Convert 7 Segment LED Digital Clock to 3 Segment Representing Seconds, Minutes and Hours

[zunebuggy]

I want to make a clock from a digital circuit. The center of the clock will be separate from the numbers physically, but the numbers will light up in 3rds (seconds, minutes and hours). The signal to change these will be sent from the clock center section via phototransistors and IR Led. I think that's the best way. Maybe RF or bluetooth, not sure.

I do know how to connect and use phototransistors and IR LEDs. The problem is I do not know how to do the time circuit. I was thinking I could take a digital clock circuit and somehow replace the 7 segment numeric LEDs with the IR leds, but not sure exactly how to convert the schematic to translate from 7 segment to basically 3.

I also would like the clock to be fairly accurate. I was thinking of maybe doing this with Arduino but I thought a digital clock circuit would keep things simpler and I could use it as a learning project.

Any help pointing me in the right direction is appreciated.

Thank you.

 

[crutschow]

replace the 8 segment numeric LEDs with the IR leds

You could use multiplexers to sequentially connect one IR LED driver to the 8-segment LEDs, one segment at a time.
That would require 6 digits x 8 segments = 48 mux switches.

At the receiver end you would need 2 x 8 = 16 switches, plus logic to decode the signal.

Of course you would have to synchronize the signal (probably once per sequence) so the receiver would know which segment is being sent.

All the logic could likely most easily be done by a microprocessor at each end, using a serial protocol to send/receive the signal.