numbers and the LED backlight for a set time (30 seconds or so to eliminate the need for a snooze button).

Response from RobG | Oct. 23, 2016

Thanks for your review.
I will consider alarm clock for my next version.
That said, the source code is available and can be modified to fit your needs (you can program MCU with TI's MSP-EXP430G2 LaunchPad ($10) and Code Composer Studio IDE, standalone or cloud.)
Also, you can use J1 header to attach small piezo buzzer (active or passive via 0.1uF)

Neil | Sept. 8, 2016

Affordable and fun!

For MSP430 Nixie Clock kit

This was a great project! I've been looking for a cheap way to build a Nixie clock, but felt like it was too pricey for cheap kits. This one was easy to build, documentation was good, and easy to get running. Great project!!!

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

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...

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.

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.

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!

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

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?

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

Daniel | Jan. 3, 2015

Very economical and easy to build nixie clock.

For MSP430 Nixie Clock kit

This is the first Nixie clock I have built. I was going to build my own from scratch but it's much easier building on a premade pcb. Worked with no problems except one of the blue LED's was bad. I replaced it with another I had. I would highly recommend this kit. There could be small improvements such as battery backup but of course this would increase the cost of the kit. Very economical for a simple Nixie clock.

Bradley | Dec. 30, 2014

Works great but small error UGL for v3

For 2.2" Color LCD Booster Pack (320x240)

Everything about this board was perfect except for a small error in the libraries when using v3. See here for more info:

http://forum.stellarisiti.com/topic/1948-library-color-lcd-graphics-library/page-2

Response from RobG | Dec. 30, 2014

Thank you for your review.

There's no error in my UGL library. Two of the pins are defined for v2 of my board, not v3 (you have to change 3 numbers to make it work with v3.)
Update to my library is coming soon (new LPs, LCDs, and touch support.)

Also, my library was not meant to be used with Energia.

Jennifer | Dec. 27, 2014

Overall a good purchase.

For MSP430 Nixie Clock kit

I bought this for my husband for Christmas and he loved it. He put it together and it's being displayed proudly.

Dennis | Dec. 26, 2014

Great Nixie Kit

For MSP430 Nixie Clock kit

Great kit at a nice price with PS and Case. Very easy to build, take time to sort the resistors. Haven't had a kit this good since HeathKit disappeared!

I put more filters on the LEDs - cut from a grey static bag. At setting 1 they were still too bright.

One suggestion on any revision. Put a blinking colon or blink the background per second.

Jim | Dec. 25, 2014

Fantastic fun and design

For MSP430 Nixie Clock kit

THANK YOU for such a great product!!!
This was well designed and fun to assemble.
Having built these kinds of things in the past, I really appreciate the efforts that went into this kit.
It is obvious that a lot of thought went into it. The LED backlights are a great embellishment, nice touch.

It worked with no problems encountered. The excellent part photos were very helpful for I.D.
I found that the resistor color code is hard to read with my older eyes so a multimeter was essential to verify the values before soldering them in.
I plan on buying more to give as gifts for friends.
The documentation was perfect for my skill level but a beginner may need more ? Hard to say.

Can't recommend this vender enough.
THANK YOU!!!

Asseml

Patrick | Dec. 22, 2014

Nice LCD module at a bargain price.

For 2.2" Color LCD Booster Pack (320x240)

I have used this LCD module with a TIVA Launchpad and a CC3200 Launchpad. The PCB hosting the LCD module is very nicely laid out. It features some solder jumpers for IO selection and an optional control of the backlight. I had to look around the TIVO and MSP430 forums to find the documentation (schematics of the board, data sheet for the LCD controller IC and a TIVA library) It would be nice to have a link from the product page to a ZIP file containing all of this.
Nice product!

Pete | Nov. 16, 2014

Love it.

For MSP430 Nixie Clock kit

Was very easy to assemble and fun to do... Yeah, I had a geek smile the whole time. Powered it up and worked perfectly... beautiful work. Review Image

Michael | Nov. 7, 2014

Love it!

For MSP430 Nixie Clock kit

There was 1 piece missing from the kit (3.3k resistor) or it would get 5 starts across the board. Clock went together well, documents were clear and easy. Price is great and I love the way this thing looks. Response to my questions was immediate. Thanks a ton! Will hopefully post another pic once I get the enclosure finished. Review Image

Response from RobG | Nov. 7, 2014

Thanks, I am glad you like it.
Considering you got the kit #1, 1 resistor missing is not that bad I think :) I will make sure this is corrected.

Kyle | Oct. 7, 2014

Overall nice

For 2.2" Color LCD Booster Pack (320x240)

Once he posted the schematic it all came together and worked well. A BOM would be nice if we would like to use the LCD in another design on a custom board, but it works well for what it's purpose is.