So here's something super simple: a DIY digital watch.
These days, smartwatches are more popular than ever. There are many different types of watches available, with different features inside, like an ARM CPU or a multitude of electronics seen in Apple watches.
With no additional functionality or smart features, this straightforward DIY watch project uses the XIAO ESP32C3 microcontroller coupled with an XIAO expansion board. The onboard 0.96-inch OLED displays the current time, and the RTC Module keeps track of it after the device is turned off.
To power the expansion board, we are using a tiny 3.7V, 100mAh LiPo cell. This project is made using an OLED Casio watch body that we repurposed, along with a few 3D printed holders.
An XIAO ESP32C3 microcontroller and an XIAO extension board manufactured by Seeed Studio comprised the heart of this project.
It comes with rich peripherals that include an OLED, RTC, SD Card Sot, passive buzzer, reset/user button, 5V servo connector, and Grove connector for pairing multiple Grove devices with XIAO.
We can power the entire setup using any Li-ion or LiPo cell thanks to its integrated Li-ion charging circuit.
If you would like to get one for yourself, here is the link to its page.
Visit Seeed Studio to get a wide range of services, including 3D printing, PCB/PCBA, and microcontroller/module services.
2
Design
Initially, we had the idea of reviving an outdated CASIO vintage watch frame that I had with the XIAO expansion board.
The expansion board contains the display, microcontroller, RTC and even the battery, so we prepared a rectangular holder that will be fixed to the existing watch frame and will house the expansion board and battery.
Two sections of the expansion board holder were modeled. The battery was positioned between the expansion board and the top body, and the top portion essentially served as a holder that the expansion board was screwed onto.
On the bottom side, there's another part that is added from the internal side of the watch frame; this part is screwed on the bottom side of the top part through two M2 screws and holds the watch frame.
After finalizing the model, we 3D printed both parts with white PLA through a 0.4-mm nozzle and 20% infill.
3
Assembly Process
The holder part is added from the bottom side of the frame after the top part has been assembled onto the watch frame. Two M2 screws are used to secure everything in place