Some of you may remember this thread.

 

And now, as promised, the Analog Wife Clock (no, nothing to do with having an analog or digital wife).

 

 

 

Features:-

• Like the wife, it's always right, uses NTP (internet time).
• Calibrates hand position on power up/reset.
• Hands move just like a real clock.

 

Apart from the dual-shaft stepper and the clock itself all the parts were in the "Assorted Bits" draw.

 

and silly things like this keep the old grey cells ticking over.

 

You will need:-

• A BKA30D-R5 360 degrees of rotation concentric Stepper Motor https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32832881189.html  This ultra-low power unit is handy as it works directly off the 5V logic outputs of the Arduino with no need for a stepper driver. Note:- Ensure you get the 360^o version, the limited versions can be modified if you have a steady hand and a strong magnifier. I don't have either.
• A decent sized kitchen clock, it needs solid hands preferably with somewhere to attach counterweights (mine didn't).
• Two IR reflective sensors like those used in line-following robots https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32462888575.html I was originally going to use some Hall sensors I had in stock as they would mean not having to drill the clock face, but the magnets needed proved too heavy (they would likely work with the counterweights as added later).
• Arduino-Uno or similar 5V microcontroller. This does the donkey work of positioning the hands.
• ESP-8266 with a 5V level converter board https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32420325023.html This is just used as an internet clock.
• Wires, connectors, epoxy etc. etc.

 

Builder's notes:-

• You will need to move the IR LED and sensor to the back of the board so you can access the sensitivity pot when it's installed. Also slip some sleeving over the LED or sensor (or both) to ensure it only triggers when it sees the hands.
• The baby stepper tends to slip if it has much of a load (it's meant for car instruments not kitchen clocks), so add counterweights to balance the hands. Mine are paperclips with washers soldered to the ends.
• You will need to make adaptors to match the hands to the stepper shafts, mine were made from a defunct clock mechanism (I never throw anything away) and some sleeving.

 

Nice project!

 

Only think I'd consider, when using something as powerful as an ESP-8266, is to get rid of the additional controller. 

You would need a level shifter and maybe some more I/O ports.. and these are available all on nice chip:

https://www.nxp.com/docs/en/data-sheet/PCA6408A.pdf

 

Yeah, the ESP is somewhat over-powered, but they are so cheap that it's hardly worth going elsewhere (I'm using one as a watchdog timer For Flips Sake!).

 

The clock needs 8 IO lines for the steppers, 2 for the position sensors (with some thought you could use one sensor for both hands) and 1 for the serial link so you could probably use a Node MCU (but it's only 3.3V so would likely need stepper drivers).

 

Like I noted, it all depends what's in the bits box.

I like the idea of playing around with electronics. But a clock?

How accurate do you need it? Is one minute off per year too much?

Enjoy your hobby.

Oops. forgot the code:-

 

Arduino code - Analog_Clock_UNO_v2.2.ino

 

ESP code - ESP8266_Internet_Clock_Use_serial_board_for_analog_clock1.1.ino

 

 

5 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

I like the idea of playing around with electronics. But a clock?

How accurate do you need it? Is one minute off per year too much?

Enjoy your hobby.

 

Don't worry, I do enjoy doing silly stuff like this, and all (OK, most of) my projects fulfill a (at least perceived) requirement around our home.

 

My wife (and her family) think I'm completely barmy, they humour me as the crazy farang ATM.

I think this project  is just a step(er motor) too far for me ????

Just now, johng said:

I think this project  is just a step(er motor) too far for me ????

 

Think of it as a stepping stone to further innovation ???? 

Looking at your wires, did you every use Silicone Wires? Since I discovered them I use them all the time. They are a little more expensive but extreme flexible. It's an absolute joy to work with them. For signals I use mostly 28 and 30AWG.

 

 

 

3 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Looking at your wires, did you every use Silicone Wires?

 

They are the cheapo 24 AWG equipment wire from NPE, 28/30 is too small for me to see ???? 

 

I agree, silicone is a treat to work with, super bendy.

Say if the power went out for a few hours do the hands automagically whizz round really fast  to catch up to real time when power is restored    like the school clocks  use to  ?

 

Would be very useful in countries that insist on the bloody daylight savings changes twice a year.

 

1 minute ago, Crossy said:

They are the cheapo 24 AWG equipment wire from NPE, 28/30 is too small for me to see ???? 

You can obviously also use 24 AWG silicone wire. The important part is the silicone isolation. If you didn't do it already try them. They are one of those things which you didn't know you missed until you tried them.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32982069768.html

Just now, johng said:

Say if the power went out for a few hours do the hands automagically whizz round really fast  to catch up to real time when power is restored    like the school clocks  use to  ?

Would be very useful in countries that insist on the bloody daylight savings changes twice a year.

 

Yup, on reset it homes the hands to 12:00 then they whizz (relative word, they take about 5 seconds) to the correct time.

Have a look at DIY Perks on You Tube, he makes some remarkable things.

Wise old saying:

"A man with one clock knows what time it is."

