That awful buzzing/beeping beside the bed in the morning might not seem so bad if it were a cascade of bubbles instead. At least that’s what [Will] is hoping for. He took a child’s toy and turned it into a bubble blowing alarm clock.
We’re guessing you’re not going to be too happy with the alarm settings feature. This isn’t using a real-time clock, or any clock at all really. [Will] rolled his own light detection circuit using a PNP transistor whose base is controlled by an LDR. When the light level in the room reaches a certain threshold the bubbles start streaming out of the front of this thing. He test the system in the video by switching a lamp on and off in a dark room.
Up at dawn has never been a way we could describe ourselves, but the one-wire control method seen here could easily be provided by a microcontroller rather than the LDR. Oh, and for those that don’t get it; the [Lawrence Welk] show always started with a screen full of bubbles.
Good work, Will! At this rate, you’ll grow up to be a real hacker some day!
Ha! Thanks Aaron! If only my BA in economics was useful for aquiring hacker skills.
Strangely, I want one!
Add this to the shaking bed alarm to help soften the shock.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQ-l5PlDa-k
This would make the excuses for being late for work interesting:
“Sorry about the time boss, but my alarm clock ran out of soapy bubble mix.”
How many of you rember Lawrence Welk???
I remember it. The bubbles were the only cool part. Otherwise it was incredibly boring, especially to a small child.
And there was nothing good on at that time slot on the other channels, either. Though even Hee Haw was better than Lawrence Welk.
Was an excellent time to play with my Rivetron instead. How many of you remember those? It was my first maker toy, even before I had Legos, and I loved it. At least until mom saw on the news that some idiot kid choked on a rubber rivet, causing the age recommendations to be raised. Since I was suddenly too young, the Rivetron went in the trash; despite that I’d had it for almost a year, and knew better than to eat my toys.
Wow. Unexpected stroll down memory lane.
MY EYES!!! THEY BURN!!
My thoughts exactly, lol. It’s a cool idea if it could be done without soap. A film of soap is going to get everywhere.
Know what would get me up in the morning? Knowing there is an alarm clock with a can of pepper spray pointing at me.
Dante failed to mention anything about pepper spray alarm clocks in the ninth layer of hell
That’d keep me from ever getting to sleep.
You know what’s a good way to get up in the morning without too much suffering? Go the fuck to bed at a halfway reasonable hour. Boring, I know, but effective.