PROJECT COMMISSION - Countdown Timer - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / projects

author: capturefilms
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: November 19, 2019, 10:48:33 pm
content: Hello,I am looking for someone to build a countdown timer. It is to be used as a prop in a film.I don't need the housing, just the electronic components, I have no experience with this kind of thing, so I am looking to commission someone to make it.I need three components, that are programmable , hours (3 digits), mins (2 digits), seconds (2 digits), (see attached still). I do not need the wording of Hours, mins, Secs to be made, these will be part of the housing.I have seen single, double and treble digit LED units (see attached still) and was hoping they could be made from something like this.It will be placed in a custom housing, approximately 2.5 inches x 6 inches. any wires/components/power supplies can be easily hidden.If anyone would like the challenge of building it or can point in me in the direction of someone than can that would be very much appropriated.Many thanks in advance

author: alexanderbrevig
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 19, 2019, 11:37:36 pm
content: Take my answer with a grain of salt and a slight language barrier (english is not my mother toungue):You will spend more effort going back and forth with someone - figuring out where you did not clearly specify your requirements and where they assumed some of their own...This takes an Arduino, some ebay-components and a few hours one sunday evening. You can follow along any number of step-by-step tutorial. And do it yourself (or someone on your team).Please consider not outsourcing this, and take the opportunity to learn a new skill!PS: I charge $175/hour, and I guess I'll spend 10 minutes programming what it turns out you want, 6 hours figuring out what you want, 3 hours fixing things when you change your mind and another 8 when you decide it needs to fit inside a box that supposedly is not unlimited in depth, and you want me to fabricate it. Now there is the whole shipping and insurance thing, transferring money thing, it just keeps on adding time. For what sounds like an initial 10 minute job. You'd pay ~$3000 if you were to pay what my actual clients pay - and why would you be different?Good luck!I'll gladly help finding some good and on-the-topic tutorials for you!

author: I wanted a rude username
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 19, 2019, 11:39:21 pm
content: Adding to that, you might want to at least specify how the interface should work from your perspective. E.g. does the countdown also need to pause/stop/flash when, for example, an external wire is cut? Should it do something when it reaches 0? How is it programmed, e.g. a knob for each of the hour, minute, and second positions? Where are the controls mounted so they work with your case? And to make continuity easier, should there be an ability to pause the timer, and to reset it to the pre-programmed time?The countdown timer itself is a simple problem, and people have already built pretty good ones using Arduino, which you can give as a homework problem to any moderately bright teenager.Here's an example which even has an optional ticking sound module.Like alexanderbrevig says, getting everything to suit the director's requirements will be the hard part. Finding a local electronic engineering student might be the best option for you, as it will decimate the turnaround time, and you will build a relationship that will make it easier for you to have other props created in future. You can try contacting your nearest hackerspace/makerspace.

author: Gyro
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 20, 2019, 09:26:52 am
content: I assume that this is the same request ashttps://www.eevblog.com/forum/jobs/lcd-display-for-film-prop/Under a different username?You have quite a lot of responses there.

author: capturefilms
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: November 21, 2019, 07:57:54 pm
content: Quote from: I wanted a rude username on November 19, 2019, 11:39:21 pmThank you. the timer has to show different times over the course of the film. the hero has 7 days to complete his mission. so for example, we would want to see;168:00:00 (countdown for 5 seconds)124:00:00 (countdown for 5 seconds)098:00:00 (countdown for 5 seconds)etc, etc.There are no wires to be cut, the timer will never reach zero.We want the ability to programme in any time within the range and then film the piece for 5 seconds, then set a new time, film for 5 seconds and so on.the example you gave looks excellent. Would there be a way to do this so that instead of 1 bard with 8 digits, there are three boards with 3, 2 and 2 digits? I have infinite space to hide the rest of the mechanism, we can drill through the car dash and put it in the passenger foot well for example, but the three sets of numbers are going to be placed where the radio was in a custom built housing

author: capturefilms
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: November 21, 2019, 07:58:44 pm
content: Quote from: Gyro on November 20, 2019, 09:26:52 amThat's my colleague, I'm managing the project now, I'll take a look, thank you

