An Alarming Alarm Clock

Inspiration When we were planning our project, we were inspired by the Retro Upgrade design track. We got to brainstorming, and landed on alarm clocks. They are cheap, very common, and barely ever work, so, it was a perfect candidate to be made more effective. In a world dominated by smart technology, classic (or retro) technology, such as alarm clocks. are becoming more and more of an oddity.

** What it does** As it's core purpose, and alarm clock is supposed to wake you up, and get you out of bed. However, they have a built in flaw, a fatal error to their effectiveness, the snooze button. In an effort to help people fully wake up before they hit their snooze button, we developed a series of tests to pass, in order to turn off the alarm. These tests are simple, but effective. For starters, the sensors must detect that a light has been turned on, either a ceiling light, a lamp, or opening a window. If the light level surpasses a certain threshold, then it passes a go ahead to the next step. Another key part of actually getting up in the morning is a brief mental recollection. In an effort to test this, we deigned a pin-code protected lock, in order to turn off the alarm. Even briefly punching in a few numbers to a keypad will start your mind for the day, and make it easier to fully wake up. Once these two conditions are met, the user may turn off their alarm. If snooze is ever pressed, an Alarming surprise will be showcased, much to your distaste.

** How we built it** We created our own alarm clock circuit, using Arduino, a buzzer, and an RTC (Real Time Clock) chip. The wiring diagram will be provided below. This was then supported by a separate Arduino that powered the "Wake-up tests." This is a more simple logic situation, where we are just measuring sensor inputs, but then combine them with others, to have a real world impact.

Challenges we ran into When we first started this project, we were using a traditional digital alarm clock. This was great, since we had everything right there. However, we struggled with taking signal out of the alarm circuit, because of the swapping between AC and DC signals. This being said, our program was not responding correctly to any of the inputs from the clock, due to the alternating voltages. We solved this, by eventually deciding to make our own alarm circuit, so that we could fully control the inputs and their sources. By the time we realized our mechanical issues, the Makerspace lab has already been closed for the day, so we were forced to either make from scratch, or just drop the project. Thankfully, we chose the first.

Accomplishments that we're proud of This project was a true test of adaptability and spontaneity. Our team consisted of two returning hackers, but one completely new hacker. None of us had ever attempted to break into a pre-existing circuit, and use it for our advantage. Furthermore, none of us has had much more than simple experience with Arduino or Electronics. This being said, we are proud of how far we got in this project. We are proud that we successfully planned and started to design an upgrade to an everyday piece of technology. We are also proud of how the team came together in times of challenge, and how quickly everyone jumped in to solving the problems at hand.

What we learned As always, we learned a lot in this experience. We learned a good amount how circuits function, and the practical differences between Direct and Alternating Current. Furthermore, we learned how to adapt our plans on the fly, in order to accommodate our time and recourses. This project reaffirmed a truth that we always tend to forget; First make the project work as simple as possible, but then upgrade and fine tune it into a true work of technological art!

What's next for An Alarming Alarm Clock We plan on implementing more input options into the locking program for the Alarm - off button. This could include voice commands (Use an Echo or Google Home?). Also, design a custom casing for a more permanent homemade clock. In general though, we want to improve the efficiency and utility of the project. We plan on taking a deeper look into the inner-workings of a digital alarm clock, so that we can research opportunities to improve our project!