Supplies

In this project, you will need an Arduino (I used the nano it is the only one that will fit into the cover), some jumper cables, a potentiometer to adjust the brightness, 1 22ohm resistor, mini breadboard assorted screws and a 2X16 LCD display to display the time.

here are some links to what you will need:

Step 1: Test the Components

First, we will test the components to make sure they all work

step one - connect all the wires

5v on the Arduino - goes to the power rail on the breadboard

GND on the Arduino - goes to the ground rail on the breadboard

K on the display - goes to the ground power rail

A on the display - take the 22-ohm resistor and connect it from A to the power rail

D7 on the display - digital pin 3 on the Arduino

D6 on the display - digital pin 4 on the Arduino

D5 on the display - digital pin 5 on the Arduino

D4 on the display - digital pin 6 on the Arduino

E on the display - digital pin 11 on the Arduino

RW on the display - goes to the ground rail on the breadboard

RS on the display - digital pin 12 on the Arduino

now put the potentiometer into the breadboard

connect the two side pins power to the potentiometer to the ground and the power rails, the polarity does not matter.

connect the middle pin on the potentiometer to VO on the display

VDD on the display - goes to the power rail on the breadboard

and finally, connect the last pin on the display VDD to the ground

now that you have connected everything up it is a good idea to check all the connections as something could short circuit if connected wrong.

now that you have wired and checked all your wires, download and look over the code so that you understand it just in case there is a problem then you can fix it.

simple_clock.ino
Download

Step 2: How to Change the Time on Your Clock

if everything worked it should show 7:07 when you plug it in and upload the code. if you want to change the time you have to find the piece of code above and put your hour into one of the hour slots and the minutes into the minute slots

Step 3: 3D Printed Clock Cover and Putting It Together

Download the files below and slice them the main cover will need supports to hold up the screw holes for the back cover. After it has printed stick the mini breadboard under the screen like in the picture and stick the Arduino nano onto the breadboard. make sure that the port on the Arduino is facing toward the little hole. Now start wiring up the display and the potentiometer the same way as before. After you are done wiring it up to do one last check to make sure every wire is connected properly. Before turning it on, put the back cover on with the screws so we can make sure there won't be to much stress on any of the wires. To put the screws on pushing the screw up throw the hole and glue or tape it there, do this on both sides then put the lid on and screw some nuts on to them to hold the back on. Now that you have done that you can plug it in and set it to the right time and now you have just finished your clock! if you have any troubles look at the troubleshooting just under this.