4 layers65 × 33 mm
4 layers134 × 33 mm
Nixie clock
anders-bzn/nixie-clock1Rasberry Pi nixie clock with six digits and NTP sync
- Size
- 134 × 33 mm
- Copper layers
- 4
- Thickness
- 1.6 mm
- Parts
- 41
- Nets
- 138
- Pads
- 316
- Tracks, vias
- 748, 61
- Pours
- 1
- Routed
- Yes
- KiCad
- KiCad 8.0 (file 20240108)
- Created
- 24 Jun 2025
- Updated
- 24 Jun 2025
Overview
Nixie clock is an open-source printed circuit board by anders-bzn, from the anders-bzn/nixie-clock repository on GitHub. It is a 4-layer board of 134 × 33 mm with 41 parts on 138 nets, routed with 748 tracks and 61 vias.
It is built around the TCA9406DCT, PMBTA42 and PMBTA92. Its parts include 10 capacitors, 9 ICs, 9 connectors, 7 resistors and 2 transistors. It belongs with the lEDs and displays boards of this library.
Main components
3
TCA9406DCT
SSOP82-Bit Bidirectional 1-MHz, I2C Bus and SMBus Voltage-Level Translator with 8-kV HBM ESDTexas InstrumentsUncategorised
PMBTA42
SOT-23-65℃~+150℃ 1 NPN 100mA 100nA 25 250mW 300V 500mV 50MHz 6V NPN SOT-23 Bipolar (BJT) ROHSNexperiaBipolar (BJT)PMBTA92
SOT-23-65℃~+150℃ 1 PNP 100mA 250mW 250nA 300V 40 500mV 50MHz 5V PNP SOT-23 Bipolar (BJT) ROHSNexperiaBipolar (BJT)
README
README.mdAbout the Nixie Clock
This is a clock powered by a Raspberry Pi Zero W. It fetches current time by NTP and must be connected to a WiFi network to display the time.
The time is displayed on six IN-14 nixie tubes driven by six 74141. No multiplexing! The intensity can be adjusted by PWM.
PCB's
There are in total five PCB's in this project. All boards are drawn with KiCad 8.0.
Board nixie-bottom
Bottom lid, no electrical function.
Board nixie-clock
The main board, it hold gpio-expanders and driver IC's for the tubes. It also connects to the PSU board, Raspberry Pi and the nixie tube board.
Board nixie-clock-psu
Power supply board, creates 5V DC and 170V DC from 12V DC. The 170V is created by a step up converter built using a MAX1771 IC. The 5V is created by a integrated switched regulator.
Board nixie-clock-tubes
Upper board on which all tubes are mounted.
Board nixie-top
Top lid, no electrical function.
Software
The clocks software is written in Python. It's just a simple poll loop that set the new time on gpio's on the gpio-expanders every time the second changes. It's started as a systemd service at boot time.
To install the software on the Raspberry Pi, copy the ./sw folder to the Raspberry Pi and install the software by:
$ sudo ./clock-setup.sh
$ sudo rebootNOTE: ./sw/timesyncd.conf is an example.
Parts
41| Qty | Value | Footprint | References |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 100n | Capacitor_SMD:C_0805_2012Metric_Pad1.18x1.45mm_HandSolder | C1, C2, C3, C4, C5, C6, C7, C8, C9, C10 |
| 6 | 74141 | Package_DIP:DIP-16_W7.62mm | U2, U3, U5, U6, U7, U8 |
| 6 | Conn_02x05_Odd_Even | Connector_PinHeader_2.00mm:PinHeader_2x05_P2.00mm_Vertical | J3, J5, J6, J7, J8, J9 |
| 4 | 4k7 | Resistor_SMD:R_0805_2012Metric_Pad1.20x1.40mm_HandSolder | R4, R5, R6, R7 |
| 4 | MountingHole_Pad | MountingHole:MountingHole_2.7mm_M2.5_DIN965_Pad | H1, H2, H3, H4 |
| 2 | MCP23017_SO | Package_SO:SSOP-28_5.3x10.2mm_P0.65mm | U1, U11 |
| 1 | 1k | Resistor_SMD:R_0805_2012Metric_Pad1.20x1.40mm_HandSolder | R10 |
| 1 | 1k | Resistor_SMD:R_1206_3216Metric_Pad1.30x1.75mm_HandSolder | R9 |
| 1 | 220k | Resistor_SMD:R_1206_3216Metric_Pad1.30x1.75mm_HandSolder | R8 |
| 1 | Conn_01x04_Pin | Connector_PinHeader_2.54mm:PinHeader_1x04_P2.54mm_Vertical | J2 |
| 1 | Conn_02x02_Odd_Even | Connector_PinHeader_2.00mm:PinHeader_2x02_P2.00mm_Vertical | J4 |
| 1 | PMBTA42 | Package_TO_SOT_SMD:SOT-23 | Q1 |
| 1 | PMBTA92 | Package_TO_SOT_SMD:SOT-23 | Q2 |
| 1 | Raspberry_Pi_2_3 | Module:Raspberry_Pi_Zero_Socketed_THT_FaceDown_MountingHoles | J1 |
| 1 | TCA9406DC | Package_SO:SSOP-8_2.95x2.8mm_P0.65mm | U4 |
Questions
How big is the Nixie clock PCB?
It measures 134 × 33 mm and has 4 copper layers, 1.6 mm thick.
What parts does the Nixie clock use?
41 parts, built around the TCA9406DCT, PMBTA42 and PMBTA92. The full list of its parts is on this page, with links to each part's symbol and footprint where PCBKit's library has them.
Where can I download the Nixie clock KiCad files?
From the anders-bzn/nixie-clock repository on GitHub, at the commit this page was made from: the board is nixie-clock/nixie-clock.kicad_pcb and its schematic nixie-bottom/nixie-bottom.kicad_sch. PCBKit opens the board in the browser, with nothing to install.
Can I use the Nixie clock design in my own project?
Its repository states no licence, so its author keeps all rights: ask anders-bzn before reusing the design.
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anders-bzn/nixie-clock
Rasberry Pi nixie clock with six digits and NTP sync
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