WiFi Time Provider

for Arduino Nixie Clock

Operating Instructions

Document V002a
Contact Information
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Short link: http://bit.ly/2HmXkIy

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Software

The software is available on GitHub at the address:

https://github.com/isparkes/ArdunixNix6/tree/master/WifiTimeProviderESP8266

What this manual is about

This manual describes the set up and initial configuration of the WiFi time module.

For details about the clock setting configuration, please see the manual for the version of the
clock you are using!

The WiFi module is an option for all of the clocks based on the Arduino from Nixieclock.biz
which have a firmware of
• V55 or later (6-Digit Classic Revision 4 Nixie Clock)
• V355 or later (6-Digit Modular Revision 3 Nixie Clock)
• V655 or later (6-Digit Classic Revision 6 Nixie Clock)
• V455 or later ((6-Digit Classic Revision 4 Nixie Clock running 4-Digit firmware)
Description
This is a WiFi time provider for the Arduino Nixie Clock. It makes sure that your clock is always
right, (even when daylight savings change), and never drifts because the time is synchronised
with network atomic clocks.

The module has the following features:

• Configure and forget. It just runs. No intervention necessary ever.
• The time never drifts – it is always right within 1 second, year after year, even after
daylight savings time changes.
• Really simple configuration: You just have to enter your WiFi SSID and password, and the
time zone, and the rest happens automatically.
• Logs into your WiFi network. You configure the module with the credentials, and it
remembers the settings forever, or until they change.
• Based on the ESP8266 micro-controller: Easy to program with the Arduino IDE and well
documented.
• Open source software.
• You may modify and load the software
• Low power consumption.
• All settings are stored in non-volatile memory. Once they are set, they are remembered
forever, or until you change them again.
• Configure the clock setting from the web interface. Makes setting up the clock really
easy and quick.

This module works together with the Arduino Nixie Clocks. The clock module is not provided in
this package.
Attaching the module to your clock
The module comes in two versions depending on the Clock you have. It is either as an add-on
board (Classic Rev4) which comes pre-assembled:

Or as a small package of additional components which are mounted on the main board (All
other clock versions) which you will need to assemble on to the main board:

In the case of the add on board, attach the board to the “I2C” connector, making sure to take
into account the pin out. Wire the pins on the I2C connector to the pins of the same name on
the WiFi module.
Setting the module up for the first time

To set up the module, you will need a computer, phone or tablet with WiFi access. Any device
should work.

When you first power on the module for the first time, it will blink the blue LED rapidly 5 times
and then stop flashing. This means that the module is awaiting initial configuration, and is
waiting for you to connect to the module. In this mode, the module will open up a WiFi access
point called “NixieClockTimeModule”:

This access point has the credentials:

Credential Value
SSID NixieClockTimeModule
Password SetMeUp!

Note: The password is case sensitive!

If the access point does not show up immediately, give it a couple of minutes. Some devices
take a few minutes to perform a scan for new networks.

After a few seconds, you should be taken to the captive portal of the module:
On some phones or tablets, you may get the message that “Internet is not available”, or that
you have to “Sign in to the network”. Accept these messages if they appear, at which point you
should see that the landing page appears as shown above.

When you see the landing page, press the “Configure WiFi” button, and you should see a list of
available WiFi networks (it might take a few seconds to come up if you have many networks in
your area).

Select the network you want and enter the password for it.

Note: The network you are using and the password for it will be remembered in your module,
and it will try to reconnect to the same network.

If for any reason the module can no longer find the network (for example, you have changed
network or moved the clock), it will revert to set up mode when you re-power the clock.

Note: If you want to continue to use the same network, just leave the clock as it is: It will
reconnect automatically when the network becomes available once more.

Note: If for any reason you are not asked to go to the captive portal, and you are sure that you
are connected, you can also try going to http://192.168.4.1 instead. Some older browsers are
not able to detect the redirect.
When you have entered the information, the page should close and you will get a message
saying that the information has been saved.

If you have the module connected to the clock, you should get a time update after a maximum
of two minutes. The module will disconnect you from it.

Note: The time you get will be the time in Switzerland! Don’t worry, you can change this right
away!

How to access the module

Once the module is set up, you will need to log into it to configure the time server and set the
configuration of the clock. The module has an in-built web server, and you can configure it (and
your clock) using a browser.

The module will receive an IP address from your router, and you need to know the address in
order to log into the module. The easiest way to find the IP address is to wait for the time
update to the clock. When this happens, the WiFi module sends the address you need to the
clock, and you can read the address from the clock display.

See your user manual for details of how to access the address and read it. The short version is
that you can short press the clock button and read the address as it is shown. On 6-Digit clocks
you will see something like “19:21:68”, then “00:10:47”, this means 192.168.1.47. On 4-Digit
clocks you will see the same address as “1:92”, “1:68”, “0:01” and “0:47” (the address is
shown as 4 parts instead of 2).

The other alternative is to look on your WiFi router to see the address the module has been
given. You should find an entry in the “connected devices” list which starts with “ESP_” with
some numbers and letters after it. This is the module, and the IP address assigned will be
shown there.
Remember the IP address, or write it down. You will need it to access the module.

Note: If you are on a cable network, it is usual that you will get an address starting with “10”
instead of “192.168” (such as “10.10.34.134”). Just follow the same steps nut substitute the
address you received.

When you have found the address of the WiFi module, you can log into it using any browser. In
the example below, the address I saw on a 6-Digit clock was “19:21:68” then “00:12:34”:

Setting the time server

Now you can set the time server and time zone by pressing the “Configure Time Server” link at
the top of the page.

