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Evil Mad Bulbdial Assembly Manual

Led shadow clock kit
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L E D S h a d o w C l o c k K i t
Assembly Guide
The Bulbdial Clock kit is based on an original design concept by David
Friedman of IronicSans.com and developed at Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories.
The Bulbdial Clock works like an indoor sundial. Three rings of LEDs cast
shadows of different lengths, forming three moving hands on the clock face.
This guide covers the procedures for assembling the Bulbdial Clock and its
accessories. Please exercise appropriate safety practice while soldering.
An open-source hardware+software project. For design files, source code, & additional
documentation, please visit: http://wiki.evilmadscience.com/Bulbdial
Support: http://www.evilmadscientist.com/forum/
Distributed by
Kit versions 1.0-1.1
Evil Mad Science LLC
Manual v. 1.1a
http://evilmadscience.com/

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Summary of Contents for Evil Mad Bulbdial

  • Page 1 L E D S h a d o w C l o c k K i t Assembly Guide The Bulbdial Clock kit is based on an original design concept by David Friedman of IronicSans.com and developed at Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories.
  • Page 2 USB power to the Bulbdial clock. 3. Electrical power The Bulbdial Clock kit comes with a regulated universal-input power supply that 2. Computer, Internet access, USB port..accepts worldwide voltages and puts out 5 V at up to 150 mA. If you’re using your own external power, make sure that it’s regulated, provides 4.5 to 5 V DC, and is...
  • Page 3 In particular, watch out for RGB ONLY or MONO ONLY instructions, which are specific to the 3-color or monochrome versions of the kit. If you aren’t sure which you have, please consult your BOM. [Bulbdial Assembly Guide]...

  • Page 4: Step 2: The Plan

    In the second half, we’ll be building up and aligning the three rings of LEDs. The first ring is on the main board, and the other two rings have their own (red and green) circuit boards. [Bulbdial Assembly Guide]...
  • Page 5 If they are taped together, Take one and bend it, like so. resistor with one black stripe. pull the tape straight off. Now, find location JP1. Insert the jumper there..and press it flush to the board. (Next... Soldering!) [Bulbdial Assembly Guide]...
  • Page 6 If not, let it cool and try again. (4). If the component has long and/or or flexible leads, clip off the extra length, close to the board. (But not so close that you’re clipping the board itself.) TO BE CONTINUED... [Bulbdial Assembly Guide]...
  • Page 7 Flip the board over and get ready to solder. jumper at location JP1. jumper in place while we solder Inspect the solder joints; make sure Solder both pins to the board. Clip the excess leads short. that they look shiny and wet. [Bulbdial Assembly Guide]...
  • Page 8 Go on to Step 6, leaving R10 empty for the moment. and are not sensitive to orientation. (RGB kit only-- see note above) Part #5 is a 10k resistor. It’s the one small resistor, and it has stripes of color brown-black-orange-gold. Install it in location R11. [Bulbdial Assembly Guide]...
  • Page 9 If you have the mono kit: Install one more 24-ohm resistor (#6) at location R10. Those resistors are located in the three highlighted locations. Don’t forget R8! If you have the RGB kit: There should already be a 68-ohm resistor installed at R10, as shown here. [Bulbdial Assembly Guide]...
  • Page 10 Solder these two capacitors on the board at locations C1 and C2. If they are taped together, pull them straight out of the tape. [Bulbdial Assembly Guide] [10]...
  • Page 11 STEP 8: Two more caps (C6) Parts #13 are 0.1 µF ceramic capacitors that look almost the same as the 18 pF caps. (These ones don’t have the black stripe.) Install two of them, at locations C3 and C6. [Bulbdial Assembly Guide] [11]...
  • Page 12 STEP 9: The USB-TTL connector In this step, we add a header that allows the Bulbdial clock to be connected to a computer through an FTDI USB-TTL cable. If you do not plan to connect to a computer, you can skip this step.
  • Page 13 STEP 10: Buttons! Parts #10 are right-angle tactile button switches. “Snap” them into locations S1, S2 and S3, and make sure that they sit flat on the board. Solder all four pins of each switch. [Bulbdial Assembly Guide] [13]...
  • Page 14 Part #14 is an ATmega168, a type of AVR microcontroller. It goes in location U1, and must be oriented correctly. First, identify the end of both the chip and of location U1 that have the half-moon shape. TO BE CONTINUED... [Bulbdial Assembly Guide] [14]...
  • Page 15 Solder every pin of the chip. Remember it, you can bend out the corner pins, again to keep the soldering time per pin brief. by up to 45°. The pins do not need to be clipped. [Bulbdial Assembly Guide] [15]...

