Hi everyone, just getting into gadgeteer and making myself an MP3 player / BGM system. Doing well so far until I came across the lack of a clock. I have decided to try and make a clock module, its going to be a steep curve as I dont know much electronics but I like a challenge :oD

First question that I thought was....has anyone made one before? Can anyone recommend a IC I can use? Unfortunately I cant garantee an internet connection so I cant use online time keepers :o(

Thanks

Paul

Hello thanks for your help :o)

Unfortunately an RTC wont work for what I need. I need a proper clock function. For example I want a user to set a timer to play between two times of the day. E.g

Between 12:00 and 14:00 you can play a lunchtime BGM playlist. Then between 14:00 and 18:00 you could play an afternoon playlist. To do this I would need a clock capable of keeping track of the GMT time and date.

I know that I will need a battery to keep the clock running while the system is not plugged in, I will also need a IC clock chip that has onboard memory.

I am currently using the FEZ Spider board and will be receiving a Cerberus in the next few weeks :o)

Paul

RorschachUK's answer is probably the easiest route if your mainboard has a built-in RTC.  Some mainboards may not have this function - for those mainboards, another approach would be to connect your device to the Internet and query a date/time service.