Time to Boost Your Geek Cred with This PCB Smartwatch
This homemade device operates over Wi-Fi and controls a relay bank.
As creator Akashv44 notes in his his homemade smartwatch projec write-up, these new techno-timepieces-and-more are incredibly exciting. Typically such devices connect to a smartphone via Bluetooth, and feature a sleek design that hides the internal circuitry. This circuit board watch, however, instead features a hacker-chic exposed PCB and OLED layout. It pairs to one’s network over Wi-Fi, skipping phone tethering altogether.
The DIY wearable uses an ESP8266 ESP-12E module for control and communication, with power provided by a small LiPo battery. Charging is handled via a micro USB connector. The slider switch energizes the unit, which links to one’s Wi-Fi network for time/date/weather syncing and operation.
The OLED display offers user feedback, while a trio of buttons act as user inputs. When the middle button is pressed, the device displays the time, date, and temperature. The left and right buttons are set up to trigger a dual relay module wirelessly, which can, in turn, be used to turn any typical non-smart appliances on and off. A wrist strap – complete with an analog compass – finishes the build, held on by rods connected directly to the PCB.
Although it might not replace your Apple Watch anytime soon, it’s quite a unique take on this concept, and something that could certainly inspire similar projects. If you’d like to make this exact gadget, Gerber files are available on GitHub, along with the Arduino code to run it.