Fortress Technologies An E1T Timepiece User manual
Fortress - An E1T Timepiece
Six Miniature CRTs In Action
Page 1
Version 1.0
Copyright Grahame Marsh/Nick Stock 2019
Fortress
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What is the Fortress? It’s the culmination of an awful lot of work by two like-minded individuals
who like to tinker with vintage display technologies and turn them into functional and unusual
time-pieces. This clock is somewhat unique in many respects. It is, to our knowledge, the only
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‘commercial’ E1T clock deliberately offered for sale ever. Others have offered PCBs etc, but this is
the whole enchilada and as such is a rarity to be treasured and enjoyed. Fortress is a
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combination of old-skool technology married with a very modern micro-controller and 21st
century case construction and aesthetics. It offers lots of customisation options, such as different
‘faces’ , light-guided LED colours, chimes, GPS or WiFi disciplined timekeeping and is also open
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design and open source in its publication philosophy to boot!
What’s Included in the Box?
If you purchased a complete clock, then you’ll be receiving the following in the box:
•A Fortress E1T clock, replete with the case of your choosing , 6 tested E1T tubes and
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either a GPS or WiFi module (both come with external antennae, depending on your order)
•A pre-built 5A power supply and IEC mains cable.
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•A custom programmer used to update firmware and act as a serial console connection.
•An Infrared remote
What is an E1T Tube?
The plethora of methods developed during the late
1940’s to the 1970’s for displaying/counting numerical
information were numerous and varied. These included
incandescent displays (e.g. edge lit displays such as
those from Non-Linear Systems ), neon gas based
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displays such as Nixie tubes and Dekatrons , vacuum
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fluorescent displays (VFDs), light-emitting diodes
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(LEDs) and liquid crystal displays (LCDs). Some of
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these possess a certain charm, such as nixie tubes and
Dekatrons with their warm orange, neon derived, glow
whilst others not so much . What makes the E1T (or
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S10S1, the East German Clone) stand out from these
technologies is that it represents the adaptation of
Throughout this document, you will note the use of hyperlinks which both lead you to external references as well as internal bookmarks.
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Stay tuned for more!
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However, you can purchase just the PCBs if you wish….see, how’s that for being flexible! 😀
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And a whole programming language (Nuggle) so you can design your own colourful displays!
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Currently, we can offer the case in any colour of acrylic, but the standard is a clear laser cut case, or for a little extra, a glass effect finish with
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a professional welded case top. At the time of writing a premium, special edition brushed-anodised aluminium version is in preparation.
We can currently offer NOS tubes, tubes of unknown usage but look NOS with the same functionality or tubes that have some visible signs
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of wear but still function well. These are now rare as hens-teeth, but occasionally appear on eBay and the like.
If readily available to us for your part of the world……
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https://stevenjohnson.com/nls/index.htm
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nixie_tube
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dekatron
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vacuum_fluorescent_display
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light-emitting_diode
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquid-crystal_display
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Beauty is in the eye of the beholder….
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Copyright Grahame Marsh/Nick Stock 2019
another vintage display technology, the cathode
ray gun into a discrete counting device. The E1T
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uses a cathode ray and some neat tricks to display
a green line in 10 positions, each cunningly
numbered from 0 to 9. These were used in early
counters (such as the one pictured on the right). A
far more detailed explanation of how to electrically
drive an E1T can be found later on in this
document. There are also some great resources on
the web for history and data about the E1T.
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Anatomy of a Fortress
The clock consists of the following components;
•Six E1T tubes encased with raked cast acrylic light guides.
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•Two acrylic light guide rod colons.
•PIR - so the clock can go to ‘sleep’ if no-one is in the room to bask in its beauty.
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•Rotary encoder - to select the different ‘faces’ to the clock and also to adjust the volume.
•Infrared remote sensor
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•Two high quality downward firing speakers - the Fortress is capable of using .WAV files to
play chimes and audio.
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•SD Card - this contains all the face file descriptors (Nuggle programs), audio files, chimes ,
system files and system.ini file.
•A removable plate at the rear to access both the SD card and the programming port on the
CPU board.
