The Glitchy Clock - Taking one for the team

[@SuperSmashDolls]

Clearly the number cycling mode is there so you can tell how bad your tubes have failed.

[@terenas1986]

Or to make them fail :)

[@sauliusltcool6902]

Or its a halloween mode, like a creepy glitched timer.

[@ReneSeckler]

Those LED’s are WS2812 type LED’s. They have build in controllers and loop the control signal trough. They are notorious to fail when not soldered in a really good temperature controlled oven. Also, since you connect to bare silicon logic without protection with those pins at the bottom, they are REALLY sensitive to electrostatic death.

[@Lollllllz]

so they used the wrong led ?

[@han5vk]

I recognised them but couldn't imagine why they would fail. Thank you for providing some insight. How would one protect against the ESD? Zener/TVS diodes to ground on both data and Vcc lines? I have been planning to build stuff with them, soldering by hand, do you think that's not gonna work? :)

[@andymouse]

That's not fair on WS2812's, I hand solder them all the time with no problems at all and to be honest all this clock is missing is any sort of quality control.

[@ReneSeckler]

@@Lollllllz I don't think so. Probably an error in the production process. Also I would have build some sort of ESD protection on each PCB to protect the LEDs. Also you need to use bypass capacitors on those LEDs. This looks like a hobbyist took your average go to hobby solution without hardening the project for the harsh world out there.

[@ReneSeckler]

@@andymouse I get your point, but most of the time hand soldering is easier on the components than the oven soldering because you only apply heat to the pins and not the whole component.

[@xSeRosiSx]

A product that disassembles itself to help with the diagnostic process when everything goes wrong.

[@bigclivedotcom]

I can get the concept here, but it's obvious that they've used a simple row of WS2812B addressable LEDs with the three contacts supplying 0V, 5V and data. But no immediately obvious protection against the tube being placed in and rotated while powered, resulting in possible damage to the LEDs if the contacts apply power while in the wrong position. Just a diode on the +5V rail and a 1K resistor on the data rail would have protected them. On a plus note, they are at least repairable.

[@zobook]

I think the magnets take care of the orientation... If they are oriented correctly, of course. Given the low quality of manufacturing i doubt it.

[@yxcvbnmmnbvcxy544]

And a shottky diode from data in to vcc directly on the led. They fail fast when you send data to them with no power on vcc

[@bigclivedotcom]

@@yxcvbnmmnbvcxy544 That'll probably because they are trying to power the whole string via the data pin and its ESD diodes. If they handle too much current it can make them go short circuit and kill the input by shunting it to a rail. Current limiting could help with that, but the diode is also good for clamping rogue input.

[@ve2vfd]

You're being generous... I was half expecting you to smash it with a hammer of shame like some of the crappy cameras you reviewed a few years ago...

[@Hacks4AllVideos]

🛠 Right?

[@life-is-std]

10/10 would watch that video

[@juweinert]

I see it like tarstarkusz. You can see the intensions in the product. All metal / wood, real lass... They just screwed up QA/QC and production facility assessment. Yes, it's their fault and they need to rectify it. You need to be able to pay the inevitable margin of broken devices and calculate it into the product price. If you screw up, your product fails or you pay or ship the rejects. They made the wrong decision or didn't do QC at all

[@Ampera_]

To be honest when all of them started crapping out at the end, 70 bucks or not, I would have chucked that load of shit at the wall.

[@roberttoews2775]

I was totally waiting for a hammer smash near the end of the video!

[@AUTISTICLYCAN]

Techmoan, THANK YOU for all your content. I can't tell you how much money I've spent because you have opened my eyes so much to whats out there for my retro audio system. I have a HITACHI SR-2004 \ 200 WATTS PER CHANNEL MONSTER receiver that is very rare. I love the AKAI EA-A7 so much I brought three of them, one silver two black even though they are hard to find. I have FOUR PIONEER 707 Reel to Reels. You inspired me to build three retro systems. I have a PIONEER SX 950 and a PIONEER SX 1280. I just want to say THANK YOU SIR, THANK YOU!

