oliverb

Hi David. Have you turned it on via the display- the display is always on by default on power up? With the word clock showing press the bottom left touch button. The word PIR ON will appear on the top right for a few seconds.To turn off touch the bottom right touch button.Brett.

Has your motor got planitary gears? What sort of power supply are you using? Maybe the power supply is not upto the job? Also sounds a silly question what does your food look like. If it has many flat/sharp edged maybe it is causing the feeder to jam?

I am sure it would be possible but I wouldn't know how to go about it.

I am not sure. I have not used that device before. It says it will drive bi-polar stepper motors but I can only see 2 inputs to drive it. It may need a bit of playing around with the code or a differnet library. let me know how you get on.

Hi David. Yes the code can be modified instead of altering the LED modules. I have never tried it but if you contact JohnM217 (see his comment) I think he has done it in the setled function.

See all replies. The diagram is correct. If you don't fit resistor R1 the motor control pin will free float and will prob drive the motor continuosly.

See all replies. The diagram is correct. If you don't fit resistor R1 the motor control pin will free float and will prob drive the motor continuosly. Changing the line as above is not the correct solution.

The resistor is necessary. As I said before the resistor holds the stepper start low when the start button is not pressed. If the resistor is left out then pin14 is left floating. This is why the motor runs non stop. By changing Pin14 to PIN1 you have in effect disabled Pin14. If you do not want the Man switch then you could have just left out the code for Pin14 and the resistor.

Hi JavierD78. You sau the diagram is wrong. What did you change? If your stepper motor is continually running make sure the 10K resistor R1 is in place.

Not sure what you mean by "PLAY" button. There is no play button. In the top right hand corner there is the "FEED" button. Pressing this will feed once then stop.

Hi make sure the 10K resistor R1 is in place. This holds the manual feed off when the man fedd button is not pressed.

Hi if you go to the code section under software changes you can see what the sketches and libraries do. Off the top of my head if you want to just hide the games it may be easier to take them out of the menu?Was there a reason to take them out? I must admit I only really use the Word clock and maybe the temp/humidty display.

Hi Richard thanks for your comments. I'm glad I have inspired some of your ideas.I know what you mean about "satisfy one's other half " not all my projects make it into the house but have their own special room (my study). I can't remember adding hysteresis on my wo clock but then I just changed or added to the code. Both clocks do visibly jump in brightness but not too badly. Maybe I will look into the code and see what I can change.I love your anemometer display in the frame with the moving LEDs. LEDs and 7 segment displays are so much better to look at compared to the large LCD display on my Oregon Weather station.

Thanks for that I got my large DCF77 aerial from there.

Hi have a look at my latest code here https://drive.google.com/open?id=1CRTTMNpu1WXcRcx9... I have used the smaller displays on display 5 and 6. I think on your version I have commented out the original code to make my large dispalys work. I think that will be displays 3 and 4.I can't remember if I had said before but there is a diode fitted to the display boards in series with the input. This drops the voltage by about half a volt. In a long line of displays this causes problems. as all the diodes in series add up. I just short the diode out by soldering a link over it. Let me know if you are stil stuck.

I will be adding chimes etc to my Mk2 clock.Have you looked at Erik de Ruiter's clock https://create.arduino.cc/projecthub/edr1924/dcf77...he has added chimes to his. He has a Mk1 and MK2 clock. My code is copied from his and modified to suit.Please modify my code as you like as that's what I have done with Erik's code. You could always publish your completed clock on this site as I am sure there will be changes other people would like to use.My coding is my not that good I find it easier to change existing code.PS.I added full Westminster chimes to this clock http://www.brettoliver.org.uk/Regulator_Clock/Regulator_Clock.htm using a cheap Ebay module you may find some ideas there. The chimes sounds I recorded are free to download and play with as you wish.

A quick thought on your clock not locking onto your signal. There are 2 types of receivers inverted and non inverted. The superfilter and DCF decoder need to be set to match the type of receiver you use.

Hi I am working on a MK2 DCF77 analyzer clock that uses both large and samll 7 segment displays. Here is a link to my code to see how I have modified my code to match the displays https://drive.google.com/open?id=1l9JzM_2tltTzHsAQ.... This is still very much a work in progress but you should be able to use this code to see how to modify your code. On my new clock large displays are RTC time display and date display. Small displays are used for the last 2 displays eg buffer bits and the pusle displays. I noticed these small displays gave loads of errors. I found that if I removed the diode and replaced it with a wire and also added a 10micro farad capacitor in the holes on the PCB they worked fine.

