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[Reply #15 on:]

If you're a beginner - I think you're best just buying a serial LCD module for your first project.  You are going to pull your hair out for weeks for the say of £10 - £20.  Make it hard for yourself now and it's waaaaay more likely that your Arduino will be something that gathers dust in a drawer somewhere.

[Reply #16 on:]

That is a good option if I cannot re-purpose this alarm clock, but I wanted to try and take something I already have and alter it.

[Reply #17 on:]

That is a good option if I cannot re-purpose this alarm clock, but I wanted to try and take something I already have and alter it.

Try take a ground wire and a 5V wire in series with a 300ohm or more resistor, use the ground wire and resistor to touch the connections to see if you can light up any of the leds. Might be fun. Just don't apply 5V and gnd directly to pins.

Code:

5v---300ohm----(1)


gnd--------------(2)

Use leads 1 and 2 to touch two pins on the display, hopefully you can find what goes on.

I would probably buy some similar displays that I know how to connect to them. Then make this known display work to get yourself some joy and confidence. Just don't be stuck on this unknown display and give up electronics based upon bad experience on the display

[Reply #18 on:]

I managed to find another unused alarm clock and took that one apart as well. It's display has about the same number of pins as LEDs. My only problem is that I cannot seem to find the ground pin. I have tried putting a wire with about 3 volts on it in a random pin and then touching a wire leading to ground to every other pin a few times now and nothing has lit up.

Is there any other method I can use to discern what pin is ground? If I cannot get this to work, I will just purchase a display online.

[Reply #19 on:]

I don't know any better way other than poking and reading spec sheet. I think you should just get a new display online. They go for a few USD each.

[Reply #20 on:]

That's probably what I will end up doing. I am out of spare alarm clocks .

I just need a nice looking project enclosure to box it up in.

[Reply #21 on:]

I just need a nice looking project enclosure to box it up in.

I find that the hardest part of my projects. Here I have some experience if you want to know. I would recommend the acrylic face plate solution, which makes a cool alarm clock panel:

http://liudr.wordpress.com/2011/01/10/make-an-enclosure-or-face-plate-for-your-arduino-projects/

[Reply #22 on:]

I just check the datasheet of the clock chip. At the end page, it have a schematic, and the display is a CC type , the CC has two, and connect to the AC secondary ( via a serie resistor ) . I wonder if the clock display has some numbers/letter on  it ? That might help to hack the display by finding a datasheet for the display only.