Embedded Lab

This project is about a PCF8563 based alarm clock built by Shawon Shahryiar from MicroArena. The PCF8563 is a CMOS Real-Time Clock (RTC) and calendar optimized for low power consumption. It features a programmable clock output, interrupt output, and a standard I2C bus to communicate with a host MCU. The project uses the PIC16F877A microcontroller for reading time and date from the RTC chip and a standard HD44780 character LCD for displaying it. The date, time, and alarm settings are performed through a keypad matrix, and a piezo buzzer is used to create the alarm sound.

Circuit diagram of the PCF8563 based alarm clock

Alarm clock

Following video shows the alarm clock in action.

The clock firmware is developed using CCS PIC C compiler and can be downloaded from here.