Introduction: The BookMinder: a Bookend Meeting Countdown Gimmick

Since more and more of us are working from home, we are all increasing our engagement with our screens (sounding at you, Soar up meetings). For myself, when I am taking a get around from my electronic computer screen I end up doing opposite things in my flat and a large amount of the metre, I don't keep my earphone along me. Naturally, this leads to me, a chronically late person, rushing to make my meetings, digitally and in person, when I realize that meter has loose Pine Tree State. So I thought, it would be great if I had an targe in my home that told me how many minutes I have socialist to relax without needing to check my phone.

With this instructor, you can make your own LED display bookend (or sculpture, busy you, whichever right smart you want to display the product in your home) that connects to your Google calendar. The LED presentation shows how many minutes you have got left until your incoming event on your Google calendar begins.

Before starting this tutorial, please consultation Becky Stern's Arduino course of study to check you have a good understanding of Arduino.

*Delight note that due to the communication between Google Calendar, Adafruit.Io, and IFTT, there is a 4-minute delay with the display to equal accounted for. Soh when the timekeeper says "4" that substance your meeting is starting then and not at 0.

Delight let me know if anyone has any tips to make adjustments to the encode to account for this make out. Give thanks you!

Step 1: Careful Supplies List

  • NodeMCU ESP8266 (or you can use the Feathering Huzzah ESP8266 with stacking headers, but the pins are different) (x2)
  • 4-digit 7-segment alphanumeric exhibit with LED backpack (x2) (this dual video display is also a good alternative and comes in a pack of 2)
  • Short Feather Male Headers
  • Bonding iron and solder
  • Breadboard wiring bunch
  • Perma-early fractional-sizing breadboard (x2)
  • Flush bias cutters
  • Wire strippers
  • Multimeter (facultative but handy for troubleshooting)
  • Third mitt tool
  • Solder sucker
  • Micro USB cable (x2)
  • 4 1/2" MDF layers
  • 8 1/4" MDF layers
  • Laser cutter
  • Wood Glue
  • Screws of your alternative
  • Liquitex Paints (spray paint can be used here for a more even texture. I handpainted mine because I had acrylics present.)
    • Liquitex Gesso
    • Liquitex Ti White
    • Liquitex Ultramarine blue Bluing
    • Liquitex Burnt Umber
    • Liquitex Yellow ocher
    • Liquitex Alzarin Crimson
    • Liquitex Cerulean Blue
    • Liquitex Viridian Green
  • Paintbrushes
  • Old rags
  • Paint Container
  • Butcher Tray Palette

Tread 2: Circuit Plot & Code

Before we start on the form, let's make a point that your circuit deeds. You can download the Arduino files and make small adjustments so much as inputting your Wireless local area network information and your Adafruit.Io information.

    To set about, let's start with the online setup.

    1. Log into Adafruit.Io. Under Feeds, make a new feed called "Google Calendar Events".
    2. Formerly the "Google Calendar Events" provender is successful, go to "Feed Info" and change the Cardinal to "gcalendar" (case sensitive).
    3. Log into IFTT. Stimulate an Applet. Under If this, take the Google Calendar "Any result starts" and follow the steps until it is confirmed connected to your If this applet.
    4. Go to the Then that section of your applet and select Adafruit. Follow the steps until completion and under Feeds plug in to: "Google Calendar Events".
    5. Choose the 30 minute interval nether "Time ahead event starts" and under Data to Save write "30". Once you get finished that Applet, rename IT "30 If whatsoever event starts happening the calendar, then Send information to Google Calendar Events Run over".
    6. Make an applet for each of the following time intervals (0, 15).
    7. Test your feed to see if the Google Calendar events synchronize to your Adafruit account.
    8. Make up a new event in your Google Calendar within a 35-minute time frame to give the applets some meter to start communicating.
    9. Open your Adafruit.io "Google Calendar Events" feast to see if the 30-minute show is registered in the graph. Check back in 15 proceedings to get word if the 30-infinitesimal maneuver is registered.
    10. Once confirmed that your Adafruit and IFTT work is synced, let's conk out to Step 3: Circuit Mental synthesis and wire your NodeMCU and Alphanumeric display based connected the circuit diagram above.

    Once you have wired your circuit based on Step 3 please return here for testing.

    1. Connect your NodeMCU to the Internet via your Arduino software package.
    2. Download the code in the Arduino Indian file.
    3. Open this code in the Arduino and upload the code to your NodeMCU. Don't forget to input your Adafruit username and key from your Adafruit.io account.
    4. Open the Serial Monitor to see if it is properly connected.
    5. Test your electric circuit to see if the events display properly by repeating step 10, but this prison term take a look up to at your LED showing to discove if the time adjusts accordingly. If it does then zealous! You'rhenium entirely set apart to get started on the form of the bookend.

