StackClock

I'd like a series of clocks on my desk at work to show various timezones. The hardware and firmware files are on github at sarahemm/stackclock.

Status

• 2017-01-07: Built a font for the Display board's alpha displays, got all the shifting code and multiplexing of alpha displays working. Leftmost display doesn't work due to the mismatched connector issue, but the other two fully work. Put together the first stack communication code and the encoder on the Base now scrolls through the alphabet on the Display board, so the stacking all works as intended (minus the enumeration which we're still waiting on backordered parts to complete).
• 2017-01-06: Worked on the Display board BSP more, you can now program it successfully through the IDE, but the bootloader only works if the Dragon is also plugged into the ISP port (not used for programming, just connected). Looked at schematic and it turns out I have a pulldown instead of pullup on /RESET, so it's stuck in reset except when the programmer is connected overriding that, I think.
• 2017-01-04: Started putting BSP together for the Display board, will be more complex since this board uses the ATmega328PB which isn't yet well supported in core Arduino.
• 2017-01-03: Got a bunch of UI code for the Base board done using SerialUI. Haven't seen any sign of the serial issue I saw on 2017-12-30, not sure what's up with that but I'll leave it alone for now and see if it shows up again.
• 2017-12-30: Assembled the first Base board, USB enumerates OK and the MCU programs w/ a bootloader. Built a basic Arduino BSP for the StackClock Base board and it works, can program code into it and the encoder works as designed. Printing numbers over one digit to the serial port often fails with garbage after the first digit, need to look into why that is. So far have confirmed it happens no matter what the baud rate, and static text always seems to work but printing numbers from variables doesn't.
• 2017-12-16: Assembled the first Display board. MCU programs OK, but haven't been able to access it over the RS232 port, unsure if the bootloader or the hardware is a problem so far.
• 2017-12-01: Display boards have arrived, ordered all parts except IR receiver and AS1115 chip which are backordered (the latter until March!).
• 2017-11-20: Did final review of Base board, sent off to OSH Park for manufacturing.
• 2017-11-01: Did final review and fixed a couple issues on the Display board, sent off to OSH Park for manufacturing.
• 2017-10-30: Completed the Base board and checklisted it.
• 2017-10-22: Completed and checklisted the board layout for the Display board. 24h waiting period now, then will send off to be manufactured. Now that Display layout is complete, can finish the Base board.
• 2017-10-21: Completed and checklisted the schematic/BOM for the Display board.
• 2017-10-17: Started putting together BOM/schematic for Display board.
• 2017-10-17: Did as much routing of Base board as possible without knowing how big the Display boards will need to be.
• 2017-10-10: Completed and checklisted Base schematic, started routing board.
• 2017-10-04: Put together most of the schematic for the Base Board, just need to finish the USB interface, IR emitter, and diagnostics (test points, etc.).
• 2017-09-17: Started working on this again, putting BOM together and such.
• 2016-09-15: Started putting this idea together.
• 2015: Tried to find some commercial clocks I could stack up to make this, failed to find anything nice looking that supported 24h time. The Hayes Stack Chronograph would be cool but they're very rare now.

Specs

• Arduino-compatible Base Board on the bottom has the RTC and keeps time
  • Supports multiple oscillator options:
    • TCXO (cheap, stable to ~216ms/day)
    • OCXO (less cheap, stable to ~840us/day or 305ms/year)
    • External 10Mhz clock input from a Rb/Cs or other reference
  • Has an encoder on it to allow changing the time briefly to compare between time zones
    • For instance, "this log is in UTC and it says 0502, what time was that in Calgary?"
    • A few seconds after the encoder stops rotating, display goes back to real time
• Arduino-compatible Display Boards stack on top of that board
  • As many as you want to stack (up to maybe 8 or 16, but the bus limit with the current design would be 127)
  • Each display board has:
    • 3 alphanumeric LED displays to show which timezone
    • 4 numeric LED displays to show the time (or maybe 6, need to decide if they'll include seconds)
    • Using displays available in Red, Yellow, and Green so can have different "levels" of the stack different colours
• Stack communicates internally via I2C
  • SCL/SDA and power carried on standoffs
• Stack is configurable via USB interface
  • Also initial time set will happen via USB from an NTP server, once set it can free-run for a long period while staying accurate

Enumeration Process

I want the display boards to figure out what order they're in without needing to set any DIP switches or anything. To accomplish this, each board has an IR emitter pointing up, and an IR detector pointing down.

Calibration Phase

1. Base sets ENUM as output and lowers it, displays set ENUM as input.
2. All boards toggle emitter on and off while recording min/max detector levels.
3. After CALIBRATE_TIME, base raises ENUM to start the enumeration process.

Enumeration Phase

1. All boards set ENUM_COUNT as an input and reset an internal counter to zero.
2. Base turns on LED, waits for ENUM_COUNT to go high.
3. Whichever board sees their detector goes high:
   1. Sets themself as node #1.
   2. Sets ENUM_COUNT as an output briefly.
   3. Raises ENUM_COUNT for COUNT_HOLD_TIME.
   4. Sets ENUM_COUNT back to an input.
4. Any boards that didn't see their detector go high just increment their counter and continue on.
5. Once ENUM_COUNT is low again, the board that was enumerated in step 3 turns its LED on, repeats steps 2-4.
6. When a board turns its emitter on and ENUM_COUNT does not go high in ENUM_TIMEOUT time, the enumeration process is complete.

Standard Dimensions

SCL standoff is considered 0,0 for all of this, + is up/right, - is down/left.

Item	X	Y
SCL Standoff	0	0
SDA Standoff	0	+0.4
GND Standoff	+4.75	0
VIN Standoff	+4.75	+0.5
IR TX/RX	+2.75	+0.025
Lower Left of Board	-0.6750	-0.25

Stack Protocol

• 0x00 = NOOP
• 0x01 = SETALPHA
  • Parameter 1
    • 3 bytes
    • Text to display

Display Rev001 Issues

• CN1/CN2 are 2 pins longer on BOM than they are on board.
• CN2's pins on the display side need to be realigned slightly to not interfere with the displays.
• DSP4-7 are physically missing the NC pins, should check the datasheet and eliminate these holes from the board if it guarantees this will always be the case, to make assembly easier.
• All display pins should have more exposed metal to make them easier to solder.
• Spacing is bigger between DSP2-DSP3 than between DSP1-DSP2
• Missing VCC connection to AVR ISP header (addressed by ECO A).
• /RESET is pulled down instead of up.
• Pins on either side of the connectors don't line up properly.

Display Rev001 ECOs

• A - Connect pin 5 of CN2 to tab of U4 (3.3V)
• B - Future, to fix RESET issue

Base Rev001 Issues

• Pitch of U4 (clock buffer for external oscillator input) is way off, and two of the pins are covered in mask.
• C4 is 0402 on BOM and 0603 on board.
• EN1 is pretty tall and has a lot of play on the in/out direction despite no switch (so doesn't feel great), should look and see if there's a better option.
• Missing VCC connection to AVR ISP header (addressed by ECO A).

Base Rev001 ECOs

• A - Connect pin 5 of CN4 to tab of U3 (3.3V)

Gallery

• 

  Base board Rev001, top

• 

  Base board Rev001, bottom

• 

  Display board Rev001, top

• 

  Display board Rev001, bottom