WiFi Time Machine – An Internet Connected Clock

Why?

Because I can! I love building things with purpose. There are millions of clock kits out there, but I just had to do my own. The goals for this project were:

• It has to look cool!
• Inexpensive to build
• Open source code – because people love to tinker
• Keep accurate time
• Easy setup once put together
• Only basic tools required

Parts List

To put this clock together, only a few parts are required. They are:

• Open Source code from my Github page: CODE
• Laser cut plexiglas case (drawing design files in the github repo)
• (4) M2x20mm hex spacers
• (4) M2x4mm hex spacers
• (8) M2x6mm hex cap screws
• (8) M2x4mm hex cap screws
• 8×32 LED FC16 Max7219 display
• Some hookup wire
• 2.1mm DC power jack
• Wemos D1 Mini ESP8266 WiFi microprocessor
• Wemos D1 Mini prototype sheild
• Super glue
• 6ft USB to 2.1mm barrel cable (for power)
• some patience

If you don’t wish to source all of these components yourself, I do offer a readily available kit that you can purchase on Tindie: https://www.tindie.com/products/wizworks/wifi-time-machine-ntp-clock-kit/

Putting It Together

I have prepared a nice PDF document on how I put this kit together. I designed this kit to be easy to assemble with a basic understanding of electronics and build techniques. If you have some experience building kits, you should be able to do this within 2 hours going at a leisurely pace. Get the instructions here: DOWNLOAD