•A GPS/WiFi antenna connector
•PSU Input hole (12V DC rated at a minimum of 5A output)
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•A case top/cover for the clock
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathode-ray_tube
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http://www.tube-tester.com/sites/nixie/different/e1t-tubes/E1T_philips/e1t-phil.htm; https://www.dos4ever.com/E1T/E1T.html
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As interesting as the E1T is as a piece of vintage CRT technology, we thought we’d spruce things up with a little extra bling….which you
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can turn off if you so desire!
PIR - Passive InfraRed sensor.
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For clear acrylics, these are IR transparent, but opaque materials and aluminium cases have a cut-out for the IR receiver.
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Some of it quite amusing.
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The clock doesn’t require a continuous 5A input, but upon startup the heaters require quite a bit of juice to warm up. This is mitigated a lot
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by the slow startup implementation in the clock hardware, but current spikes of approximately 3A are not uncommon from a cold start.
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Copyright Grahame Marsh/Nick Stock 2019
Left: PIR, Middle: Rotary encoder, Right: InfraRed
receiver
Left: PSU input, Middle: Access plate for SD and CPU
socket, Right: GPS/WiFi antenna connector
Initial Clock Setup and Operation
First, you’ll need to find a good spot to place your clock, the best options being somewhere out
of direct sunlight as this will washout the E1T displays and the LED highlighting. The clock does
have an auto adjustment for the LED intensity based on the ambient light in the room. You will
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need to adjust a few things on the SD card so it knows which part of the world you’re in. These
details are kept in a file on the SD card called locale.ini in the System folder. You can edit this file
using any simple text editor (i.e. Programmers Notepad, Text Edit, Windows Notepad, Text
Wrangler etc...). The main thing you will want to change is in which time zone you’re located and
what DST (Daylight Saving Time) rules to use. Simply change the file accordingly and save your
changes. If you’re so inclined, you should probably also change your latitude and longitude.
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You will also want to attach either the GPS/WiFi antenna to the back of the clock. If you’re using
the WiFi option you will
need to enter your
network credentials
(SSID and Password) in
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the wifi.ini file, again on
the SD card in the System
folder. Once that’s all
complete, plug in the
PSU cable to the back of
the clock and turn on the
power. You will notice
that the underside LEDs
will all light up and after
about a minute, the E1T
tubes will illuminate and
countdown to 0. You will
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then be greeted with the first of many available ‘faces’ of Fortress. To change from one to the
next, either use the rotary encoder at the front of the clock or the remote control (see page 67 for
a full breakdown of the available remote control operations). To change the volume of any chime
This can be changed, like most other presets in the clock, by altering the system.ini file on the SD card. See Page 60.
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If you ask us nicely, we can set this all up for you beforehand....if you don’t change this then the solar (sunrise etc.) information will be
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incorrect.
SSID - Service Set Identifier - The given name to your local WiFi network.
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Why does it take this long you ask? Well, there’s a lot going on behind the scenes....and the slow start of the E1T heaters hopefully
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prolongs their working life. If you want to see what checks etc. go on during startup, then see Page 47 and use the serial console.
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Copyright Grahame Marsh/Nick Stock 2019
One of two speakers on the underside of the Fortress
Custom 5A PSU for the Fortress
Powering up the Fortress - E1T tubes counting down on startup
audio on a particular clock face simply press the encoder in and turn clockwise to increase and
anti-clockwise to decrease (the volume level will be displayed on the two rightmost E1T tubes).
You can also use the IR remote for the same purpose.
Clock Customisation
One of the core principles embedded in an Open Source device such as Fortress is the ability to
customise it by understanding how it ticks . Faces for the clock are written in a hybrid coding
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language called ‘Nuggle’ and exemplary examples are provided in a separate manual called ‘The
Nuggle Cookbook’ available on the Dropbox. As supplied, the Fortress comes with a pretty
comprehensive set of ‘faces’ which combine both timekeeping, LED lighting schemes, solar
information, screen savers, and the occasional light-hearted audio chimes. All of these are
provided on the SD card and can be viewed and edited as needed. For a detailed description of
the standard Face Distribution set start at page 13.
