[time-nuts] On Setting Precision Clock

[David Forbes]

At 6:29 PM -0700 7/21/06, Brooke Clarke wrote:
>Hi:
>
>I've been working on making a LCD based clock where the PIC
>microcontroller uses a precision frequency source as it's heartbeat.
>Today I got the LCD navigation and time-date setting to work, but don't
>like it.  The current version stops the clock and then uses the cursor
>and blink hardware features of the LCD, but the problem is that cursor
>and blink are global, i.e. they can not be used when the LCD is being
>updated constantly (like once each second).  So I'm thinking of better
>ways to set the clock and my current idea is to use a couple of
>characters at the very upper right of the LCD is indicators.  They might
>be HH, MM, SS, YR, MO, DY or others, and can be changed by the Select
>button.  Then pressing the Increment or decrement buttons would change
>the associated counter.   This way you would not loose the 1 PPS edge
>when changing the time or date.
>http://www.pacificsites.com/~brooke/PRC68COM.shtml#PC3      <- as it is
>today
>
>Any thoughts?
>
>Have Fun,
>
>Brooke Clarke

Brooke,

You can make some digits blink by changing them to spaces every other 
time you write out the string to the LCD. Write the string out about 
4 times per second, resulting in two blinks per second. It's a bit 
more work, but it gives better control of the display.

-- 

--David Forbes, Tucson, AZ
http://www.cathodecorner.com/