Car clock project idea

[Karl W4KRL]

Mike,

 

The Arduino should have more than enough capability for this project. A
two-line display with buttons would be ideal. Search eBay for LCD keypad.
Try this for $7:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1602-LCD-Board-Blue-Backlight-Keypad-Shield-for-Ardu
ino-/271159893138?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0
<http://www.ebay.com/itm/1602-LCD-Board-Blue-Backlight-Keypad-Shield-for-Ard
uino-/271159893138?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f22639c92>
&hash=item3f22639c92 The buttons would make it easy to implement the time
zone and timer functions. It has a blue backlight - nice for cars.

 

The Arduino UNO has one hardware UART on pins D0 and D1 for serial com up to
115,200 baud. You would need a software UART to talk to a Bluetooth
transceiver. Haven't tried the supplied library yet.

 

I had a BR-355 hooked to a TH7D for APRS. Worked fine. Fast lock even under
poor conditions. I suppose the time is nearly as accurate as the satellite
signal but with some unknown and perhaps variable delay between reception
and spewing out the NMEA code. There would also be processing time in the
Arduino and display.

 

73 Karl W4KRL

 

From: Michael Chisena [mailto:ka2zev at yahoo.com] 
Sent: Saturday, March 23, 2013 10:22 AM
To: tacos AMRAD
Subject: Car clock project idea

 

 

 

Guys,

I'm fairly good with analog hardware but lack the software skills to pull
something like this off.

 

 

With all the back and forth about Arduino project was wondering if this was
within the ability of the hard ware.

 

 

I would like a car clock that takes data from the GPS receivers I use for
the APRS projects.

Lee N4UDP turned me on to these cheap GPS sensors.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/90108848@N00/sets/72157621651452727/

 

Take the NEMA data from the GPS and turn it into a six or 8 digit car clock.

 

Was thinking of the two or perhaps a four line display module.

 

Preposed features.

12/24 hour.

Auto time zone correction depending on location.

A soft key for Zulu time.

 

Various kinds of stop watch and distance functions.

Elapsed miles, elapsed time, from a button push.

 

Alarms and chirps like a ships bell for time announcements.

 

Auto dimmer for ambient brightness matching.

 

A buffered GPS data output that can drive a long line, like a ribbon cable
to feed signal to a remote APRS radio, let's say in the trunk of a vehicle.
12 to 15 feet. This idea might be an EMI/RFI nightmare though.

 

Can we get a 'fair' frequency standard out of it? 

Better than a PPM or .1PPM?

 

Can it 'auto correct' clocks in PC's used in police vehicles and computer
aided dispatch applications.

 

I can see this coming in handy.

 

Some of the RDF things I play in can make use of this.

 

I can see it being handy for law enforcement evidence cases where timing is
critical.

Useful in remote broadcast applications.

 

Might make a neat kit to market for the club.

 

Thanks in advance.

Mike

 

 

Michael F. Chisena
KA2ZEV at Yahoo.com
703 863 4574

 






"You are, what you do, when it counts" 
The Masso

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