MSP430-based Talking Clock Thermometer

Electronics enthusiast Michael Kohn has built and documented his talking clock thermometer the TI MSP430 development environment. Sound files are read from a usual SD card, the time from the DS1305 real-time clock IC and the temperature readings from a DS18B20 temperature sensor. Although this may be considered as a more advanced project it can be reproduced if so desired.Here is an example of the clock in action:

For more information including the schematic and code, visit Mike's website here. And for more news, updates and items of interest, please follow us on twitter, Facebook and Google+.

For those of you looking for an entry point into the low-cost and low-power microcontroller world, the Texas Instruments MSP430 Launchpad kit is an inexpensive and simple start:

For only $10, the LaunchPad includes a development board, two programmable MSP430 microcontrollers, mini-USB cable, PCB connectors for expandability, external crystal for increased clock accuracy, and unrestricted software integrated development environments (IDEs) – everything you need to get started today!