Adding a dimmer to your DOTKLOK

I love my new home-built DOTKLOK (http://aomalley.org/dotklok/), but at night, that darn clock is too bight.  I decided to add a photoresistor, also called a photocell, as a dimmer and hack the 'KLOK a little. Photoresistors are basically resistors that change their resistance based on the amount of light that hits it's face.  They are very inexpensive and easy to incorporate into projects.

Step 1: Open the DOTKLOK

Unplug your DOKKLOK from the power source and get a soft cloth for your work surface.  A microfiber cloth would be best, but here I'm using a clean bath towel.  

Un-screw the screws and nuts on the DOTKLOK case and lay it out on a soft cloth so you don't scratch the surfaces of the acrylic faces.  

You'll then want to carefully remove the SURE LED Matrix.  Mark the plug and socket so you know how to hook it up again.  Then, unplug it from the main board.  Set it aside for now.  

Comments

[aomalley]

Looks good! I'll be posting full DOTKLOK assembly instructions soon!

[Phil B]

Your project is very clever and very well done. I would have a lot of "catch up" in the technical part to be able to do all that you have done. With age, light sources in the bedroom, even an LED clock, interrupt sleep patterns. I simply set our LED alarm clock back farther on a taller chest of drawers so its face is not in line of sight with my eyes. When I need to know what time it is, I just raise my head a little so I can read the clock. Thank you for posting this.