Dead Apple Watch to Matchbox Clock

In this project, we’ll repurpose an old, non-functional Apple Watch and build a fully functional clock that fits snugly inside a matchbox.

IntermediateFull instructions provided231

Things used in this project

Hardware components

Seeed Studio XIAO ESP32S3 Sense

DIYables OLED Display 128x64 0.96 inch, I2C Interface

Matchbox

Story

Project Overview

In this guide, we’ll walk through the process of turning an Apple Watch into a DIY Matchbox Clock using an ESP32 microcontroller and a tiny OLED display. By the end, you’ll have a miniature clock that’s both unique and functional, powered by Wi-Fi to fetch accurate time.

Materials You’ll Need:

Dead Apple Watch (for inspiration and some salvageable parts)
Matchbox (standard size)
ESP32 microcontroller (small but powerful for IoT projects)
0.96-inch OLED display (for displaying the time)
3.3vLiPo battery (or any battery from dead device )
Wires and a soldering iron
Basic tools (screwdriver, precision knife, etc.)
Hot glue or double-sided tape (for assembly)

Step 1: Disassembling the Dead Apple Watch

The first step is to disassemble the dead Apple Watch. While it may no longer work, its parts—especially the case—can serve as inspiration or be repurposed. Gently remove the screen, battery, and any other internal components using a screwdriver. While not all of the original parts will be used, it's always good to keep them on hand for potential future projects.

Tip: Be careful when removing the internal components to avoid damaging anything that might be usable in other DIY projects.

Step 2: Testing and Replacing the Battery

Once we’ve salvaged what we can from the Apple Watch, it’s time to test the battery. If you’re lucky, the battery might still hold a charge. But in most cases, the battery is likely dead. If that’s the case, replace it with a small, rechargeable LiPo battery that will fit inside the matchbox.

Funny note: "Tried charging it with the original Apple cable, and it said, 'Nope, I’m too good for this!' Switched to a regular cable, and boom! It’s alive—guess it just needed a bit of humble tech."

Charging apple battery

Step 3: Setting Up the ESP32 and OLED Display

Now we’re getting to the heart of the project—the ESP32 microcontroller and OLED display. The ESP32 will allow our Matchbox Clock to connect to Wi-Fi and fetch the current time, while the OLED display will showcase the time.

Wiring:

OLED to ESP32: Connect the SDA pin of the OLED to D5 and SCL to D4 on the ESP32.
Battery to ESP32: Connect the battery to the appropriate VIN and GND pins of the ESP32.
Use jumper wires to neatly organize the setup within the matchbox.

Step 4: Assembling the Matchbox Clock

Now it’s time to put everything together. Start by carefully cutting a hole in the matchbox where the OLED display will peek through. Make sure the hole is precise enough for the screen to be securely held in place without blocking the view of the time.

Tip: Use hot glue or double-sided tape to hold the OLED display, ESP32, and battery in place inside the matchbox.

Assemble the components inside, ensuring the wires are neatly arranged to avoid clutter. This will give your Matchbox Clock a clean, professional look, even though it’s built from scratch!

Step 5: Final Touches and Testing

Once everything is assembled, give the clock a test run. Power it up and check if the OLED display lights up and shows the correct time. If everything works as expected, you’ve successfully created your Matchbox Clock from a dead Apple Watch!

Tip: If you encounter any issues, double-check the wiring and code. Small mistakes in connections or code can easily be fixed with a little debugging.

The Final Product

Congratulations! You’ve now created a fully functional Matchbox Clock using parts from a dead Apple Watch. This is not only a unique way to repurpose old tech but also a fun project to show off your creativity and engineering skills. Whether you use it as a conversation starter or a practical clock, it’s sure to turn heads.

Here’s the finished product in action:

Video Demo:YouTube Link

Conclusion

This project showcases how we can repurpose old technology and turn it into something both functional and innovative. The Matchbox Clock is a simple yet effective DIY project that’s perfect for anyone interested in electronics, coding, or upcycling.