Clock Care and Troubleshooting
Fortress is a pretty special clock and as such should be suitably cared for to enable a long life and
enjoyment for years to come. Please only clean the acrylic with a lint-free cloth (scratches aren’t
cool), and keep it away from prying fingers. There are high voltages employed within its confines
and even though it is well protected accidents can happen. The E1T tubes are very valuable and
(alas) a non-renewable resource, so please only operate the clock with the case top in place to
protect them from accidental contact and stray flying objects. As with most complicated
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electronic devices, sometimes things don’t go according to plan. If the clock, for any reason,
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doesn’t operate correctly, the first thing to try is a hard reset by turning the power off, waiting 5
seconds then turning power back on. Pulling the PSU socket out and plugging it back in isn’t
ideal as this can also lead to hanging the CPU, so please only cycle power using the switch on the
power supply. If that doesn’t fix things, then please try using the serial console (see Page 47) to
see where things are hanging up. If that doesn’t pinpoint the issue, then please contact us and we
will help you to get things up and running again. This doesn’t extend to failure of the E1T tubes as
these are obviously out of our control and have a finite lifespan. We will, however, warranty any
issue in the Fortress electronics due to premature component failure or faulty construction for 1
year after date of purchase. This does not extend to accidental events such as spilling drinks on
the clock or dropping it on a hard floor etc. This warranty also only applies to pre-built clocks
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purchased directly from us. If you are having problems with kit construction we are here to help
but some costs may be incurred for such assistance depending on whether shipping the clock is
involved etc.
Questions?
We love old display technologies. We have a passion for bringing them back to life in unique and
distinctive timepieces and putting them back on display. We also like hearing from people who
share our interests in vintage electronics, so if you have any questions regarding Fortress or any
other device offered by us, please contact us at either;
See what I did there? Ha ha ha....
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This may seem a little OTT, but as a favourite author of mine once wrote, ‘Scientists have calculated that the chances of something so
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patently absurd actually existing are millions to one. But magicians have calculated that million-to-one chances crop up nine times out of ten.’
- Mort, Sir Terry Pratchett.
This should be a rare event.
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Common sense should prevail here.
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Page 5
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Copyright Grahame Marsh/Nick Stock 2019
Table of Contents
Page 7 Quick Start Guide
For the impatient in all of us.
Pages 8 - 12 Safety Information and Legal
Information on how to use the clock safely, warranty information and
the Open Source philosophy involved.
Pages 13 - 43 Fortress Clock Distribution Faces
A list of all the clock ‘faces’ supplied on the SD card and descriptions
of their function.
Pages 44 - 78 Fortress Clock Operation Manual
This section describes most of the technical aspects of the Fortress
E1T Clock design and its operation. It also covers the basics on how
to modify aspects of the clock to suit your tastes and
troubleshooting.
Pages 79 - 107 How The Clock Works
Technical description of all the subsystems and circuitry that makes
the clock tick along with schematics.
Pages 108 - 120 How the E1T Tube Works
An Extract From Dance’s “Electronic Counting Circuits” describing
how these wonderful vintage devices operate.
Pages 121 - 129 Nuggle Supplemental For The Fortress
Nuggle specific code additions for the clock
Any questions or concerns, then please don’t hesitate to contact us at either of the following
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Copyright Grahame Marsh/Nick Stock 2019
Quick Start Guide
Impatient huh? Want to just plug this thing in and get on with your life? Here’s the minimum you
should consider knowing before enjoying the show.
i) Read the Safety and Legal chapter. Note the do’s and don’ts please.
ii) Change your location details on the SD card. Also your WiFi SSID and password if
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you’re using the WiFi option. Make a back up copy of the SD card if you can.
iii) Attach the antenna to the back of the clock (either the GPS or WiFi version, depending
upon your order).
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iv) Plug the clock in (12V DC, minimum 5A, centre positive) - Clock will take about 1
minute to ‘boot up’. Make sure to operate the power with the switch on the PSU only.
