Nick Bild shows how to track their fitness with a C64-themed smartwatch that syncs data wirelessly to a Commodore 64 computer.
The project uses Arduino Micro and LilyGo TTGO T-Watch-2020 V1.
I previously made the C64 watch, which is a Commodore 64-themed Lilygo T-Watch 2020 with a built-in BASIC interpreter. But for a smartwatch to be really useful, it needs to be able to sync with a computer. Of course, I could easily sync it to a modern computer, but I thought it would be a lot more fun to figure out a way to wirelessly sync it to an actual Commodore 64 computer.
The C64 clock has a built-in infrared transmitter, so it is possible to encode arbitrary data into a series of IR pulses. I used an IR receiver paired with an Arduino Micro to decode the IR signal sent by the clock, then put that data, along with the latch signal, on the C64 user port pins.
Check out the video below and more in the post here.
Adafruit publishes a wide range of letters and video content, including interviews and reports on the maker market and the wider tech world. Our standards page is intended as a guide to the best practices that Adafruit uses, as well as an overview of the ethical standards that Adafruit strives for. Although Adafruit is not an independent journalistic institution, Adafruit strives to be a fair, informative and positive voice within the community – see here: adafruit.com/editorialstandards
Adafruit is at Mastodon, join in! adafruit.com/mastodon
Stop modeling and soldering – start making now! Adafruit’s Circuit Playground is packed with LEDs, sensors, buttons, alligator clip pads, and more. Build Circuit Playground projects in minutes with MakeCode’s drag-and-drop programming site, learn computer science with the CS Discoveries class on code.org, jump into CircuitPython to learn Python and hardware together, TinyGO, or even use the Arduino IDE. Circuit Playground Express is the latest and greatest Circuit Playground board, with support for CircuitPython, MakeCode and Arduino. It has a powerful processor, 10 NeoPixels, a mini speaker, InfraRed reception and transmission, two buttons, a switch, 14 crocodile clips and a lot of sensors: capacitive touch, IR proximity, temperature, light, movement and sound. The whole wide world of electronics and coding is waiting for you, and it fits in the palm of your hand.
Have an amazing project to share? The Electronics Show and Tell takes place every Wednesday at 7:00 PM ET! To join, go to YouTube and watch the live chat shows – we’ll post a link there.
Join us every Wednesday night at 8:00 PM ET for Ask an Engineer!
Join over 36,000+ makers on Adafruit’s Discord channels and become part of the community! http://adafru.it/discord
CircuitPython – The easiest way to program microcontrollers – CircuitPython.org
No comments yet.
Adafruit has a “be nice to each other” comment policy. Help us make the community here positive and helpful. Stick to the theme, respect creators of all ages and skill levels. Be kind and don’t spam – Thanks!