Hey I am taking a class in which we are supposed to invent something, and I came up with an idea that I really love and really need help on. I want to create a combination of a wakeup light, normal alarm clock that has something like a key, which is used to turn off the alarm, that gets shot across the room to make you have to get out of bed. Also i dont want a snooze button on this.
The idea is it will use a wake up light that gradualy brigthens (like regular wake up lights), over a time table of more thatn 30 minutes, and I would have a delayed sound alarm that would go off later. like the light would start going up at 5:30 am and would be "fully bright" at 6:00 am, with a sound alarm set at 6:05 am. At either 6:00 or 6:05 the "key" would jetison from the alarm that is needed to turn of the alarm.
I have a LED that I have researched and choosen for pretty important reasons but I don't have the knowledge to deisgn a clock circuit that integrates these ideas. The link to the LED's that I want to use are below and I have no other issues or premade concepts about things i want to use, i chose this cause they are only 2700k so warm white light that wont be as hard on the eyes and brighter light hurts cicadian rythm. I only need help designing a circuit board. I wish I could do this on my own but I can't and I will still be doing all the legwork myself, paying for parts and soddering and making the phyisical circuit itself.




https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetai...EpiMZZMu4Prknbu83y%2bjZYXWhTlMvUfjFBce1%2baM=

 

I'd consider reducing the scope of your project by using an existing alarm clock as the base and adding your delay system on top of it. This would spare you from having to build an entire clock, which of course is not remotely novel.

If you have a trigger coming from an existing alarm clock (which you have silenced), now you just have to figure out how to produce your desired wake-up profile. This would be quite a bit easier if you were already familiar with using a microprocessor, but they have a learning curve and the project could be done without one. If you might ever do other µP projects, you may as well get started. Your call.

Once you have logic signals, you can control your noise-makers, lights, catapults, whatever using MOSFETs as switches. That's the easy part, believe it or not. Getting the signals to execute the timing and logic you want is the hard part.

 

I'd consider reducing the scope of your project by using an existing alarm clock as the base and adding your delay system on top of it. This would spare you from having to build an entire clock, which of course is not remotely novel.

If you have a trigger coming from an existing alarm clock (which you have silenced), now you just have to figure out how to produce your desired wake-up profile. This would be quite a bit easier if you were already familiar with using a microprocessor, but they have a learning curve and the project could be done without one. If you might ever do other µP projects, you may as well get started. Your call.

Once you have logic signals, you can control your noise-makers, lights, catapults, whatever using MOSFETs as switches. That's the easy part, believe it or not. Getting the signals to execute the timing and logic you want is the hard part.

Thank you very much for your response, I have a base alarm clock I want to work around, and realize creating all of this from scratch would prove to be impossible especially since I am not familiar with much of this.

https://www.amazon.com/Sonic-Alert-SBB500SS-Alarm-Shaker/dp/B01N2HDOR6?th=1

This is a link to the alarm clock that i am working with, I am just unsure how to proceed, it sounds like i should practice using microprocessors. So that is what I will spend my time on in the upcoming week.

 

It sounds like you could extract your trigger signal from that clock from the alarm, the light, or the shaker. It really comes down to which you can access most easily. If you want to avoid any modification of the clock, you could probably silence the alarm and the shaker, and then attach a light sensor over the flashing light to get your alarm signal.

 

It sounds like you could extract your trigger signal from that clock from the alarm, the light, or the shaker. It really comes down to which you can access most easily. If you want to avoid any modification of the clock, you could probably silence the alarm and the shaker, and then attach a light sensor over the flashing light to get your alarm signal.

Thank you very much for your help so far. What would the light sensor be for?

My thought was I would mount an LED strip above my bed and on the side wall so that I would have 90 degrees of light coverage to help make sure its in my face. And I would just have a wire that I would mount to the ceiling and wire it down to my alarm clock on my night stand.

And would I not need to adapt the trigger signal so that it would gradually increase the electric current so it would light up slowly? Because, if my assumption is correct, if I just wire it to that initial signal it would either flash, or it would just turn on full brightness at once.


Sorry about the response time, ill make sure to check this more regularly.

 

What would the light sensor be for?

My thinking was that your device, whatever it does, could be triggered by the flash of the LED in your clock. Using a light sensor would let your device see that flash, and would not require any invasion into the guts of the clock. If you use a microprocessor, you might choose to watch for, say, 3 pulses of the LED. This would be more reliable than detecting a single flash, which might possibly happen for other reasons. But without a micro, it's still pretty easy to turn on your circuit once a flash is detected.

And would I not need to adapt the trigger signal so that it would gradually increase the electric current so it would light up slowly?

Yes, once the start signal is received, you would ramp up LED brightness using a PWM controller. This is like a light switch clicking on and off, but it does it faster than you can detect (for example 100Hz). Over time you increase the percentage of time that it's on, and perceived brightness of the LED changes with that percentage even though the LED is either full on or full off. The speed of a motor can be controlled the same way, if that's part of your plan.

 

My thinking was that your device, whatever it does, could be triggered by the flash of the LED in your clock. Using a light sensor would let your device see that flash, and would not require any invasion into the guts of the clock. If you use a microprocessor, you might choose to watch for, say, 3 pulses of the LED. This would be more reliable than detecting a single flash, which might possibly happen for other reasons. But without a micro, it's still pretty easy to turn on your circuit once a flash is detected.

