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[on:]

I want to make a nixie tube watch and i recently bought 2 in-17's and i started playing with them but i can't quite figure out how to make the arduino output of 5v go to 120-180v that the nixie tube requires... im going to use 2 74141 to control them and im going to use one shift register to give the 4 inputs for each of the 74141's. Can someone help me find out how to power these and how and where the power should be applied, please and thank you! =)

[Reply #1 on:]

You have to buy a power supply for nixie.
Loot at :
http://www.ogilumen.com/index.php
You can get idea how to put it all together from their site.
But price too high,
I'd suggest to search in i-net, I've seen as chip as 13$ power supply for nixie.

[Reply #2 on:]

Well what components go into it? anything really special i wouldn't be able to buy at an electronics store? like anything i might have to buy on ebay from russia. and i want to make my own because im going to make my own pcb. and which i-net? i've never been there and can't find the url

[Reply #3 on:]

It's pretty simple, arduino provide a digital output
to this chip (binary-decimal decoder). and nixie + resistor + power supply
display a visual performance.
I don't think you have to buy something from russian, but
their stuff could be low in price, they have produced a astonishing quantity of
74141's. during 80's and 90's, (chips o'k after 20 years of storage, warranty more than 25 years,), , with different name, you can read it
http://www.ogilumen.com/index.php
It's "K155ID1"
What I'm saying, price 65$ for power supply too high,
you can find chipper, or if money not a question, just touch them

[Reply #4 on:]

oh well yeah i understand that part, but i want to actually make it, i want to intergrate it into one of my own projects and i dont have enough space to use another chip... my question is where would you give it the hundred and somthing volts of power, to the 74141 (which i already have) or do you amplify it afterwards or how does that work?

[Reply #5 on:]

Leonidas-the nixie tube needs at least 150 volts, 120 volts will not work. It is best to use around 170-200 volts for reliability. In order to get this voltage, you must construct a boost circuit. This is from my site documenting the nixie clock I am working on, http://sites.google.com/site/willyager/nixie-clock.

I believe an older (but working) version of the code is there, and so is a picture of the actual circuit. I have run it from both 9 and 12 volts with no problem (I don't think 5 volts will work) and it is stable with 1 or more mA of current draw. It is really just a standard boost circuit with some custom code to regulate the voltage to what I want (right now it's at 166 volts, but higher is probably better).

[Reply #6 on:]

Have you looked at the links where the flash charge circuit in a disposable camera is used to create the higher voltage?

[Reply #7 on:]

isn't there a way to make the boost circuit without another microcontroller? I havent really programmed anything else but an arduino and thats kinda what i want to stick to... can i use another method to boost the power? lwith just components like a small transformer or something along those lines?

[Reply #8 on:]

Yes - that's what the disposable camera method does.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Disposibal-Camera-Nixie-Tube-Driver/

Start here & do some research.

[Reply #9 on:]

isn't there a way to make the boost circuit without another microcontroller? I havent really programmed anything else but an arduino and thats kinda what i want to stick to... can i use another method to boost the power? lwith just components like a small transformer or something along those lines?

Sure, if you want a crappy driver... you can use the arduino to control it pretty easily. Just do some google searching.