We provide a time server you can use, but if you want to run your own, the source code is in
GitHub at:

https://github.com/isparkes/time-zone-server
This is a very simple Node.js application, but the interface is described in the document. There
are other ways of getting the time, but we found this to be the easiest.

Our free to use time server is at:

http://time-zone-server.scapp.io/getTime/

An alternative is at:

http://its.internet-box.ch/getTime/

You have to know the time zone you are in. The easiest way is to select the large town nearest
to you from the list on this page:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tz_database_time_zones

I live is Zürich, so I select “Europe/Zurich”. The full URL is:

http://time-zone-server.scapp.io/getTime/Europe/Zurich

Enter this in the page “Configure Time Server”, and press “Set”
Configuring the Nixie Clock

You can also configure all of the usual settings in the clock using the WiFi interface. Only a few
very special options are not available in the WiFi interface, and these are not there to avoid
people playing around with them, as some are able to damage the hardware of the clock if
used incorrectly.

All the frequently used configuration options are available. Please see your clock user manual
for a complete description of what the configuration options do.

Just go to the “Configure clock settings” section of the module, and you will see the current
settings. All of the possibilities of the clock are laid out here.

You can still set all of the configuration settings using the traditional way directly on the clock,
if you want to.

The main configuration page looks like this (the V1 firmware is shown, V2 has a few additional
options):
The Blue Status LED
There is a tiny blue status LED on the Time Module. This gives you a quick check of the status
of the module. The LED flashes according to the connection status of the module.

LED Status Meaning

5 flashes then off for 1 The module is not connected to the WiFi at all and has opened
minute the Access Point to allow configuration. When the module is in
this status, you should be able to find the “NixieTimeModule”
open network available.

It will flash 5 rapid flashes once per minute to tell you it is

awaiting set up.
3 flashes at ½ second Performed once when the module connects to the WiFi with the
intervals credentials you have given
Long flash once per second The module is connected to the WiFi, but not to the time server.
(¼ second on, once per
second) The “NixieTimeModule” open network will not be available. (In
fact it stays open until the module is restarted after initial
configuration, but subsequent restarts will close it).

You need to connect to the time module and set the time server
location.
Short flash once per second The module is connected to the WiFi and connected to the Time
(5mS on, once per second) Server. This is the normal status. The flash is intentionally short
because otherwise the blue light can be disturbing in a dark
room.

The “NixieTimeModule” open network will not be available. (In

fact it stays open until the module is restarted after initial
configuration, but subsequent restarts will close it).
Fast flash twice per second The module has lost the connection to the WiFi network. The
(¼ second on every ½ clock will continue to work, but will not get any time updates.
second)

Note: Updates to the status of the flashing LED can take up to 1 minute to register.
Understanding Security
The module is by design already quite secure. There is no known way of connecting to the open
“NixieClockTimeModule” network and doing anything other than changing the clock settings.
There is no known way of accessing through the open network to your WLAN network.
However, we designed the software in the module to provide the highest security possible.

The module tries to connect to the configured Wireless LAN on start up. If it manages to
connect, it will shut down the “NixieClockTimeModule” open access point. You can still get into
the module configuration through your WLAN, using the IP address that you wrote down earlier.

If for any reason the module is not able to connect to your WLAN (say, you changed the
password, or the network name), it will indicate on the tiny blue LED that it is not connected. It
will not send any updates to the clock, but the clock will continue to work using it's internal
time provider which is not highly accurate.

The “NixieClockTimeModule” open access point will not show up until you restart the clock!
This is a security feature to make sure you are in control of when the open access point is
available!

The open access point will only turn on after a restart of the clock. It will turn off automatically
once it has managed to connect to a network.
Troubleshooting
If not everything goes as you expect, please refer to the test steps during the construction and
the associated troubleshooting tips. If that does not cover the problem you have, please see
below. If you still can't find the answer, contact us!

I can't find the time “NixieClockTimeModule” open network

First check the status of the blue LED on the module. The NixieTimeModule
network is only available if the module is in “open” mode.
Trouble
shooting

I can't connect to the time “NixieClockTimeModule” open network

This can depend on the device you are using to try and access the module. Not
all browsers have the same capabilities, and the module does not have a
Trouble
perfect HTTP stack in it.
shooting
Please try connecting with a different device (for example, if you are trying with
a PC, try with a tablet or phone instead).

We're always working on improving the compatibility, but experience shows that
we are not in a perfect world yet.

The module can't seem to communicate with the clock

First check the status of the blue LED on the module. The module needs to be in
“configured” mode. This mode is indicated by the blue LED flashing slowly (1
Trouble
short flash every second).
shooting
If the module is fully configured and still does not communicate with the clock,
look at the main configuration page for the value for “Found I2C slave at”. It
should say “105”.

If it does say “105”, please wait three minutes and see if the time is sent. (The
time module sends the time every 60 seconds, and in some cases the module
sends the time but it gets missed.

If it does not say “104” please check the connections between the module and
the clock.

The module is configured, but I don't know the address of it

In this case, you should log into the administrative area of your wireless router
and look up the IP address from there. The name of the device will be
Trouble
“ESP_xxxxxxx”, where the value of “xxxxxx” depends on your module.
shooting
 I want to reset the module

There is a reset link available at the address “http://your-module-address/reset”.

Going to this will reset the module and put it back to the status it was when you
Trouble
first received it.
shooting
Schematic
Here is the schematic of the board:
Revisions:

V0001a: 01May2016: Initial version

V0001b: 31May2016: Added information about security
V0001c: 27Jul2016: Added Add schematic
V0002a: 16Feb2017: Added troubleshooting tips
V0003: 12May2019: Update for the new firware