Ok so i understood the second part but (with the first part) the light and shaker on the alarm clock aren't set seperatley from the sound alarm itself. And I would need the light to slowly brigthen, over the course of at least 20 minutes, there is a science behind that time that has to do with circadian rythm adjustment. So there would be an alarm set for 7:00 but the light would start turning on at like 6:30. Because the sound is just a backup. they arent supposed to light and sound. that defeats the purpose of making the brightness rise gradually.

This is similar to the concept of wakeup lights

 

Ok so i understood the second part but (with the first part) the light and shaker on the alarm clock aren't set seperatley from the sound alarm itself.

I'm assuming you completely disable the waking functions of the store-bought clock, except for maybe the light which you intercept with a sensor. If the clock doesn't allow that, you may need to get inside and disconnect the speaker and/or the motor to disable them. So the clock alarm goes off while you're asleep and triggers your custom alarm device.

 

You know, there is already an app for that. I've used an app that watches for movement with its accelerometers, to judge your sleep cycles. Fancier versions can talk to your watch and monitor your pulse. Anyway, you tell the app when you must be awake and it strives to wake you up before that at some point where you're very nearly awake anyway, at the peak of a cycle.

 

You know, there is already an app for that. I've used an app that watches for movement with its accelerometers, to judge your sleep cycles. Fancier versions can talk to your watch and monitor your pulse. Anyway, you tell the app when you must be awake and it strives to wake you up before that at some point where you're very nearly awake anyway, at the peak of a cycle.

I am aware but what this does is it manipulates your circadian rythm not to wake you up, this lighting concept helps with jet lag and little sleep. since it makes your body think it is dawn (what we originally woke up to), it tricks your body into thinking you had a full nights sleep and releases oxytocin in your brain upon awaking.

 

I'm assuming you completely disable the waking functions of the store-bought clock, except for maybe the light which you intercept with a sensor. If the clock doesn't allow that, you may need to get inside and disconnect the speaker and/or the motor to disable them. So the clock alarm goes off while you're asleep and triggers your custom alarm device.

well for my project it is supposed to combine the elements of a sound and a light alarm clock into one, so I wouldnt have to have two alarm clocks. Cause I could by my own light alarm clock and sound alarm clock instead of making one (kind of a dumb point since this is for a class and I have to make it).

I just want to combine the sound component from the very loud alarm clock and the gradualy brightening light into one alarm clock (that doesn't have a snooze button, and is difficult to turn off). although the solution you suggested would work but its not what I need... Sorry I don't like being picky... and thank you again

 

That's all great but unless your device can predict the future, it's going to need a clock to trigger it 30 minutes before your regular alarm clock goes off. If your existing clock cannot provide the trigger, and I can't imagine why it would, you'll need a second clock.

 

So there is no way it couldn't be off of the same clock and still have the lights and the sound go? Like I don't mind finding out how to add anything extra like a new trigger. Thanks so much for your help, I appreciate all that you've done so far

 

So there is no way it couldn't be off of the same clock and still have the lights and the sound go? Like I don't mind finding out how to add anything extra like a new trigger. Thanks so much for your help, I appreciate all that you've done so far

I can’t imagine any way to begin your ramp process except to trigger it by the clock’s normal alarm function, but that’s too late if I understand your plan.

My alarm clock has two alarms, suitable for two people that get up at different times. That could work if the first alarm is silenced but used to start your ramp up.

 

I can’t imagine any way to begin your ramp process except to trigger it by the clock’s normal alarm function, but that’s too late if I understand your plan.

My alarm clock has two alarms, suitable for two people that get up at different times. That could work if the first alarm is silenced but used to start your ramp up.

It sounds like we can do it then... cause my alarm has an alarm 1 and an alarm 2 setting. So it could be done from there correct?

 

It sounds like we can do it then... cause my alarm has an alarm 1 and an alarm 2 setting. So it could be done from there correct?

In principle, but I'm not sure how well you can disable the first alarm without affecting the second one. The devil is in the details.

 

In principle, but I'm not sure how well you can disable the first alarm without affecting the second one. The devil is in the details.

But could we not use the same outlet signal from the shaker or the small lights on the alarm itself? Also, I am not 100% sure of what I want it to look like so if i need to take apart the alarm clock I have and work with what is already there and add on to it and create a new frame for the new alarm clock or something like that I am flexible, so if you have any more ideas on how to pull it off that your not sure if i'll want to do, Please share them, I am sorry if I have seemed picky or anything like that with anything ive said previously

 

In principle, but I'm not sure how well you can disable the first alarm without affecting the second one. The devil is in the details.

Also is there anyway I could find out if that is possible? Thinking about it though, I don't think it would work? Could I create a second alarm system that would work correspondingly with the pre set alarm but still be independent of the sound? Like wiring Alarm 1 to only be a sound alarm and Alarm 2 to be a only light alarm. Also would it be easier to make it so that the light alarm would reach peak brightness at the time listed or would it be easier to make it so that it slowly starts from the time that the alarm is set?

 

Can you choose different alarm types for the two alarms? I mean, can one be the radio and the other a buzzer or whatever? You could turn the radio volume all the way down but use the radio-power-on as your first signal.

You need to examine the details of what you have. I can't do it remotely!

 

Can you choose different alarm types for the two alarms? I mean, can one be the radio and the other a buzzer or whatever? You could turn the radio volume all the way down but use the radio-power-on as your first signal.

You need to examine the details of what you have. I can't do it remotely!

There is no a.m./fm radio option, and no you can’t set the alarms to have different options.