ESP8266 digital Clock with DS1302 RTC module

ESP8266 21-02-26

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Tutorial plan

1- Objective of the project

2- Required Components

3- Circuit Connections of system

4- Micropython program of ESP8266 Clock

Objective of the project

The objective of this project is to create a digital clock system using the ESP8266 NodeMCU microcontroller, a DS1302 Real-Time Clock (RTC) module, and an LCD I2C display. The system is designed to display the current time and date accurately and continuously. The RTC module, developed by Maxim Integrated, maintains precise timekeeping even when the main power is turned off, thanks to its backup battery. The ESP8266 NodeMCU, produced by Espressif Systems, serves as the main controller that manages communication between the RTC module and the display.

The functioning of the project is based on reading, processing, and displaying real-time data. The DS1302 RTC module continuously keeps track of the current time and date. The ESP8266 NodeMCU reads this information through its digital pins, formats it into a readable form, and sends it to the LCD I2C display. The display then shows the time and date clearly for the user. This process repeats continuously, ensuring that the displayed information remains accurate and updated in real time.

Required Components

1. ESP8266 NodeMCU

The ESP8266 NodeMCU is a microcontroller. It acts as the main controller of the project. Its role is to communicate with the DS1302 RTC module to read the current time and date, process the data, and send it to the LCD I2C display.

2. DS1302 RTC Module

The DS1302 is a Real-Time Clock (RTC) module used to keep track of the current time and date. It can maintain accurate time even when the ESP82866 is powered off because it uses a backup battery. It provides information such as year, month, day, hour, minute, and second. The ESP8266 reads this data through digital communication pins.

5. LCD Display with I2C Module

The LCD I2C display is used to show the date and time to the user. It uses the I2C communication protocol, which requires only two wires (SDA and SCL), making connections simpler. The display can show text such as the day, date, and current time in real time.

6. Breadboard

Breadboard

A breadboard is a reusable prototyping board used to build and test electronic circuits without soldering. It allows you to easily connect components such as the ESP8266 NodeMCU, DS1302 RTC module and LCD I2C display.

7. Jumper Wires

Jumper wires

Jumper wires are used to connect the ESP32 to the RTC module and the LCD display. They allow electrical signals and power to flow between the components.

Circuit Connections of system

1- Connection of DS1302 RTC Module to ESP8266

DS1302 RTC	ESP8266 NodeMCU
CLK	D5 (GPIO 14)
DAT	D6 (GPIO 12)
RST	D7 (GPIO 14)
VCC	3V
GND	GND

2- Connection of LCD I2C display to ESP8266

LCD display	ESP8266 NodeMCU
VCC	VIN
GND	GND
SDA	D2 (GPIO4)
SCL	D1 (GPIO5)

Micropython program of ESP8266 Clock

This program is designed to create a digital clock system using the ESP8266 NodeMCU, a DS1302 RTC Module, and an LCD I2C Display 20x4. It reads the current date and time from the RTC module and displays them on the LCD screen in real time.

You need to install this libraries :

i2c_lcd et lcd_api for I2C LCD screen

ds1302 for DS1302 RTC module

# Import the Pin class to control GPIO pins
# Import SoftI2C for software I2C communication (used with ESP8266)
from machine import Pin, SoftI2C

# Import the I2C LCD display library
from i2c_lcd import I2cLcd

# Import the DS1302 RTC module library
import ds1302

# Import the time management library
import time


# ================= LCD I2C CONFIGURATION =================

# I2C address of the LCD display (commonly 0x27 or 0x3F)
I2C_ADDR = 0x27

# Number of rows of the LCD display
totalRows = 4

# Number of columns of the LCD display
totalColumns = 20


# === Initialize I2C Communication ===

# Create a software I2C object
# scl connected to GPIO5
# sda connected to GPIO4
# freq = I2C communication frequency
i2c = SoftI2C(scl=Pin(5), sda=Pin(4), freq=10000)

# Create the LCD object using I2C parameters
lcd = I2cLcd(i2c, I2C_ADDR, totalRows, totalColumns)

# Clear the LCD screen at startup
lcd.clear()


# ================= DS1302 RTC CONFIGURATION =================

# Define the pins connected to the RTC module
clk = Pin(14)   # CLK pin (clock signal)
dat = Pin(12)   # DAT pin (data line)
rst = Pin(13)   # RST pin (reset signal)

# Create the RTC object
rtc = ds1302.DS1302(clk, dat, rst)


# ⚠️ Execute ONLY ONCE, then comment this line
# This line sets the initial date and time of the RTC
rtc.date_time([2026, 2, 6, 5, 9, 6, 0])

