Assembly Instructions

Last updated: 2020-06-15

Instructions are in beta

If you have any issues or feedback for these instructions, do not hesitate to contact me via email at hello at lifeclo.cc

Preparation

Prerequisites

You should know how to solder. This project is perfectly doable with just a soldering iron and solder, but knowing how to use solder flux and a desoldering wick will definitely make your life easier.

Required Tools

  • Soldering Kit
  • The Parts in the Parts List
  • This instruction manual

Recommended Tools

  • Tweezers
    For picking up small parts and assembling them
  • Needle Nose Pliers
    For bending the pins out of the way
  • Wire Cutters (or nail clipper)
    For cutting the legs after soldering
  • Soldering Arm
    For holding the parts in place while soldering
  • Soldering Fan (or a well ventilated room)
    For keeping fumes out of your face

Parts List

Part Count PCB Label Image
Printed Circuit Board (PCB) 1 -
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Arduino Nano
Used for power and programming. 		1 A1
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DS3231 Module
with CR2032 Button Battery 		1 U1
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SET LED
Colours may vary 		2 D2 D4
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MODE LED
Colours may vary 		2 D1 D3
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Tactile Buttons 4 SW1 SW2 SW3 SW4
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50kΩ Variable Resistor
Label 504 		1 RV1
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74HC595 DIP-16 IC Shift Register 11 U2 U4 U6 U8 U10 U12 U14 U16 U18 U20 U22
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7-segment display
Common Anode
5161BG = Green Display
5161BS = Red Display 		11 U3 U5 U7 U9 U11 U13 U15 U17 U19 U21 U23
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22Ω / 100Ω Resistor

22Ω for Green Display
100Ω for Red Display


Trouble identifying resistors?

11 R9 R10 R11 R12 R13 R14 R15 R16 R17 R18 R19
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470Ω Resistor


Trouble identifying resistors?

4 R1 R2 R3 R4
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10kΩ Resistor


Trouble identifying resistors?

4 R5 R6 R7 R8
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Micro USB Wire
Used for power and programming. 		1 -
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Best Practices

Always check the direction of the componets before soldering it. If you have mistakenly soldered an IC upside down, it is very difficult to remove and redo it. In the event that happens, you will likely need a solder wick and a lot of patience.

For soldering any component, it’s best to solder only one pin first and then check if it’s aligned. If it’s not aligned, you will be able to melt the solder and reposition the component/ After that, solder the second pin that’s diagonally across. By doing this, you can be sure that the component is positioned correctly before soldering the rest of the pins.

For all components, you can choose to use Male to Female header pins instead of soldering them directly to the board. This means that you can easily remove and replace components if necessary.

Video Tutorial

Video tutorial is incomplete

The video tutorial for this specific model has not been edited, but you can still view the tutorial for v1 below. The steps are mostly the same.

v1 Assembly Video

Assembly

Step 0 - Test Arduino Nano

Plug the Arduino Nano into any USB port with the provided micro USB cable.

The onboard LED should flash 3 times. This indicates that the device is running properly and is programmed with the correct software.

Step 1 - Install Microcontroller

The first step is to install the microcontroller. The header pins on the back of the arduino are optional for the operation of lifeclocc, but you should solder them if you intend on doing any programing yourself.

Installation in Pictures
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These are the parts required. Put the 2 x 3 header pins into the top of the Arduino Nano.
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Flip the arduino over. Solder the header pins on the bottom of the Arduino.
This is not necessary for operation, unless you want to program it.
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Flip the arduino back. Place the header pins into the PCB.
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Solder the corner pins on the top and the bottom. Adjust and align the arduino at this stage.
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Solder the rest of the pins.

Checkpoint

Plug in the arduino to make sure it's still working. The LED should blink 3 times.

Step 2 - Install Buttons

To install the buttons, place them into the button slots and bend the pins over before soldering them down.

You should also put the resistors in so that we can test the buttons.

