Spartronics countdown clock

Counts down the time until events such as kickoff, first competition, etc. Scrolling message is supported which is set via the mode button

Parts

• Teensy LC
• Adafruit NeoMatrix
• DS3231 RTC
• AT24C32 for storage -- currently not used

Libraries

• IntervalTimer library
• DebounceEvent button manager
• Adafruit NeoPixel and NeoMatrix library
• DS1307RTC library (compatible w/ DS3231)

Usage

• 3 buttons control the behavior of the display

  • Mode - Change between countdown and messages
  • Inc - Change between countdown and date/time
  • Dec - Display the name of the next event

• To set the clock (ie, adjusting for daylight savings)

  • Connect a computer to the USB port of the clock module
  • Load the Arduino IDE, and select the port where the Teensy is connected (Tools -> Port)
  • Start the Arduino serial monitor (Tools -> Serial Monitor), and set data rate to 115200bps
  • On clock module, change mode to time display by pressing Inc twice
  • While the time is displayed, click Mode twice (quickly)
  • The words SET TIME should be displayed in red on the clock, and a prompt message should be displayed o the serial terminal
  • Using the serial terminal, follow the prompts and enter the time in the format YYYY:MM:DD:hh:mm:ss
    • The date can be copied to clipboard on Mac with the command: date +%Y:%m:%d:%H:%M:%S | pbcopy
  • If successful, the new time should be displayed. Otherwise, you must re-enter time setting mode and try again

Building and Loading Code

TBD

Future Enhancements?

• Use the EEPROM on the RTC board to store message strings that can be updated via the serial terminal
• Use the EEPROM on the RTC board to store upcoming countdown dates that can be updated via the serial termanal