Article

DCF77 Emulator with ESP8266

Replace over-air time by Internet time

Labs Project

Based on a Labs project | December 2017 | Find it here

About twenty years ago I recycled and modernised a vintage clock with Nixie tubes built by my father in the nineteen seventies. I replaced the digital logic by a microcontroller and used a DCF77 receiver module instead of the original 50-Hz derived timebase.Over many years the clock has worked fine, but recently DCF77 reception in my house has worsened due to electromagnetic interference created by modern switching power supplies, I suppose. So I decided to replace the DCF77 receiver by some form of Network Time Protocol (NTP) client.

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Materials

DCF77 Emulator with ESP8266

https://github.com/esp8266/Arduino

https://arduino-hannover.de/2012/06/14/dcf77-empfanger-mit-arduino-betreiben/

PCB PDF

Arduino sketch

Gerber file

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PCB

Download Gerber file: 150713 DCF emulator gerbers with outline

Extra info / Update

* Always the right time
* Internet connected
* Replaces DCF77 receiver modules
* ESP8266-based

Component list

From the Store
150713-1: bare DCF77 emulator PCB
150445-91: ESP-01 module

Component List
Resistors
All 0805, 5%, 0.1 W
R1 = 220Ohm
R2 = 47kOhm
R3,R4,R5 = 3.3kOhm
Capacitors
All 0805
C1 = 470nF
C2 = 100µF, 16V, radial can SMD, 6.3mm diameter
C3 = 100nF
Semiconductors
IC1 = LM3940IMP-3.3/NOPB
LED1 = LED, red, 0805
T1 = BC847C
Miscellaneous
JP1 = 2-pin pinheader, 0.1” pitch
Jumper, 2-way, 0.1” pitch
K1 = 6-pin pinheader, 0.1” pitch
K2 = 3-pin pinheader, 0.1” pitch
MOD1 = ESP-01 Wi-Fi module
MOD2 = 8-way (2x4) pinheader socket, 0.1” pitch
PCB 150713-1 v1.0