One of the best features of Arduino, It's its versatility and ease of usebecause it is a platform based on open-source software and hardware that supports creators and developers. Therefore, it is a great tool for create electronics projects open source.
Among the main tasks it allows you to perform Arduino, the clocks are foundBy default, these are ideal for starting to practice and becoming more familiar with the advantages that the platform offers.
Worth knowing How to create a clock with Arduino and what uses it can haveYou can learn about this in this post. As well as the best kits available on the market to implement these ideas.
What do I need to create a clock with Arduino from scratch? Materials used
To build such an accessory with the help of arduino, certain elements are required based on software and hardwareIn the case of software, it is only necessary to use the Arduino integrated development environment (or Arduino IDE) which is the cross-platform app written in a programming language Java.
In terms of hardware, it is recommended use a arduino board (either UNO Arduino or any other model), as well as, an RTC module and male-female cablesIf you want to create a digital clock, you will also need: a 7-segment, 4-digit display, a breadboard, a 9V battery, a pair of pushbuttons, and 6 resistors of 220 ohms (or similar).
Learn step by step how to create a clock with Arduino from scratch to use in other projects
As we highlighted earlier, It is necessary to use software and hardware components when building a clock with arduino.
Therefore, during the creation process, it is worth taking into account the following step-by-step methods:
Via Software
Initially, the clock has to be made with Arduino through the development environment of this platform. Based on a library (in this case, Time.h) that must be installed through one of the following methodsAdding the Library.zip file, either through the library folder or via the Library Manager. To add the Time library to the Arduino IDE, simply click on the tab "Program", Select option “Include Bookstore” and choose "Time" in the listing.
This will add the following code to the software:
#include #include void setup() { // put your setup code here, to run once: } void loop() { // put your main code here, to run repeatedly: }
To run the first functions of the Arduino clock (hour, minutes, and seconds), the code is as follows:
#include #include void setup() { Serial.begin(9600); } void loop() { // Print the time Serial.print("Time: "); Serial.print(hour()); Serial.print(":"); Serial.print(minute()); Serial.print(":"); Serial.println(second()); delay(1000); }
To establish the code correctly, it is valuable to consider that eIn the setup() function, the serial monitor is started to display the data:
void setup() { Serial.begin(9600); }
The loop() function uses the following functions:
Serial.print(hour()); To return the hour. Serial.print(minute()); To return the minutes. Serial.println(second()); To return the seconds. Serial.print(day()); To return the day of the month. Serial.print(month()); To return the month. Serial.println(year()); To return the year.
Subsequently, to set the correct time on the Arduino clock, You need to use the setTime(…) function which can be called by different names, depending on the various parameters to return one type of foundation or another; depending on the needs of the creator or userIn this case, the following data is important: hour, minutes, seconds, day, month, and year, as follows: setTime(hour,minutes,seconds,day,month,year);
Thus, the modified code would be the following, for example:
void setup() { begin(9600); // Set the time and date setTime(11, 40, 6, 14, 8, 2021); }
By Hardware
To build a clock with Arduino starting from a hardware setup, An RTC component is requiredWell, these use a crystal oscillator or the mains frequency and They are used to have a real-time clock that prevents the errors that the Time.h library often throws (sometimes it loses the time). In general, RTCs have an alternative power supply that is used when the main power supply is off and It guarantees the preservation of the time and date at all times..
Within the extensive range of RTCs suitable for Arduino, the following components stand out. DS3231 and DS1307 which are closed circuits. Between these two solutions, the DS3231 is much more accurate than the DS1307Because it has an internal oscillator that is unaffected by temperature changes and can only exhibit a slight deviation of a few minutes throughout the year. Whereas, the DS1307 It may drift by 5 minutes per month, due to extreme temperatures tend to affect its accuracy.
Likewise, The DS3231 has certain alarm functions (That is, it can also function as an alarm clock). However, both components are capable of generate a square wave of several frequencies (to serve as a clock signal) and have an EEPROM memory. Regarding the connection, it is simple because Both the DS3231 and the DS1307 use the I2C bus.
In summary, depending on the Arduino model used, the pins that should be used are:
- Arduino UNO, PRO MINI: SDA = A4 and SCL = A5.
- Arduino Leonardo, YUN: SDA = 2 and SCL = 3.
- Arduino MEGA, DUE: SDA = 20 and SCL = 21.
- Arduino MKR1000: SDA = 11 and SCL = 12.
Notably, SDA is the data signal and SCL It's the clock signal.
