[BrittLiv] and her boyfriend got in one too many fights about who set the alarm. It’s the only argument they seem to repeat. So, true to her nature as an engineer, she over-engineered. The result was this great puzzle alarm clock.
The time displayed on the front is not the current time. Since the argument was about alarm times in the first place, [BrittLiv] decided the most prominent number should be the next alarm. To hear the time a button (one of the dots in the colon) must be pressed on the front of the clock. To set the alarm, however, one must manually move the magnetized segments to the time you’d like to get up. Processing wise, for a clock, it’s carrying some heat. It runs on an Intel Edison, which it uses to synthesize a voice for the time, news, weather, and, presumably, tweets. It sounds great, check it out after the break.
All in all the clock looks great, and works well too. We hope it brought peace to [BrittLiv]’s household.
Love it and would buy one.
Great solution and execution.
In other news, today I found a speech synth that sounds way better than espeak…
Peace ? to BritLiv’s household ?? haven’t you seen here Nerf gun instructables…
http://www.instructables.com/id/18-Shot-Nerf-Maverick/
http://www.instructables.com/id/Nerf-Whipblast/
You know, I’m still puzzled by the lack of really good, intelligently designed, multi-functional alarm clocks. Especially with just about everyone (or just me?) having a few old Android tablets lying around which would make really great alarm clocks (with streaming radio, weather display, etc.) Yet all the apps I can find are crappy, either in functionality or in design/usability.
Is there somebody proficient in app coding who’d want to start a project with me in my role as an experienced UX/UI designer? I believe there’s need for such an alarm clock app, and I also believe there’s money to be made (off “pro” versions or donations or whatever).
Chumby for Android
… hasn’t been updated in ages and requires Flash.
Believe me, I have searched high and low for a somewhat functional, somewhat aesthetically pleasing Android-based alarm clock.
If I had to wake up to that monotonous drone, I’d probably kill myself.
Damn magnets, how do they work?!
…Aliens
Very cool. I like not displaying the current time – it’s not something you want if you suffer from occasional insomnia
I had an idea to make an Calculator Alarm clock. But Ive lost my interest when ive got a new Dormeo mattress(with memory foam ).
Is it saying “am” instead of “AM?”
Tell it to say “AY EM”, or just put a space in there. I remember my mate’s old Amiga, and trying to get it to speak (well, swear) in a Yorkshire accent, by creatively mis-spelling words.
Maybe combine it with the writing robot to have the clock reach over and wake you up.
What over kill! Just go out and buy 2 alarm clocks. They don’t cost more than $5 each.
if you are going to do that…
Just by an alarm clock from American Innovative called Neverlate Executive (NL7DEX-US)
It has:
* 2 sets of alarms that go off once per day of the week. (total of 14 alarms)
* 1 set of daily alarms (they go off at the specific time every day) (7 total alarms)
** that’s a total of 21 alarms
* has a graduwake alarm (that alarm tone gradually ramps up the volume to gently wake people up)
* ability to choose from 4 different alarm tones
* ability to wake up to either a radio station / external audio input (with an aux stereo input jack)
* a headphone jack (to listen to the radio/music without disturbing anyone)
* ability to put it in sleep mode and any music/radio station that’s playing will shutoff after the set time.
* has a usb port to keep a phone/other device charged (even while you’re playing music from it)
* has a built-in nap-timer than be set anywhere from 1 min to 2 hours.
* also has a snooze button (very short compared to the nap-timer).
Giving all of those features — it might, still, be more expensive that 2 cheap alarm clocks.
However, I like it because I might need to wake-up at different times during the week and
I don’t want to forget to turn the alarm on or forget to change the alarm time.
This is the second thread where I am surprised at people negatively reacting to people making gizmos, doodads, and thing-a-ma-jigs. Overkill? With respect, if it’s not to see what interesting things people making, and maybe get ideas on neat things you want to create, why are any of us here?
I don’t think the point is the two clocks, or at least, if it was, it wouldn’t be an article on Hack-a-Day.
Exactly right. I don’t come here to see how someone solved a problem by buying cheap things, I come here for ridiculously over-engineered, ingenious and inspiring builds and hacks.
Agreed, the site is called Hack-A-Day, if you make statements like “What over kill!” then you are on the wrong site.
what is puzzling about it?
that it doesn’t tell the time?
a bit to store the segments would be nice
The clock isn’t puzzling. The segments are the puzzle itself.
Brilliant Idea!, i would buy one of these.
This is absolutely fantastic! I’d imagine that Brookstone would make a mint by selling this as a commercial product. Love it!
How about a clock that detects when you wake up then tells you ‘shh, you still have [X] sleeping time’.
(BTW that ticking of the analog second clock in the video is unbearable)