Assignment: Simple Mechanics: Cuckoo Clock

Collaborators: katalene, agreiner

Description

In order to gain experience with simple mechanics and to get further experience working with servo actuation and converting between linear and rotational motion (or vice-versa), we created a Cuckoo clock. More precisely, we created a bird house with a door that opens, a bird that comes out, and a Piezo speaker that tries (poorly) to imitate the sound of a Cuckoo clock chiming.

Components Used

• 1 Arduino board
• 1 generic solderless breadboard
• 2 rubber bands to secure the Arduino board to the breadboard
• wires
• electrical tape
• fishing line
• 1 servo motor
• various pieces of balsa wood
• 1 coffee stirrer
• hot glue
• 1 Piezo speaker
• 1 Lego technic piece
• fasteners and sewing pins

Images and Video

Cuckoo Clock in action

Just finished

Closed

Opening

The materials

Arduino Code

/*
 * Open and close a cuckoo clock
 * Theory and Practice of Tangible User Interfaces
 * Oct 25, 2008
 *
 * Seth Horrigan
 */


long lastPulse = 0;    // the time in millisecs of the last pulse
int refreshTime = 20;  // the time in millisecs needed in between pulses
int pulseWidth = 500;  // originally the servo is "closed"
//Used to make sound
byte names[] = {'c', 'd', 'e', 'f', 'g', 'a', 'b', 'C'};  
int tones[] = {1915, 1700, 1519, 1432, 1275, 1136, 1014, 956};

int servoOut = 7;
int speakerOut = 8;

void setup() {
 pinMode(servoOut, OUTPUT);  // Set servo pin as an output pin
 pinMode(speakerOut, OUTPUT);  // Set speaker pin as an output pin
 Serial.begin(9600);         // connect to the serial port
}

void loop() {
 static int lastAction = 0;
 int time = millis();
 
 //close for ten seconds
 if(pulseWidth == 500 && time - lastAction >= 10000){
 /*
 Serial.print("Setting to 1735 at time ");
 Serial.print(time, DEC);
 Serial.print(", with last action at ");
 Serial.println(lastAction, DEC);
 */
 
 lastAction = time;
 pulseWidth = 1735;

 //open for four seconds
 }else if(pulseWidth == 1735 && time - lastAction >= 3000){
 /*
 Serial.print("Setting to 500 at time ");
 Serial.print(time, DEC);
 Serial.print(", with last action at ");
 Serial.println(lastAction, DEC);
 */

 lastAction = time;
 pulseWidth = 500;
 //Make the piezo cuckoo sound
 int count = 0;
 int i = 0;
 for(i = 0; i < 2; i++){  
 for (count = 0; count < 64; count++) {
 digitalWrite(speakerOut, HIGH);
 delayMicroseconds(tones[6]);
 digitalWrite(speakerOut, LOW);
 delayMicroseconds(tones[6]);
 }
 delay(100);
 for (count = 0; count < 64; count++) {
 digitalWrite(speakerOut, HIGH);
 delayMicroseconds(tones[0]);
 digitalWrite(speakerOut, LOW);
 delayMicroseconds(tones[0]);
 }
 delay(200);
 }  
 }
 
 updateServo();
}

// called every loop(). 
void updateServo() {
 if (millis() - lastPulse >= refreshTime) {
 // pulse the servo again if the refresh time (20 ms) has passed:
 digitalWrite(servoOut, HIGH);   // Turn the motor on
 delayMicroseconds(pulseWidth);  // Length of the pulse sets the motor position
 digitalWrite(servoOut, LOW);    // Turn the motor off
 lastPulse = millis();           // save the time of the last pulse
 }
}