Thursday, September 14, 2017

Remixed WiFiChron board

Thanks to all buyers who waited patiently for the new batch of re-designed WiFiChron PCBs to arrive.
The new board eliminates the need for the 2 extra wires on the back (that connected Rx and Tx to ESP8266). The XBee socket, intended for the $45 GPSBee, was also dropped, and replaced with a 3-pin header, used for connecting the $5 GPS modules available on ebay.

Here is the list of notable changes:
  • the only RTC now supported is DS3231;
  • DS3231 is now powered from the regulated 3V3;
  • GPS module is now connected to D17 (already supported in software);
  • as mentioned above, Rx and Tx already connected to ESP8266 module (no need to solder the 2 wires on the back); as before, remember to unplug the ESP8266 module from its socket when uploading a new sketch;
This is how the new board looks like:


and assembled:

Below is the new schematic (compatible with the old one, just re-mixed):


The latest release of the WiFiChron software should still work unchanged with the new board.

On the assembly front, youtuber 12voldvids put together this nice video:


Here is another video on WiFiChron, courtesy of RayS:


If anyone else would like to make and publish videos on any of my kits, I will gladly support it, with explanations/clarifications and, obviously, discounts :)


9 comments:

  1. I'm seeing lots of great clocks and am wondering how I can modify the code to work with my 64*16 LED matrix. is there any documentation how to do this? Or do I need to unpick and replace all the ht1632 referencess? Thanks!

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    Replies
    1. Check out my "piece de resistence", the WiseClock 4. Here is just the board, you provide the LED matrix display:
      http://timewitharduino.blogspot.ca/2011/11/buy-wise-clock-4-kit.html

      It can be used for single (16x32), double (16x64), triple (16x96) or quadruple (16x128) LED display.

      Here is what it can do:
      http://timewitharduino.blogspot.ca/2016/03/a-recap-of-wise-clock-4-features.html

      Software is open source, so you can modify it yourself if you wish.

      Delete
    2. What exactly "64*16 LED matrix" do you have (and intend to use for the clock)?

      Delete
    3. Thanks for your reply! I've seen lots of videos and have seen all the pictures on the blog and it looks great!

      My screen uses the HUB08 protocol and it has only red LEDS. It has 64 LEDs wide and 16 high. I'm running an Atmega 1284P with DS3231 module. I want add support for my display and may add a new app so that the clock and be used as a digital radio (I have a TEA5767 module for that). I want to help make WiseTime better :)

      The clock is just a fun project for me. I might give it to my son for his birthday.

      Delete
    4. Great idea!
      Adding a radio to Wise Clock has been on my TODO list forever. I even envisioned placing the loud speakers on each side of the display, to look like an old boombox.

      Delete
  2. My question really is: is the code tightly coupled to driving the HT1632/will I need to hack it a bit to make it work for a different display; or is there some display abstraction to make it easier to support other screens, for example the clock could run any display by implementing an display interface and providing certain features like width, height and drawPoint(x, y, c). Does that make any sense?

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    Replies
    1. The display "library" is actually one file, HT1632.cpp (plus HT1632.h header file).
      In theory, by changing the implementation, one should be able to use any display.

      Delete
  3. I don't want to a hacky your code, I want to contribute and extend :) sorry for all the spam!

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  4. Enough talk: I've looked at the code and know what to do now. I'll report back when I get something working :)

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