VFD Watch
About the VFD Watch PCB
VFD Watch is an open source ESP32 PCB design by Pakue95, published on GitHub. It is a 2-layer board measuring 67.8 × 55 mm, with 59 components from 32 distinct parts.
Its main chip is the ESP32-WROOM, from the ESP32 family. Other key parts include the MIC5219-3.3YM5, DRV8837C, MP3120, FT231XS and MCP1663. By type, the board carries 19 capacitors, 19 resistors, 10 ICs, 4 switches, 2 connectors and 2 inductors.
It belongs with the displays & leds, wearables and iot & wireless designs in this gallery.
From the project
Portable VFD based on IVL2-7/5 and ESP32
This project was originally inspired by Johngineer's ChronodeVFD project. However no concrete design information were available therefore this project was born.
The goal was to create a mobile driver circuit for the common IVL2-5/7 vacuum fluorescent display, that is powered by a single cell battery. The datasheet of the display can be found on the Loststreak blog.
Main components on the VFD Watch
VFD Watch bill of materials (BOM)
59 components, 32 distinct parts.
| Qty | Part | Footprint | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MIC5219-3.3YM5 | SOT-23-5 | U1 |
| 1 | DRV8837C | WSON-8-1EP_2x2mm_P0.5mm_EP0.9x1.6mm | U2 |
| 1 | MP3120 | TSOT-23-6 | U3 |
| 1 | FT231XS | SSOP-20_3.9x8.7mm_P0.635mm | U4 |
| 1 | MCP1663 | TSOT-23-5 | U5 |
| 1 | ESP32-WROOM | ESP32-WROOM | U6 |
| 1 | MCP23017_SS | SSOP-28_5.3x10.2mm_P0.65mm | U7 |
| 2 | TBD62783A | SOP-18_7.0x12.5mm_P1.27mm | U8, U9 |
| 1 | IVL2-7_5 | ILV2-5_7 | U10 |
| 1 | MBT3904DW1 | SOT-363_SC-70-6 | Q1 |
| 1 | USB_B_Micro | USB_Micro-B_Molex_47346-0001 | J1 |
| 1 | I2C_Con | PinHeader_1x04_P1.27mm_Vertical | J2 |
| 1 | AA BK-92 | BK-92 | BT1 |
| 1 | B1 | SW_SPST_EVQP7A | SW1 |
| 1 | B2 | SW_SPST_EVQP7A | SW2 |
| 1 | B_RES | SW_SPST_EVQP7A | SW3 |
| 1 | B_0 | SW_SPST_EVQP7A | SW4 |
| 1 | D_Schottky 40V 1A | D_SOD-323 | D1 |
| 2 | 10uH | L_Taiyo-Yuden_MD-5050 | L1, L2 |
| 11 | 4.7uF | C_0805_2012Metric | C1, C2, C5, C6, C8, C11, C12, C14 +3 |
Show 12 more
| Qty | Part | Footprint | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 47pF | C_0805_2012Metric | C3, C4 |
| 1 | 470pF | C_0805_2012Metric | C7 |
| 3 | 100nF | C_0805_2012Metric | C9, C10, C18 |
| 1 | 1uF | C_0805_2012Metric | C13 |
| 1 | 10uF | C_1206_3216Metric | C19 |
| 2 | 0R | R_1206_3216Metric | R1, R2 |
| 2 | 27 | R_0805_2012Metric | R3, R4 |
| 11 | 10k | R_0805_2012Metric | R5, R6, R9, R12, R13, R14, R15, R16 +3 |
| 1 | 1M | R_0805_2012Metric | R7 |
| 1 | 640k | R_0805_2012Metric | R8 |
| 1 | 1.05M | R_0805_2012Metric | R10 |
| 1 | 56k | R_0805_2012Metric | R11 |
VFD Watch design files
The KiCad project lives in the Pakue95/VFD_Watch repository on GitHub; these links point at the commit this page was built from.
- LayoutVFD_Watch.kicad_pcb
VFD Watch: common questions
What microcontroller does the VFD Watch use?
The VFD Watch is built around the ESP32-WROOM, from the ESP32 family.
How big is the VFD Watch PCB?
The VFD Watch measures 67.8 × 55 mm, has 2 copper layers and is 1.6 mm thick.
How many components are on the VFD Watch?
59 components, from 32 distinct parts. The full bill of materials is listed on this page.
Where can I download the VFD Watch design files?
From the Pakue95/VFD_Watch repository on GitHub, which has the KiCad layout; the links under Design files point to each one.
Can I use the VFD Watch design in my own project?
The repository has no license, so all rights stay with Pakue95. Use it as a reference, and ask the author before reusing the design.
Can I test firmware for the VFD Watch without the hardware?
Yes. HardLabs builds a simulation of the board from its netlist and BOM, so you can run and debug ESP32 firmware against it before you order a PCB.
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