In this innovative Arduino project, I combined an Arduino microcontroller, programmed to control a 16x2 LCD display, a keypad for user input, and a temperature sensor for real-time environmental monitoring.
LCD Display: The project incorporates a 16x2 LCD display for clear and easily readable time, date, and temperature information.
User Interaction with Keypad: A keypad is integrated for user-friendly interaction, allowing users to set the time, date, and customize preferences easily.
Temperature Monitoring: The inclusion of a Dallas DS18B20 temperature sensor soldered on the keypad shield provides real-time temperature information, enhancing the clock's practicality.
Inspiration from Video: While the core functionality and code were developed independently, the style of the digits was inspired by this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=tJyGKT8W-jI
Upon powering on the digital clock, users are prompted to set the time and date. The keypad plays a crucial role in facilitating this setup process. By pressing the appropriate keys on the keypad, users can input the desired time and date values.
After the initial setup is done, the digital clock enters its regular operational mode. Users can navigate through each display mode by pressing the left or right buttons on the keypad shield. The design allows seamless switching between time, date, and temperature displays.
For a LCD display, the 64 bytes of the CGRAM can only store a pattern for 8 characters at any time. And so, i had to use a combinations of these custom characters in order to create the digits displayed.
Despite the prevalence of similar projects on the internet, I take pride in developing the entire code for this digital clock project independently. The result is a unique and personally crafted digital clock that combines functionality with the satisfaction of independent project development. The project demonstrates the exciting possibilities of Arduino, showcasing a versatile and functional end product.