ASSIGNMENT
Make the controls for a desk or bedside clock or timer. At minimum this should include controls to set the hour and minute.
CODING PROCESS
I started by selecting a few components that I had on hand, so I would be able to dive in right away. I used a 16-2 LCD screen, push buttons, a potentiometer, and my Arduino Uno. I set up my bread board with the guide of a project I found online. This set up the clock setting controls with a separate button for hours and minutes. However, I quickly decided that I wanted to simplify my controls to just 2 inputs: one to change the state and one to set the time. I wanted to use a push button to change the mode and a potentiometer to set the time. These two actions felt distinct and intuitive enough (and I hoped would simplify the code). Though we reviewed rotary encoders in class, I was instinctually drawn to using a potentiometer instead because of its smoother feel. I also felt that the 180 degree rotation emulates the idea of the sun rising and setting.
Testing time setting. Button pushes change the mode, cycling through hour change and minute change, until the final “display-only” state where it locks it in and the potentiometer won’t have an effect.
DEVICE DESIGN
Originally I wanted to try using two panels with standoffs as we learned in class, but I ended up finding a basket that felt like a good clock size. It felt like it would feel more like a “device” if it were truly enclosed.
In Vectorworks I drafted the front panel. In version 1, I experimented with the placement of the buttons. Bottom-right felt most natural though probably a bit biased towards right-handedness. Putting the buttons above the screen was an attempt to make it feel like a little robot, serving as eyes. However, with the button and knob that I had in mind, it felt unbalanced. The knob extends too far out from the panel in comparison to the button and that didn’t work well sitting above the screen.
For my first couple rounds of laser cutting cardboard, the sizing of my panel was COMPLETELY off. I soon realized that I was entering the width and height dimensions in the wrong boxes in Vectorworks, so I was affecting the position of the shape on the grid but not its size. Tragic.
Since my intention was to create a desk clock, the way the basket would sit upright was very important to its look and feel. The basket would be turned on its side but didn’t make for a readable angle. If I pitched it back it felt much more natural to look at. In the final design, I created feet that change the angle of the basket. They slip onto the side edge of the basket and the front panel slips onto the feet.
Left:: Panel design, Right: Angled feet.
If I could redo the design, I would consider weight choices more carefully. Since the materials are so light, pushing the button can only work if the clock is laid down on its back or if you use your other hand to hold it in place.
FINAL TOUCHES
With the final cardboard iteration in place, I was ready to create the panel in acrylic. I also returned to the code to incorporate the extra feature. Unfortunately, the laser cutters were inoperable in the final hours I had to work on the project, so I had to use my cardboard version instead. Time got away from me and I wasn’t able to add a more interesting clock feature, so I used the same logic of mode changing and setting to also add the date.
