History
So, I bought this clock, powered by a c1632 battery cell and it ran fine, until it didn’t. You know the story, the battery dies, you check in your battery drawer and you have every cell coin model on earth except this one. You then either buy batteries or let your item gather dust at the back of the drawer. Over the years, I gathered a lot of cool components and circuit boards that are useful. One evening, I find this clock, that has been dead for so long I don’t even remember. I grab it. Time to do something about it.
The dust gathering clock I’m talking about
Fixing the problem, the overkill way
I don’t really like C-type batteries, both from a consumer and ecological point of view: One time use, I’m not sure we recycle them properly and they exist in too many different models it’s overwhelming. But I have the ultimate solution. Okay, not the ultimate, pretty much overkill for such an item it’s laughable.
We have ways to make you work, Mr.Clock
What if I added a battery with 5 times the capacity and usb-c rechargeable function?
I quickly tinker and:
- General purpose circuit board? ✅
- USB-C lipo battery charging board ✅
- Voltage converter 5v to 3v board? ✅
- Let’s go! ✅✅✅
Circuit design and assembly
The assembled circuit: Clock <- Voltage converter board <- Switch <- Usb-C recharge board
I’d export a screenshot from my brain but the Neuralink implant that I didn’t order hasn’t arrived yet. You can probably understand just from the picture above, otherwise let me know in the comments.
The result and really, why did you do it?
I like this “Emmet Brown contraption” look!
It took me about 30 minutes to go from idea to circuit built (considering the soldering iron took its time to warm up). The lipo battery has 5 times the capacity of a c1632 battery (5 times 6 months battery time, so roughly 2 years), and can be recharged by usb. It also now has a on/off switch and a very slick look!
Why? Because I can, and I had fun, while making something useful. This quick project didn’t require advanced skills, but being able to design and tinker on the fly is very rewarding, so I encourage you to do the same 🙂