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A DIY digital Arduino clock designed for and by teachers

Arduino TeamJune 13th, 2016
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Project-based lessons are a great way to introduce students to the world of electronics. Clearly Jenna Debois agrees, as she has built a DIY classroom clock based on an Arduino Nano. What’s even cooler is that it’s optimized for teachers! 

The device is made using laser-cut wood pieces, NeoPixels, a real-time clock module, and packs plenty of customizable features like:

  • An additional digit that keeps track of the block or period- an especially useful feature for rotating block schedules
  • The ability to program holidays into the code to prevent the block from advancing on days when school is not in session
  • LED digits that fade from green to red as the end of the period or block approaches so that a single glance can convey the remaining class time
  • A countdown timer triggered 6 minutes before the period ends that flashes between the time and the remaining time- a useful feature for signaling cleanup time
  • Other light effects that can be triggered during lunch, free periods, after school, or other special occasions

Debois not only created a step-by-step guide, but also shared all the documentation on GitHub and a detailed video of the build process.

Boards:Nano
Categories:ArduinoFeatured