[@BertGrink]

I find your enthusiasm highly commendable. Carry on, my good sir.

[@michelle_pgh]

The cheese sandwich is more reliable than the clock.

[@strawberryjam3670]

At least it does what it's supposed to do.

[@MMitchellMarmel]

And less expensive.

[@MMitchellMarmel]

@Bob Jones We don't wish to know that!

[@animeloveer97]

Bob Jones omgg

[@ian_b]

When all else fails you can always trust a cheese sandwich.

[@Techmoan]

UPDATE: They've re-engineered the clock - New Version reviewed here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/f6ayqZl-e5KUsNU

[@freepress8451]

I would have thought they would help the purchasers of the earlier releases

[@shaolyen]

@@freepress8451 Yeah, they say if you shoot them an email they'll sort you out. To be fair they seem pretty sincere in their efforts to solve problems and help their customers, apparently they're a bunch of students - seems like a good first effort all things considered.

[@fortherecord1569]

The New and Improved Gixie Clock. "Now with GLUE!"

[@PJPEE]

Should do a re-review and see if they'll send you out a new one

[@freepress8451]

@@shaolyen I agree, we all had to start somewhere

[@ronerx]

Ok loved the concept really. Too bad the build quality is so terrible....

[@BloodSprite-tan]

i would say that the expensive nixie clock is better in most regards the one review previously. the concept of edge lit acrylic instead of nixie tube is kind of a novelty. they aren't bright enough imo, and it doesn't look nearly as good.

[@danblundon2838]

@@BloodSprite-tan That was my thinking as well, but I had to wonder if it may look better in person than on camera.

[@benjaminmiddaugh2729]

@@danblundon2838 Most things like this look worse on camera. This one is clearly not good enough anyway, though.

[@danblundon2838]

@@benjaminmiddaugh2729 For sure, like the OP, I think the concept is good, while this particular build is terrible.

[@Kuraio]

China deluxe at its finest.

[@andyjohnson4907]

The quick and dirty nature of this video really highlights how much care and attention Mat puts into his regular uploads. That was a compliment, by the way. Great video, as always. Kisses.

[@UltimatePerfection]

Remember to always use ing in room, as opposed to bathroom, kitchen or the pantry. And absolutely do not use ing outside!

[@thegirlwiththemouseyhair6486]

If the lights were more well sealed and used LEDs less prone to failure he should be able to use it everywhere except underwater.

[@UltimatePerfection]

@@thegirlwiththemouseyhair6486 /r/woooosh

[@amd64online]

New chinese IP ratING

[@mazda9624]

In the span of 10:07-10:12 literally THREE of the tubes failed

[@cjc363636]

Same. First time a YT video can be used as proof of warranty claim.... oh, wait, crowdfunding.... never mind.

[@Slash27015]

techmoan stays surprisingly professional despite his symbolic cake being mostly on the floor now lmao

[@Dust599]

No, the main controller locked up. Not the same as the tubes failing

[@naota3k]

@@Dust599 How do you know it was the controller? And if it *was* the controller, why would it freeze individual tubes that he was literally tapping on? Seems like the tubes failed mate.

[@RetroComputerStu]

@@naota3k because at one point when half the tubes went out and he tapped on them and they didn't come back, he reset the power and they came back again. So yeah one more problem to add, looks like the controller chip crashed. What a piece of junk!

[@Therandomness1235]

I like cheese sandwiches. They're simple and satisfying

[@MMitchellMarmel]

Unlike the clock.

[@SteveInScotland]

One could say this was a cheese and ham video but that would be cruel, lol

[@highlypolishedturd7947]

Cheese sandwiches are good because they're nearly impossible to screw up!

[@mooniejohnson]

Highly Polished Turd I would be terrified of anyone who managed to screw up a cheese sandwich...

[@highlypolishedturd7947]

@@mooniejohnson Me too. I've seen some of them. They have the advantage of being easy to spot. Just look for the manager who's way too proud of his title.

[@Dan-TechAndMusic]

I think the entire "pin touching the contact" connection concept should have been replaced with proper sockets, would likely get rid of both the wobbliness and flakiness.

