Mechanical 7 Segment Display Clock Using An Arduino & 28 Servos
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- čas přidán 31. 05. 2024
- In this project, I’ll be showing you how to build a mechanical 7 segment display clock which is driven by 28 servos controlled by an Arduino Uno. Time is kept using a DS1302 real time clock module and each servo is independently controlled using two PCA9685 16 channel servo drivers to expand the Arduino’s PWM IO over the I2C interface.
For a detailed write-up on the build and further description of the code & 3D print files, have a look at the full build through this link - www.the-diy-life.com/mechanic...
Parts List and Purchase Links:
Arduino Uno - amzn.to/2XwmXAa
DS1302 Clock Module - amzn.to/2RvdZj1
2 x PCA9685 16Ch Servo Drivers - amzn.to/3ejtPXA
28 x Micro Servos - amzn.to/2xvg0oz
Ribbon Cable - amzn.to/3bbX78I
Male Pin Header Strips - amzn.to/2VrQvML
Female Pin Header Strips - amzn.to/3b9TO1N
3mm MDF - amzn.to/3etUa5A
Black Spray Paint - amzn.to/3cjEKz0
5V 5A Battery Elimination Circuit - bit.ly/37jXHPa
12V Power Supply - amzn.to/2SbKGTk
3D Printer Used - amzn.to/33MXHH0
Filament - amzn.to/2RBNwQJ
If you’ve got any suggestions for Arduino projects or tutorials, let me know in the comments section below. - Jak na to + styl
This is a pretty cool clock! You did an awesome job explaining the code! I wish more people would explain the code when they post their projects. Great video!
Thank you, glad it was helpful!
Love this, I always had a fascination with these types of clocks.
Your build is next level cool. I got pulled in the moment I saw 'mechanical' 7-segment in the title. I stayed because your content and production quality is superb. Color me an instant subscriber.
Great, thanks!
Great idea and well-executed on all levels. Kind of NIXIE-ish but without the high voltage.
Very smart project , congratulations !
everything about this is soooo cool!
I am impressed, really cool project
Thanks Trk
Very cool project!
Cool project!
wasnt even looking for this, but its dope
와우~ 정말 대단하십니다...
cool project
Looks Great
Great project. Wonderful. Big things are better ;-)
Add LEDs with defuser on each segment. Then have them light up when they face up.
nice work michael...i feel its different to see a mechanical 7 segment display
I love it!
Excellent, thanks for the share ;)
Hey micheal love the video I was wondering how the arduino was being powered ? And where should the 12 v battery be placed and what should connect to it
very impressive ✌👓
can u give me a detailed wiring of where u wired each and every servo
@MichaelKlements If i have a UBEC 5V 3A this clock work ?
Very cool build. Sharing on Technabob.
What if power goes off while the digits are changing as they would get stuck in the middle?
Is possibile to do a similar project with Raspberry Pico ? The motor shield Is compatibile with It ?
Very cool. I want to / am going to build this!
Hi Micheal! wonderful project. we have done the some project but with PIC877. the clock work but we still have some problems. we used the servo with 180 degres. we have not the some position of the servo. is not like you. we puted the servo in the axe of each segment. could I ask you to help us? We want use arduino for our clock so could you please change the program of the clock using 180 degres of servo movement instead of 90 degres? Many thanks in advance for your help
Could you please tell me the connection of servo motors
Great !!
I want to use this technique for a 300 second fight timer for combat robots! The seconds digit will keep the servos busy. I might need to buy faster servos for that digit. Or maybe the tiny servos flailing like madmen will just add to the charm.
This would be awesome to see! I don't think you'd need faster servos, I've slowed the movement down in the code just for stability. You could get these digits to update in 200-300 milliseconds without too many problems. I've build a 99 second countdown timer before (although without these PWM control boards) - czcams.com/video/QMtNqJvMyzU/video.html
Hey, I was wondering what kind of power supply you used to power the clock (especially all the servos...) I want to make it run on batteries, do you think 4AA's are enough?
