Things used in this project
Hardware components
Arduino UNO & Genuino UNO ×1
Seeed 4 Digit Display ×1
Adafruit Speaker: 3W, 4 Ohm ×1
PAM8403 Audio Amplifier 3W + 3W (Optional) ×1
9V 1A Switching Wall Power Supply ×1
Resistor 1k ohm ×2
SparkFun Pushbutton switch 12mm ×3
Breadboard (generic) ×1
Jumper wires (generic) ×1
Software apps and online services
Verbose Text to Speech - NCH Software
Story
1) Introduction
The Talking Clock 2 (Bilingual) is the new version of Talking Clock I have published some time ago.
The code was updated to support two languages (English/Portuguese) and new features were introduced into the code:
Mode 1: Set the time (hour & minute)
Mode 2: The clock talks every minute
Mode 3: The clock talks every hour
Mode 4: The clock speaks the time when a button is pressed
Mode 5: Set the language for English or Portuguese
Note: The language status is stored in Arduino - EEPROM to keep this information even when it is restarted or turned on.
It was introduced as optional a mini amplifier PAM8403 (3W + 3W) for better control of the sound level in the speaker. I am using only one speaker (one sound channel), but you can add another if you want.
Talking Clock - Version 2 - Bilingual
2). Components
SD Mini - Memory Card Display TM1637 PAM8403 - Mini Audio Amplifier (3W+3W)
Speaker 3W Resistor 1K Ohm Pushbutton Switch
Breadboard Jumpers
3) Schematics
Important: It is not recommended to use the USB port as a power source in this project. Connect the Arduino to an external power source of 9V x 1A (or higher) because there are power surges when the speaker is working, causing Arduino instability.
Breadboard Diagram
4) SD Card & MP3 files
A SD card must be formatted for FAT32 and a folder named "MP3" must be created. In MP3 folder are stored all files of voices (74 in total) in English and Portuguese.
In mode 3, when the clock speaks every hour, there is a "church bell" sound that only works between 08:00 and 18:00. This sound is repeated as many times as the hour of that moment.
Note: All files must be named according to pattern "nnnn.mp3", starting in "0000.mp3".
MP3 Files List
5) Setup
There are 3 push buttons used for the operation with following functions:
#1:
Moves to the next operational mode.
#2:
Adjust the hour in Setup Mode
Speaks the time in Press Button Mode
Set to Portuguese in Language Mode.
#3:
Adjust the minute in Setup Mode
Speaks the time in Press Button Mode
Set to English in Language Mode.
Note: To move to next mode, press the button #1 until the next speech starts (blue LED of DFPlayer is on in this moment).
