Safety Alarm Clock

I often find getting out of bed in the morning a bit tricky. When i have somewhere to be at a certain time, i get up pretty reliable. However when I want to get up it always seems that I manage to turn off my alarm clock before fully waking up.

Put it on the other side of the room? Multiple alarms? Sooner or later I acclimatise, and fall back to old habits...

This instructable will hopefully show you how to put your alarm under lock and key! This is the safety alarm clock.

Step 1: Things you need

The chart below, I think does justice to the battle between my sensible conscious mind who wants to get up and do stuff and the selfish sleepy one who only wants to lie in bed.

The main point of my alarm hack was only to allow control of the alarm clock to me once the critical time had passed, once the sensible me was in control... I want the selfish sleepy me to be locked out of any alarm turning off privileges!

Things you will need

Cheapo digital alarm clock Get one with a back up battery if you want to do steps 6-8

Wire Cutters
Screwdriver to open alarm clock
Soldering iron
Wire ( double insulated core and jumper)
Project Box
Heatshrink/electrical tape
SPST Key switch (available from maplins for �3 in the UK!!!!)

for making the clock unpluggable you will need
a 2N3904 transistor
buzzer (6 - 12V)
multimeter

got all these? no? doesn't matter, the only thing you really need for this is the key switch and alarm clock the rest I'm sure you can improvise!

Comments

[Cashew]

If you need to get up, set the alarm, hear it and get up. Not too hard. Or ask your Mommy to wake you up. Or your spouse......

[mushrooms401]

easier said then done my friend.i have tried that...i have failed...

[adam 101]

no amount of self motivation can overcome sleep brain's selfishness!!

[jules15]

yea for real.. its like you have no control over your mind that early in the morning

[jvpernis]

So when you unplug the clock the buzzer goes off alarming you that the clock has been unplugged or when you unplug the clock the buzzer goes off when he has to, just like when the clock is plugged? This is a very awesome idea!

[rustygray]

Those who do not suffer from the dreaded sleep monster ( Z monster) have no idea how difficult it can be to shake the seratonin, melatonin induced coma from the brain.

This is a nifty idea. I also like the clocks that start lighting up the room 15 minutes early and by the time the alarm goes off they are fully bright.

[Ceiling cat]

I think it would be a good idea to run a longer wire for the key box to another room so that you need to get up, walk to another room, and turn it off. That way the walking will help wake you up, and you can't just keep the key next to the clock and turn it off and go back to sleep.

[johnston1991]

would be a great idea if it wasnt easier to just glue or take the snooze button off?

[vandal1138]

1:38 = best time ever.

[stephenniall]

I see a tescos Radio alarm clock  !

I have the same one!!

[adam 101]

Couldn't a wire cutter and/or wire stripper render the clock turnoffable?

[Lowney]

What YOU need is the "sonic bomb" alarm clock. My friend has REAL trouble getting up so he bought this. It sounds the alarm at an ear piercing 130 decibels! That's louder than a helicopter at take off! It also has a mini padded bass speaker which you put under your pillow.

[toogers]

dumb salesman.

[Lowney]

lol that's pretty much what he said when he told me about it minus the second sentence. I tried it out but I didn't like it. IT'S SCARY!

[D.A.N]

connect something to the snooze button that'll electricute you

[Madrias357]

Camera capacitor under the button. I've done that to friends with "Snooze-button-itis" as a 'remedy' to slapping the snooze. First thing I did was cut the snooze-button into 3 parts, glue the 2 outer pieces, and place a capacitor and charging circuit in there running off of his 3volt battery backup. I've never heard of him hitting a snooze again after the first morning when he confronted me with, "You coulda told me the snooze would shock me!"

[PCfreak]

yeah like one of those prank shock pens

[Madrias357]

Yep, but with a little more kick.

[daywalker42]

and as for the whole unplugging problem....you could do something REALLY stupid and dangerous, and hardwire it into the socket to the point that it is all but unremovable. :)

[bwpatton1]

I really wouldnt try that unless you are a qualified electritian. (I really cant spell) {I really dont like grammer either} Not to spoil the party but even 110 volts can be dangerous. (my dad is a qualified electritan) {again with the spelling}

[daywalker42]

I was kidding, and as a legal disclaimer: Do not ever, ever try what I said......EVER!

[Koolraap]

I'm totally going to steal that line for my sig !

[PCfreak]

or as adam and jaime from mythbusters say: "Were What you call Experts , So Dont Try Anything You See At Home EVER!!!!!! i was watchin them and decided to post as a referance to daywalkers post

[shaneomacmcgee]

haha... knowing me, I'd just throw the clock across the room... good instructable, look forward to tryin it out!

[Madrias357]

Easy solution to render a clock incapable of being used as a projectile: Bolts and apply some nice threadlock to the nuts when you put them on. I'd like to see the sleeper who can undo that in their sleep. If you can undo bolts while sleeping, use epoxy...

[sierrabravo]

i can't remember how many times my wife has told me i was undoing bolts in my sleep LOL! great instructable

[john12692]

must build zzzzz still asleep zzzzz need to get up zzzz.......

[alekszandor]

This feels a bit like a alarmclock Jigsaw would build... :P Good idea though!

[Yerboogieman]

Every morning, all i have to worry about is HEARING my alarm, i even put a louder speaker on it (whole lot louder than the last) but i'm a heavy sleeper.

[Madrias357]

I've tried things like that before. My current one is louder, and flashes an LED array to attempt to lure you from sleep.

[Yerboogieman]

I know something that gets me up, i use jetaudio's alarm clock and the beginning of Tool - Eulogy. Works like a charm.

[nolte919]

Great Instructable. Just so you know, in step 3, in the first image, you have an image note that's impossible to get to. If a smaller note is completely inside a larger note then the smaller one is impossible to get to. As soon as your mouse goes over the outer one, the inner one disappears. Or maybe it's just me that has this problem. I use Firefox if that makes a difference.

[lukeyj15]

i got the same problem

[xproplayer]

it says This pin is the common ground for all of the buttons i am interested in. follow the silver to see it connects to all the buttons

[zleebme]

(removed by author or community request)

[stephenniall]

I think it'd be cool if you added a emergency Momentery push switch so you turn the key and flick the switch then press it ! lol

http://www.autotoys.com/pics/plsw26.jpg

Sorta like that but not a flick switch

[dylan2106]

Yes! I have been looking for a project that will incorporate the missile style switch cover for a while. Perhaps v2 will incorporate it!

[twist2b]

I realize your method is easy as well :P But, you could have cut the line from the snoose back to the buzzer, making the lock the new path of flow... make the key a switch and your done. :) Still, this is an awesome project. Bravo for the idea!

[dylan2106]

problem was that the other buttons, "set alarm" and "set clock" and "sleep" also caused the buzzer to stop...

[Plasmana]

That is actually a very good idea, I might try that... Another thing, you have the exact same multimeter I have! :-O