[@georgereichard9350]

And that is if the aesthetic of removable tubes is non-negotiable. So much complexity and so many failure modes would have been avoided if this were made with one PCB and non-removable tubes.

[@t0cableguy]

But now you can service the tubes without tearing apart the board lol

[@witeshade]

@@t0cableguy but of course if they made it properly in the first place, you wouldn't need to service anything because it would actually work.

[@snintendog]

Better Idea Make a higher quality tube with only contacts for electricity to the main board and use a proper locking mech.

[@thewiirocks]

@@georgereichard9350 The fact that the tubes have to project from the device and the device needs to successfully ship argues in favor of removable tubes. With that said, the LEDs should have been wired onto the mainboard and the tubes could have been only the plastic panel. Add some edge snaps to hold in place when assembled, and you're good to go.

[@AlexPlusLEDS]

Here's my guess of the failure of that one tube: Those are individually addressable LEDs connected in series. The data goes from the 1st LED to the 2nd, then to the 3rd, etc. There are three connections on the bottom of the tube, power, data and ground. It looks like that broken tube has an issue with either the connection from the 1st LED to the 2nd (which is why none of the other ones light up), or the LED itself was damaged. Those LEDs are very sensitive to moisture during manufacturing, when being soldered, they have to be kept extremely dry (moisture will diffuse into the plastic resin that encapsulates the little IC inside the LED package). If the LEDs are not dry, the reflow soldering process will cause the water inside the plastic resin to boil very quickly, causing small cracks in the resin, that can sometimes damage the IC/bond wires going to the IC.

[@keithbrown7685]

they're wired like strings of old style xmas lights.

[@moth.monster]

I hope they fix the problems with it, the concept is great. Looks wonderful.

[@TimelordUK]

Yes it's a nice looking design

[@BoHolbo]

I would love to see Big Clive from the Isle of Man have a go at this one Matt! What do you think, is this a worthy opportunity to recruit the zany Clive for a collaboration?

[@TheRaggiesoft]

Bo Holbo Rasmussen thread bump. Big Clive loves dodgy electronic junk 😁

[@sarah1390]

All youtubers eventually need a quick and dirty video to keep the content coming. I enjoy the quick looks and as long as I can hear and see you decently, I don't care about the quality or if it is a well crafted video. I am a fan of getting the point across quickly.

[@pedrovieira8602]

As the great Luke Sywalker would put it: "What a piece of junk"

[@alexanderthomas2660]

I suspect this unit has a bad motivator!

[@TheRaggiesoft]

Send it to Big Clive and see if it makes .5 past Light Speed

[@SteelJM1]

Damn, beat me to it!

[@Zenodilodon]

OMG this went through my brain too, I was about to post " Yea but can she do .5 past light speed? "

[@AsukaLangleyS02]

He's my favorite gay adult film star.

[@jhill4874]

Thank you for showing us what a piece of ... this is. Your patience is remarkable.

[@v1lho547]

Me: set expectations low... Also me: same old good Techmoan stuff 👌🏼

[@mushroomsamba82]

A Bigclive post mortem on this would be great to see

[@questionablecommands9423]

Bummer. I actually really like the design of this one. Shame it's got such a crap implementation.

[@uzaiyaro]

Well, two weeks later and these guys, in my opinion, have completely and entirely redeemed themselves. Check out the new video if you haven’t.

[@MasterGeekMX]

I don't care if it is a "cheese sandwich", Techmoan always makes great dishes.

[@radnukespeoplesminds]

I feel like this is the type of thing that is more fun if you diy the whole thing so you have something the way you want and you have fun building it.

[@3rdalbum]

Judging by the Chinglish in the instruction manual, this wasn't really an Indiegogo project where they designed the product themselves. This is basically dropshipping a pre-existing product off Alibaba but using Indiegogo to take orders.

[@Light-DelaBlue]

sure is a totaly forgoten chinesc clock with nobrand . is just pickup and make more in the most infamous factory like samsung/iphone/rolex fake

[@iaincowell9747]

Read the indiegogo page. I don't think it is drop shipping. The indiegogo page says it is based in Beijing, China, that could account for the bad English.

