In this Instructable I will show you how you can convert an empty tissue box into a cool Arduino based clock that can show the time, date, current temperature & humidity in the room.
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Supplies:
Enclosure Supplies:
- Empty Tissue Box
- Utility Knife / Scissor
- Hot Glue Gun / Adhesive
Electronics:
- 32×8 LED Matrix – for the clock display
- DS3231 RTC – for time related functionality
- DHT11 Temperature and Humidity Sensor – To measure internal temperature and humidity
- 10K Ohm Resistor – used as pull up resistor for DHT11
- Arduino UNO ( I used the UNO but you should be able to use any Arduino/Arduino clone) – Brain of the project
- Breadboard
- Jumper Wires
- Laptop and Arduino IDE to program the code to Arduino
- Power Bank / 9V battery for power
Step 1: Lets Build the Enclosure
To make the enclosure, just measure the width and height of your LED Matrix and cut a hole in the front of the tissue box for the matrix to come out as shown in the picture
Step 2: Lets Connect the Electronics
See the image for the schematics to connect each module to the Arduino. I used a breadboard to organize everything easier
If you don’t understand the diagram, then this is a stepwise guide to connect each module:
Connecting the LED Matrix:
For this project I am using a HT1632 based 32×8 LED MATRIX and this is how I connected it to the Arduino UNO
- Arduino 5V –> VCC pin of LED Matrix
- Arduino GND –> GND pin of LED Matrix
- Arduino Digital Pin 9 –> CS pin of LED Matrix
- Arduino Digital Pin 10 –> WR pin of LED Matrix
- Arduino Digital Pin 11 –> DATA pin of LED Matrix
Connecting the RTC Module:
For this project I am using a DS3231 RTC Module. This module uses the I2C bus to communicate and this is how i connected it to the Arduino. If you are unsure which pins are the I2C just google them
- Arduino 5V –> VCC pin of RTC Module
- Arduino GND –> GND pin of RTC Module
- Arduino SDA (next to AREF) –> SDA pin of RTC Module
- Arduino SCL (next to SDA) –> SCL pin of RTC Module
Connecting the Temperature & Humidity Sensor:
- Arduino 5V –> VCC pin of DHT11
- Arduino GND –> GND pin of DHT11
- Arduino Digital Pin 2 –> DATA_OUT pin of DHT11
- Arduino 5V –> 10K Ohm Resistor –> DATA_OUT pin of DHT11 ( connect one end of the 10k resistor to data out of the DHT11 and one end of the resistor to Arduino 5V )
Step 3: Lets Program
- Install Libraries for the modules:
- For LED Matrix Image Drawing I am using this library by Gaurav Manek. You can download as a ZIP and add it to the Arduino Libraries using the Arduino IDE
- For the DS3231 RTC module I am using the ds3231FS by Petre Rodan Library. This can be installed via the “Manage Libraries” option in Arduino IDE
- For the DHT11 Temp and Humidity Sensor I am using the DHT sensor Library by Adafruit. This also can be installed via the “Manage Libraries” option in the Arduino IDE
- Download the code and upload to the Arduino
Step 4: Connect Everything Together
I used some hot glue to hold the LED Matrix in the cut out securely. Then I opened the side of the tissue box carefully and placed the breadboard and Arduino Inside. To power the whole circuit you can use multiple options:
- 9V Battery Connected via a barrel jack
- Power bank connected to the Arduino’s USB port
- Arduino connected to a laptop ( My option)
Since this project will be on my desk all the time I will use the 3rd option, but feel free to use the other 2 options if you want a more portable version.
Step 5: Final Product & Future Improvements
Its finally complete ! I am very happy how it turned out. I still plan to improve somethings in the future such as:
- Add a RGB LED Matrix
- Add a ESP32 to display information from the internet
- Add more sensors
If you have more ideas how I can improve this or have any question about the build , feel free to contact me or leave a comment down below and I will try to reply to them
Source: TClock – Tissue Box Clock
