Design And Fabrication Of A Solar Powered Digital Street Clock

Electrical Electronics Engineering | Engineering

The design and fabrication of a solar-powered digital street clock entail the integration of advanced technology with sustainable energy sources to create a functional and environmentally friendly timekeeping device for urban environments. This innovative project combines elements of solar energy utilization, digital display technology, and durable street infrastructure. By harnessing solar power through photovoltaic panels installed atop the clock structure, the device operates independently from the electrical grid, reducing reliance on non-renewable energy sources and minimizing operational costs. The digital display, equipped with high-visibility LED or LCD screens, ensures accurate timekeeping and clear visibility even in varying lighting conditions. Additionally, the street clock’s fabrication involves robust materials such as weather-resistant metals or composites, ensuring longevity and resilience to outdoor elements. Through meticulous design and engineering, this solar-powered digital street clock serves as a sustainable and reliable timekeeping solution for urban spaces, embodying innovation, efficiency, and eco-consciousness.

ABSTRACT

The clock is one of the most important devices in civilization. Everything we know is dependent on time, even on our everyday routine. Without clocks, we wouldn’t have modern industrial life as we know it. Clocks gave everyone throughout the country a uniform time no matter their location, allowing for the coordination of workforces and increased profit and productivity. There are different types of clock, but in this work we are focusing on solar powered digital street clock which is an outdoor digital clock that is usual place in the street for the public. Outdoor clocks are different from other types of wall clocks – they feature special weather-resistant housings and electronics, enabling them to withstand the elements, from hot, sunny summers through cold, snowy winters. When it comes to electric solar outdoor clock, it involves interfacing solar energy with electric outdoor clock The main parts of this project are solar panel set switch, microcontroller unit and LCD display.

This solar powered digital street clock is based on a microcontroller is the current outdoor clock. This device displays the time using LCD. This device display time in seconds, minutes and hours.

The user can set the time, date and day using the switch. When the user sets the timings, the settings will be displayed in the LCD display. When the function key is turned on, the controller sends pulse to the LCD display to display the current time.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

COVER PAGE

TITLE PAGE

APPROVAL PAGE

DEDICATION

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

ABSTRACT

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE PROJECT

PROBLEM STATEMENT
AIM/OBJECTIVE OF THE PROJECT
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PROJECT
ADVANTAGES OF SOLAR POWERED DIGITAL STREET CLOCK
APPLICATION OF THE PROJECT
SCOPE OF THE PROJECT
LIMITATION OF THE PROJECT
PROJECT ORGANISATION

CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

HISTORY OF DIGITAL CLOCK
REVIEW OF EXISTING TECHNOLOGY
THE HISTORITICAL BACKGROUND OF THE DIGITAL CLOCK
OVERVIEW OF SOLAR ENERGY
MAXIMIUM ANGLE OF INCLINATION
SOLAR PANEL
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF SOLAR PANEL

CHAPTER THREE

METHODOLOGY

INTRODUCTION
SYSTEM BLOCK DIAGRAM
SYSTEM CIRCUIT DIAGRAM
CIRCUIT DESCRIPTION
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
INSTALLATION PROCESS

CHAPTER FOUR

.0 CONSTRUCTION PROCEDURE AND TESTING ANALYSIS
- CASING AND PACKAGING
- ASSEMBLING OF SECTIONS
- TESTING OF SYSTEM OPERATION
- INSTALLATION OF THE COMPLETED DESIGN
- DESCRIPTION OF SOME MAJOR COMPONENTS USED

CHAPTER FIVE

CONCLUSION
RECOMMENDATION
REFERENCES

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE PROJECT

Clocks are one of the few old inventions which still have important and essential value today. Certainly, we live our lives by the time we sleep at a certain number, rise at another, eat at specific times during the day, and so on. Without clocks in our lives, we would never know when the next train was set to arrive or when our next meeting was. We would struggle to all gather in one space at one time, such as for work or social settings, and important services such as hospitals would struggle to give patients quality care due to medication timings and more. Solar powered digital street clock is an outdoor clock which is very useful projects for final year students. It has an Inbuilt Real Time Clock which tracks over the Real Time. It displays the time in hh:mms format. The time and date can be changed at any Time using the switch. In this device, the real time is displayed on LCD display.

Solar powered digital street clock is seen in major cities of Nigeria for the general public. It is mostly used by pedestrian and travelers which serves as a means of knowing the state of their schedules. The timing circuit used in this project will be entirely hardware based. It will consist of two timing signals, a 60Hz clock pulse used as the main timing signal (multiples of 60s) and a 1kHz clock pulse used for multiplexing a display for the clock. These pulses will be counted, stored in memory registers and then displayed to show the current time. The study is based on interfacing solar energy with street clock.

1.2 PROBLEM STATEMENT

The first clock that was invented was analogue clock which has no other features apart from time and it also consumes higher power and stops working as soon as the power battery is removed or when the battery dies. After the analogue, digital clock was invented which also suffer the same problem of power supply (battery) – their time is reset or stopped as soon as the system power battery or source is removed.

However, solar powered digital street clock came to overcome these problems. Solar powered digital street clock uses renewable energy source and rechargeable battery to sustain the clock all day.

1.3 AIM AND OBJECTIVE OF THE PROJECT

The main aim of this study is to build a solar powered digital street clock. The objectives of this project are:

To save energy
To build an uninterruptible street clock that will display the time in seconds, minutes and hours.

To save cost of buying batteries and reduce the labour involve in replacing the battery.

1.4 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PROJECT

Building a solar powered digital street clock is a way of helping the public to organize their schedules and keep all of their appointments, activities and commitments too- without coming home.

This study will serve as a means of exposing us to the application, uses and installation of a solar energy.

1.5 ADVANTAGES OF SOLAR POWERED DIGITAL STREET CLOCK

Because of the uninterruptible power supply feature, this clock displays the right time all the time.
It is simple and durable.

1.6 APPLICATIONS
Because solar powered digital street clock is very small and inexpensive devices that enhance the popularity of product designs, they are often found in places like:
• schools
• churches
• roundabouts etc.

1.7 SCOPE OF PROJECT

The scope of this work covers building a digital display and solar powered street clock. The device was built around set of switch and LCD display. The set time, date and day can be adjusted using the switch, while the LCD displays the time.

1.8 LIMITATION OF THE PROJECT

This device is powered with 20w solar panel which supplies 12v energy to the battery. The battery sustains the clock whenever there is no sunshine.

1.9 METHODOLOGY

To achieve the aim and objectives of this work, the following are the steps involved:

Study of the previous work on the project so as to improve it efficiency.
Draw a block diagram.

Test for continuity of components and devices,

Design and calculation for the device was carried out.
Studying of various component used in circuit.
Construction of the circuit was carried out.

Finally, the whole device was cased and final test was carried out.