hi all, i am still new to all this and trying to learn code etc.
i have the idea to make a WiFi led clock. but need help to get my act together. i know what i wanna do but i do not know how to go about it.
here at work the atomic clocks hardly ever get a signal, and GPS clock is out of the question.
but the cell phones keep perfect time and so do the computers.
i am wondering how to go about, or if it is even possible to do a WiFi clock.
or is it possible to get time from a cell tower ?
either way i hope it isn't something that require pages and pages of code..
thanks...
That should be possible with a Wi-Fi shield.
But, I can't help you with reading from an atomic clock on the Internet. I'm not sure if you'd need a "helper" application on your computer to read a computer's clock over Wi-Fi (or Ethernet) instead of accessing a "master" clock somewhere.
The "problem" with using the cell phone network is that you clock needs a SIM and a cell phone account. That can be done, it's an ongoing monthly cost.
P.S.
Another (lower tech) option might be the power-line frequency... Assuming you live in a "modern" country, the 50/60Hz power-line frequency is very accurate and it's adjusted slightly as needed to keep mechanical electro-mechanical clocks accurate over a long period of time. ( [u]Wikipedia[/u]).
I would use NTP. The PC is using it too.
Others have posted code for connecting to internet time. Find it here.
sorry guys i did not ever get notifications on this topic, i did not set the notifications on here.
but to update you all i found a neat kit called "WiFiChron" i also uploaded a video on youtube just search WiFiChron. i did have some issues building this, mostly programming.and a few bugs. the RSS weather feed was not working and i also had issues with that also, but it is all working great now.
i just posted a new post on a old school led sign i'd like to turn this into a giant WiFiChron soon..
You said WiFi.
That suggests ESP8266 rather than Arduino.
ya, my mistake, they are all being used..lol
i did find something i liked, it is called WiFiChron ( i posted a video of mine on youtube )
nice project, it displays time , date and weather via a XML / RSS feed. the clock works ok, but had a slight issue when it runs the weather. the 1st part of the weather is ok, but the 2nd part has what i'd describe as a over run issue.. when it reports the winds, words are missing or jammed together.
i been talking with the guy that wrote the program, and he is trying to come up with a solution.
The advertising folks tend to use whatever term sounds the best for many of these sorts of things. In the OP, you commented on an "Atomic Clock" - while they do exist (using a rubidium or other standard), in general, what they are talking about is what I have scattered around my house (Costco has them on sale periodically) and they actually sync (or attempt to) every night to the time standard 60 khz signal out of Colorado. If interested, check out this page on it and the associated links.