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!
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.
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.