[@MrTeijo]

Thanks for making entertaining videos! I've been sick, pneumonia, and during that I found your channel. Hours of fun just when I needed it.

[@elliotburing87]

I love how even your “cheese sandwich” videos are over ten minutes long. Awesome.

[@David-ln8qh]

This was worth the chuckle every time another piece died on camera. I'd like to imagine it's the black knight egging you on. "tis but a scratch!"

[@kontan2504]

I am sad for you Matt, knowing how much you love nixie tubes. But thanks to you, a lot of people now know that it is a product to avoid.

[@acoffeewithsatan]

Some top notch quality for a $69 clock... That's one more fine product brought to you by a kick-starting company regrading existing Chinese crap. I'd rather buy a vintage flip clock or something for a fraction of that value and get something truly antique and actually made to last. Thanks for the effort of making this, regardless!

[@dogastus]

I think even your "Cheese Sandwich" video is very professionally made. I'd have a cheese sandwich from you any time!

[@johnfrancisdoe1563]

The fast cycling modes are for testing all the digits and LEDs to see if anything is broken. Pretty relevant for that quality level. Push button interface is like digital wrist watch with some features (alarm, chime, stop watch, calendar) sacrificed to make room for color selection.

[@deadfreightwest5956]

Send it to Big Clive to tear down/reverse engineer (or, in this case, primary engineer).

[@DaveMcGarry]

Still expecting a masterpiece... wasn't disappointed

[@onedeadsaint]

glad to see you decided to upload this for everyone! if nothing else, it's perfect as a precautionary video warning people not to buy this trash!

[@performa9523]

Man, if they'd ditched the magnetic features for more direct wiring, that may have fixed quite a few of the problems. Too bad, as it is an attractive looking clock, and not terribly expensive either. Good video sir, thanks for posting! Always up for more Techmoan videos!

[@clemstevenson]

There's a council waste dump awaiting the delivery of your clock.

[@bruceharkins7843]

Mat, your videos make me happy.

[@spugintrntl]

Cheese sandwich designation is genius, I might have to steal it.

[@BThings]

You said not to expect a masterpiece, but this is a masterpiece of comedy!

[@dcflake5645]

I think my entire life should have a cheese sandwich warning in that case.

[@flyingkillerrobots877]

That's most unfortunate. However, as always, your sacrifice is both noted and appreciated!

[@TommyCrosby]

I would prefer a grilled cheese sandwich over this glitchy attempt of a clock.

[@RosebudKane41]

Your videos always brighten my day! 👍😄

[@mason6300]

You should send the faulty module to bigclive for an inspection.

[@wolfrobots118]

All of your videos are good, even the ones you think aren't. It is you that makes your videos great

[@ToaOfFusion]

7:22 - 7:47 "Tell me the numbers, Mason. What do they mean?"

[@linuxbeastmaster9192]

That power adapter looked like a zapper, glad to see he tossed it :) Thanks for the video Techmoan

[@aussie8114]

Beautifully packaged though

[@theawesomer]

I have the same early version of the clock, and had issues with the glue coming off of the bottom of the tubes. Had to reglue them, and it's working fine now.

[@beware_the_moose]

"If you see a cheese sandwich image pop up at the start of a video - it's a sign to expect a less complicated and elaborate video. " Uh...but....oh nevermind!

[@Phantomthecat]

Thanks, I’ll be avoiding that one like the plague...

[@TimmyJoe633]

8 bit guy would have got his steam roller out, like in that boombox review he did 😆.

[@watcherofwatchers]

I wanted one of these, but not now. Thank you!

[@TheDSProfi]

I love how there are only two tubes left towards the end.

[@Hacks4AllVideos]

Yeah, I loved the video when I saw it earlier 👍🏻

[@ReneSchickbauer]

Yeah, this turned quickly into one of the best comedy acts i've seen in a long time ;-)

[@MarekBaczynski]

Seems like the tiny round PCB inside the digits is missing the 100nF bypass caps required by the WS2812 Addressable LEDs that they are using. Nor does it have any way to guarantee that the GND is connected first when attaching a digit. That, plus no TVS protection is probably what fries the LEDs on connection.

