#include <VirtuabotixRTC.h>
The VirtuabotixRTC.h library provides a range of features that make it easy to work with RTC modules in Arduino projects. Some of the key features of this library include:
The DS1302 has no concept of day-of-week based on date; it’s a user-defined field. The library does not compute it. Always set DOW explicitly when setting date. virtuabotixrtc.h arduino library
To install a library manually:
#include // // Declare the RTC object hooked up to pins 6, 7, and 8 virtuabotixRTC myRTC(6, 7, 8); void setup() Serial.begin(9600); // Start serial communication // IMPORTANT: Set the initial time here. // Seconds, Minutes, Hours, Day of the week, Day of the month, Month, Year // Day of week: 1 = Sunday, 2 = Monday, etc. myRTC.setDS1302Time(00, 15, 20, 1, 27, 4, 2026); // Example: April 27, 2026 at 8:15 PM // Note: After running this once, comment out the line above and re-upload! void loop() // Update the variables with data from the RTC chip myRTC.updateTime(); // Print the date Serial.print("Date: "); Serial.print(myRTC.dayofmonth); Serial.print("/"); Serial.print(myRTC.month); Serial.print("/"); Serial.print(myRTC.year); Serial.print(" Use code with caution. Copied to clipboard 🛠 Troubleshooting & Errors #include <VirtuabotixRTC
The library hasn't seen major updates in years. Some users report compilation errors on newer Arduino boards (like the MKR series or ESP32) because it wasn't built with modern cross-platform architecture in mind. Lack of Advanced Features:
: A common coding mistake is using a single equals sign ( = ) for comparison instead of a double equals ( == ). For example, use myRTC.hours == 7 to check equality, not myRTC.hours = 7 . Always set DOW explicitly when setting date
To use the library, you must first define your hardware connections and create a clock object.