Since this is my first project, I’d love your support and feedback! Whether it’s a like, a comment, or some tips to improve, your encouragement means the world to me. Let’s build an awesome community together!

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If you enjoyed this tutorial, be sure to check out more of my projects on Hackster, or Subscribe my YouTube channel ( Short circuit Lab )for more creative DIY tech builds!

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Stay updated with more fun projects and behind-the-scenes content on my Instagram: [https://www.instagram.com/shortcircuitlab/]

Thanks for your time. Happy Learning

Code

ESP32 code

// Made by @Short Circuit Lab


#include <WiFi.h>
#include <HTTPClient.h>
#include <ArduinoJson.h>
#include <Adafruit_GFX.h>
#include <Adafruit_SSD1306.h>
#include "time.h"

// WiFi credentials
const char* ssid = "****";
const char* password = "****";

// OpenWeatherMap API details
const char* apiKey = "********";  // Your API key
const char* location = "Bengaluru,in";  // Bengaluru, India

// NTP Server details
const char* ntpServer = "pool.ntp.org";
const long gmtOffset_sec = 19800;  // Bengaluru is GMT +5:30 (5.5 hours = 19800 seconds)
const int daylightOffset_sec = 0;  // No daylight saving time in Bengaluru

// OLED display size
#define SCREEN_WIDTH 128
#define SCREEN_HEIGHT 64
Adafruit_SSD1306 display(SCREEN_WIDTH, SCREEN_HEIGHT, &Wire, -1);

// Button pin for refreshing the display
#define BUTTON_PIN GPIO_NUM_10  // GPIO 10 as the button pin

// Variables to hold weather data
float temperature = 0.0;
float humidity = 0.0;

// To track blinking state
bool showColon = true;

void setup() {
  // Initialize Serial Monitor
  Serial.begin(115200);
  delay(1000);  // Take some time to open up the Serial Monitor

  // Configure the button pin
  pinMode(BUTTON_PIN, INPUT_PULLUP);  // Button as input with pullup

  // Connect to Wi-Fi
  Serial.print("Connecting to ");
  Serial.println(ssid);
  WiFi.begin(ssid, password);
  while (WiFi.status() != WL_CONNECTED) {
    delay(500);
    Serial.print(".");
  }
  Serial.println("");
  Serial.println("WiFi connected.");

  // Initialize OLED display
  if (!display.begin(SSD1306_SWITCHCAPVCC, 0x3C)) {
    Serial.println("SSD1306 allocation failed");
    for (;;);
  }

  // Set text color to white
  display.setTextColor(SSD1306_WHITE);

  // Clear the display
  display.clearDisplay();
  display.display();
  delay(5000);

  // Display the MatchBox animation on startup
  startupAnimation();

  // Initialize and fetch the time from the NTP server
  configTime(gmtOffset_sec, daylightOffset_sec, ntpServer);

  // Fetch weather data once for Bengaluru
  getWeatherData();

  // Show the time, date, and weather on the display
  updateDisplay();
}

void loop() {
  // Check if the button is pressed to refresh the display
  if (digitalRead(BUTTON_PIN) == LOW) {
    delay(50);  // Debouncing the button
    if (digitalRead(BUTTON_PIN) == LOW) {
      Serial.println("Button pressed, refreshing display.");
      getWeatherData();
      updateDisplay();
    }
  }

  // Update the display every second
  updateDisplay();
  delay(1000);  // Update every second
}

// Function to fetch weather data from OpenWeatherMap
void getWeatherData() {
  if (WiFi.status() == WL_CONNECTED) {
    HTTPClient http;
    String url = "http://api.openweathermap.org/data/2.5/weather?q=" + String(location) + "&appid=" + String(apiKey) + "&units=metric";

    http.begin(url);
    int httpCode = http.GET();

    if (httpCode > 0) {
      String payload = http.getString();
      Serial.println(payload);