Off the top of my head and first thing first. lets sort your displays. What sort of 7 segment modules are you using? I used the larger modules on this project. If you are using the smaller modules with a PCB 82mm long by 15mm wide then as I have found on my Mk2 clock the code will need to be modified.

Hi thesunny73 I am not sure what your problem is.You say some displays are bright and some are dim but are they working OK telling the time?I would go back to basics and confirm all the LEDs are connected the correct way round. Have a look here https://www.wikihow.com/Test-LED-Lights check with a spare LED then make sure all your LEDs are correct. If you have a multi meter I would also check through all the wiring (take all the ICs out first) to confirm every wire goes to the correct place. Let me know how you get on.Brett.

Maybe it's a library issue. Can you paste the error code here?

Hi HenryR57.I had to change my web site links updated. Link to this clock on my site http://www.brettoliver.org.uk/DCF77_Analyzer_Clock/DCF77_Analyzer_Clock.htmI am building a MK2 version of this clock. Here is a mock-up http://www.brettoliver.org.uk/DCF77_Analyzer_Clock/images/dial4k13.jpg

Normally are summers are even shorter than that.:)

Hi. Have you used the correct library? Udo has 3 versions of his library. This clock uses v2 http://www.brettoliver.org.uk/LCD_Master_Clock/dcf...See if that helps.Any problems just let me know.

Hi I had to change to another part of BT for my web hosting and had to change my web address. Forget to change them on here as well :(. I have updated the links should all start http://www.brettoliver.org.uk/The code is here http://www.brettoliver.org.uk/Master_Clock_MK2/masterclockmk2.zip

Don't forget to get the vinly reverse cut and see if they can weed out the letters for you. My printer included weeding out the letters in the printing cost.

Hi you can get 30 days free trial of Illustrator so you can convert the file for printing.

Hi sorry for the confusion.VR5 is on the little MAX7219 IC board go to here and scroll down http://www.brettoliver.org.uk/Master_Clock_MK2/Mas...VR6 is mounted on the display board rear in any conveniant location so it can be adjusted from under the clock.There is no layout for the display board just a pic from the front to show where the componants are located.Q1,Q2 and Q3 are not shown on the layouts as I did not use them. They are there in case I connect slave clocks or electromechanical chimes as I did with my original master clock. I would connect these remote from the clock on a power transistor board.I will update my site/instructable when I get some time.Brett.

Hi Ted.It is certanly possible to make a year clock and changing the step rate of the clock is a good way of doing it. Unfortunatly I have so many projects on the go I just won't have the time to help. Have a look here https://www.bmumford.com/clocks/year/index.html this is a year clock with 1 hand. You could try contacting them to see if they can supply a movement to you?Good luck.Brett.

Hi I had 2 LEDs that failed. After a few weeks they started to go dim intermittently. At least with this design they are very easy to change. I checked the solder joint and it was fine.

Hi JulianC5.Not sure what you mean by the Hopper level counter. You need to set the hopper level to match your hopper here int hopperLevel = 34; // Hopper hold 34 feeds. My Hopper holds 34 feeds. I checked this by filling the hopper and counting the manual triggers until the hopper was empty.Each time Manual, App or Timer is triggered the Hopper count should decrement by 1.

Hi D6. Glad you found my instrutables helpful.Your lock sounds interesting...... post some pics as it progresses.You could include my mini work clock as it's quite simple to build and will not take up too much space on your clock face. https://www.instructables.com/id/Arduino-Word-Cloc...All the best.Brett.

I think on the video they were electronic chimes. I have also used an electro-mechanical bell in the past. There are some details here on my calendar clock http://www.brettoliver.org.uk/Calendar_Clock/Calendar_Clock.htm and also a different config on my Pragotron clock here http://www.brettoliver.org.uk/Pragotron_PJ42_Clock/Pragotron_PJ42.htm.

The Master Clock uses Udo Kleins Release 2 library download here http://home.btconnect.com/brettoliver1/LCD_Master_...This could be the problem.

Have added your Analogue code change to the bottom of my site so I can try it out when I find some spare time. http://home.btconnect.com/brettoliver1/Word_Clock/...Thanks again for posting it.

Thanks for the code update. I am very busy with major building works on my home and will be for the next few months at least.I will paste this code into my website as a reminder for myself to look into adding it along with your previous comments.Post some more comments if you get any progress on your clock additions.

