7-Segment NeoPixel Clock With Countdown Timer
Introduction: 7-Segment NeoPixel Clock With Countdown Timer
In this Instructable, my twin brother, <PERSON>, and I will show you how to make a 7-segment NeoPixel Clock with Countdown Timer. The inspiration for this project began with our parents and their fitness room. While they have an older digital clock in the room, it has no functionality other than telling the time. And oftentimes, our parents will use their phones as a countdown timer for their workouts but they have no dedicated stand for it, so situating it in the room is cumbersome and tedious. My brother and I always try to make something for our parents for Christmas and we came up with the idea of creating an “Exercise Clock” that not only adds a modern clock into the room but also incorporates a countdown timer so that our parents will not have to fumble with their phone timers anymore. While we designed the clock with exercise/fitness in mind, this can be created and placed in a variety of other locations!
We are very pleased with how the clock turned out and our parents love it! Here is a quick rundown of some of the features of our exercise clock!
- 7-segment display that shows current time of day and illuminates NeoPixel ring according to the current minute of the hour
-IR sensor that enables that user to adjust clock/timer settings from anywhere in close proximity with IR remote
-Countdown timer function that allows user to set a countdown timer.
-Recurrent countdown timer that will loop a timer infinitely with a user-input break in between. E.g. HIIT workout that may require a 1 minute timer with a 30 second break in between sets
-Piezo buzzer that buzzes when timer reaches 0. Also provides auditory feedback whenever a button is pressed on the IR remote
If you are interested in seeing how we made this project or you want to make one for yourself, please follow along! If you have any questions, leave them in the comment section below and we'll try our best to respond quickly!
Supplies
Electronics:
-Arduino Pro Mini 5V
-4x NeoPixel ¼ Ring 24-Bit RGB LED
-1.2” 4-Digit 7-Segment Display w/I2C Backpack
-DS3231 RTC Module
-Piezo Buzzer PS1240
-IR Receiver Sensor 38kHz (Salvaged ours from an iHome iH9 unit)
-IR Remote (Salvaged ours from an iHome iH9 unit)
-Power Adapter 5V 2A
-2n2222 Transistor
-1k Resistor
-1000 uF Capacitor
-CR2032 3V Battery
-Flexible 28AWG wire
Miscellaneous:
-3D printer (optional)
-Acrylic Sheet cut into desired diameter
- E6000 glue
-Printable adhesive vinyl sheets
-Black Spray Paint
-Printer
-Hot glue gun
-Exacto knife
-Soldering iron + Solder
-Tools (wire cutters, scissors, needle nose pliers)
Step 1: Circuit Diagram and Testing the Electronics
We were basing our idea off of a unique clock design we had seen while perusing the internet. 939
In order to replicate something similar to this, we needed some essential components. Those included: an Arduino to run the program, an RTC module to obtain real time clock data, a NeoPixel ring for display, and a 7-segment display to show the time/timer digitally. We wanted our parents to be able to adjust the clock from a distance so we chose to incorporate an IR receiver/remote. Finally, we wanted to add some type of auditory buzz when the timer completed, so we incorporated a piezo buzzer.
Circuit Diagram:
We chose to use EasyEDA to create our schematic. A PDF version of the schematic is available in the attachments. Of note, both the RTC module and the 7-segment w/backpack use the I2C protocol. On the Arduino Pro Mini, those pins correspond to A4 (SDA) and A5 (SCL). The IR receiver is connected to pin 2 as that pin is useable as an external interrupt. The NeoPixel data input can be connected to any digital pin and we chose pin 6 as that is what Adafruit uses by default in their example codes. Finally, we connected the piezo buzzer to pin 3 and wired it to the base of a 2n2222 transistor to increase the volume of the buzzer.
Wiring and Testing The Electronics:
We began by wiring the components on a breadboard per the schematic and tested the individual components to ensure they were working properly. 939