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Nature and Arduinos combine as binary driftwood alarm clock

Arduino TeamJuly 11th, 2018

Binary clocks, which use a series of dots to indicate the time, are nothing new, but you’ve never seen anything like this device by Matt Wos! 

Wos’ project features a beautiful driftwood base, and WS2812B RGB LED dots that are suspended above it with copper wire to show the time.

Inside are a pair of Arduino Nanos used to control the LEDs and take input from a small infrared remote, along with an RTC module that allows it to keep accurate time. When the alarm function goes off, you’re treated not to a normal buzzer, but the “soothing” tones of a dial-up modem via an MP3 module and speaker!

Binary clocks have always attracted my attention and here is my version. There are a number of design elements that I believe sets it apart from other variants described on Instructables and other internet sites:

  • Addressable RGB LEDs have been mounted on a copper frame that is external to the body that houses the electronics.
  • An IR remote is used to set the time / alarm, snooze the alarm, select a display colour.
  • The alarm tone is able to be easily personalised.
  • Its in a piece of driftwood!!

The use of the external frame to support the LEDs was due to how much I liked the completed look of the display. The original plan was to have it mounted inside a box, behind opaque perspex but this would have been a design crime!

Boards:Nano
Categories:ArduinoFeatured