Timer to control 1.5V clock

Question

I want to make either an alarm clock or countdown timer whose alarm is loud enough to notice, but soft enough to not wake me up when asleep. My idea is to use the sound of an analog clock that I have - powered by a single AA 1.5V battery. I like this sound. So, I'd like to create an alarm or a timer that can turn on the power to this analog clock for a few minutes at least. Ideally, it would be something I could use daily for a couple hours without replacing the timer/alarm battery too often.

I've looked at these programmable relay timers: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00P0TZ5CY/ but the voltage seems kindof overkill.

I've also considered an arduino board, but I'd like to be able to set the time on the device without plugging it into a computer.

I'm a developer, so I could do arduino programming if needed, but I don't know much about circuitry & hardware. I've also never done an arduino project, so I'm starting from 101.

Any ideas where I could start? The timer I mentioned above would be perfect if it didn't require 12V power. My knowledge is limited, so maybe that's less of a big deal than I think.

Answer 1

I suggest a simple setup (similar to my temperature and humidity sensor but less complex).

You can run from 3 x AA batteries, and have an RTC clock to keep track of the time. You can use a MOSFET to turn on your analog clock when required.

The processor can be asleep most of the time, using the watchdog timer to wake up and check the time from the RTC. Don't use an Arduino "board" unless you are running from a wall-wart because the voltage regulator, USB interface, and power LED, will consume too much power.