  • Page 16: Step 12: Power Jack

    The larger metal here takes after tacking the jack in place. Solder not necessary to completely fill the a while to heat, up to about 8 s. the other two holes as well. holes with solder. [Bulbdial Assembly Guide] [16]...
  • Page 17 STEP 13: RTC Sockets In this step, we add the sockets that allows the Bulbdial clock to be connected to a real-time clock module (e.g., Chronodot) If you do not plan to use an RTC module, you can skip this step.
  • Page 18 We now move on to putting the LEDs on board. This is a 3D, multi- board circuit, and we’ll test each part individually as we go, just to make sure that everything works in the end. [Bulbdial Assembly Guide] [18]...
  • Page 19 The LED, bent with the guide, with its 90° turn intact. Your LEDs should look like this. bend the leads firmly around the corner. sharp, right-angle bend and not spring out. (*For monochrome kits, just grab any one of your LEDs, #16.) [Bulbdial Assembly Guide] [19]...
  • Page 20 The circuit board we’ve built up thus far “Red” circuit board, #3 3/8” hex standoffs, #18 7/8” hex standoffs, #19 Long 4-40 screws, #24 [Bulbdial Assembly Guide] Hex wrench, #23 [20] (*Again, for monochrome kits, just grab 30 LEDs, #16.)
  • Page 21 (Do not tighten the standoffs; this is a temporary fixture.) Tip: If you press your finger your finger over the screw head, you can usually screw on the standoffs without using the hex wrench. [Bulbdial Assembly Guide] [21]...
  • Page 22 Insert the LEDs, one at a time, into the pairs of regular holes on the back side, facing inwards as shown. Do not solder them yet. Add all 30 blue* LEDs. [Bulbdial Assembly Guide] [22] (*For monochrome kit, just “30 LEDs,” of course.)
  • Page 23 Add the other hex standoffs the same way. on one of the short M/F hex standoffs. screw up through one of the corner holes. Once you have two on board, the LEDs Do not tighten it yet. should be protected against falling out. [Bulbdial Assembly Guide] [23]...
  • Page 24 If not, nudge the LED to correct it. short lead is at the rounded pad. After inspection, remove the four long standoffs (if you have not already done so). [Bulbdial Assembly Guide] [24]...
  • Page 25 For each of the 30 LEDs, solder the short lead, the one at the rounded pad. The reason that we’re soldering just one pin is that we can use it as a “hinge” to adjust the LED position before soldering the second pin. [Bulbdial Assembly Guide] [25]...
  • Page 26 LEDs that are not. Going around the circle, do your best to point each LED in the correct direction. Be gentle when bending the LEDs, and try not to bend them more times than needed. [Bulbdial Assembly Guide] [26]...
  • Page 27 Match that to the “-” side of C5 on the circuit board. Next: We’ll test the assembly thus far, and point the LEDs in the final configuration. [Bulbdial Assembly Guide] [27]...
  • Page 28 ... and add the clock face. Screw it in Flip the assembly over... And there we are: starting place with four of the longer screws. to look a lot like a clock. It does not need to be tightened. [Bulbdial Assembly Guide] [28]...
  • Page 29 (except as directed). The Bulbdial clock does not have an on-board power switch. Using a power strip with a built-in switch may be convenient for testing.
  • Page 30 Do not proceed to step 26 until things look good here. To exit time display mode and enter “alignment mode,” hold down both the + and – buttons for three seconds. (Alignment mode is used to help align the rings of LEDs.) [Bulbdial Assembly Guide] [30]...
  • Page 31 • To exit alignment mode, hold the Z button for three seconds or cycle power to the clock. Try out alignment mode, and use it to verify that every one of your LEDs lights up before you go on to the next step. [Bulbdial Assembly Guide] [31]...
  • Page 32 (initially) poor alignment of some LEDs. direction to form a shadow of the gnomon. (Try not to touch other parts of the circuit board.) In the next step, we’ll deal with a less ideal case. (Idealized shadow) [Bulbdial Assembly Guide] [32]...
  • Page 33 3. This is only one ring. Variation in LED position and angle will be them in a firm, controlled manner. You are trying to bend less noticeable once all three rings of LEDs are lit at once. the metal leads of the LED, not damage the LED itself. [Bulbdial Assembly Guide] [33]...
  • Page 34 That wraps up the blue ring of LEDs. In the next section, we’ll add the LEDs to the green ring, using a similar set of procedures. [Bulbdial Assembly Guide] [33]...
  • Page 35 30 LEDs that we’ll need. standoffs & clock face. “Red” circuit board 30 Green* LEDs #16B, pre-form these, as in step 14. Long 4-40 screws “Green” circuit Hex wrench board, #2 [Bulbdial Assembly Guide] [35] (*Again, for monochrome kits, just grab 30 LEDs, #16.)
  • Page 36 LEDs don’t fall out. Flip it over and using the long screws. As before, this side of the red ring touches the LEDs. place it atop the main assembly. loosely “clamps” the LEDs in place. [Bulbdial Assembly Guide] [36]...
  • Page 37 LED. After that, unscrew the red & to point the LEDs at the center of the ring. lead of each LED and trim the leads short. green rings from the main assembly. (This will improve centering of your shadows.) [Bulbdial Assembly Guide] [37]...
