Making an “Alarm Clock” composition from sweets and a cookie tin
I can’t wait a year to put this material “on topic”.
You can, using this master class as a basis, use a non-New Year theme in your alarm clock - make it in any style that suits you. So, let's begin! We will need:
- a tin of cookies (round);
- candies that match the shape and color (I have “Bear in the Forest”);
— candies in the form of domes 2 pcs.;
— dial printed on photo paper;
- cord or fluffy wire for decorating the edge of the dial;
— decorative elements (greenery, pine cones, decorations, etc.).
I hope I haven't forgotten anything :)
1. Cut out the printed dial in the shape of a cookie box and glue it to the inside (where the ingredients are) side of the box with double-sided tape.
2. Using hot glue, decorate the edge of the dial with decorative wire or cord:
3. Hot glue the candies around the jar (I try to glue them closer together).
Tip: start gluing the candies from the bottom, as there may be a gap between the first and last, and at the bottom it will not be noticeable :)
4. We secure our candies again with hot glue with ribbons (since the candy wrapper can unwind and the candy will fall out).
5. Now let's move on to decorating our alarm clock! Everyone’s imagination comes into play here; I won’t describe the process in detail. Let me just say that I first attached all the parts, and then glued everything with hot glue.
6. After the composition is created, we move on to the final design. Glue the “candy domes” to the top of the alarm clock. And at the bottom we glue two “Bear in the Forest” candies as legs.
7. Then we take our decorative wire, cut it into three parts: one will be the alarm clock handle, the other two
- arrows. Carefully glue them to the alarm clock.
We twist the wire handle on the sides using a pencil and bend it at the base. First we try it on (if it’s too long or short, change the wire), and then we glue it.
Secret: for better adhesion of the wire handle with the dome candies, I glue ribbon bows between them :)
Source
Assembling and testing a light alarm clock
According to the developed scheme, the device was assembled, and the firmware was loaded into the board.
When assembled, the device looks like this:
To test the device, the lamp power was connected to a 220V socket, the board was connected with a microUSB cable to a charger from a smartphone. In the evening, the board control application (Blynk) was launched on the smartphone, in which the time to turn on the lamp was set at 6:00 the next day. Also, an alarm clock was set on the smartphone for 6:00.
At exactly 6:00 the next day, the alarm clock on the smartphone and the device described above went off simultaneously. Thanks to the bright light and the fact that in addition to the alarm clock, you also need to turn off the device, by going into the application, I woke up, did not turn off the alarm clock, and did not continue to sleep. The goal was achieved.
Wake up in comfort - make your own alarm clock
Autumn has come... Winter looms inexorably ahead - dark in the morning, dark in the evening. Waking up to an alarm clock in complete darkness is tantamount to diving under ice. Stress in the morning is a guaranteed dull day.
There is a solution, it’s called a light alarm clock, but the price of this thing starts from 5,000 rubles. It hurts, though. In addition, the operating algorithm is hard-coded, but it is quite obvious that, based on the results of waking up, you will want to correct something or expand the functionality. What if you build something like this using improvised means? Nice DIY puzzle!
Principle of operation
Many people are interested in knowing what a light alarm clock is. The principle of its operation is quite simple. Half an hour before the set wake-up time, the device begins to emit a soft, pleasant light that fills the room.
The illusion of dawn is created indoors. The device turns on the lowest brightness first. It gradually increases, reaching a maximum.
If the device is set to 7 o'clock in the morning, the light will turn on at 6:30 and reach its maximum value by seven o'clock.
To wake a person, the device uses different built-in lamps with a light spectrum close to natural. When there is no light, the human body produces the sleep hormone melatonin. In the last half hour, the body gradually reduces its level.
The main reason why a light alarm clock is needed is to gently prepare the body for awakening in conditions of insufficient lighting and increasingly decreasing melatonin levels.
These devices operate only on mains power. No battery charge is enough to maintain uninterrupted lighting of the installed power.
Some devices have a sunset function. In this case, the brightness decreases in the opposite order. The sunset function will be especially useful for children who are afraid to fall asleep in the dark.
ALARM CLOCK-DAWN
• 11.28.18 version 1.1 : bugs fixed. Added libraries
Let's make the cheapest possible analogue of the PHILIPS Wake-Up Light alarm clock - an alarm clock that, for a specified time before it goes off, floods you with light with a smoothly increasing brightness, that is, it simulates a dawn. Your little indoor dawn, which will allow you to wake up alert and rested due to the natural mechanisms of the body. Despite its simplicity, the project received a huge bunch of settings and possibilities for implementing the “dawn” itself, not counting the clock itself + an alarm clock with time settings.
Creating a program
To create the program, I used the Arduino IDE, the Blynk library for Arduino IDE, and the Blynk app on my smartphone.
Creating a program can be divided into two parts: creating an application to control the board from a smartphone and creating firmware for the board itself.
Application
To control the board in the Blynk application, the following elements have been added: Eventor, Button.
Button
The Button element performs the function of a regular button and turns on/off (supplies a low/high level signal) to the digital output (pin) D4. Until the user presses the button, the lamp will remain on.
Eventor
Using the Eventor element, you can create various events, depending on which certain actions will be performed (various electrical signals are sent to the board pins, data is sent to the server, etc.).