[@MrCheeto01]

Send it to BigClive for diagnosing

[@nestrac]

My thoughts exactly...

[@variableeddie8000]

Okay, the stripped screws got me.

[@azyfloof]

Good idea, terribly executed! And I thought Cheese Sandwich was in reference to a character in a popular animated show :P

[@MMitchellMarmel]

Could Mat be a Techbrony? ;-)

[@juweinert]

A bit sad. The construction seems pretty great. They solved the "problem" with pogo pins and gold plating, which is a pretty neat idea. Also the case is amazing. It's metal and wood and they also provide you with two cases / colors right off the bet? Really nice. It's just sad that they failed with the implementation and reliability... I don't see it the way the pinned commenter looked at the situation. I think they really screwed up with QA / QC and I would be pretty disappointed if I'd be the developer. They should ship better products, even if they only start out. That's the risk you take. You have to have a solid good/waste ratio in production to succeed with your product. Never ship all produced items because it's too expensive to ship only good ones. If the Crowdfunding price is too low for that, you screwed up the calculations / production facility assessment. It's easy to see that the product development did something I'd do myself. They wanted to spare no expense. Nice powder coated metal, real wood, magnets, spring loaded pogo pins (these are expensive!). The developer went all in in his imagination. But they didn't go the same route in production, which is a shame. They really wanted to be a good product / good manufacturer (see case "options"), I really hope they'll succeed and can get to a quality level the product deserves. And please stop shipping junk, even with good intensions.

[@juweinert]

Oh. It's definitely their fault. I'm not trying to overly defend them. They need to rectify the situation and proactively help customers with broken devices, for sure. But some of the comments here are just totally wrong in every ways.

[@Kenobi5001]

I feel this product could be rescued.

[@keithbrown7685]

I feel that people should be rescued from this product.

[@srfrg9707]

That will definitively save the planet.

[@icebrodie]

I'd guess that the boards are too high to hit the pogo contact pins with the magnets, maybe thinner magnets? Though I see a few other construction issues with as much priority or more. Nice idea... just... the idea's about it for what's nice on it. I too enjoy the cheese sandwich vids, bit more nitty gritty on failed devices like this we'd otherwise not see.

[@strangulator42]

I can hear Techmoan's British politeness struggling with his inner need to shout "IT'S SHIT!"

[@bortflong5734]

"A Reasonable Idea For a Concept: The Techmoan Story"

[@cak5171]

Love to see a video of someone creatively sending this one to the great beyond lol

[@marcurelio]

Seems to me like you got yourself a nice set with 6 shot glasses...

[@sdavifcom]

Sorry Mat. When I see a video from you, I ALWAYS expect a masterpiece. That is exactly what I always get. Everytime!

[@gmirwin]

Great, you talk about sandwiches and now I’m hungry...

[@espurious]

Cheese sandwich video. A concept so simple it requires four paragraphs to explain

[@MrScotttraynor]

if you cant get another replacement/etc.. you can put a rubber band on the screw head, should/may give enough grip to open it up, or send to Bigclive to see if he can get it working :)

[@null_carrier]

Hands down, your best video to date.

[@raychambers3646]

A stopped clock is right twice a day,but not in this case.

[@StopChangingUsernamesYouTube]

It'll be right at 7̸̬̫̦̗̙̤̥̭͍͇̤̬̥͈͍̜͜͜͞͠ͅ5:07̸̬̫̦̗̙̤̥̭͍͇̤̬̥͈͍̜͜͜͞͠ͅ:00.

[@drk7347]

You could use those glass tubes as shot glasses. Thanks for another amazing video!

[@CatheteriZedEYE]

10:16 is that the score it gives itself 0/5 XD

[@robindp]

Good video, sorry you had to put up with this broken device for us. We appreciate it! :)

[@MrTommyboy357]

To bad it was made so poorly 😣

[@cjc363636]

True. The concept is not bad in how it replicates Nixie with modern LEDs.... just.... just do it better. Or competently.....

