Mechanical 7 Segment Display Clock Using An Arduino & 28 Servos

Рет қаралды 96,455

Күн бұрын

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.

Пікірлер: 109

@heyimamaker 4 жыл бұрын

Love this, I always had a fascination with these types of clocks.

@donguhl2499 4 жыл бұрын

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!

@MichaelKlements 4 жыл бұрын

Thank you, glad it was helpful!

@PauloZancoski 4 жыл бұрын

Very smart project , congratulations !

@66tbird1 4 жыл бұрын

Great idea and well-executed on all levels. Kind of NIXIE-ish but without the high voltage.

@RickSaffery 4 жыл бұрын

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.

@MichaelKlements 4 жыл бұрын

Great, thanks!

@kevchef 4 жыл бұрын

everything about this is soooo cool!

@mattw7949 7 ай бұрын

Very cool project!

@oumardiop1 4 жыл бұрын

wasnt even looking for this, but its dope

@hydraim9833 4 жыл бұрын

I am impressed, really cool project

@MichaelKlements 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks Trk

@dustinjohn171 2 жыл бұрын

Cool project!

@user-su2zv3vw9q 3 жыл бұрын

와우~ 정말 대단하십니다...

@cocoliso365 4 жыл бұрын

Great project. Wonderful. Big things are better ;-)

@macrobionic 4 жыл бұрын

Looks Great

@GeoProgrammer 3 жыл бұрын

cool project

@srinathrajasekar8099 4 жыл бұрын

nice work michael...i feel its different to see a mechanical 7 segment display

@jpcme2002 4 жыл бұрын

Excellent, thanks for the share ;)

@ALNITAKT 3 жыл бұрын

I love it!

@ronen124 4 жыл бұрын

very impressive ✌👓

@marvinestevez8842 Жыл бұрын

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

@azimalif266 2 жыл бұрын

Add LEDs with defuser on each segment. Then have them light up when they face up.

@theawesomer 4 жыл бұрын

Very cool build. Sharing on Technabob.

@douglasbutler4360 4 жыл бұрын

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.

@MichaelKlements 4 жыл бұрын

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) - kzfaq.info/get/bejne/h7OkgdR727Pdqok.html

@alkaseer77 4 жыл бұрын

Great !!

@vishwankitpandhare2728 Жыл бұрын

can u give me a detailed wiring of where u wired each and every servo

@naoufeltrimech9549 Жыл бұрын

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

@TinTalon 8 ай бұрын

Very cool. I want to / am going to build this!

@tonyjohnson4572 4 жыл бұрын

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.

@MichaelKlements 4 жыл бұрын

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!

@m1ck120 4 ай бұрын

Incredible project, could you tell me where to find the link of the 3D printer design?

@Woodwerker 4 жыл бұрын

cool!

@priyaop5040 2 жыл бұрын

What if power goes off while the digits are changing as they would get stuck in the middle?

@ciekawostkio 2 ай бұрын

@MichaelKlements If i have a UBEC 5V 3A this clock work ?

@muhammedroshinnazeer9401 8 ай бұрын

Could you please tell me the connection of servo motors

@hetpatel06 3 ай бұрын

Can you please provide the details for wiring please 🙏 I really need it. Thank you

@gerardovecchio8157 7 ай бұрын

Is possibile to do a similar project with Raspberry Pico ? The motor shield Is compatibile with It ?

@Richardpjohn47 7 ай бұрын

Servo control board which want connect 0 or 1 starting in Ao is short in that board

@kevinbright1 3 жыл бұрын

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?

@MichaelKlements 3 жыл бұрын

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.

@kevinbright1 3 жыл бұрын

@@MichaelKlements thanks! I was thinking about just using a 5v PSU. Do you think 1 amp would be enough to drive everything?

@MichaelKlements 3 жыл бұрын

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.

@kevinbright1 3 жыл бұрын

@@MichaelKlements thanks

@ahmedashrafi9972 2 жыл бұрын

Can you provide the circuit diagram

@vishwankitpandhare2728 Жыл бұрын

what are the different ways i can supply the 5V to the servo module (can i give the power directly from the arduino)

@MichaelKlements Жыл бұрын

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.

@georggrieger2988 3 жыл бұрын

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?

@georggrieger2988 3 жыл бұрын

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?

@MichaelKlements 3 жыл бұрын

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 - kzfaq.info/get/bejne/leCRbLJ6t7vagX0.html

@diegofernandocejas2828 2 жыл бұрын

Does the micro servos make noise? Does it have a 2.5 amp 5v source or do I have to configure the arduino sckech?