Ok i found the Power supply in your description, let me rephrase my question: how many AA batteries would it take to run the clock reliably?
AA batteries are not very efficient at producing the “burst” current that servos need to move. If you use good quality AA batteries then you’d probably need a minimum of four in series (6V) and then two or three of those packs in parallel to provide the current when a number of servos move simultaneously. So about 8 to 12 batteries would work, but they also wouldn’t last very long. The Arduino itself isn’t very power efficient and if any servos chatter while stationary then you’ll rapidly reduce the battery life. I’ve also done a video on powering Arduino’s with batteries if you’re interested in their power consumption - czcams.com/video/_za9OIRUvQI/video.html
Servo control board which want connect 0 or 1 starting in Ao is short in that board
Incredible project, could you tell me where to find the link of the 3D printer design?
cool!
what are the different ways i can supply the 5V to the servo module
(can i give the power directly from the arduino)
The current requirements of the servos mean that you have to power them directly - either through a 5V adaptor or through a fairly substantial buck converter.
Can you please provide the details for wiring please 🙏 I really need it. Thank you
Does the micro servos make noise? Does it have a 2.5 amp 5v source or do I have to configure the arduino sckech?
They're only noisy when they move, but yes you can hear them moving quite clearly. I used a 5V, 3A power supply.
i want to make this and i am almost halfway through but the problem is i dont have a 5V BEC is there anyway i can just power it with a 12V 2A power supply
The servos all run on 5V, so you'll need something to convert the 12V to 5V.
Hey Michael,
We did everything like you, but one of our servos is getting hot and makes beside a strange noise. Is this a damaged servo or am I doing something wrong?
Sometimes you just get a bad servo, these are mass produced really cheaply so the quantitty and consistency isn't great. Check that you're not over-travelling it (giving it a position signal to move beyond its physical travel limit) but if not then just swap it out.
This is awesome... I'm working on something similar. How did you connect the power to everything? 12v PSU to arduino's RCA plug and then run the 5v BEC off of the Vin pin from the arduino and the ground?
Thanks Kevin. I had a 12V supply feeding the Arduino and branched off separately to the 5V BEC. I didn't want to run the current for all of the servos through the Arduino's Vin pin (although this is probably possible). Someone else also pointed out that the 12V is actually unnecessary, you could just supply the whole thing (Arduino and all) with 5V and do away with the BEC.
@@MichaelKlements thanks! I was thinking about just using a 5v PSU. Do you think 1 amp would be enough to drive everything?
No I think you’ll need more than that. Each servo draws about 600mA when moving, so you probably need around a 3-5A supply at 5V.
@@MichaelKlements thanks
Can you provide the circuit diagram
Hi Mike. Thanks for a great project, it somehow peeked my interest and I am now waiting for the parts, particularly the servos to arrive from China! I have made a couple of changes so far to the printed parts. I have made four sub-bases which have the servo spacers built-in and exactly locate each one. Also, to hide the servos a little better when the segment is 'open' , I had have made covers for them, which will be painted matt black, with the rest of the base. I like to make my projects so that I can re-use all the bits at a later date, so no glue. The electronics will be mounted on printed support plates.. I also plan to use the DS3231 clock module, so I hope to have not too many code changes. Keep up the good work.
Sounds like you’ve done some pretty cool modifications Tony. It would be great to put up a picture or two of your design on my blog once you’re finished with it!
Hello, is there a problem with the code? Because only the third servo is not working in the minute part.😢
i am having this same issue...
servo #3 for the minute units does not move to the 0 position during the display for number 2, but moves correctly when setting 88:88.
Servo segmentleri 3 ve 4
260'dan 510'a kadar sağa
Servo segmentleri 5 ve 7
375'ten 180'e kadar kaldı
Servo segmentleri 1 ve 2
200 sağ ve 400 üst
Servo segmentleri 4 ve 6
255 yukarı ve 510 sol
Brute force method of the century! Great job and perseverance but couldn't you use cams more effectively? There's only 4 bits required per digit so at max you'd only need 4 servos per digit and then convert the 1s and 0s into 10 or 16 states.
