Project design help: Striking a bell manually, alarm clock. Help request.

Hello! Glad to be here at this forum. My name is Steve. I'm looking for help designing a circuit for an alarm clock bell. The bell is a "singing bowl" struck with a leather mallet.
Variables user can set:

Initial Clock time
Clock Time Zone
Chimes: 1-10
Duration between chimes: .100ms - 5 seconds
Intensity of strike: (not sure how to rate this, ie harder or softer)

Design goal is for a physical mallet to strike the singing bowl via actuated 12v motor. (I can get fancy and design a little wooden figure to strike bowl later)

I'm thinking the clock settings can be built into wooden base via a small analog LCD screen. Or everything configured via super basic app with the above variables listed above, connected via bluetooth.
My idea isnt novel. This gentleman created a similar invention. Link here: Automated Gong and Singing Bowl Clock - YouTube

If interested in helping me please let me know! My skills are soldering, wood working and finishing. Looking forward to your reply!

Simple image diagram of my project: singing-bowl-diagram-steve-prototype hosted at ImgBB — ImgBB

Thank you, Steve

Do you have a plan of how you are going to do this? Are you going to do the Arduino part first, which is what it seems like?

I have no idea where to start.... what computer do I use etc. All I have is my diagram.

Simple image diagram of my project: singing-bowl-diagram-steve-prototype hosted at ImgBB — ImgBB

Well, you certainly DO NOT need a computer to build the device you indicate. Get ALL that done and working and then begin on getting a computer to control it. Notice the word "control". A computer can not power your device, it can only tell the force when to be applied.

Sorry for the late reply.

I got the manual bits out of the way. (First Solenoid was too short 10mm and didnt sound good)

Please see picture of my current progress. Using 12V 30mm Solenoid.

Picture Link: gong-alarm-clock hosted at ImgBB — ImgBB

Next step is to program an alarm clock.

Alarm clock features:

  • Set time

  • Set alarm

  • Set number of chimes.

Im not sure where to begin on this. Any help much appreciated. Thank you

An interesting project Steve, although not very efficient way of converting electrical energy to sound energy!
If I may offer some design suggestions, you could consider mounting the mallet on an axle through the board. You could then fit a return spring and a "loose" coupling underneath. Then the mallet "bounces off" and doesnt damp the bowl after hitting it, letting it sing.
The "switch" for the solenoid connects the power, but its only needed momentarily so a big capacitor can provide the initial current. That way you only need a smalll power supply.

Thank you for the tips! I love the idea of adding a capacitor and using less initial current. I will be working on this!

Its a simple fun project. Not meant to be efficient at all. I like the idea of old school and new school stuff combined.

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