The Ultimate Clock and Scrolling Message Display presents the data, time and an optional user-defined message in a Vega$-style scrolling marquee fashion. A Large 320 LED display continuously scrolls the data, time and user message across the display using a dot-matrix font. Bright LED’s and large 8 × 8 font make the display easily read from across a large room. The pushbuttons on the front of the clock allow for easy setup and changes.

The clock is based on the 60-Hz AC commercial power grid for excellent timekeeping accuracy. A separate timekeeping chip is also used in the design to maintain the clock and nonvolatile RAM values in the event of a power failure. No batteries are used in the design, but instead, a "super cap" is able to keep the clock running for weeks without AC power. This backup clock is updated daily from the power-line-based clock to maintain its accuracy. A separate LED indicator will illuminate whenever AC power has been interrupted and the main clock settings were reloaded from the backup clock.

At the heart of the clock, controlling and maintaining all this activity is the new Philips Semiconductor 51LPC microcontroller. It receives interrupts 60 times a second from the AC power line to maintain the main clock settings. Via software, it maintains a 100-year calendar that includes the month, day-of-month, day-of-week, and year (including leap-year settings) in addition tot he usual hours, minutes, and seconds. All this information is continuously scrolled across the display in non-abbreviated format (i.e., July 4^th is displayed as: "12:47:53 AM Tuesday, July 4^th, 2000"). In addition, a user-defined message is able to be programmed via the RS-232 port to be displayed along the date an time information. The user-defined message may be a maximum of 31 characters long and is stored in nonvolatile memory. Programming this message is fast and easy using any computer and terminal emulation program (HyperTerminal, included with Microsoft Windows works great). Even a 3COM Palm with a terminal program and crossover cable may be used to program the user message!

The clock is set via the front panel pushbuttons and static messages on the LED display. The auto-repeat increment and decrement pushbuttons make any adjustments very easy. Scroll rate and LED display brightness are also fully adjustable via the front panel pushbuttons. In addition, just the clock, or just the user-defined message, or both can be displayed via the pushbuttons.

Two DIP switches inside the clock allow either a 12-hour time clock (regular) or24-hour (military) time clock to be selected. The second DIP switch gives the option for ether 60 Hz (United States) or 50 Hz (foreign) AC power to be selected. The clock contains a high-efficiency switching power supply that uses a standard 12 VAC @ 1 Amp wall transformer with a 2.1 mm female plug.

The entire unit is built on a custom PCB that will fit inside a standard, off-the-shelf plastic case. A transparent ruby-red lens cut from sheet plastic and chrome pushbutton switches finishes off the project giving it a very attractive "not built in your basement" enclosure.