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The Z57xM4D is a well thought out and a rewarding kit to build. Neonixie
provides very competent instructions such that even a relative amateur
should be able to handle construction. The board layout and silk screening
are also very competent, providing a great compliment to the concise
instruction booklet. The instructions go step by step providing both an
order to component installation and precise descriptions of each component
and location involved. The kit required approximately 5 hours for me to
assemble, not including case fabrication time. Basic soldering experience is
definitely a minimum requirement. This said there are 6 surface mount
devices (SMDs) that could be a bit tricky if you are inexperienced in
soldering SMDs -- however a quick trip to Google for SMD soldering should be
adequate for most. If you're still not comfortable doing the surface mount
stuff Neonixie will do it for you, at a moderate cost. In the event that you
did run into trouble during construction I found Moses to be very quick to
reply to email queries (less than 24 hours). His responses were always very
helpful.
As far as the completed kit is concerned, I am extremely satisfied with both
the appearance (even as a bare board) and the function. The folks at
Neonixie have obviously put in their time with regards to the
microcontroller software. I feel that the website description doesn’t quite
do justice to how cool the digit cycling actually is. Configured to cycle
periodically your friends or coworkers are certain to take notice as the
illuminated digits jump forwards and backwards in the tubes (remember the
digits are actually stacked like sheets of paper on top of each other). The
tubes themselves glow a brilliant reddish-orange and standout well even in
bright light. I was a bit concerned about the contrast tinting of the tubes
taking away from the overall look, however having seen the finished product
in person I feel it actually adds to the effect. As a clock the nixies are
sure to draw comment from the uninitiated. Furthermore, the internal
software supplies almost a dizzying array of options -- you should not
however allow this to overwhelm you, the manual again does a superb job
explaining things. The options are there to protect your investment -- and
maybe to impress your friends 'o).
Overall I give this kit an A+, for high build quality, good documentation
and over all geek appeal.
Rating:  [5 of 5 Stars!] |
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