The time will most certainly be wrong until either the GPS gets its location data or the
WiFi unit has got its IP and fetched the time from an NTP server. If you need to
manually set the time, go to Face numbers 960 (time - page 37) and 961 (date - page
38).
v) Change the clock face display with either the rotary encoder knob on the front of the
clock or the remote control.
vi) Change the volume of any chimes by pressing in the knob and turning clockwise
(volume up) or anti-clockwise (volume down).
vii) Sit back and enjoy.
viii) Read the rest of the manual. 😁You can learn the following.
1. Creating your own clock face
2. How the clock works
3. Editing system.ini
4. Connecting the console/programmer
Any questions or concerns, then please don’t hesitate to contact us at either of the following
Ignore this if you’ve already asked us to take care of this at purchase.
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You may have not opted for either, which is OK, but you’ll have to set the correct time yourself.
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Copyright Grahame Marsh/Nick Stock 2019
Important Safety Information
Annex - Safety and Legal Statements
Safety Statement
Like all scope clocks, The Fortress uses high voltages in order to operate the cathode ray tube
(CRT) inside the E1T tube. You need to respect this and other hazards inherent in these circuits.
Caution! The Fortress clock must be correctly earthed (grounded) using only a 3-core mains
cable to a correctly earthed mains outlet.
Caution! The Fortress generates high voltages in the region of 300V during operation. These
voltages are present on the power supply board and base of the E1T tubes; These voltages may
be maintained for a period of time after input power is removed.
Caution! Do not touch the electronics while the clock is in use or has been recently operated.
Treat the clock with the same level of care and common sense as any mains-powered electrical
device – do not expose to wet environments, keep out of the reach of children, animals etc. Do
not eat!
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Caution! Some components may be warm to the touch during use. This is a perfectly normal
consequence of their operation, but you should remember it when handling the board or
considering alternative clock enclosures.
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Caution! The E1T tube envelope is made of glass and may be broken if the clock is dropped or
inadvertently struck.
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It wouldn’t taste very good…
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Why you would given the rather exquisite case the clock is supplied in is beyond the author’s imagination…
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Keep this out of the way of stray pets…
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Copyright Grahame Marsh/Nick Stock 2019
Legal Statement
The Fortress clock is built and documented with an Open Source philosophy in mind. All the
source files including circuit diagrams, Eagle board, software and design files are provided under
a Creative Commons ShareAlike 4.0 International license.
More specifically;
i) You may share, copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format,
ii) You may remix, transform and build upon the material presented herein,
iii) You MUST give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license and indicate if changes have
been made.
iv) This license is for NON-COMMERCIAL use only, you may not use the material for commercial
gain.
v) If you remix, transform, ‘improve’, modify or build upon the material presented herein, you
must distribute your contributions under the same license as the original.
You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing
anything the license permits.
For further information, please see the following URL: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-
nc-sa/4.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, PO Box 1866, Mountain View, CA 94042, USA.
In addition you should note the following (in the event that there is any conflict between these
notes and the License given above, then the License shall take priority).
The Fortress Clock may be hazardous if not assembled and operated by suitably knowledgeable
and practised persons or if abused. It is your responsibility to carefully review the documentation,
the design and the kit contents, and to assure yourself that you have the necessary expertise to
construct and/or operate the clock safely. In particular, it is also your responsibility to ensure that
the completed clock meets any necessary safety and other regulations or guidelines for such
items in your jurisdiction. In that respect, any supplied enclosure is intended as a basis for you to
customise the final clock to meet such regulations. It is possible that in some jurisdictions, a
completely different type or construction of enclosure may be required to obtain regulatory
compliance. Assembly instructions in the kit documentation are intended as a starting point, to
be amended or not according to the judgement and expertise of a suitably qualified constructor.
The hazards of this kit include, but are not limited to, high voltages, the generation of heat during
operation, the presence of toxic substances within the components of the kit, the presence of
high vacuum within the cathode ray tube and the presence of sharp and/or fragile glass and
metal items. Not all components within this kit comply with the Restriction of Hazardous
Substances regulations (RoHS), though compliant components have been selected in most cases.
In summary, you own, construct and use the Fortress Clock entirely at your own risk. To the
maximum extent permitted by law, we disclaim all liability for any and all adverse outcomes
associated with your ownership, construction and use of this item.