  • Page 38 Soon, will mount the boards together. Before that, we need to get their orientations correct. The top side of each board has a secret asterisk (“star”) shape in the upper left corner. Locate these three asterisks. [Bulbdial Assembly Guide] [38]...
  • Page 39 Once all ten jumpers are fed through, verify that the circuit boards are correctly oriented– with an asterisk in the upper left of each. (Do not solder these in place yet.) [Bulbdial Assembly Guide] [39]...
  • Page 40 Flip the assembly over. Solder the ten (bent) jumper pins to the bottom of the main board. Clip the jumper leads short on this side only. [Bulbdial Assembly Guide] [40]...
  • Page 41 The green ring is now ready for testing. Again, check for stray debris on the circuit board before plugging it in. [Bulbdial Assembly Guide] [41]...
  • Page 42 find it helpful to look back at steps 26–28 for connect it to the main board. reference. If any problems persist, be sure to resolve them before moving on to the next step. [Bulbdial Assembly Guide] [42]...
  • Page 43 STEP 36: Get ready to build the red ring As before, use the LED bending guide to prepare 12 red LEDs*, #16C, to go on the red circuit board. [Bulbdial Assembly Guide] [43] (*Again, for monochrome kits, just grab 12 LEDs, #16.)
  • Page 44 STEP 37: Populate the red ring Hold the red ring with your fingers, bottom (blank) side up. Put the 12 LEDs into the holes. [Bulbdial Assembly Guide] [44]...
  • Page 45 Finally, locate the asterisk on the board so that rounded pad of each LED. of the circle and then solder the other lead of we can align it to the boards below. each LED. And then clip the leads short. [Bulbdial Assembly Guide] [45]...
  • Page 46 Finally, solder the ten jumper connections to the board and clip the leads short. Screw down the red circuit board, using the nylon washers (#26) as spacers. [Bulbdial Assembly Guide] [46]...
  • Page 47 LEDs one by one on the red ring. Make sure that every one of them is working, and then bend them to form a clear shadow of the gnomon. You may find it helpful to look back at steps 26–28 for reference. [Bulbdial Assembly Guide] [47]...
  • Page 48 Your Bulbdial kit should now be ready to use. Next, we move onto the optional Chronodot module and case kit. [Bulbdial Assembly Guide] [48]...
  • Page 49 (May be preinstalled.) Chronodot RTC module Important note: Do not set the battery on any conductive surface, or it will drain in a matter of minutes. (Examples: Black conductive foam, silver anti-static bags, steel countertop, etc.) [Bulbdial Assembly Guide] [49]...
  • Page 50 Chronodot 2: Adding headers Place Chronodot on those headers-- note orientation. Insert headers into receptacles on Bulbdial PCB Next, we’ll need to add the battery. With POWER OFF , solder the 8 pins. Important note: Placing the battery backwards can break the ChronoDot.
  • Page 51 Note: the Chronodot is active and powered as soon as the battery is added. Again, be careful not to rest the pins on conductive surfaces-- that can short circuit the battery and drain it very quickly. All done. [Bulbdial Assembly Guide] [51]...
  • Page 52 Chronodot 4: Use it The clock must be restarted to detect the Chronodot. If it is detected at startup, the time displayed will not be 12:00:00, nor will it be blinking. [Bulbdial Assembly Guide] [52]...
  • Page 53 Case 1: Here are the case parts One “Arch Cover” Two face plates One “Base Cover” [Bulbdial Assembly Guide] [53]...
  • Page 54 Case 2: Prepping the clock mechanism Also unscrew the four screws that hold the clock face in place. Take the screws and washers out of the red ring. [Bulbdial Assembly Guide] [54]...
  • Page 55 Case 3: Peeling the dirt away... Most pieces have protective plastic film on one or both sides. Peel it off and discard. [Bulbdial Assembly Guide] [55]...
  • Page 56 (The corresponding pieces of the thin cover plastic must be able to slip into the holes of the faceplates.) This slit had a sliver of case plastic in it. This slit had a long sliver of case plastic. [Bulbdial Assembly Guide] [56]...
  • Page 57 Put one face plate over the back, lining up the holes with place, but do not fasten, the clock face the standoffs and the holes in the clock face. Use the where it goes. long screws to fasten it and the clock face in place. [Bulbdial Assembly Guide] [57]...
  • Page 58 (your choice). The base cover is held in place by tabs in the middle that go into the faces, plus tabs at the end that go into the arch cover. [Bulbdial Assembly Guide] [58]...
  • Page 59 Case 7: Installing the case, continued:: Base cover Insert middle tab Insert left tab Insert right tab Guide around buttons [Bulbdial Assembly Guide] [59]...
  • Page 60 Neat trick: To prevent the washers from sliding out while you install the front faceplate, you can place a toothpick (or a clipped LED lead) in each of the four holes. [Bulbdial Assembly Guide] [60]...
  • Page 61 Case 9: Install front face plate & screws As usual, be careful not to over-tighten the screws-- finger tight is tight enough. [Bulbdial Assembly Guide] [61]...
  • Page 62 Case 10: Check arch cover Finally, make sure that the arch cover has formed a nice arch between the front and back covers. [Bulbdial Assembly Guide] [62]...