How Can We Adjust Specific Time Manually ?
You can only adjust the time by updating the RTC module. You could do this by adding additional buttons to the back of the clock for time adjustments.
Wish I could have one but I'm not capable of this skill
What's the connection for the servo drivers?
There's a link in the video description to a write-up with the schematic and wiring details. Hope this helps.
I absolutely love this, but it seems so complicated for me 😢 also it looks like it would be super noisy at night too
I think it looks more complicated than it actually it, there is a lot of repetition. Yes it is quite noisy, you won't want it near a room you sleep in.
Which CAD Program are you using?
This was designed in Tinkercad
Unless you write the first 10 hours after midnight as 00-09, the top left servo in the leftmost digit is left out from the party :
Does the time sync from the raspberry pi?
Time is taken from a real time clock module.
i didnt understand why he used a clock module when he already has the arduino can someone explain it to me?
An Arduino doesn't have a real-time clock on it, it doesn't have the capability to store the time or keep time in the case of a power outage.
@@MichaelKlements thanks man
@@MichaelKlements but can you send me the dimensions of the pieces as the one in the 3d model says 60 cm for some reason
How noisy are the servo flaps ? Is the sound noticable 🙄
Servo's make a noise, so the sound is definitely noticeable
One of the servos will only move on the start if you only show the time on it.
bajilak sangar tenan
Hi, it's amazing!!! what was the total cost of materials?
The servos are the most expensive part, if you can get them cheaply then probably around $150
Cool, thank you!
If the backing board and servos and the back of the segments were painted in vanta black or a very dark black this effect would pop more the servos always ruin the illusion
Can I use a 5V 3A BEC?
It depends on how much current your servos draw. They aren't heavily loaded but most of these cheap servos have quite a high current draw when moving (typically 300-800mA). So your supply needs to be able to handle this peak current when a number of servos move simultaneously without causing power interruptions. Because this draw is for a second or two and then stops for a minute until the next movement, some good quality BECs will be fine with a peak much higher than their rated current.
I'm using 28 tower pro sg90 microservos. And UBEC 5V 5A. The servos didn't move at all. While the arduino's LED indicator is brightly lighting up, the led indicators of the two pwm drivers are faint.
Any idea what should I do Sir?
Did you wire the UBEC to the PWM driver individually or are you powering the driver through the Arduino's supply? It sounds like you've got a power supply issue to the PWM boards.
Hello, I am a student in Thailand. I'm interested in projects about smart meters made with arduino. I've seen one of your work. Very interesting tutorial about arduino energy meter. Do not know if you can give advice or not. I use google to translate the language, may be difficult to understand Must apologize
Yes sure. Put your question in that video's comments section and I'll try help you out if I can.
when you are an alien///
Hey, Michael. A company is the U.S. here might have plans to produce a DIY KIT with code, .stl files, and a LINK to an site on Amazon to build your clock. Do you have any knowledge of this ? I have been following your CZcams VIDEO POSTS for a while, but not recently. I know that Instructables and other sites give you "front and center" coverage, but not any real compensation. - Robert
spare paint the servos and wiring black
I'm kinda confused in the connections.
There’s a link to a detailed write up in the video description which should help you out.
For the first servo drivers, the hour digits are connected?
please share the diagram
Hi Benigno,
There is a schematic and layout diagram in the guide linked in the video description.
ask the first 14 exits of the servomotors are the hour and from the exit 15 to health 28 are the minutes I am correct. I am very happy project ...
All of the hour servos are driven by one board and the minute servos by the other. The servo reference numbers on each board are from 0 to 6.
Alex Gyver clock alexgyver.ru/servo-clock/
Aside from the mechanical appeal, from a cost reference, and complexity, comparison between a single servo vs led and a few other details seems impractical. You can simply use a jumbo 7 segment display with a couple counter decoder ic's and be done, at a fraction of the cost. If you still want it mechanical you can do it with a single modified servo driven by a microproc, some code and a much more clever mechanical setup.