Make an Old TV Into an 80s Themed Clock
Introduction: Make an Old TV Into an 80s Themed Clock
This Instructable shows how you can turn any TV or monitor into an animated 80s themed clock with "melting" digits!
From the Atari color palette, to the use of an analog composite video signal, everything about this clock screams retro! Even the melting digits have quite a bit of history behind them, being first conceived by <PERSON>, a designer of the original Apple Macintosh, in 1976 (the year I was born!). As a kid, I came across a version of this clock for the Mac Plus and I have loved the visual style ever since!
I made my first version for the Arduino several years ago, but this one is an improvement in many ways!
* Uses the way more powerful ESP32 microcontroller
* Fewer components and much easier to put together
* Improved visual design and details
* Four different color themes!
* Web based configuration
* Network time synchronization
A Warning About CRT Burn-In
It was well known in the 80s and 90s that leaving a unchanging image on a CRT would eventually lead to burn-in, which would cause a permanent mark on the screen. This clock displays a fairly static image which will almost certainly cause some degree of burn-in over time. While you can delay the effect by reducing the image brightness, you should be aware that using this clock 24/7 will eventually cause irreversible marking of the display. So I do not recommend you use this on a CRT you want to keep pristine! To avoid this problem, you can consider using an LCD panel with a composite input instead of a vintage CRT.
Supplies
* One Adafruit HUZZAH32 Feather
* If you don't wish to solder, stacking headers are recommended for the jumper wires
* A micro USB cable
* Either:
* Two wires with alligator clips and a RCA composite cable
* RCA terminal block and jumper wires (best!)
* Any device that can show an NTSC or PAL composite signal via a yellow RCA jack
* A vintage CRT television or a modern flat panel TV
* A PC monitor that accepts a composite signal
* A small display from a car backup camera kit
* A video projector
Step 1: Download the Source Code
1. Visit the GitHub page for the esp32-dali-clock source code
2. Click on the green "Code" button, then "Download ZIP"
3. Uncompress the zip file to your hard disk someplace
Step 2: Connect the ESP32 to Your TV or Monitor
1. Use an alligator clip to connect the pin labeled "GND" on the Adafruit HUZZAH32 to the outside barrel of the RCA plug
2. Use an alligator clip to connect the pin labeled "A1/DAC1" on the Adafruit HUZZAH32 to the central pin of the RCA plug
3. Connect the other end of the RCA cable to the yellow jack on your TV or monitor
Step 3: Get and Configure the Arduino IDE
1. Download the Arduino IDE from the Arduino web page.
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Select "File -> Preferences" and type "https://dl.espressif.com/dl/package_esp32_index.json" into the "Additional Boards Manager URLs"
3. Hit "Okay"
4. Select "Tools -> Board: (xxxxxxx) -> Boards Manager..."
5. Type "ESP32" in the search bar
6. Select the latest version from the dropdown and click "Install"
7. Once the installation is over, click "Close" to quit the Boards Manager
Step 4: Compile and Upload the Sketch
1. From the Arduino IDE, select "File -> Open..." and find the "esp32-dali-clock.ino" inside the source code folder you unpacked earlier
2. Select "Tools -> Board (xxxxx) -> ESP32 Arduino -> Adafruit ESP32 Feather"
3. Plug in the ESP32 Feather to your computer using a micro USB cable
4. Select "Tools -> Port" and select the serial port for your board
5. If your TV only supports the PAL standard, skip ahead to step 7, make the changes, then return here.
6. Select "Sketch -> Upload"
Step 5: Configure the Dali Clock Via WiFi
At this point, you should see the clock on your display, but the time will be incorrect.
Using your phone or computer, connect to the wireless point called "ESP32 Dali Clock". This will take you to a configuration webpage.
At this point, enter the information for your wireless network in the "Network Name" and "Network Password" fields. 977