[@NostalgicLink]

Too* bad, indeed.

[@Otokichi786]

Chinese ad copywriter: " Now, you too can own a genuine 'do-it-yourself' Gixie clock! Test your repair skills on this apparatus. Successful repairs insure admiration at local community college! Chinese products, like Russian Soviet era products are 'easy to repair.")

[@kellybills2987]

@@NostalgicLink Poo dad, inbred.

[@evolved64]

That's definitely worth Techmoaning about.

[@sysghost]

Looks like these are addressable LEDs. Kinda like NeoPixel LEDs. I suspect they're using the same controller chip. China has filled the LED market with a f-ton of dodgy addressable LEDs lately. To a degree where one cannot even trust known quality brands any more. It's sad to see a market being destroyed by cheap chinese knockoff dodgy brands.

[@ttkftykyfts]

I had many laughs throughout this video! :)

[@ADR69]

The last 3 settings are prolly for diagnostic purposes almost like they knew it would be helpful

[@rolandbogush2594]

As the 'Roland' referred to by Mat in the video, I should add that after I complained to the supplier, they sent me a replacement tube free of charge and it all works ok now. It tells the time and can change colours, which is all that it was ever advertised to do. The fact that some of the glass tubes aren't secured isn't really a problem as it is not a portable device. I agree with the commentators who say that the remaining project team member has behaved professionally. Overall, the build quality is a bit flaky, but it keeps good time and looks pretty.

[@thomasstroker8004]

please send the failed one over to bigclivedotcom!

[@El_Smeghead]

I expect to see a few variations on the Cheese Sandwich theme... 1. A cheese toastie for one which leads to a "heated" debate in the comments. 2. A cheese & ham Breville for one featuring the puppets hamming it up in front of the camera at the end. 3. A lump of cheese for one without the intro & outro (no bread either side) 4. Just 2 slices of bread on a plate. (a video with no substance or interesting content)

[@reggiep75]

10:03 - Failing before our very eyes.

[@IMRROcom]

Those cycling where it just shows the numbers look like a test mode. My pinball machines as well as some equipment I used to work on would cycle all the numbers like that as well as the lights. This way you now that the drivers are working as they should be. If you look the on bulb only lights one number segment during the cycling.

[@jhbarringer]

Oh, wood grain on the sides. Maybe LGR will pick it up during his next LGR Thrifts..

[@Hacks4AllVideos]

Mmmmm, woodgrain.

[@IceDaemon]

Quality is awesome.

[@TheMainCore]

I love me some cheese sandwiches though, so this will be good.

[@jonnywatts2970]

I bought one similar to this. My tubes are much smaller and we're actually made in Cold War Soviet Union era. It's a little basic but it all works good that's for sure. Mine was $113. Oh it came from Ukraine. It's completely operated by a single button. That's pretty annoying but once I got it all set right it's great. It displays the time and then once a minute it flashes the temperature and then the date.

I can't find the DIP switches to set my expectations, what do I do?! 😁 Settling in to watch another roll video, perfect for a lazy Saturday afternoon!

[@petesday8632]

Glitchy ... Indeed.... Thanks for putting up with this junk for entertainment and edification :)

[@unitedunitedunited_]

Giving this an automatic thumbs up because it’s good content

[@antonymitchell3385]

So, I came up with this idea about 6 years ago for an edge-lit nixie clock, I wish I'd managed to make one beforehand!

[@ozzie_goat]

Set expectations to low? Never, I always have high expectations for you.

[@Nemsis19]

keep going dude we all want to know your opinion about the product and you are free to say whatever you want since its true and honest if they made something bad then its their problem they are risking their product

[@michaeltongue]

Get Big Clive to Fix it ! ;-)

[@sjm4306]

Makes sense that only zero lights on that tube, the ws2812 serial rgb leds they only require 3 pins for a series string (but have 4 leads including the buffered digital serial out that's fed between each led), and what likely happened is the 2nd led in the string has died so only the 1st digit (a 0) can light. It's a super critical fault mode of these serial leds since a single failed led will render all leds downstream inactive.