Clock Kit Build (
Вставка
- Опубліковано 11 гру 2021
- Alarm clock kit from Aliexpress, with quite a few different LED animations, also battery-backed RTC chip, so it should keep good time.
It's still available on Aliexpress, but a little more expensive than in August when I bought one:
www.aliexpress.com/item/10050... - Наука та технологія
Damn it anyways..... Now I had to buy one. As if I don't have enough to do! Thanks a lot. 🤪
Hi Martyn, I’ve just built one of these. You mentioned that the LDR didn’t seem to do anything. There is a software switch for this in the same way that there is for the alarm. You scrolled through the second switch when demonstrating how to set the clock and alarm. It’s the second set of four zeros. You can toggle them to 1’s and it activates the LDR. The brightness of the LED’s will then dim (not much) when the ambient light drops. Good video.
Thanks for the info
I made one of these about 3 years ago and it still keeps really good time so I can’t complain! It occasionally drops a few leds but they return if I reboot it. I think it’s probably an iffy solder joint but it doesn’t affect the display or timekeeping so I live with it! I use it as a bedside clock as it isn’t too bright for the bedroom! One of the cheap Chinese kits that I actually use regularly.
Yes, I find it quite attractive, although I don't always like blue LEDs. It's definitely good value for the few pounds I paid for it.
@@MartynDavies Do you think the blue LED's could be swapped out for green ones?
@@Alan_AB Definitely, although the current limiting resistors might need to be swapped for other values depending on what sort of brightness you want for the LEDs.
Great job😁 what battery is used? my kit was missing :(
It's a CR1220
Bought that kit myself and wanted to solder the components on the side of the clock where the display lies though. Just wanna stare at my soldering work all day. The fact that it’s a clock is just a bonus, but I wanna keep it functional. Do you think it’s ok to solder it this way? Is there anything I should look out for? Didn’t look through my kit yet but wanted to get a heads-up so I won’t mess up.
Nice video!
The chip and display can only go in one way, but the resistors and buzzer could be mounted on the wrong side. You can experiment with it; you might be constrained by the larger components getting in the way.
Soldering iron tip is pretty oxidized. Seemed to struggle with each joint. I always use some brass wool often to clean tip and re-tin. For the SMD chip, a small dab of flux would make a huge difference.
Amazing my brother
Interesting kit. Clocks use either a GPS module or Wifi to get accurate time are perhaps a better choice. This clock module is not very precise, and who wants to have to set the clock when it drifts off. There are more precise modules, but getting accurate time is preferable.
I few years ago I swore that I would never buy a clock again that could not auto-set by radio, or change automatically with daylight savings. Look where that oath turned out.
@@MartynDavies I've pretty much decided the same thing - no more clocks or watches that don't self-set. I just ordered a few Pico W's for clocks and other projects. The Pi Zeros are too valuable and hard to get to use in clocks these days. The Waveshare Pico clock shown in another video could hopefully work with a Pico W as well. Might make a good video to try that, and set it up in Python for convenient user customization. I ordered one but it may be coming by slow boat. Another good upgrade might be to add a GPS to it. I want some clocks for the RV that use GPS because internet isn't handy for them. GPS modules have become very inexpensive, and all you need is one pin to read the serial output.
When you go through the settings you get to a row of zeros which can be set to one’s and as you say that is alarm on and off. When you press the button again, you get a second set of zeros. Change this to one’s will turn on the display dimmer function used by the light dependent resistor.
I found it annoying as there is no fuzzy threshold on the dimmer. When you reach a light level where the dimmer is unsure if it’s dark enough for the dimmer then it can look like the display is flickering as the led s are switched between bright and dim every few tenths of seconds. Made worse for me as it sits on my office table so when I move the mouse it thinks the light level has changed so it flashes.
Fun to build though. I’ve had mine about a month.
Mine seems to lose a minute or two per day and I’m not sure why. I don’t have a battery fitted but that’s only for the RTC battery backup I think.
That's very useful. Thanks!
@tubie1888 how do you send it the instructions. I have 2 amd the work different. One chimes every hour, the other don't. I cannot make the dots lit in the time mode (useful not to confuse with year). Is there any repository with programs / firmwares?
I build this clock and everything works accept the thermistor temp read out. . When it switches to temperature I get P1C or U1C. Its like its getting a bad signal. Solder connections appear good and LDR is working. Any ideas what might cause it?
You could measure the thermistor with a multimeter to make sure it's not open circuit or short circuit. Also perhaps put a 10k resistor in instead of the thermistor and see if the display reads something sensible. If I find my clock, I'll measure the resistance of the thermistor for comparison.
martin im just about to build one of those , but i am reffering to previous clock build ,i have built an alternating colour one it works fine bar for the PM DOES NOT LIGHT, ON A PREVIOUS ONE I BUILT IT DOES ? any ideas i have no instructions, john.
The way that I tackle this is to carefully inspect all the pins on the rows/columns of the display and reflow anything that doesn't look to have good solder. Make sure that none of the pins are shorted to their neighbours using a continuity tester. Failing that, work out which row/column of the display has the problem and check continuity back to the pins on the chip.
cheers ive done that with my magnifier and tester but could not find the culprit but not to worry everything else works.@@MartynDavies
You need to remove that white seal on the speaker
I think that I talked about that
Could you exhange the blue leds to red ones instead?
I'm sure you could. Blue LEDs tend to have lower value load resistors, but modern LEDs are very resilient and can sink a lot of current.
Is there a 12hour set of that?
I suspect that you can set it. The module's packed away somewhere, but if I come across it I will try.
I have the same clock I have a problem with the s1 touch button it doesn't work I can't change hour and minute
I would check with a multimeter that the switch is not shorted out. Then, usually the switches have a resistor on one side, a pull-up to +V or 5V, then the switch connects to ground when you press the button; this gives quite an easy way for the microprocessor to sense pressed vs unpressed. You can check this out with a multimeter.
They'er NOT LEADS, they're L. E. D. s dammit!!!
I've been saying it that way for 45 years, so probably won't stop now.