LC Technology

Runaway Alarm Clock

Students always seem to come up with great ideas that make you smile. When a student asked me could he make an alarm clock that would 'runaway' when the alarm activates I was truly inspired. Integrating an alarm clock with a microcontroller was the way forward but certain challenges were faced on the way. We were able to reuse an old clock radio and use the alarm speaker as an input on the microcontrol board (Genie E18) to make the motors function. The student gained inspiration for his design from a landrover but with caterpillar tracks. The body was vacuum formed which allowed for the components to be housed inside the vehicle. A digital sensor was placed on the front to detect obstacles in its path. Check out the video below.