    Step 3: Circuit Construction (Prototype to Soldered)

    Delight mention that the first image is my initial paradigm and the second project is the current prototype for this project.

    I began my circuit by using the diagram seen in Becky Stern's Wifi Weather Show teacher only using simply united Neopixel and equipt for the NodeMCU rather of the Feather. Based on her diagram, I originally mentation that I would be stacking the display on top of my NodeMCU ESP8266 instrument panel, which is why I created specific dimensions in my bookend. However, based on my beginner understanding of the parts, when I actually began constructing the electrical circuit, I completed that the display would have to be next to the NodeMCU since I did not have stacking headers on my NodeMCU board. I also decided to forgo the neopixel at this time.

    Also, I primitively planned on creating my circuit with the 4 Digit Seven Segment LED Display. However, when I soldered the pieces together, I unintentionally soldered the display top down on the add-in. Since it would be too difficult to birth that cleaned up well enough to create a clear connection, I switched to the Alphanumeric Reveal in the materials tilt, which ended up being easier to understand for myself.

    To create my circle I did the favourable:

    1. I assembled the alphanumerical display using my soldering equipment. This article is the one I used to guide my assembly of the display.
    2. At one time the display is properly soldered together, attach the display next to the NodeMCU on the breadboard.
    3. Then begin wiring the electrical circuit using the diagram along Gradation 2.
    4. Tick off that your wires work aside victimization the multimeter. For beginners, this is a good video display you how to expend a multimeter.
    5. Once you have confirmed that your wiring works, get back to Step 2 and complete the rest of the computer software frame-up.

    Step 4: Class and Material

    Once you have confirmed that your circuits are adjacent, let's start with the strain of the bookend.

    1. First call for your MDF. I laid come out my pieces using the intended Illustrator files as the layout for the team that helped me with constructing my MDF layers and cutting them out with a laser cutter.
    2. So first step in making the cast is to gather the MDF pieces and cut them out based on the Illustrator file titled Bookend MDF.
    3. Once you have cut kill your MDF layers to the correct sizes, information technology is time to laser cut the pieces. If you have access to a laser cutter, cut it taboo based on the curvature of the Illustrator file Bookend Optical maser CNC. You also do not have to cut away the bookend to create the curved look. To make the mirrored image of this bookend, please use of goods and services the same dimensions merely flip where the cutouts will be.
    4. Originally when I laid out the form, I intellection I would be able to mess the display on topmost of my NodeMCU. Since this is the foremost time I have worked with these components, I miscalculated the dimensions and the final product has half of the bread board sticking outer of the form. So, for those of you difficult this, I would suggest making adjustments to the cutting out of the square in the layers to equip in the all length of the breadboard and using a dual alphameric display so the circle International Relations and Security Network't poking out.
    5. The sketched looking diagram shows how the layers are to be stacked up. Stack each layer with Mrs. Henry Wood glue in between each piece. Equal sure to clamp them down to prevent them in localise.
    6. So for extra criterion, you can bore two holes merely non going the whole way through and screw in two screws to keep the layers together.
    7. Once the bookend is solidly one piece, you can start picture. Please consult to the "Adding Color" section if you would like to use this gloss palette.
    8. Once you finish painting, set to dry, and once dried, put your circuit into the open quad of the bookend.
    9. Plug into a power source and you are good to go!

    For a amend understanding of laser cutting delight take a consider this tutorial and for a better reason of the MDF material, please look here.

    ADDING COLOR:

    I handpainted my project since I am in a elflike apartment with No exterior space and a rooftop that management would not particularly constitute excited about me spray painting on. I had ne'er painted on MDF before thus I used this clause atomic number 3 a reference. Feel discharge to paint in any way you see fit.

    Set about with 2-3 layers of Liquitex Gesso. Then proceed with the pursual layers. The mixes to puzzle out the paint colours for each layer are as follows:

    • Grey:
      • Liquitex Atomic number 22 white, Ultramarine blue Depressed, and Burnt Umber
    • Pinkish Yellowish pink:
      • Liquitex Titanium white, Yellow Ochre, Alzarin Reddish
    • Sullen Cream:
      • Liquitex Titanium white, Yellow Ochre
    • Deficient Blue:
      • Liquitex Titanium white and Cerulean Blue
    • Mint Green:
      • Liquitex Titanium white and Viridian Green
    • Light Garden pink:
      • Liquitex Titanium white and Alzarin Crimson

    Step 5: Celebrate and Call to Accomplish

    Thanks for reading my instructable! Try it out yourself.

    As this was my first combined woodcut / IoT project, please feel inexact to let me do it better ways to better this project for the succeeding. If you act try it I trust this helps you be more on time for your calendar events. It's definitely helping Maine out.

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