# Format:
# [year, month, day, weekday, hour, minute, second]


# ================= FUNCTION TO CONVERT WEEKDAY =================

# This function converts the weekday number into the weekday name
def get_day(d):
    if d == 1:
        return "Monday"
    if d == 2:
        return "Tuesday"
    if d == 3:
        return "Wednesday"
    if d == 4:
        return "Thursday"
    if d == 5:
        return "Friday"
    if d == 6:
        return "Saturday"
    if d == 7:
        return "Sunday"


# ================= MAIN LOOP =================

# Infinite loop to display real-time clock continuously
while True:
    
    # Read date and time from the RTC module
    t = rtc.date_time()
    
    # Move cursor to column 0, row 0
    lcd.move_to(0, 0)
    
    # Display title
    lcd.putstr("ESP8266 Clock")
    
    # Move cursor to row 1
    lcd.move_to(0, 1)
    
    # Display day of the week
    lcd.putstr("Day: " + get_day(t[3]))
    
    # Move cursor to row 2
    lcd.move_to(0, 2)
    
    # Display date (day/month/year)
    lcd.putstr("Date: {}/{}/{}".format(t[2], t[1], t[0]))
    
    # Move cursor to row 3
    lcd.move_to(0, 3)
    
    # Display time (hour:minute:second) with leading zeros
    lcd.putstr("Hour: {:02d}:{:02d}:{:02d}".format(t[4], t[5], t[6]))

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# Import the Pin class to control GPIO pins

# Import SoftI2C for software I2C communication (used with ESP8266)

from machine import Pin, SoftI2C

# Import the I2C LCD display library

from i2c_lcd import I2cLcd

# Import the DS1302 RTC module library

import ds1302

# Import the time management library

import time

# ================= LCD I2C CONFIGURATION =================

# I2C address of the LCD display (commonly 0x27 or 0x3F)

I2C_ADDR = 0x27

# Number of rows of the LCD display

totalRows = 4

# Number of columns of the LCD display

totalColumns = 20

# === Initialize I2C Communication ===

# Create a software I2C object

# scl connected to GPIO5

# sda connected to GPIO4

# freq = I2C communication frequency

i2c = SoftI2C(scl=Pin(5), sda=Pin(4), freq=10000)

# Create the LCD object using I2C parameters

lcd = I2cLcd(i2c, I2C_ADDR, totalRows, totalColumns)

# Clear the LCD screen at startup

lcd.clear()

# ================= DS1302 RTC CONFIGURATION =================

# Define the pins connected to the RTC module

clk = Pin(14) # CLK pin (clock signal)

dat = Pin(12) # DAT pin (data line)

rst = Pin(13) # RST pin (reset signal)

# Create the RTC object

rtc = ds1302.DS1302(clk, dat, rst)

# ⚠️ Execute ONLY ONCE, then comment this line

# This line sets the initial date and time of the RTC

rtc.date_time([2026, 2, 6, 5, 9, 6, 0])

# Format:

# [year, month, day, weekday, hour, minute, second]

# ================= FUNCTION TO CONVERT WEEKDAY =================

# This function converts the weekday number into the weekday name

def get_day(d):

if d == 1:

return "Monday"

if d == 2:

return "Tuesday"

if d == 3:

return "Wednesday"

if d == 4:

return "Thursday"

if d == 5:

return "Friday"

if d == 6:

return "Saturday"

if d == 7:

return "Sunday"

# ================= MAIN LOOP =================

# Infinite loop to display real-time clock continuously

while True:

# Read date and time from the RTC module

t = rtc.date_time()

# Move cursor to column 0, row 0

lcd.move_to(0, 0)

# Display title

lcd.putstr("ESP8266 Clock")

# Move cursor to row 1

lcd.move_to(0, 1)

# Display day of the week

lcd.putstr("Day: " + get_day(t[3]))

# Move cursor to row 2

lcd.move_to(0, 2)

# Display date (day/month/year)

lcd.putstr("Date: {}/{}/{}".format(t[2], t[1], t[0]))

# Move cursor to row 3

lcd.move_to(0, 3)

# Display time (hour:minute:second) with leading zeros

lcd.putstr("Hour: {:02d}:{:02d}:{:02d}".format(t[4], t[5], t[6]))

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ESP8266 digital Clock with DS1302 RTC module

Tutorial plan

1- Objective of the project

2- Required Components

3- Circuit Connections of system

4- Micropython program of ESP8266 Clock

Objective of the project

Required Components

Circuit Connections of system

Micropython program of ESP8266 Clock

0 comment

Leave a comment

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