Page 10
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Copyright Grahame Marsh/Nick Stock 2019
Atmel Licence
The Fortress firmware makes extensive use of the Atmel libraries. The Atmel License (also given
36
in every Atmel library file) is
Copyright (c) 2012-2015 Atmel Corporation. All rights reserved.
License
Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without modification, are permitted
provided that the following conditions are met:
1. Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright notice, this list of
conditions and the following disclaimer.
2. Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright notice, this list of
conditions and the following disclaimer in the documentation and/or other materials
provided with the distribution.
3. The name of Atmel may not be used to endorse or promote products derived from this
software without specific prior written permission.
4. This software may only be redistributed and used in connection with an Atmel micro-
controller product.
THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY ATMEL "AS IS" AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED
WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF
MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NON-INFRINGEMENT ARE
EXPRESSLY AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL ATMEL BE LIABLE FOR ANY
DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES
(INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES;
LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON
ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING
NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE,
EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.
My distribution of the Atmel libraries as part of the open source firmware is in compliance with
this license.
For further information visit http://www.microchip.com
LUFA Licence
The Fortress uses an custom SAM3X8C core board and as such makes use of a programmer that
uses LUFA.
LUFA Library
Copyright (C) Dean Camera, 2010.
dean [at] fourwalledcubicle [dot] com
www.fourwalledcubicle.com
Now owned by MicroChip
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Permission to use, copy, modify, distribute, and sell this software and its documentation for any
purpose is hereby granted without fee, provided that the above copyright notice appear in all
copies and that both that the copyright notice and this permission notice and warranty disclaimer
appear in supporting documentation, and that the name of the author not be used in advertising
or publicity pertaining to distribution of the software without specific, written prior permission.
The author disclaim all warranties with regard to this software, including all implied warranties of
merchantability and fitness. In no event shall the author be liable for any special, indirect or
consequential damages or any damages whatsoever resulting from loss of use, data or profits,
whether in an action of contract, negligence or other tortious action, arising out of or in
connection with the use or performance of this software.
For further information see http://fourwalledcubicle.com/LUFA.php
Warranty Information
Upon receipt of the kit of parts, any missing or broken pieces will be replaced. It is incumbent
upon the recipient to check the contents in a prompt manner against the supplied parts lists
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found within the construction manuals. As a kit of parts, no warranty can be provided pertaining
to the quality of construction and operation of the final product as this is the duty of the
purchaser and is dependent upon their skill. The Fortress clock may be hazardous if not
assembled and operated by suitably knowledgable persons and it is the owners responsibility to
carefully review all the supplied documentation. The authors have made their best attempts to
explain and detail the construction and hazards associated with operation of the clock within the
supplied manuals. Due to the nature of the obsolete technology employed in the Fortress
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clock (primarily the E1T tubes themselves), certain hazards are present, namely high voltages and
fragile glass under vacuum and due care and attention should be paid when handling said items.
If you have purchased a complete operational clock then a limited warranty is provided in a
separate document supplied with your documentation. If the clock kit or complete clock has
arrived in a damaged state such that an insurance claim is likely to be made, then please notify us
immediately (within a few days of receipt). It is likely that photographic evidence will be asked for
to make the insurance claim.
No refunds on partially or fully constructed kits are possible.
Please, no requests months after the fact…I’m reasonable but not that reasonable.
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But charming!
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Copyright Grahame Marsh/Nick Stock 2019
Introduction
This manual section describes the clock “faces” that you will find on the supplied SD card (or the
standard set you download should you be building the clock yourself). Whilst you can just use
these distribution faces and their numbering and arrangement, you are encouraged to rearrange
the faces and pick the ones to commonly use yourself. You are also encouraged to edit the face
files, change the sound files and reconfigure the displayed clock faces to your own amusement. If
you take the plunge and decide to start coding your own faces, then please share with us!!
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Clock Face Numbering
There is only one rule: clock faces must be numbered between 1 and 999999.
The rest of this description should not be taken as hard and fast rules - this is just how the faces
are arranged on the SD card at distribution - all can be changed at your whim.
Clock faces are normally selected on the Fortress E1T Clock by:
•Turning the rotary encoder when not pressed
•Pressing the CH- or CH+ keys on the handset
•By “dialling” in number using the 0 to 9 keys and pressing EQ.
