This is a fun little nightlight clock project I created for my daughter.
- Nightlight with 7 color options (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet) and 5 brightness levels
- Sun and moon indicator LEDs that switch based on configured bedtime and wake time
- Retrieves current time from WiFi connection
- Dual WiFi mode: connects as a client or hosts its own access point for initial setup
- Web UI for wireless client configuration
- REST API for device info, network status, and configuration management
One of the goals of the application was to design it in such a way that someone else, with different hardware, would be able to quickly and easily reuse the majority of my code.
Emily.Clock
- Implements main application logic with the goal of being disconnected from the underlying hardware
Emily.Clock.App
- Implements device-specific functionality (GPIO pin configuration, hardware-specific implementations for display, LED chipset, etc.)
Emily.Clock.UnitTests
- Unit tests for the core library
The device hosts an HTTP server on port 80 with the following endpoints:
| Method | Endpoint | Description |
|---|---|---|
| GET | /api/device |
Device info (free memory, serial number, uptime) |
| GET | /api/device/network |
Network interface info |
| GET | /api/device/ping |
Health check |
| POST | /api/device/reboot |
Reboot the device |
| GET | /api/configuration |
List configuration sections |
| GET | /api/configuration/{section} |
Get configuration for a section |
| POST | /api/configuration/{section} |
Save configuration for a section |
Configuration sections: alarm, datetime, nightlight, wireless-access-point, wireless-client
The 3D models and source code were designed around the following hardware:
- LILYGO® TTGO T4 V1.3 2.4 inch
- MAX98357A I2S Audio Amplifier
- DS3231SN Real Time Clock
- 4 Ohm 3 Watt Speaker
Some of these links may be affiliate links, so I may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through these links at no additional cost to you.
The models folder contains the Fusion 360 and STEP files for 3D printing the case. Individual STEP files for each component (shell, panels, buttons, light bar, etc.) are in models/step.
You can swap out any of the hardware and adjust the Fusion 360 model or design your own case.
The more I worked on this the more I wanted to do with it. Currently the following features on the roadmap (in no particular order)
- Alarm functionality (in progress, needs UI)
- Audio provider (I2S completed, consider piezzo buzzer)
- Expand web interface to cover nightlight, alarm, and time settings (wireless client setup is already working)
- Battery-powered RTC for situations where the WiFi is temporarily unavailable
Initially I started the project using PlatformIO, which is a great toolchain/IDE, but quickly got burnt out with C/C++ so the project stalled. At the time I was aware of the Python solutions available for embedded development but I dislike working in Python even more than C/C++ so...
Luckily José Simões joined the Unexpected Maker Discord and mentioned .NET nanoFramework. Being that my day job is a software engineer working on the .NET Core stack it was a no brainer for me to checkout .NET nanoFramework.
I've been very impressed with .NET nanoFramework and the surrounding community. I cannot recommend it enough for anyone the enjoys working with C# and wants to accelerate their embedded development.