Filed under: Evaluation
My goal was to make a fully functional clock that is aesthetically pleasing and can read the time in the UK and Australia. I have achieved two of my goals and if I had more time I could update the program to read the Australian time. The clock has an accessible plug on the top so the program can be updated at any time. In order to change the program so it can display the time in both the UK and Australia, an interrupt command could be added. This would be triggered by a switch which can easily be added to the current design. The switch would connect to an input on the project board. Once triggered it would be a simple case of reading the same program but adding the amount of hours the Australian time zone is ahead. The clock is already accurate to within seconds of real time over twenty four hours, in order to make the clock accurate within a second of real time over a month, a year I could experiment over a period of one week even one month and see how fast or slow the clock is. As long as it is fast in the first 24 hours it would just be a case of altering the pause to the exact amount its fast or slow.
The design and make process for this clock has had many elements. Even with a detailed action plan the design and make process always turns up unforeseen problems. This project has shown how problems will occur in the design process; the important thing is how I went about resolving these complications. I have identified the need for detailed planning and setting realistic goals in the design process. When programming the clock I realised the importance of a structured approach to writing in basic. With the aid of flow diagrams I was able to understanding and solve different parts of the program in basic. This project has given me a deeper understanding of the design process and has enabled me to improve my analytical skills. With the experience gained from this project I will approach future projects in a much patient and structured way.
