DPAC Put Your Alarm Clock To Shame

DPAC, the Dynamically Programmable Alarm Clock, goes far beyond what you would expect an alarm clock to do, yet we find all of its features useful. You can see there are four buttons at the bottom that control the menu scrolling. The second from the left currently reads “Sync”, a feature that the clock uses every 10 minutes but can be forced manually. This will check your Google Calendar, schedule an alarm for the next event while factoring in driving distance, traffic, and weather conditions. It’s got an audio system for radio and iPod operation, but also includes some home automation options. Using the X10 communication protocol it can turn on lights, start the coffee maker, and open the blinds as part of a gentle wake-up cycle. All of this is configurable through the clock itself, or via the web interface. The prototyping was done on an Arduino but the final version uses an AVR ATmega324 along with a Roving Networks RN-134 WiFi module (datasheet) for connectivity. Check out the demonstration video that [Eric Gaertner] and his fellow developers filmed after the break.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvsD_Tb4c0Q]

16 thoughts on “DPAC Put Your Alarm Clock To Shame

  1. @bogdanfirst Thanks for the tips, auto dimming is definitely a feature we wanted to get in if we had a bit more time. Since we have the manual controls, it’s only a photodiode away!

    I forgot to mention it in the video, but we do have sunrise simulation working, over about a 10 minute span. I just disabled it for the video to speed things up.

    @nebulous The enclosure was a last minute rough job or the dovetails would have been cleaner. http://marcgaertner.com/ Proof :)

  2. awesome project! if i had the time, i would definitely try and make something like that. though i’m still set on the nixie clocks (one is on my list to make), and will probably at least try and integrate zune control into mine to wake me up a bit. how does it keep time? i’m considering the gps route, but i would probably need an external antenna and all that jazz.

    great work!

  3. oh yea, many props to you for using the arduino for its intended purpose: as a prototyping device, and not as the final controller.

    (i know, throw me into the arduino haters club. i really dont hate them, i just hate them being used for the final product)

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