author: capturefilms
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: November 21, 2019, 08:07:13 pm
content: Quote from: alexanderbrevig on November 19, 2019, 11:37:36 pmThanks for you reply. I'd love to be able to do this myself and learn a new skill, but I have another 100 things to make and source at the same time. Another contributor posted this linkhttps://www.brainy-bits.com/arduino-countdown-timer/Is there be a way to do this so that instead of 1 bard with 8 digits, there are three boards with 3, 2 and 2 digits? I have infinite space to hide the rest of the mechanism, we can drill through the car dash and put it in the passenger foot well for example, but the three sets of numbers are going to be placed where the radio was in a custom built housing.The timer has to show different times over the course of the film. the hero has 7 days to complete his mission. so for example, we would want to see;168:00:00 (countdown for 5 seconds)124:00:00 (countdown for 5 seconds)098:00:00 (countdown for 5 seconds)etc, etc.There are no wires to be cut, the timer will never reach zero.We want the ability to programme in any time within the range and then film the piece for 5 seconds, then set a new time, film for 5 seconds and so on

author: SiliconWizard
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 21, 2019, 08:15:59 pm
content: Quote from: capturefilms on November 21, 2019, 07:57:54 pmCertainly. You can find LED displays in groups of 3 and 2 digits.For people less experienced, or that want do to this very quickly, there are small dev boards, for instance at Adafruit, that include a LED display and a driver IC, that can be controlled with I2C (eg:https://www.adafruit.com/product/880). Then any small MCU can do what you want. Well, for someone not experienced with MCUs (or even Arduino), since it's just I2C, a Raspberry Pi could certainly also be used. Finally, if both still seem intimidating, that could even be controlled from a PC using a small I2C/USB interface. Then it would pretty much just require some basic soldering and basic programming.

author: capturefilms
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: November 21, 2019, 08:24:36 pm
content: Quote from: SiliconWizard on November 21, 2019, 08:15:59 pmThank you, this is all a foreign language to me. if the boards were separate as in, HHH MM SS, is there a way to build this so they still operate in unision? i.e. when SS moves from 00 to 59, the minutes will move from 45 to 44?

author: nali
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 21, 2019, 08:38:21 pm
content: I'd be tempted to just use a phone or tablet, and stick the counter as content on a web page. If you don't have the ability to create a "countdown" page in-house, web developers are ten a penny.

author: SiliconWizard
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 21, 2019, 08:44:48 pm
content: Quote from: capturefilms on November 21, 2019, 08:24:36 pmAbsolutely.

author: capturefilms
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: November 21, 2019, 08:45:57 pm
content: Quote from: nali on November 21, 2019, 08:38:21 pmThat's what we did for the temp shots. We made a video of the timer and played it back on the phone with a very temp housing. Unfortunately, the phone is too tall and not wide enough to fit where we need it.

author: SL4P
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 21, 2019, 08:46:17 pm
content: a) where do you live.b) go visit the Arduino forum, and put a post in the Gigs & Collaborations section.There are a lot of clueless newbies on there, but a healthy number of highly skilled prifessuonals too.If you pick the right collaborator, you’ll have a prototype by Monday at a reasonable price. (expect well under $1000 without enclosure etc.)

author: capturefilms
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: November 21, 2019, 08:47:12 pm
content: Quote from: SL4P on November 21, 2019, 08:46:17 pmBased in the UK. And thanks, I'll take a look

author: capturefilms
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: November 21, 2019, 08:48:10 pm
content: Quote from: SiliconWizard on November 21, 2019, 08:44:48 pmBearing in mind I have absolutely no idea about any of this stuff......how would I do that?

author: I wanted a rude username
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 21, 2019, 09:27:09 pm
content: OK, when do you need it by? I can get it built and delivered to the UK by 19 December (but a longer timeframe is preferable).Features:Physical red seven-segment digits in groups of 3/2/2 as you have describedBrightness control (note that those digits are notsuperbright, but should be fine for filming on digital)Wired remote control that can be routed behind the unit, or plugged in from the side, featuring:Each of the hours, minutes, and seconds settable separatelyReset button to go back to the last set time, plus a countdown start/pause buttonProgress reports at least weekly, more often when work is progressing more quickly.I can do it for £275 (£100 up front, balance when you receive the finished product) plus my name in the credits of each work that the device appears in. Price includes all shipping costs.If this offer sounds good, please PM me and we'll take it from there.

author: gbaddeley
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 22, 2019, 03:49:04 am
content: I was going to suggest stripping out the display / timer logic / keypad from a microwave oven, but I don’t think any mwaves can run for as long as you need. 😬