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Posted

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.

Posted

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.

10-Meters-lot-30AWG-Flexible-Silicone-Wi

 

 

 

  • Like 1
Posted
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.

Posted

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.

 

Posted
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

  • Like 1
Posted
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.

  • Thanks 1
Posted

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...????..............????

  • Like 1
Posted
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.

 

Posted
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.

Posted
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...????

  • Haha 1
Posted
6 minutes ago, heist said:

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

 

I wish ???? 

  • Haha 1
Posted
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?

 

 

Posted
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:

 

VanDyke2   Rowland Emett with one of his inventions

 

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

  • Haha 1
Posted
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.

Posted

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.

 

tcrt5000.jpg.c3dd0610c2830d79bb9b0e5b5afe6806.jpg


 

  • Like 1
Posted

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

 

 

Posted
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!!!

 

Posted

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.

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