The Raspberry Pi is a popular choice for many electronic projects, but no matter how simple an idea is, you can always complicate it further with custom hardware and extra features. Today, we’ve got a basic project turned complex created by Envious Design. Using our favorite microcontroller, the Raspberry Pi Pico, they’ve created a custom Pico clock that looks great and involves the creation of an original PCB.
This clock has room to solder a Pico onboard and sports a series of LTP305 modules to represent the time. It also has a buzzer, so you could theoretically turn it into a working alarm clock. According to Envious Design, this is a work in progress, and version 2 is already in the works.
The project relies on a DS3231 module to keep track of the time. However, there is no onboard battery, meaning it must be plugged into power to maintain accurate time. Envious Design explains that you could easily remedy this by permanently adding a battery module to the unit.
Envious Design was kind enough to share a breakdown of the hardware included in the design. Eight LTP305s make up the digital clock face. Four IS31FL3730s are used as LED matrix drivers for the LTP305s. It has four buttons that let you set the time and alarm alongside a daylight savings switch.
The project is open source for anyone to explore. You can find the source code at the official Envious Design GitHub profile, Envious Data. As we mentioned before, plans are in the works to add more features in a future iteration, so you may want to keep your eyes peeled to see what V2 has in store.
If you want to get a closer look at this Raspberry Pi project, you can find the project shared on Reddit. You can also peruse the Envious Design website for more cool creations.
