DCF Clock

This information was submitted to Parallax by Gerrit Polder.

This application interfaces a DCF receiver module to a BASIC Stamp® microcontroller. The DCF module receives time information from the standard time transmitter in Mainflingen, Germany. The BASIC Stamp module converts this information to RS-232. Each second it output's a complete time string at 2400 bps. A description of this application can be found in Elektuur 7/8 1996.

This is a picture of the unit with the top cover removed. On the left side are the three LED's, the DCF receiver is in the middle, and the BASIC Stamp interpreter chip is on the right.

And here's a close-up, showing the wiring of the unit:
The schematics diagram:

A close-up of the DCF ferrite antenna:

The box with the electronics. On the left side, the RS-232 and a DC input connector. In the middle are 3 small pieces of glass fibre which makes the LED's visible