Instauratio: Robotlike-Digital Steel Ball Clock

So I decided to ultimately learn how to utilisation an Arduino and worked my fashio ahead to my identical first see, a extremity clock that is completely mechanical.

Love!

Supplies

Electronics

  • (1) Arduino Nano
  • (2) PCA9685, 16-Channel 12-minute PWM/Servo Driver
  • (1) DS3231, Period of time Time (RTC)
  • (1) TTP223B Capacitive Touch Switch Modul
  • (33) SG90 Servo
  • (2) 20KG Integer Servo High
  • (1) Servo Signal Reverser
  • (1) 12V 6A Power Supply

Materials

  • Walnut Plywood, 0.125"
  • Walnut tree Facing
  • Clear Acrylic, 0.120"
  • Carbon Steel Wire
  • Small Screws
  • Small Permanent Magnets
  • 0.25" Steel Balls

Equipment

  • Glowforge Laser Cutter
  • Unspecialised Hand Tools

Step 1: Circuit and Code

Plane though this is my first project, the circuitry was actually quite straight forward. Everything connected with all other through the SDA, SCL, ground, and V+ pins.

I wont go far into the code either since a shell out of it was conditioned from other sources, but it was pretty simple:

  • Each servo was controlled finished one of the two PCA9685 boards. 7 segments per figure means 14 servos for hours and 14 for minutes. There are likewise two heavier-duty servos for rotating the housing, 4 for the lift, and 1 for the colon.
  • The time is kept and retrieved from the RTC.
  • I also wanted to represent with a touch sensing element sol I used one to switch between military and regular fourth dimension.

Step 2: Prototyping

Digits & Numbers

  • For from each one digital number, there are seven segments and each segment is priest-ridden past a servomechanism.
  • One of the biggest challenges was to pattern the servos in the top-grade attainable agency so I could minimize the size of the time as a healthy. CAD helped with this.

To start I only made a uninominal digit. You can also see the grooves in the lift where I in the first place intended for the steel balls to rock back and forward to align the balls in the right place. The clock would also change clock time aside dropping all the balls first, just that got a little complicated. Probably a good thing though because the clock is already pretty loud and 100+ steel balls dropping all minute would probably get annoyance.

Step 3: Design

Housing (Top Part)

  • All servo is attached to the wire bended into a linkage. The wire holds onto the one segment for the number and there are 4 magnets for each segment. Now repeat about 28 more than times.
  • The first stratum with the magnets, second holding the servos in situ, the third belongings the electronics, and the backing last. Admittedly, its tightly studied and has poorly located electronics, but oh well.... :)
  • The sides carry the two 20Kg servos that go around the entire caparison to the load/unload position.

  • Note to soul: dont use of goods and services different materials to material body. I wanted to have the time to be mostly vindicated (acrylic), with wood showing. Working with varied thickness materials that also have different kerf sizes when laser cut gave me a huge headache.

Lift (Bottom Part)

  • The lifter has 4 servos connected to help raise and lower the lift plate which holds every last the steel balls in the locations of all the segments.
  • To raise the lift a apiculate rack and pinion design was old.

Legs

  • The 12V power comes though the bottom of the base rising to the housing.
  • I was able to discreetly obliterate the wires in nonpareil side of the legs with a slot for the wires to move without acquiring pinched.

Step 4: Coating Touches

Passim the design I was very conscious of having two versions of this clock. One that looked like wood totally around and when I removed the three covers you would be competent to see all of the insides and the mechanism working. I realize at present that I will always have IT with the covers happening, but I still think out information technology looks pretty cool naked!

Thank you for taking a expression at my first Arduino project and also my starting time project posted ever!

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