Frog Clock Battery Hack

How tired am I of replacing the AA battery in this wall clock?

Building a circuit to convert an old wall wart into a AA battery replacement tired. ;-)

Hoping to fit the circuit in a 3d printed AA battery shell.

Testing the dimensions of my AA battery model... close enough, it fits!

Second test, this time with modifications to accept #6 screws for terminals. I need some shorter screws. It also fits!

The updated AA battery model, using 5/16" #6 screws for terminals (McMaster-Carr catalog FTW). Also, we have parts!

We have power! Next step is to try fitting the circuit into the cavity in the fake battery.

Tick Tock

Finally got around to getting this circuit off the protoboard and into the fake battery, dead bug style.

The clock draws so little power that I had to add a dummy load to make the voltage regulator happy. I also added an output capacitor to help handle the spikes caused by the clock movement.

It all fits! I used spade lugs and a cable tie for strain relief.

Hanging on the wall in the garage, powered with an old 9v guitar pedal power supply. No more batteries!