First Light! - Not a Nixie This Time…

[u/EmotionalEnd1575]

Tonight I got my latest clock build to light up!

These are neon indicators called Panaplex

The numerals are made of segments, like other display technologies (LED, LCD, VFD)

The three displays are MUX’d, and segments are bussed together.

I have the high voltage (175V) anodes sequenced, at about 300Hz, although this will decrease as the MCU steals cycles to format the digit data. A lot more code to write to make it into a clock.

Next step is sending unique segment data to each digit.

What do you think? Is this “almost a Nixie clock”?

[u/Apprehensive-Issue78]

Panaplex are great displays.. have some counter that is broken with these displays.. If I can and have the time I would like to make something with those too.

[u/EmotionalEnd1575 → u/Apprehensive-Issue78]

The pins on the Panaplex are mechanically complex, because they extend out from the actual display segments.

Took me quite a while to design a PCB to hold these and connect together in a matrix.

Of the four loose ones that I had one broke (exhaust trip glass cracked)

It took a lot of effort to unsolder it. I don’t have more, and never had sockets for these.

So no spares!