Hello there. Whilst I program and understand the concepts of it well, I am new to more hardware-centric projects and what they entail and so have come to ask for help and guidance on making a practical wristwatch with an Arduino or other appropriate board (open to non-Arduino alternatives if appropriate).
My current scheme of plans is to include:
1 x Arduino Micro/Mini, or small sized board
1 x Nokia 5110 LCD
As for where I need assistance, I was wondering:
What skills do I need, other than programming?
What battery would be most appropriate, bearing in mind size and capacity?
What buttons should I purchase?
What board will be the correct size and will allow me to connect all the peripherals? (the four buttons and lcd screen)
Any answers to any of the above questions would be very appreciated.
Technically, it is your job to find research your project and do your homework before coming here. You should posting these files and links but since you're new I'll cut you a break and do your homework for you this time. Next time you post for help do your homework first and post relevant links and datasheets.
You might be in a little too far over your head with this project. Its easy to do with breadboards and wires, but for something to look like a wristwatch and still function, that's a little much.
All those parts might stick out a little too far, so if you want to keep things compact, you might want to get bare components.
Find out where you can get the ATmega168 chip without a board so you can make your own PCB, then see if you can find a low power LCD. I'm not sure if that Nokia LCD will work with 3.3V or if it needs 5V. These are things you need to research and plan out. For buttons, you can try to get some mini tactile buttons online, costs may vary so shop around.
As always, start with regular components first and get it to work.
You might be in a little too far over your head with this project.
I agree. Miniaturizing stuff "at home" is REALLY difficult. That goes for the mechanical assembly as well as the electronics. I've worked in electronics for many years and I wouldn't try making a homemade watch.
At least, try building a clock before attempting a watch.
Have you ever looked inside a digital watch? You might want to buy a cheap one just to take it apart and look. Look at the circuit board and imagine soldering the parts on.
raschemmel: http://arduino.cc/en/Main/arduinoBoardMicro
Here's the specs on the Micro.
Attached is the datasheet & tutorial on Nokia 5110 https://www.sparkfun.com/products/10168
Technically, it is your job to find research your project and do your homework before coming here. You should posting these files and links but since you're new I'll cut you a break and do your homework for you this time. Next time you post for help do your homework first and post relevant links and datasheets.
Apologies, I didn't mean to come across as lazy. I missed the links there to be perfectly honest, thank you muchly for linking.
DVDdoug:
You might be in a little too far over your head with this project.
I agree. Miniaturizing stuff "at home" is REALLY difficult. That goes for the mechanical assembly as well as the electronics. I've worked in electronics for many years and I wouldn't try making a homemade watch.
At least, try building a clock before attempting a watch.
Have you ever looked inside a digital watch? You might want to buy a cheap one just to take it apart and look. Look at the circuit board and imagine soldering the parts on.
If I find that I cannot make it small - judging from responses I will most likely not be able to - I may instead turn it into a clock or something else fun, although I would still like to pursue finding small and relevant parts.
Those might be a little too big to fit into a watch, he might want these instead.
Well I don't know if he wants to use those but I've been looking for mini tactile buttons like the ones you linked for my reset button on my KICKSTARTER ATtinyISP. As you can see from the attached photo, the standard button you see in all the tutorials is too big.
The mini ones you linked are perfect. Thanks ! @Hoolean,
I agree with the others, you might be in deep water here. Is it too late to pick a different project ? Did you already submit your project proposal to your professor ?
Hoolean:
I may instead turn it into a clock or something else fun,
Very wise. There is plenty you can do and still have fun while leaving all that multi-million dollar miniaturisation stuff to Casio etc.
Further, an Arduino clock can be made to do a hell of a lot more than any digital watch and it's a shame Victor Borge never knew of it. The 5110 is a great little display with six lines of text. You can even use it for graphics, although I wouldn't recommend it. It is also possible to mix graphics and text.
Does anyone have any idea what battery may work well? (preferably a button one, optionally rechargeable)
It might pay to get off that bike too, as the problem is much the same as above. The Arduino is a long way from a dedicated clock chip and, if it consumes a hundred times as much power just sitting around doing practically nothing, don't be surprised. It's OK to spend a rainy afternoon fiddlearsing around with battery powered robots, where the Arduino's demand is probably secondary anyway, but the thing about clocks is that, to be useful, they need to run continuously for a very long time - like a couple of years.
Further, while Arduino consumes all that power, it might not even be telling the time. It usually uses a clock module for that - which usually does have a battery, a (large) button battery, which may even be rechargeable.
I agree with the others, you might be in deep water here. Is it too late to pick a different project ? Did you already submit your project proposal to your professor ?
It's just something I'm doing on a tangent into hardware on my own to increase my knowledge in the area. I accept it may be difficult to achieve but I'm willing to try it; it is important to note that I will research each stage I am doing before I partake in it, so I won't be doing things for the very first time when making it
If it turns out too bad, I may try and change it into a clock but I'm still willing to give it a go first.
I know from past experience that it is better to start with small easy projects that always succeed for awhile to get your confidence up and then gradually ramp it up to something like this.
