Year: 2016

Several changes to the schematic and PCB layout had to be made.

1. 1. Corrected which pin drives the buzzer – The issue with RA4 inadvertently being connected to the LED matrix has been corrected in the new layout of the PCB.
   2. Moved the Alarm and PM LEDs – When either or both of these LEDs are lit, it makes it more difficult to determine the time, especially in low lighting conditions. Perhaps moving these LEDs closer to the center of the board will help with that. Other options in software may be explored,for example, making these LEDs dimmer.
   3. Continue reading Changes to PCB complete

After a bit of a slow start, I have finished making the adjustments to the frame. It will be 1/8″ (3mm)thinner, which may not seem like much, but it brings the tops of the larger LEDs flush with the face of the frame. The rounded edges of the frame will have a larger radius, to give it a more sleek and rounded look. The back side will have a couple of modification as well that will aid in its manufacture. I needed to start with the frame as the changes will have an effect on the PC Board’s size and location of mounting holes.

I can’t believe it’s been two months since I graduated! I have (finally!) officially decided to make a kit available based on my Senior Project. It was actually in the back of my mind when I drafted my proposal the semester before. Truth be told, when I first thought of the idea several years ago, it was with the idea of selling it as a kit. Now it is finally going to happen!

There are numerous changes that need to be made. Most importantly, the PC Board will have to be re-spun to correct the RA4 output error. There are some other minor changes I want to make to the board as well. I want to make the frame a little thinner and make some other small modifications that will make producing it a bit easier. Finally, there are some additional features I want to add to the software – like the ability for it to keep time to a 50Hz reference as is used by the electric utilities in some other countries.

Today, I submitted my senior project! It consisted of my report (which turned out to be 41 pages, complete with pictures, schematics and references), a presentation poster (which I threw together one evening), and the video. I think it all came out pretty good. It is due by the 26th. I was hoping to get it in a week or two early, but some things ended up taking longer than I thought. It was a good thing that I planned to get it done early. I should get a grade by early next week.

Update May 3: I got my grades! I scored 100% on all three: the report, the poster, and the video!!!! 😀

I have a friend, Joel, that has actually made a couple of movies. Although he is an amateur movie maker, his movies came out looking rather professional. He agreed to help me make my video. It was to be between 10 and 15 minutes long — points would be deducted if it’s under 10 minutes or over 15 minutes.

Joel said that if I came over after work on Friday, we could get the shooting done by 10pm and finish the editing by midnight or 1am at the latest. It turned out that we didn’t get finished with the shooting until about 1am! Then there was the editing!

Continue reading The video

The software is fully functional now. The clock’s software does not have everything I had hoped to implement, but it fully works as proposed! I really have to get the report finished. Of course, there are some specific requirements for the report including this suggestion concerning its length:

Although the quality of the report and the length of the report are not necessarily related, if you submit fewer than 15 pages for the combined introduction, discussion, and conclusions, you most likely have not adequately described your project, its history, your research, computer simulations, and the results.

Yikes! I still have a lot of work to do! And then there’s the video ….

I designed the PCB to mount in a frame that I also designed. It was to be milled out of Medium-density fiberboard (MDF). MDF is smooth, easy to cut and shape, and paints well. I have a friend, Denny, who is a retired cabinet maker who agreed to make the frame for my project free of charge! I was going to hire him to make more if I decide to start selling the clocks. That was becoming a real possibility since the clock was generating a lot of interest in those that I showed it to. However, after Denny made the frame for the Senior Project clock, he said he was not interested in making more! I guess it proved more difficult than he had thought. If I do sell clocks, I’ll have to either find someone else to make the frames or figure out how to do it myself.

Continue reading The frame

I assembled the board. Whew, that’s a lot of LEDs to solder! I adjusted the code for the test circuit to work on the new clock. However many of the LEDs refused to light!

At first, I thought I had a bad connection on one of the I/O lines, but then discovered what the actual problem was. Early on, I realized that the processor’s RA4 output was not suitable for driving the LEDs. This pin could only sink current, but not source it. The LED matrix required pins that could both source and sink current. Therefore, I had assigned this pin to drive the buzzer. All the buzzer needed was a current sink, so RA4 was dedicated to it. However, somewhere along the way, probably while laying out the PCB, I decided to switch some I/O lines around, and RA4 was connected to the LED matrix instead. So the LEDs that required a current source from RA4 were not lighting!

Continue reading The board has been assembled

I’m so excited that all the parts have arrived!  I’m really looking forward to putting it all together!!

The PCB layout is complete. Whew that was a lot of work! I’ve ordered the PCB and all the parts to make the clock! Much thanks goes to Bay Area Circuits for their Student Special!