To select quickly and easily, I arrange my favourite faces to be in the number range 1 to 9 and
other good clock faces that I might occasionally want to use in the range 10 to 99. This minimises
the ‘travel’ distance using the encoder and key presses when using the IR handset. I use numbers
above 100 to display all the clock faces (even repeating the favourite ones) in logical groups so
that the full range is available for use and for demonstration.
Clock Face Filenames and Number Assignment
Clock faces are Nuggle program files living in the /nuggle folder on the SD card with .nug file
extensions. The [faces] section in the nuggle.ini file is used to link a required clock face number
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to a Nuggle file.
For example:
[faces]
4 = awest
will make the awest.nug program execute when clock face number 4 is selected.
Note that whilst face numbers can only be used once, the Nuggle filenames can appear more
than once. Therefore in addition to the assignment of awest.nug to face number 4, you could
have:
152 = awest
further down the list. This enables you to build clusters of popular face numbers in the list.
We look forward to what you come up with…..and this is Open Source after all.
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In the /system folder on the SD card
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My Favourite Clock Face Selection
Whilst you can choose yourself how to use the face numbers, I use faces 1 to 9 for my favourites,
as the effort to select one of them is therefore minimal. In all cases these faces are duplicates of
main grouped clock faces with numbers 100 and above. You will need to look there for the detail
of each clock face.
But don't forget these are my favourites only. If you find that the bling is not quite the right shade
or you want different timing - the face is not entirely satisfactory - then please look at editing the
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faces selected list or the Nuggle files themselves. However, I do recommend keeping clock face
1 as the blank clock. In some case an error condition in a Nuggle program needs a clock face to
move to. I use face 1 for this purpose.
Distribution Clock Faces in Groups
Face
Number
Description
Grouped face
number
Filename
1
Blanked clock - all E1T tubes off and bling set to black
400
blank.nug
2
Show the time with a spinner but no excessive bling or chimes.
A very simple display.
106
time11.nug
3
Time with bling and chimes
201
nick02.nug
4
Time with date shown each minute. Bling but no chimes.
121
dattim02.nug
5
Time with date shown each minute. Bling and Derby chimes.
123
dattim04.nug
6
Original Star Trek themed clock
152
ost01.nug
7
Sequential display of four other clock faces
7 calling
251
252
253
254
callsq10
seq10a.nug
seq10b.nug
seq10.cnug
seq10d.nug
8
Sun rise time
301
sunrise.nug
9
Sun set time
302
sunset.nug
Face
Number
Description
Grouped face
number
Filename
10
Star Trek Next Generation themed clock
154
tng01.nug
11
“PIR Game”
350
pir.nug
12
Larson bling scanner in red
404
larson.nug
.. for these extremely rich merchants life eventually became rather dull and it seemed that none of the worlds they settled on was entirely
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satisfactory: either the climate wasn’t quite right in the later part of the afternoon, or the day was half an hour too long, or the sea was just the
wrong shade of pink. And thus were created the conditions for a staggering new form of industry: custom-made luxury planet building. -
H2G2 Douglas Adams.
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100- Illustrating faces that just show the time with minimal bling
All these faces respect the user settings for 12 or 24 hour displays and as such the 10's hours E1T
should be blanked when displaying the time from 0 to 9.
Face number
100
Nuggle file
time01.nug
Description
Simple time display, respect
user format setting
Colons
Flash green
Bling
None
Chimes
None
Face number
101
Nuggle file
time02.nug
Description
Simple time display, respect
user format setting
Colons
Flash red
Bling
Dim red
Chimes
None
Face number
102
Nuggle file
time03.nug
Description
Simple time display, respect
user format setting
Colons
Flash cyan
Bling
Dim blue and cyan
Chimes
None
Face number
105
Nuggle file
time10.nug
Description
Simple time display, respect
user format setting. Spin the
seconds each second then all
tubes on each minute roll over
Colons
Flash green
Bling
None
Chimes
None
Face number
106
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110 - Illustrating faces that just show the date with minimal bling
All of these faces respect the user settings for year, month and day leading zeros and the display
order.