Eventor has two main modes: Vpin value, in which actions are performed depending on the data received by the board, and Time, in which actions are performed at a specified time.
I used the Time mode and programmed it to send a low level signal (here denoted off) to the digital output (pin) D4 every day from Monday to Saturday at 6:00.
OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS
In the firmware settings, configure everything as desired (brightness, times, and most importantly, the type of brightness control. Also, do not forget about the two types of encoders, pictures below and everything is written in the settings). The clock has three direct settings (without flashing, installation using an encoder): on/off the alarm, setting the clock time and alarm time. All settings are saved in non-volatile memory and are not reset upon reboot (and time generally continues to count thanks to the battery in the RTC module). For the “dawn time” specified before the alarm clock in the firmware, the brightness will begin to gradually increase within the limits specified in the firmware. When the alarm clock time is reached, the beeper will start screaming; you can turn off all this disgrace by holding down the encoder button. Or wait until everything turns off automatically after the timeout specified in the firmware. Sweet dreams!
How to make an alarm clock using gas discharge lamps
I found an old Soviet alarm clock in the bins, like in the photo. I decided to give a second life to the alarm clock and make it a nixie clock (a clock with gas-discharge indicators). Without moving far from the first project, I decided to do the same under the control of arduino nano, but make some changes.
Having found six indicators IN-12 and IN-17 (flash drive for scale), I began to wire up the board.
The first board with lamps turned out to be two-sided, but I prepared a couple more boards, with jumpers and with TLP627(F) transistor switches instead of transistor switches on MPSA92 and MPSA42. I have not tried the circuit with TLP627, perhaps it will be necessary to correct the delay between turning on and off the lamps. In this project I removed the RGB color tint and their adjustment.
Added: buzzer (squeaker) to play the alarm melody; LED to indicate the alarm is on and enter its settings; Voltage stabilizer L7805CV, the native Arduino stabilizer got very hot.
I also replaced the RTC module from DS1302 to DS3132 because DS1302 is starting to lag every week. I used an LED to indicate the alarm clock, connected to the 13th pin of the arduino, and the board has a built-in LED that works in parallel, so it can be picked out or the track cut.
The boards were made, as usual with LUT technology, etched in a solution of hydrogen peroxide, citric acid and table salt; more information about this can be found on the Internet. Once I have my own CNC, I will make boards by milling or laser-burning photoresist. I decided to remove the old paint of the alarm clock and paint it matte black, here is a photo of the first attempt, but it didn’t turn out very well.
Having redesigned the board, it turned out much better, I immediately tested the performance of the lamps and other elements on the breadboard. An important point: the tone() function is superimposed on the PWM signal on the “3” and “11” pins of the Arduino. That is, called, for example, for pin “5”, the tone() function can interfere with the operation of pins “3” and “11”. Keep this in mind when designing your devices. You can use the tweeter without tone(), using analogWrite, but due to TCCR1B the tweeter does not work. For it to work, you need to: 1) transfer from the sixth pin to the third 2) Replace TCCR1B with TCCR2B in the program 3) use the analogWrite function instead of tone().
Let's glue small columns horizontally so that the front board doesn't warp and make it easier to insert into the alarm clock.
After spending another evening setting up and debugging all the elements of the watch, I finished it. The watch has an alarm clock, to turn it on, you need to press the button (it is located at the top of the alarm clock), after pressing the LED on the front panel lights up, to turn off the alarm clock you need to press the button again. By holding down the same button, we get into the alarm setting, the LED will start blinking and the numbers will reset to zero, to exit the mode you need to hold down the button again. The alarm will go off every day and will be stored until the watch is rebooted.
The operation of the other four buttons has not changed 1. changing the date or time display, in the setting mode is a change of digit; 2. +1 to the custom number if you hold it down, it will start adding faster; 3. If you hold -1 to the adjustable number, it will start adding faster; 4. Entering and exiting the clock setting mode; 5. Turn the alarm on and off, long press to enter and exit the alarm setting mode;
Additional functions
There are additional functions of devices with light:
- presence of a backlit calendar;
- the ability to set a sound signal if the bright light does not wake you up for any reason;
- option to set the wake-up time of two people;
- possibility of simulating sunset;
- the presence of backlighting with many colors;
- REM sleep function (when you need to take a short nap during the day).
Some of them convert into reading lamps, and if they have a built-in radio, it can be set as a wake-up call.
Bottom line
Some believe that a light alarm clock is a luxury, while others see the device as useful and irreplaceable. The trend of the 21st century is to make the home smart so that technology works for people. After all, gadgets are not created just like that. They solve a specific problem that a person faces, simplify and improve life.
If a gadget seems useless, you need to think about your friends and family, maybe they will really need it. Therefore, giving a light clock is a good option. Children are delighted with them. Especially if there are many shades of backlight. Light up the room slightly at night, lift your spirits with colorful flowers in the evening, wake you up in the morning - the same gadget can do this.
Of course, if possible, check the brightness of the light and the palette of shades in the store - this should be done. But if the only option is to order a watch online, then our recommendations will help you choose the gadget that suits you. Just following one piece of advice will increase your chances of being satisfied with your purchase.
