“In this coronavirus lockdown, I came back to my hometown. Everything is perfectly fine here but there was one small problem. There is no clock on my table. I know a table clock sounds a little redundant especially in this era of smartphones and laptops, but it’s always good to have one. Also, it is irritating when you are doing some work or watching any series on full screen and have to scroll up or fetch for the phone just to check the time.
My old table clock is kept in my dormitory. I took it last year when I joined college and forgot to buy a new one for home. I thought of making one by myself but I always kept averting it in procrastination. A few days ago, Instructables launched a clock contest and I thought, now would be a good time to make a clock.
About the clock I made, it’s a very simple clock that shows time and date. To be honest, I only wanted a time-keeping device that can tell hour and minute but I also included the date as it’s good to have it visible. Apart from that, I don’t need anything else. All those features like a stopwatch or timer are meaningless for a table clock. Anyway, we can use our mobile phones for those special scenarios when we need them.
How does it work?
There are four 7 segment displays that will work in synchronization to display time. Every 10 seconds, the current date will be displayed for a period of 3 seconds. On the right-hand side, there are three different indicators for AM, PM, and date. They are there so that one does not confuse the date with time. A push-button is also present for the date, just in case you want to check it and do not want to wait for it to appear.
Note: At the time of making this Instructable, a very strict lockdown is going on in India (because of Covid19). Only essential commodities are available. Therefore, I am restricted to use things that I have in hand. Spare me for taking shortcuts or doing things unprofessionally. I am bounded not by will but by means.
Supplies
- Arduino board (preferably nano or mini)
- RTC module (DS1307)
- 74LS164
- LED strip
- NPN transistors (BC547) X15
- High current NPN transistor (2N2222) X4
- 1K ohm resistors
- Headers
- Push buttons”