  • Page 63: How To Set The Time

    How to read the time How to set the time The default mode of the Bulbdial clock is time display, Hold the Z button for 3 s to enter time setting mode. where it displays the time just like any other digital clock.

  • Page 64: Alignment Mode

    • The fading option (default: on) specifies whether or not the clock fades between subsequent times displayed. • To exit option mode and save changes, hold the Z button for three seconds. [Bulbdial Guide] [64]...

  • Page 65: Restoring Defaults

    For example, it is possible to use the options to set all of the LEDs to be off, all the time. To avoid having a Bulbdial Brick, you can restore your clock to defaults. To restore defaults, hold down the + and – buttons for 5 s after cycling power to the clock.
  • Page 66 Hooking up to a computer J2 is a 6-pin header for connecting to an FTDI model TTL-232R The Bulbdial kit is Arduino compatible. USB-serial interface cable. The cable end has six colored wires. The If programming it through the Arduino IDE, end with the black wire goes towards the location on the circuit select board type: Diecimila with ATmega168.

  • Page 67: Usb Power

    So, you must not hook up both the regular power supply and the USB-TTL cable at the same time. (One will win; damage to your power supply, clock, or computer is likely to result. So don’t do it.) [Bulbdial Guide] [67]...
  • Page 68 THE END. If you liked this project, you may find many others that you like at Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories, www.evilmadscientist.com, we invite you to visit and take a look around. [Bulbdial Guide] [68]...