120 - Faces that show the time and date sequentially during each minute, either no or rainbow
bling
Nuggle file
time11.nug
Description
Simple time display, respect
user format setting. Spin the
seconds each second then all
tubes on each minute roll over
Colons
Flash green
Bling
Dim green
Chimes
None
Face number
110
Nuggle file
date01.nug
Description
Simple date display, respect
user format settings
Colons
None
Bling
None
Chimes
None
Face number
111
Nuggle file
date02.nug
Description
Simple date display, respect
user format settings
Colons
None
Bling
White theme
Chimes
None
Face number
112
Nuggle file
date03.nug
Description
Simple date display, respect
user format settings
Colons
None
Bling
Yellow theme
Chimes
None
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Copyright Grahame Marsh/Nick Stock 2019
All these faces respect the user settings for year, month and day leading zeros and the display
order when showing the date. They also respect the user settings for 12 or 24 hour displays and if
the 10's hours E1T should be blanked when displaying the time.
Face number
120
Nuggle file
dattim01.nug
Description
Time is shown except during
seconds 40 to 49 when the
date is shown
Colons
Showing time - flash green
Showing date - fixed green
Bling
None
Chimes
None
Face number
121
Nuggle file
dattim02.nug
Description
Time is shown except during
seconds 40 to 49 when the
date is shown
Colons
Showing time - flash white
showing date - fixed white
Bling
Rotating rainbow of colours,
colour progress round the
colour wheel and right to left
across the tube bling at a
constant rate
Chimes
None
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Copyright Grahame Marsh/Nick Stock 2019
Face number
122
Nuggle file
dattim03.nug
Description
Time is shown except during
seconds 40 to 49 when the
date is shown
Colons
Showing time - flash white
Showing date - fixed white
Bling
All tube and downward bling
show the same HSV colour.
The IR handset*can be used
to switch to a hue using keys 0
to 7. Keys 8 and 9 are ignored
but the rest of the keys
operate as normal.
Chimes
none
* Because the IR handset key's 0 to 9 default operation are overridden by the Nuggle code the use of keys 0 to 9 to dial in
a new face number won't work.
Face number
123
Nuggle file
dattime04.nug
Description
As with 121 dattim02.nug
except bling has a wider hue
range and chimes are added
Colons
Showing time - flash white
Showing date - fixed white
Bling
Rotating rainbow of colours,
colour progress round the
colour wheel and right to left
across the tube bling at a
constant rate
Chimes
derby00.wav, derby15.wav,
derby30.wav, derby45.wav,
derbyt.wav, tick01.wav
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Copyright Grahame Marsh/Nick Stock 2019
130 - Westminster Quarters Set
The Fortress E1T clock has three sets of Westminster Quarters , WAV files including compatible
43 44
tick-tock WAV files. I am reasonably sure that none of these files are the actual sound of the bells
used at the palace of Westminster . Like Marmite you will either hate or love these chimes.
45 46
A point of note please: Big Ben is the nickname for the Great Bell of the clock at the north end of
the Palace of Westminster in London that tolls the hours. The official name of the tower in which
Big Ben is located was originally the Clock Tower, but it was renamed Elizabeth Tower in 2012 to
mark the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II.
These first sets of clock faces concentrate on the chimes and use no bling.
Face number
130
Nuggle file
awest.nug
Description
Shows the time as hh:mm:ss
using flashing colons, no
bling, tick-tock and
Westminster files set A.
Colons
Colons flash green each sec.
Bling
None
Chimes
a-west00.wav, a-west15.wav, a-
west30.wav, a-west45.wav, a-
westt.wav,
tick2a.wav, tick2b.wav
Face number
131
Nuggle file
bwest.nug
Description
Shows the time as hh:mm:ss
using flashing colons, no bling
and Westminster Quarters file
set B.
Colons
Colons flash green each sec.
Bling
None
Chimes
b-west00.wav, b-west15.wav,
b-west30.wav, b-west45.wav,
b-westt.wav
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westminster_Quarters
43
Otherwise known as the Cambridge Chimes
44
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Ben
45
https://www.marmite.co.uk/
46
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