It’s called Löttorp or Klockis, I think they have changed the name and is a simple clock, alarm, timer and thermometer which he sells at Ikea for $4 or $5. A 4 in one. It is ideal to have it in kitchens, rooms, etc. The good thing about this watch is its usability, it is tremendously easy to switch between its operating modes, you just have to rotate the watch. Thus, as you turn, the different measurements will appear on the display. My daughters go crazy when they catch it. With each turn, it beeps and a light of a different color comes on 🙂
I don’t usually buy things to disassemble them, I always take advantage of something that goes to the trash or recycling, but this time I could not resist. Holding it in hand, I became very curious. Will I be able to use the display with Arduino? What sensor will they use to measure the temperature and to detect the change in position? Is there an interesting hack that can be done to the watch? But above all what has intrigued me the most is what the heck is that loose piece noise you hear when you shake it? Why is something loose inside? And not in a watch, but in all.
$5? Still a cheap source of components? In Amazon sells them for $13 what a madness, in shop you have it for $5
Exploded view or how to disassemble the watch
I stood before the clock thinking it was going to be an easy job. But it seems that those of Ikea do not want us to see the insides of the device. There is not a screw, not a tab, not a slit the whole body is one piece. I look and look and only the front remains. So with all the pain in my heart I go there, is it really necessary to do it like this?
I was going to leave you a video with the exploded view, but I have problems editing it. If I get it I’ll add it. The truth is that it has not been clean 🙁 I have split a piece unnecessarily, thinking that I was under pressure by not stopping to think if there was another way. For not stopping the video and recording it at once. Rushing is never good adviser.
If you would like to disassemble it cleanly follow the next steps:
- you have to lift the front with a screwdriver for example, only the plastic that seems protective.
- You will find a sticker that covers the entire frame, with the screwdriver go looking, where there is a hole and you drill it, there are the screws and you do not need to force anything
In the following image, look at the two pieces on the left, they are the key to disassembling it well.
Once you have seen how to disassemble it. I leave some details of the alarm clock inside. The whole is quite simple and I do not see many useful things the truth. But that little white box that makes noise is the jewel in the crown.
I open it to see why it is making noise, and look. A mechanical position sensor. We already know how it controls the position in which the watch is to show one mode or another. In the image it is horizontal, but really this, the alarm clock goes vertically, so that the steel ball is always touching a pair of terminals. It seems to me a very ingenious way and that we can replicate for many projects.
Each time the watch is turned it changes the mode and the color of the screen. This just does it lighting with an RGB led
One more image so you can see the other part of the board and how little there is to take advantage of the circuit.
Beep hack or how to make it stop making noise with the turn
When I put an end to Lottorp I started looking for what people have done. There is not much information, not to say, 2 or 3 references only, yes a hack or modification that can be useful. Because if there is something annoying about this watch, it is that every time you turn it it beeps. Imagine that it is at dawn you have the temperature mode and you want to see the time because when you turn it the light turns on and it beeeep. It is quite annoying and you can wake up your roommates. This has been solved
- http://tinkerprojects.blogspot.com.es/2013/06/fixing-ikea-lottorp-clock.html
- https://hackaday.io/project/19456-ikea-klockis-hack
- https://blog.oxplot.com/visual-beep/
As soon as I do it to the watches that we normally use, I will tell you how it went.