Installation in Pictures
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4 buttons and 4 10kΩ resistors.
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Bend the resistors into an n shape.
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Insert the resistors and the buttons into the PCB. The directions don't matter.
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Bend the legs of the buttons down, and bend the legs of the resistors as shown. This helps to keep in in place whle you solder it.
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Cut the excess legs off.

Checkpoint

Pressing the buttons should light up the LED on the arduino.

Step 3 - Install Indicator LEDs

Solder two LEDs into D1, and D3

Solder two LED into D2, and D4

Take Note

The LEDs are directional. The shorter leg goes into the square hole.

Installation in Pictures
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These are the required parts. 2x LEDs of each colour and 4x 470Ω resistors.
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Make sure the shorter leg goes into the square hole.
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Insert the LEDs and the resistors into the PCB.
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Bend the legs to secure the LEDs and resistors.
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Solder the parts in.
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Cut the excess.

Checkpoint

When you turn on the arduino, the leds should flash in sequence. Pressing the buttons should also light up the corresponding LED.

Step 4 - Install Clock Module

Installation in Pictures
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Required Parts
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Remove the battery before soldering.
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Stick the clock into the PCB, then use it to bend the pins straight. Fit it into the PCB after you're done.
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Solder one leg first. Use this to adjust the clock before soldering the rest of the legs. After that, bend the legs down or cut them off.
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After that, put the battery back in. Plug the arduino in, and you should see a red light below to indicate that it's soldered properly.

Checkpoint

There should be a red light below the clock module when the arduino is powered on. There is no way to test if the clock is working till a later step.

Step 5 - Install Variable Resistor

Installation in Pictures
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This is the variable resistor.
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Insert the resistor into the board.
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Bend the resistor legs down, then solder them in.

Checkpoint

No checkpoint here unfortunately. Remember to turn the resistor all the way to the right so that we have maximum brightness when we first turn on the displays.

Step 6 - Install First Digit

Important

Make sure that you put the IC and Display in the right way up. Once soldered it's very hard to fix.
The IC's notch should be facing up and the display's decimal point should be at the bottom.
If you are still unsure, please watch the video installation here.

Installation in Pictures
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Grab the parts.
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Insert the IC, display and resistor in the leftmost slot.
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Bend the pins down to secure them. You can choose not to bend the display and resistor pins for now if you want to cut them off later.
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Solder everything.
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Power the arduino. The leds should blink, and the display should show an 8 for a while before showing a number.

Checkpoint

When we turn it on, the display will blink with a - followed by 8, and finally it will show a number (most likely 2). If that happens, that means that your clock, and display is all working.

Step 7 - Install Rest of Display

Repeat step 6 for the other digits. You can test each one after you install it. Please make sure you don't solder while the device is plugged in.

Important

I've mentioned this in the previous section, but it bears repeating
Make sure that you put the IC and Display in the right way up. Once soldered it's very hard to fix.
The IC's notch should be facing up and the display's decimal point should be at the bottom.
If you are still unsure, please watch the video installation here.

Installation in Pictures
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Grab the parts.
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Put them all in. Check the direction.
Bend all the pins down.
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Solder everything, and cut off the legs.
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When you power on, everything should blink a bit.
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The displays should eventually show a countdown.

Checkpoint

You will see the arduino flash with the words -LIFECLO.CC- followed by 88888888888 and finally show a number.

Step 8 - Testing and Setup

Debug Mode

To enter debug mode, press and hold all 4 buttons for 3 seconds. This will cause all the lights to turn on. This helps you determine if ther are any broken parts.

Debug Mode

Turn the brightness dial to make sure it's working

Setting the date and time

Please refer to the operation manual to setup the date, time and birthday.

Checking if clock is working

Unplug and plug it back in, the countdown should not have reset. (Make sure your button battery is in the clock module)

Troubleshooting

Programming

This board was made to be hackable. What that means is that the source code is open and you are free to do whatever you want to do with it.

In order to program this, you need to download the arduino IDE, and the Teensyduino plugin. You also need a mini USB B cable to program it.

The pins on the top of the board also act as a breakout to the Teensy, so you can attach other devices to the Teensy if you wish.

Updating

The microcontroller will come pre-programmed with the lifeclocc firmware.