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--- blog:articles:raspberry:phys_marsclock:pi_marsv1 [2020/08/30 15:35] – Phil Ide
+++ blog:articles:raspberry:phys_marsclock:pi_marsv1 [2020/11/20 11:08] (current) – [Pi-Mars v1.1] Phil Ide
@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-====== Pi-Mars v1.0 ======
+====== Pi-Mars v1.1 ======
-[{{:blog:articles:raspberry:phys_marsclock:dsc00030.jpg?direct&400 |Desktop screen shows time for the InSight lander. Pi screen shows time at Valles Marineris}}]Having written several clocks that tell the time at various locations on Mars for my [[blog:aardvaark:mars_weather|Mars Weather]] page, I immediately knew I wanted to make a physical clock - something that could sit on my desk or such like, and tell the time on Mars.
+[{{:blog:articles:raspberry:phys_marsclock:dsc00030.jpg?direct&400 |Desktop screen shows time for the InSight lander. Pi screen shows time at Valles Marineris}}] Pi-Mars is a clock for the Raspberry Pi, that tells the time anywhere on Mars. It has options to nominate ad-hoc locations, pre-selected locations and sites of the various missions that made it to the Martian surface. It is skinnable and highly configurable.
+Having written several clocks that tell the time at various locations on Mars for my [[blog:aardvaark:mars_weather|Mars Weather]] page, I immediately knew I wanted to make a physical clock - something that could sit on my desk or such like, and tell the time on Mars.
 === ===
-The Raspberry Pi was a shoe-in for the job. Items required:
+The Raspberry Pi was a shoo-in for the job. Items required:
   - Raspberry Pi 4B+ 2GbRAM (£34)
   - Power Supply Unit (£8)
@@ Line 8: / Line 10: @@
   - SmartiPi Touch 2 case (£24)
-Total cost: £130.00 plus SD card (16Gb) plus p+p.
+Total cost: ~£130.00 plus SD card (16Gb) plus p+p. An 8Gb SD card is sufficient if you want to minimalize, but a 16Gb will have a longer life.
 These were all standard components that fit together in just a few minutes. Writing the software would take a bit longer - this was after all, mainly a software task. Luckily, I'm a programmer. <- Mark Watney moment, did you spot it?.
@@ Line 30: / Line 32: @@
   * write to the SD card only when absolutely necessary, to help extend its life
   * optimised code wherever possible, but maintain flexibility and readability
+v1.1 added power management options (quit the application, reboot and shutdown).
 Optimising the code was essential. Although computers are great for repetitive tasks, making them work unduly hard at high frequency rates persistently reduces their lifespan. This clock was going to perform a large number of calculations and then repeat that task up to ten times every second (user configurable). Giving the clock a breather between each trip around the loop is just taking care of the equipment.
@@ Line 42: / Line 46: @@
 If NASA have this software, and it is freely downloadable ([[https://www.giss.nasa.gov/tools/mars24/download/|here]]), why make another clock? Mars24 is a //tool//, and what I wanted to create is an //ornament//, and as such it has more configuration options and capabilities. Plus it's a nerd-fest-in-a-box, right? Unless you work for a Mars mission team for a space agency, this clock is entirely useless to you, except for its nerd and ornamental value.
+===== Installation =====
+Full installation instructions can be found on [[blog:articles:raspberry:phys_marsclock:pi_marsv1_install|this page]]. If you feel confident you can do it blindly, the software repository is here: [[https://github.com/phil-ide/marsclock|https://github.com/phil-ide/marsclock]]
+===== Caveats =====
+At this time, the sunclock is not working properly because the clock isn't calculating the times of sunrise and sunset properly. These will be fixed in a future update.
+Installation instructions can be found [[blog:articles:raspberry:phys_marsclock:pi_marsv1_install|on this page]]
 ===== Screenshots =====
 {{:blog:articles:raspberry:phys_marsclock:bg_mola_map.png?direct&400|}}
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 {{:blog:articles:raspberry:phys_marsclock:bgimages.png?direct&400|}}
 {{:blog:articles:raspberry:phys_marsclock:admin_proxy.png?direct&400|}}
+~~socialite~~
+~~DISCUSSION~~