Wifi enabled and Circuitry added - The Clock Tower, BITS Pilani

Tasks performed:

The power source for the free-wheeling circuit was arranged. As of now we are using 6 AA batteries which give a total voltage of around 7.5 V.

The problem that the readings from the accelerometer/gyroscope MPU6050 were not being saved in the SD card was rectified.

The circuitry was stuck to the minute hand counterweight of the FD2 facing clock face. No weights were removed to compensate for the additional torque due to the weight of the circuit.

Wi-Fi network was set up which works well from the bell chamber to the pulley water tank level.

Observations:

The circuit seems to be working well, as the SD card dismounted from the Ethernet shield showed files with readings from the MPU 6050.

The minute hand of the SR face is imbalanced. Also it is around 5 degrees askew to the counterweight.

The app “Intercom for Android” gave the best results for walkie-talkie operation over Wi-Fi.

Welcome!

The most iconic landmark in the quaint, little hamlet that is Pilani, the BITS Clock-tower brings with it more than half-a-century’s worth of history and tales aplenty. Occupying a central place in BITS folklore, over the years, attempting an ascent of this structure was something of a rite of passage for every BITSian who hopped onto the life-mobile and sauntered off into the sunset.

As clock-towers go, this specimen is about as unique as they come – its array of 10 bells, gives it an unparalleled musical range among its brethren nationally, and it certainly hits rarefied notes on a global scale. That it has had to suffer in silence for the last 30 years is a deafening tragedy, with reports from its heyday extolling how its chimes could be heard from miles away!

Over the last couple of years, there has been a dedicated student-run initiative to restore this tired behemoth to the pristine glory of its yesteryears. Mentored by a group of recent alumni, a team of able hands and minds have made great strides in this regard.

Wishing you well, ye old Methuselah. Long may you enthrall generations hence!