TIM the talking clock...

[mnfisher]

A little project using my dfplayer component (shortly available)

Some years ago BT (and Post Office before that) had TIM - the talking clock. You rang 123 (if memory serves) - and got "At the third stroke - the time sponsored by Accurist will be ..... pip pip piiiipppp" (note depending on your age - the announcer and message varied)

tim_bb.jpg (95.77 KiB) Viewed 4616 times

In fact you don't need a huge number of sound files.. I recorded 1..20, thirty, forty, fifty "At the third stroke the time...", "seconds", "second" and "precisely" etc These I added to a micro sd card as 001.mp3..020.mp3 etc.. Announcements are 100Announce.mp3 to make remembering which is which easier

I also created some 'pips' which are 1000Hz sine wave (in two lengths)

One 'problem' is that the time needed is actually 'in the future' - as by the time the announcement is made the time is wrong (at the third stroke the time was ..... 15s ago....)
Another is that using the timer component seemed to mess up the software UART I used (this makes testing much simpler!) - so I use the ds3231 time to measure the delay between starting anouncement and pips (and add 15s to time...)

The board doesn't show it - but I added a button to 'request' the time. I powered it by putting +5v / Gnd to the bottom power rails - the Nano I used was faulty - just putting out 2v on the 5v pin - but it maybe possible to power everything from USB (although the dfplayer maybe pulls too much current when powering a speaker....)

There is scope for 'improvements' - for example playing a mp3 'alarm' in the morning. Or for making 'fun' announcements - I always thought a 'meal clock' would be good - "Its time for breakfast" - "30minutes after breakfast" etc

And - it works... Not sure a video is quite right (sound recording?)

Saves you 50p per minute!!

Martin

[medelec35]

Hi Martin,
What a great project idea!

Another is that using the timer component seemed to mess up the software UART I used (this makes testing much simpler!)

There is a nice solution to that.
I had that issue, So I asked Ben If he could create a software timer interrupt version:

UART Using Timer Interrupt.png (12.43 KiB) Viewed 4589 times

it works so much better than software version within the standard UART component.

[chipfryer27]

Haha... or should that be aargh....

TIM the talking clock had a room mate in the exchange. Dial-a-Disk...... Forget the number now, but way before 0898 came along (Premium Rate numbers) if you dialed this you got to hear a bandwidth challenged recording of a "hit" that changed weekly.

Whilst wiring up this modern miracle I welded a set of "81's" to the busbar. Taught me that current is far more important than voltage I can tell you, and also it's handy to have spare underwear....

As that thing had to be tested pretty much continuously before going "live" I can still pretty much recite every word to Rex Smith and Rachel Sweet's version of "Everlasting Love" despite not actually wanting to.....

Regards

[mnfisher]

Thanks Martin...

I'd seen mention of the new UART component - although I haven't had a chance to try it - however I'd used v8 (I have commercial licence) in this instance, and used the CAL UART component. I wanted to create a component (for the dfplayer (soon on flowcodexchange.com (sorry - plug plug) )- and offer the choice of hardware or software channel. Probably would be better with the software version - 9600baud shouldn't be too much of a strain? I had the option of using the seconds from the RTC chip in this case too.

tim.fcfx

(22.08 KiB) Downloaded 178 times

This comes in a <2k so the Nano is a bit over specified - it should work on most anything with a UART (hard or soft). I see the USI on ATTinies can do a workable UART - I might have a play with that.

Note that I used a button across D7 & D9 - I used the AVR built-in pull-up (to keep the wiring neat - in this case it's all that's needed - although it does require a couple of lines of C). Here I just use an input icon to read it - lazy - but I'm not sure on final 'trigger'.

Note that files are in a folder 3 (FOLDER) - because other bits in 01 and 02.

I'm thinking grandfather clock ticking and Westminster chimes. For a touch of class! (and using the 'advert' function it's easy to add the chimes over a 'tick' soundtrack)

Gosh - dial-a-disk - I'd forgotten about that - It's an mp3 player so Everlasting Love shouldn't be a problem (unless it's not on Youtube?) if it's that you crave.. The hardware looked a lot more interesting then.

Martin

[mnfisher]

See - https://youtu.be/snovaM8s18c

(new link with the right web address )

Martin

[Steve-Matrix]

Thanks, Martin. Great project.

Just one minor comment on the video - our Flowcode site is .co.uk and not .com (that's some other company).

[mnfisher]

Hi Steve,

Yes - that was quick - I'd just deleted the video and started it re-rendering with .co.uk !

New link in a minute!

Martin

[p.erasmus]

Whahaaaaha I like the Powered by Flowcode great stuff
Great project Martin ,Kudo's for you there is really power in Flowcode to say powered by flowcode in Russian that means really driving pushing things to work