daysAlive Machine (dAM) for your desktop

[marmad]

This is perhaps a strange item to post at EEVBlog - but I thought what the hell - maybe it's fun for a few people here   

20 years ago I built version 1.0 of a small electronic artwork called 'Days Alive' - basically a counter that, once set, would count days very precisely and using very little current (none of the original series - an edition of 7 - has yet to be returned to have the lithium battery replaced). The edition sold out back in '92 - and  then in 2005 I created a second, smaller version (as shown in the photos).

So, in celebration of the 20 year anniversary of the original piece - and the fact that I happen to be 20202 days old today - on 12/12/12    I've revamped the online software simulation  - and wrote a page describing the 10-easy-steps in order to place the software daysAlive Machine on your PC desktop (as shown in the attached image). It's for Windows 7 users - if you still use Windows 2000, you can accomplish the same thing with the Active Desktop feature, although you now how that it

Anyway, the counter will rollover at your birth time every day (+/- 30 minutes - which is what the refresh is set to - and assuming an internet connection). Enjoy 

[Spikee]

When you are at it also add the flag of your country in your profile.
As i can see on your desktop you are dutch ( belastingdienst :C ) .

[marmad]

When you are at it also add the flag of your country in your profile.
As i can see on your desktop you are dutch ( belastingdienst :C ) .

I've mentioned in other threads I'm in NL - but I'm a not big believer in flags - or countries for that matter - but I still have to do taxes

[RCMR]

Why not throw an RGB backlight on that LCD so you can slowly change the color from green, through yellow to amber and finally red -- as you get closer to "average life expectency".

If you make it beyond the average, add some flashing to the red backlight.

Nothing like a daily reminder of your mortality 

[marmad]

Why not throw an RGB backlight on that LCD so you can slowly change the color from green, through yellow to amber and finally red -- as you get closer to "average life expectency".

Although perhaps an interesting effect, it would have negated the possibility of creating an object which ran for +40 years on a single non-rechargeable lithium cell.

Nothing like a daily reminder of your mortality 

It doesn't really function like that - just like looking at a calender daily doesn't necessarily remind you of your mortality. You never see it change - it's more like a snail that you notice has changed position when you're not looking at it. It tends to make you question and/or ascribe meaning to the way we normally demarcate the passage of time in modern civilization. Think of it as a replacement for cycles of the moon - which most of us don't even notice anymore.

[mamalala]

Hmm. could you explain what the purpose of that thing is?

I mean, on Linux i do "uptime" on the command line, for example, and get something like:

chris@desk:~$ uptime
 04:51:04 up 307 days,  6:39,  1 user,  load average: 0.19, 0.08, 0.04
chris@desk:~$

... Which tells me the time that my machine is running (actual output in the quote above)

Or is your thing supposed to tell me the days of _my_ life until the current date? If so, what about a battery change after XX years? Do i have to reset/reconfig it?

Maybe i'm just not getting it

Greetings,

Chris

[marmad]

Or is your thing supposed to tell me the days of _my_ life until the current date?

Yes, that's right. Although you can use it to count the 'lifespan' of anything in days - my parents have had one on their wall counting the days of their marriage since 1992.

If so, what about a battery change after XX years? Do i have to reset/reconfig it?

Well, as mentioned, none of them has ever required a battery change yet. The current draw is so low, that the estimated battery life based on that is well beyond the manufacturers' physical estimations for the battery (+35 years). So honestly, I don't know how long they'll last. But in any case, it's easy to reset them to what ever amount you want them counting from - and at whatever time of day you want them rolling over: there are small switches under the LCD (see diagram).

[GeoffS]

When it starts counting backwards, that's the time to worry. 

[marmad]

When it starts counting backwards, that's the time to worry. 

Hmmm, if only the machine allowed you to choose which direction - you could recycle your own personal Groundhog Days 

[RCMR]

Why not throw an RGB backlight on that LCD so you can slowly change the color from green, through yellow to amber and finally red -- as you get closer to "average life expectency".

Although perhaps an interesting effect, it would have negated the possibility of creating an object which ran for +40 years on a single non-rechargeable lithium cell.

Simple, whack a solar cell and a super-cap with a little circuit that doesn't turn on or flash the backlight until the SC is fully charged -- then it will run/flash until the SC is discharged and the cycle repeats.

Good luck getting a lithium cell that will last 40 years -- even the best will likely suffer from gradual breakdown of the chemicals -- I'm thinking that maybe a supercap and solar cell arrangement might be the best option for powering the whole damned thing.

[marmad]

Good luck getting a lithium cell that will last 40 years -- even the best will likely suffer from gradual breakdown of the chemicals

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I seem to recall an estimate in the neighborhood of ~35 years in terms of the lithium cells used - I have something here that has been running for 26 years on the same cell. Then again, manufacturers of electronic devices have been notoriously bad at predicting the lifespan of devices; I remember when IC manufacturers use to predict ~5-10 years of running life for chips. Come to think of it, perhaps our planet would be in better shape if we were (or had been) better able to predict long-term effects.

[SeanB]

Lithium coin cells from reputable manufacturers ( Panasonic ones for example) could run for years after the nominal 10 year shelf life. Nothing wrong with a cell being made for ultra long life, they have applications as backup power for memory.

[marmad]

Lithium coin cells from reputable manufacturers ( Panasonic ones for example) could run for years after the nominal 10 year shelf life.

Lithium-thionyl chloride batteries have a "specified" service life up to 20 years, which is what was used on these devices. There are 10 out in the field that have been running for over 20 years now - and I have another here that has reached 26 years without a problem.