RTC to remember timeI had the same problem but since I stopped using my master clock to change winter/summer time the issue is sorted.All I do now is leave R5 connected to input D7 and the clock works fine. I have powered the clock down for hours and it always remembers the time. I have now added a comment on my site and the Instructable site to point out this issue.Analogue ClockI had noticed the analogue clock lacked definition and will try and add your code when I get some time.All lights on ModeYes the initial all lights test is a bit buggy and a test mode menu would be great. I have added a led test on the prototyping page http://home.btconnect.com/brettoliver1/Word_Clock/... . This lights each LED in sequence to confirm the LED works and is wired correctly. There is an animation s...

RTC to remember timeI had the same problem but since I stopped using my master clock to change winter/summer time the issue is sorted.All I do now is leave R5 connected to input D7 and the clock works fine. I have powered the clock down for hours and it always remembers the time. I have now added a comment on my site and the Instructable site to point out this issue.Analogue ClockI had noticed the analogue clock lacked definition and will try and add your code when I get some time.All lights on ModeYes the initial all lights test is a bit buggy and a test mode menu would be great. I have added a led test on the prototyping page http://home.btconnect.com/brettoliver1/Word_Clock/... . This lights each LED in sequence to confirm the LED works and is wired correctly. There is an animation showing it working in that section. Maybe you could add this to your test and include all four displays rather than the single I have used?There should be a way of adding extra menus but I will need some spare time to look into the code.I seem to remember there is an option to set the boot mode. Is this what you have used or did you modify the code?Expansions Let me know how you get on with your expansions. If you get them going I will add the parts I want to my clock or maybe I could paste a link to your code as an alternative version?Workaround at the momentWhen in word clock mode, if the right bottom button is touched the seconds mode is turned off. There is some code when in time setting mode I think pressing the right touch sensor sets the seconds to 0. Maybe this is causing problems with your modification?

The displays are common-cathode as these work with the MAX7219 drivers.

Sorry David forgot to post it. Now at v4.5 includes tiny change to stop sync when the clock is already in sync. See code page for download or click here http://home.btconnect.com/brettoliver1/Word_Clock/images/Brett_wordclock_v4_5.zip

Some people have suggested or added a Microwave Radar Sensor RCWL0516 instead of the PIR module to this clock. See pic1.This seemed like a very good idea as it saves adding the remote PIR sensor. I have now added a Doppler Radar option from code v4.4.The clock now checks for movement on the quarter hour and will turn off the display if no movement detected. If movement is detected again the display will turn back on.Code v4.4 works for both PIR and Doppler Radar modules and uses the same wiring.Pic 2 a hole is drilled through the front panel so the microwave sensor on the module is exposed to the room. The module is hidden from view by the PVC sticker and glass (transparent to this sensor).Pic 3 rear view showing Doppler Radar module mounted on the back of the clock case.

Hi Burkhard.I had no problem copying the files over to my sound module. In case you have not seen it already there is a bit more info on my site here http://home.btconnect.com/brettoliver1/Regulator_C... or Electrofreaks here http://www.elecfreaks.com/wiki/index.php?title=JQ6... .At least you have found a solution by lowering the sampling rate you may not notice the difference anyway.Brett.

Hi m0o0hammad. Not sure what you mean.

Hi I have found an old library on my PC and have put it here......http://home.btconnect.com/brettoliver1/Timelapse_P...Let me know how you get on.

I have found this old library. May be worth a try.

Hi. Try this. Let me know how you get on.

Hi David.Sorry I don't have a full component list but it should be quite easy to get a list off the schematic.The Atmega 32 is the exact same chip used in the Uno. You can buy them off Ebay etc. Just search for Atmega 328P PU with bootloader. I highly recommend the version using Udo Klein's DCF77 Library I have used this library in all my DCF77 clocks.I have basically built my own UNO on Veroboard. The difference being I have added a Quartz crystal instead of the resonator found on Uno boards. See the easy mod here if you want to use an UNO http://home.btconnect.com/brettoliver1/LCD_Master_...The quartz crystal is required to use Udo Klein's DCF77 Library.

I will be moving my clock to a new location in the future and the radar module sound like a good idea.Is your Microwave Radar Sensor a RCWL0516?If so did you change the code to add a delay?

Well done! Install looks nice and clean did you hide the wires in the wall?

Hi I added this function quite late in the day once my clock was up and running. I have just checked my clock and I seem to get the same problem. I will let you know if I find a solution but maybe the Summer winter pin should be a toggle momentary hold high to set summer then hold high again to set to winter.