      // Parse JSON response
      DynamicJsonDocument doc(1024);
      deserializeJson(doc, payload);

      temperature = doc["main"]["temp"];
      humidity = doc["main"]["humidity"];
    } else {
      Serial.println("Failed to retrieve data");
    }
    http.end();
  } else {
    Serial.println("WiFi not connected");
  }
}

// Function to update the display with time, date, and weather
void updateDisplay() {
  // Clear display buffer
  display.clearDisplay();

  // Get current time from the system
  struct tm timeinfo;
  if (!getLocalTime(&timeinfo)) {
    Serial.println("Failed to obtain time");
    return;
  }

  // Display date at the top in the format: Day, DD Mon YYYY
  display.setTextSize(1);
  display.setCursor(10, 0);  // Start at top-left corner
  display.printf("%s, %02d %s %d", 
    getDayName(timeinfo.tm_wday), 
    timeinfo.tm_mday, 
    getMonthName(timeinfo.tm_mon), 
    timeinfo.tm_year + 1900);

  // Draw a box around the time
  display.drawRect(10, 18, 108, 24, SSD1306_WHITE);  // Box for time at position (10, 18)

  // Display the time inside the box with blinking colon and minutes
  display.setTextSize(2);
  display.setCursor(15, 22);  // Position for the hours
  display.printf("%02d", timeinfo.tm_hour);  // Display hours

  // Blink the colon every second
  display.print(":");

  display.printf("%02d", timeinfo.tm_min);  // Always display minutes
  if (showColon) {
    display.print(":");
  } else {
    display.print(" ");  // Replace colon with a space
  }
  // Display seconds on the right side of the time
  display.setCursor(85, 22);
  display.printf("%02d", timeinfo.tm_sec);  // Display seconds

  // Toggle the blinking colon state every second
  showColon = !showColon;

  // Display temperature and humidity at the bottom
  display.setTextSize(1);  // Smaller font for weather data
  display.setCursor(0, 50);
  display.printf("Temp:%.1fC", temperature);
  display.setCursor(70, 50);
  display.printf("Hum:%.1f%%", humidity);

  // Show the contents of the buffer
  display.display();
}

// Function to get the day of the week
const char* getDayName(int dayIndex) {
  const char* days[] = {"Sun", "Mon", "Tue", "Wed", "Thu", "Fri", "Sat"};
  return days[dayIndex];
}

// Function to get the month name
const char* getMonthName(int monthIndex) {
  const char* months[] = {"Jan", "Feb", "Mar", "Apr", "May", "Jun", "Jul", "Aug", "Sep", "Oct", "Nov", "Dec"};
  return months[monthIndex];
}

// MatchBox Clock animation function
void startupAnimation() {
  display.clearDisplay();

  // Scroll "MatchBox" from the top to the middle
  for (int y = -20; y <= 16; y += 2) {  // Scroll down from off-screen (-20) to position (16)
    display.clearDisplay();
    display.setTextSize(2);
    display.setCursor((SCREEN_WIDTH - 96) / 2, y);  // Center "MatchBox"
    display.print("MatchBox");
    display.display();
    delay(30);  // Smooth scrolling speed
  }

  // Scroll "Clock" from the bottom to the middle
  for (int y = SCREEN_HEIGHT; y >= 40; y -= 2) {  // Scroll up from off-screen (SCREEN_HEIGHT) to position (40)
    display.clearDisplay();
    display.setTextSize(2);
    display.setCursor((SCREEN_WIDTH - 96) / 2, 16);  // "MatchBox" stays in place
    display.print("MatchBox");
    display.setCursor((SCREEN_WIDTH - 55) / 2, y);  // Move "Clock"
    display.print("Clock");
    display.display();
    delay(30);  // Smooth scrolling speed
  }

  // Display "By Short Circuit Lab" at the bottom after the scrolling finishes
  display.setTextSize(1);
  display.setCursor((SCREEN_WIDTH - 108) / 2, 56);  
  display.print("By ShortCircuit Lab");
  display.display();
  delay(1000);  // Hold the screen for 2 seconds before switching to the main screen
}