"A man with two is never sure."

That reminds me, I must tweak that weeee screw on the bottom of my Grandfather clock pendulum, the daily time correction is now getting a little annoying...????..............????

19 minutes ago, dddave said:

Wise old saying:

"A man with one clock knows what time it is."

"A man with two is never sure."

 

For some unknown reason we seem to get yet another clock as a prezzie every year, I think I'm going to have to start rotating them if the appropriate donor comes to visit.

 

7 minutes ago, transam said:

That reminds me, I must tweak that weeee screw on the bottom of my Grandfather clock pendulum, the daily time correction is now getting a little annoying...????..............????

 

My granny had a long-case (too small to be a grandfather) clock in the lounge. The "gronk-gronk" of the mechanism was a sure fire way to get a (very) young me off to sleep.

 

Unfortunately for my parents it also chimed on the hour which served to wake me up, more grumpy than I am these days if awakened from a deep snooze.

Nice job, but does it have the ability to tell all other clocks that they're wrong?

14 minutes ago, Crossy said:

 

My granny had a long-case (too small to be a grandfather) clock in the lounge. The "gronk-gronk" of the mechanism was a sure fire way to get a (very) young me off to sleep.

 

Unfortunately for my parents it also chimed on the hour which served to wake me up, more grumpy than I am these days if awakened from a deep snooze.

Mine has the Big Ben chimes, every quarter chime too, to be honest, we don't hear it now, must be like living near an airport, the noise disappears, or we've all gone deaf...????

6 minutes ago, heist said:

Nice job, but does it have the ability to tell all other clocks that they're wrong?

 

I wish ???? 

57 minutes ago, Crossy said:

 

Think of it as a stepping stone to further innovation ???? 

Perhaps a windmill or a steam engine...

12 minutes ago, scorecard said:

Perhaps a windmill or a steam engine...

 

I do have a set of castings for a MyfordBoy engine. Now where's that Round Tuit that I need?

 

 

1 hour ago, Crossy said:

 

Don't worry, I do enjoy doing silly stuff like this, and all (OK, most of) my projects fulfill a (at least perceived) requirement around our home.

 

My wife (and her family) think I'm completely barmy, they humour me as the crazy farang ATM.

 

In my mind I imagine Crossy, the tinkerer, puttering around the estate, as being pictured something like one of these:

 

   

 

...though the Dick Van Dyke chitty-chitty-bang-bang reference may get me banned by most of the UK-borne mods.

1 hour ago, Crossy said:

 

I do have a set of castings for a MyfordBoy engine. Now where's that Round Tuit that I need?

 

 

I had most of my old Meccano set with little nuts and bolts and little spanners until I moved to Thailand. Meccano set was left in storage but somehow got lost (disappeared/light fingers, whatever).

 

Lots of hours of fun and learning.

Some tips that might improve any future design.

 

The TCRT5000 IR sensor will be a little more accurate when detecting small close proximity objects and the Arduino can read its output directly to filter and set sensitivity.

 

It would be possible for both clock hands to share one position sensor by placing it just before 12. Similar to the encoder marker pulse method, each hand finds the sensor at speed backs off then approaches slowly until triggered. A defined set of steps then places the hand on 12 and zero is set.

 

 

Wow, you are bored if you went to this much trouble to produce a more accurate clock. 

 

I quit worrying so much about time after I retired.  The battery in living room wall clock died several days ago and I haven't even bothered to get a new battery for it out of the refrigerator, which is only 2 m from the clock.

 

Next time I suggest you buy an atomic clock kit, which uses one of the international atomic clock radio broadcasts to keep it accurate.  The kit in the link below is powered by one AA battery and sells on eBay for less than 350 Bt with free international shipping by snail mail.  You can use the kit to convert one of your eight clocks that don't tell the time correctly.

 

This example comes with white hands but black hands are also available. 

 

UK MSF Time Atomic Radio Controlled Silent Clock Movement DIY Kit White Long

 

 

1 hour ago, HarrySeaman said:

Wow, you are bored if you went to this much trouble to produce a more accurate clock. 

 

I quit worrying so much about time after I retired.  The battery in living room wall clock died several days ago and I haven't even bothered to get a new battery for it out of the refrigerator, which is only 2 m from the clock.

 

Next time I suggest you buy an atomic clock kit, which uses one of the international atomic clock radio broadcasts to keep it accurate.  The kit in the link below is powered by one AA battery and sells on eBay for less than 350 Bt with free international shipping by snail mail.  You can use the kit to convert one of your eight clocks that don't tell the time correctly.

 

This example comes with white hands but black hands are also available. 

 

UK MSF Time Atomic Radio Controlled Silent Clock Movement DIY Kit White Long

 

 

But Thailand is not the UK.

Quote

NOTE:ONLY FIT FOR THE UK!!! NOT FIT THE OTHER COUNTRY!!!

 

Reminds me of the tales that clocks are only ticking when someone is looking.

maybe a movement sensor could extend battery life ??

????
In any case it would entertain the kids running around.