I can't see a direct connection with this and the RTC. However, leaving the D8 pin floating without a connection to a PIR/Radar module or a pull up to 5 volts is a definite situation to avoid. Maybe pin D8 floating is fluctuating so much that it is affecting the performance of the RTC?Glad you have it working now anyway.

Just to check are you now using non rechargeable batteries?May be worth checking if the SDA/SCL connections are connected correctly.

Hi I have downloaded the SVG file and it loads OK into Inkscape.I seem to remember this happening before. I think I deleted some blank characters from the ends of some of the rows to sort it.Did you send a link to your code as the link does not seem to work?

Hi I am not sure what vinyl my printing company used. I just emailed them with details of what I wanted it to do and they supplied a product that worked perfectly.Maybe your white letters will be OK ? You can make the black vinyl darker by replacing the glass with some dark grey perspex. I have used this on my MINI Work clock https://www.instructables.com/id/Arduino-Word-Clock-Mini/ over inkjet printed clear sheet. The black was not black enough but adding the grey sheet worked perfectly. See an example of the sheet here https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Tinted-Colour-Perspex-Acrylic-Plastic-Sheet-Cut-to-Size-Window-Transparent-Glass/172112036431?var=470950462567&hash=item2812ad424f%3Am%3AmEgPwyB2NLkvAYIvJAbeO3Q&_sacat=0&_nkw=grey+perspex&_from=R40&rt=nc&_trksid=p205043...

Hi I am not sure what vinyl my printing company used. I just emailed them with details of what I wanted it to do and they supplied a product that worked perfectly.Maybe your white letters will be OK ? You can make the black vinyl darker by replacing the glass with some dark grey perspex. I have used this on my MINI Work clock https://www.instructables.com/id/Arduino-Word-Clock-Mini/ over inkjet printed clear sheet. The black was not black enough but adding the grey sheet worked perfectly. See an example of the sheet here https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Tinted-Colour-Perspex-Acrylic-Plastic-Sheet-Cut-to-Size-Window-Transparent-Glass/172112036431?var=470950462567&hash=item2812ad424f%3Am%3AmEgPwyB2NLkvAYIvJAbeO3Q&_sacat=0&_nkw=grey+perspex&_from=R40&rt=nc&_trksid=p2050430.m570.l1311.R1.TR1.TRC0.A0.H0.Xgrey+perspex.TRS0

Well done the picture complements the Word Clock perfectly with it's shadowed back board.Look forward to seeing your build photo compilation.Brett.

I have pasted the StepperAK.h library in the code section of this instructable. Let me know how you get on.

Glad you have found the problem.Brett.

Maybe try plugging in a mobile or PC in the USB port and check the readings to see if they are fluctuating?http://home.btconnect.com/brettoliver1/Word_Clock/Word_Clock.htm#ldr

Have you checked the LDR connections?Is your LDR mounted through the case to the outside of the clock like my one?http://home.btconnect.com/brettoliver1/Word_Clock/Word_Clock.htm#ldr

Would be interested to see what price they come back with.

Is R5 in place looks like the clock is jumping in and out of summer/winter time?

Hi David. Sorry I only looked at theTetris code when I had trouble getting my touch sensors to work with it. I must admit I only really use the word clock part. Let me know if you find the problem.

Hi the code is exactly the same code as the code you would normally run except I have changed the credits.h file (line 71) to test matrix 1 only.The code is only designed to have a single MAX2719 module matrix plugged in so you can test the wiring modification is correct on each module in turn.

You should just be able to load MAX7219_LED_Test.ino after extracting from the zipped folder and it should run?Brett.

Hi ThanT9.If you go to step 13 the code should be there at the bottom of the screen in a zip file.Let me know if you have any problems.Brett.

Hi Carlos. First of all well done for completing the clock. It's not an easy project for an experienced builder let alone a first project!Your problems with the clock. Do you have the 10K resistor connected to D5 on the Nano? This resistor holds the 30 second sync off. If it is not connected the clock may randomly sync to 30 seconds.It could be the RTC not working. If you removed the resistor from the RTC board did you replace the rechargeable battery with a standard non rechargeable type?

Thanks dekeros!

srdevil feel free to share what ever you want.Brett.

No problem. Glad you got it sorted.

Hi I just used a standard cable https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksi...and cut the thick black outer sheathing off on the Nano end with a craft knife. The cable just plugs into the Nano's mini USB socket. Without the sheathing the cable is very flexible and can be bent inside the case to follow the cable form.