Word Clock With Arduino

This project was created by Emily María Ruiz Alcaide, Ayelen Cinthia Bravo Mamani and David Rodero Casado. The project was developed for 'Electrónica Creativa' (Creative Electronics), a Beng Electronic Engineering 4th year module at the University of Malaga, School of Telecommunication (http://etsit.uma.es/)

Do you want a stylish, modern and functional timepiece to add to your clock collection? The word clock is a one-of-a-kind time telling device, using a grid of letters to spell out the time.

This word clock uses a different element, for example the most important element is a Arduino with a RTC, the last one is the most important element because he permit control the hour.

1x Arduino Nano or Uno

1x Strip leds controlled for Adafruit (x256 leds)

1x RTC DS3231

1x Protoboard

Other recommended materials and tools:

3D Printer

Wire crimper plier

Soldering iron + Solder wire

Power Supply 5V

Wire

For the first steps, we go to cut a strip in a strips with a specific number of leds. We need 16 strips with 16 leds.

However, we need to take a strip with 16 leds and cut one by one for give a difference measure between the leds, the measure that we need to have is 1,2 cm with the help of solder and wire we can do this.

We need to plan the measure of our project. The table that we need is 50*50 cm, with this measure we have more space for work.

The measure of the leds is 1,2cm between them.

This part we give you a code of Word Clock, this code can have more simplifications or corrections but for now it is a simple code that work perfectly.

To have the correct function of leds, we need to install a library of Adafruit, this library gives us commands that we need to perfect operation. This is the link where do you can get to the library.

https://docs.arduino.cc/libraries/adafruit-gfx-library/

For the other side, we need a library for RTC. This library is in GitHub and works correctly in a Arduino and they give a perfect commands for the Word Clock.

https://github.com/NorthernWidget/DS3231

(Visualize Arduino code)

If you need a code to test the strips of leds we give you a code that you can test this.

(Visualize LED test code)

In this part we need to design a 3D part, this part helps our LEDs illuminate only the corresponding letter. In other words, an LED should light up only the letter directly above it.

To achieve this, we will design this 3D grid, which will help focus the light on each socket. For this, we will use Blender. This program will assist us in designing the grid; however, a basic knowledge of 3D design will be needed to create the grid. Nevertheless, we will provide our design in case you find it useful.

To finish the designs, we will create a word search for the hours. We designed this step by step, and in the last row, we added a row of numbers. For now, this row is not used in the current version, but in the future, we plan to add the necessary lines of code to make it functional.

For the main idea, we plan to print this word search as a sticker so that the light doesn't pass through the borders, only through the letters, which will be white. Ideally, the letters would be cut out, and thin 3D-printed white plates would be placed over them.

However, due to the cost of materials, we will print the word search on regular paper, and since we need to do it quickly, we will not cut out the letters.

Lastly, we will design the board to mount our LEDs. As mentioned earlier, it will measure 50x50 to ensure the project fits perfectly. It will be made of a material called MDF, which is lightweight and easy to handle.

Now it's time for the assembly. For the assembly, we will use all the other components, both electronic and 3D prints.

To assemble the RTC, we will connect the breakout board as follows:

1. GND to Arduino A2
2. 5V to A3
3. SDA to A4
4. SCL to A5.

These inputs will be for our Arduino, which will take the signal from our RTC and send it to the LED strip. It is very important to obtain a 5V power supply to properly power the LED strips, as with so many LEDs, if they are not powered correctly, they will not function properly.

Before assembling everything, it is crucial to check the soldering of the LEDs, as any faults in the soldering can cause one or more LEDs to fail, since they are connected in a chain.

Finally, we will place the LEDs and glue them to the board we designed, and position the 3D-printed grid over them, leaving a grid gap for each of the LEDs.

Once the grids are in place, we will mount the breadboards alongside the LED strips and set up the power supply. In our project, we will not glue the power supply since we want to reuse it for other projects. After verifying that everything works correctly, we will place the printed word search on top of the grid and glue it to keep it in place and prevent it from moving.