Nixie Power Click

How does it work?

Nixie Power Click is an advanced booster-version Click board™ designed to provide the necessary high voltage for powering Nixie Tube Shields. This Click board™ operates using a two-stage boost mechanism, converting a 5V input from the mikroBUS™ 5V power rail into 12V using the LM2577 step-up voltage regulator, and then stepping up further to 150V. This high-voltage output, with a current capacity of approximately 3mA, is made to drive additional Nixie Tube Shields effectively, making the Nixie Power Click an essential tool for enthusiasts and professionals looking to bring the charm of vintage Nixie tubes to modern projects.

As known, Nixie tube is a vintage electronic display device that uses glowing cathodes to form numbers or symbols within a sealed glass tube filled with low-pressure neon gas. Each cathode is individually shaped as a number or symbol, creating a mesmerizing retro-style glow when powered. The Nixie Tube Shield currently available from MIKROE, is a complementary board carrying the glass tube (for example the IN-12B) and high-voltage FETs for its channels control. It connects to the Nixie Power Click via set of standard 1x8 headers, with J1 as a male and J2 as a female header on the Click board™, while the Shield uses complementary connectors to prevent incorrect attachment.

To control Nixie Tube Shields, Nixie Power Click integrates a 16-bit I/O expander MCP23017, which enables precise control via the I2C interface. The MCP23017 directs signals to the socket pins, where the shields are connected, allowing for flexible and efficient control of the Nixie Tube Shields. Regarding I2C communication, the board also features ADDR SEL jumpers, which allow users to configure the I2C address of the MCP23017, supporting setups with multiple boards like these.

This Click board™ has both mikroBUS™ power rails active with a 3.3V voltage used for communicational part of the board and 5V for power regulatory part. The board must perform appropriate logic voltage level conversion before using MCUs with different logic levels. It also comes equipped with a library containing functions and example code that can be used as a reference for further development.

Specifications

Pinout diagram

This table shows how the pinout on Nixie Power Click corresponds to the pinout on the mikroBUS™ socket (the latter shown in the two middle columns).

Notes	Pin					Pin	Notes
	NC	1	AN	PWM	16	NC
	NC	2	RST	INT	15	NC
ID COMM	CS	3	CS	RX	14	NC
	NC	4	SCK	TX	13	NC
	NC	5	MISO	SCL	12	SCL	I2C Clock
	NC	6	MOSI	SDA	11	SDA	I2C Data
Power Supply	3.3V	7	3.3V	5V	10	5V	Power Supply
Ground	GND	8	GND	GND	9	GND	Ground

Onboard settings and indicators

Nixie Power Click electrical specifications

Software Support

Nixie Power IN-12B Click demo application is developed using the NECTO Studio, ensuring compatibility with mikroSDK's open-source libraries and tools. Designed for plug-and-play implementation and testing, the demo is fully compatible with all development, starter, and mikromedia boards featuring a mikroBUS™ socket.

Example Description

This example demonstrates the use of Nixie Power IN-12B Click board by displaying digits from 0 to 9 in sequence and then setting a comma indicator.

Key Functions

• nixiepowerin12b_cfg_setup Config Object Initialization function.
• nixiepowerin12b_init Initialization function.
• nixiepowerin12b_default_cfg Click Default Configuration function.
• nixiepowerin12b_set_digit This function sets the display output digit and comma.

Application Init

Initializes the driver and performs the Click default configuration.

Application Task

Sequentially displays digits 0 through 9 on a IN-12B display, with a 1-second delay between each digit. After displaying all digits, it clears the digits and enables a comma indicator on the display. Each operation is logged on the USB UART.

Application Output

This Click board can be interfaced and monitored in two ways:

• Application Output - Use the "Application Output" window in Debug mode for real-time data monitoring. Set it up properly by following this tutorial.
• UART Terminal - Monitor data via the UART Terminal using a USB to UART converter. For detailed instructions, check out this tutorial.

Additional Notes and Information

The complete application code and a ready-to-use project are available through the NECTO Studio Package Manager for direct installation in the NECTO Studio. The application code can also be found on the MIKROE GitHub account.