@MichaelKlements 2 жыл бұрын

They're only noisy when they move, but yes you can hear them moving quite clearly. I used a 5V, 3A power supply.

@edreitmartinez9127 4 жыл бұрын

Wish I could have one but I'm not capable of this skill

@syedfaizan92 2 жыл бұрын

I absolutely love this, but it seems so complicated for me 😢 also it looks like it would be super noisy at night too

@MichaelKlements 2 жыл бұрын

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.

@vishwankitpandhare2728 Жыл бұрын

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

@MichaelKlements Жыл бұрын

The servos all run on 5V, so you'll need something to convert the 12V to 5V.

@jx7ven Жыл бұрын

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?

@MichaelKlements Жыл бұрын

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.

@marklowiecorpuz2081 4 жыл бұрын

What's the connection for the servo drivers?

@MichaelKlements 4 жыл бұрын

There's a link in the video description to a write-up with the schematic and wiring details. Hope this helps.

@TheDradge Жыл бұрын

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.

@Richardpjohn47 Ай бұрын

only date and time want change remaing nothing want to change in code is this ok can u reply

@TangoRomeo11 4 жыл бұрын

Which CAD Program are you using?

@MichaelKlements 4 жыл бұрын

This was designed in Tinkercad

@ayus148 2 жыл бұрын

How Can We Adjust Specific Time Manually ?

@MichaelKlements 2 жыл бұрын

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.

@syedfaizan92 2 жыл бұрын

Does the time sync from the raspberry pi?

@MichaelKlements 2 жыл бұрын

Time is taken from a real time clock module.

2 жыл бұрын

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 :

@PemulungTeknologi 3 жыл бұрын

bajilak sangar tenan

@gaininfo9806 4 жыл бұрын

when you are an alien///

@MsDrkt 7 ай бұрын

Hello, is there a problem with the code? Because only the third servo is not working in the minute part.😢

@mitchbaty4385 7 ай бұрын

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.

@MsDrkt 7 ай бұрын

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

@ovidiub13 2 жыл бұрын

One of the servos will only move on the start if you only show the time on it.

@sharkupsantosh 2 жыл бұрын

How noisy are the servo flaps ? Is the sound noticable 🙄

@MichaelKlements 2 жыл бұрын

Servo's make a noise, so the sound is definitely noticeable

@gabilancyber 6 ай бұрын

Hi, it's amazing!!! what was the total cost of materials?

@MichaelKlements 6 ай бұрын

The servos are the most expensive part, if you can get them cheaply then probably around $150

@gabilancyber 6 ай бұрын

Cool, thank you!

@vishwankitpandhare2728 Жыл бұрын

i didnt understand why he used a clock module when he already has the arduino can someone explain it to me?

@MichaelKlements Жыл бұрын

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.

@vishwankitpandhare2728 Жыл бұрын

@@MichaelKlements thanks man

@vishwankitpandhare2728 Жыл бұрын

@@MichaelKlements but can you send me the dimensions of the pieces as the one in the 3d model says 60 cm for some reason

@bpimchanoksringoen6512 4 жыл бұрын

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

@MichaelKlements 4 жыл бұрын

Yes sure. Put your question in that video's comments section and I'll try help you out if I can.

@marklowiecorpuz2081 4 жыл бұрын

Can I use a 5V 3A BEC?

@MichaelKlements 4 жыл бұрын

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.

@marklowiecorpuz2081 4 жыл бұрын

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.

@marklowiecorpuz2081 4 жыл бұрын

Any idea what should I do Sir?

@MichaelKlements 3 жыл бұрын

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.

@Unknown15916 5 ай бұрын

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 KZfaq 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

@Dudeitsmeee 7 ай бұрын

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

@benignoagustinfelixsanchez6899 4 жыл бұрын

please share the diagram

@MichaelKlements 4 жыл бұрын

Hi Benigno, There is a schematic and layout diagram in the guide linked in the video description.

@benignoagustinfelixsanchez6899 4 жыл бұрын

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 ...

@MichaelKlements 4 жыл бұрын

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.

@Atif-Khan 2 жыл бұрын

spare paint the servos and wiring black

@marklowiecorpuz2081 4 жыл бұрын

I'm kinda confused in the connections.

@MichaelKlements 4 жыл бұрын

There’s a link to a detailed write up in the video description which should help you out.

@marklowiecorpuz2081 4 жыл бұрын

For the first servo drivers, the hour digits are connected?

@eduardkisselyov1044 4 жыл бұрын

Alex Gyver clock alexgyver.ru/servo-clock/

@MarioIArguello Жыл бұрын

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.