New Real Time Clock Module Proteus 8 Library | Download Free

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Real Time Clock Proteus Library

New Real Time Clock Module Proteus 8 Library | Download Free

In this post, I’ll walk you through what the VRTC (Virtual Real Time Clock) Model is, how it functions, and how you can use it to simulate date and time features in your virtual projects using UART communication.

What is VRTC Model

The VRTC Model is a component that acts like a real time clock chip, using UART for communication. It’s built to run inside Proteus VSM, giving embedded developers a way to simulate timekeeping by interacting with it through a custom UART protocol.

It acts like a peripheral device you can plug into your project and communicate with over serial to:

  • Time Reading: Get hour, minute, second.
  • Date Reading: Get day, month, year.
  • Full timestamp & date retrieval

Pin Definitions:

PinTypeDescription
VDigitalPower pin 
GDigitalGround pin 
TXDigitalUART Transmit from VRTC to host
RXDigitalUART Receive from host to VRTC
Virtual Real Time Clock Model
Virtual Real Time Clock Model

VRTC UART Command Protocol

Communication with the Real Time Clock Model happens via UART. The protocol is designed to be simple enough for beginner developers and robust enough to simulate real hardware interaction.

VRTC Model Frame Format

Every command frame starts with a fixed header and ends with a CRC checksum for integrity.

[0x55][LEN][CMD][DATA...][CRC]

  • 0x55: Header byte (constant)
  • LEN: Number of bytes in the DATA field
  • CMD: Command code (1 byte)
  • DATA: Optional payload (if LEN > 0)
  • CRC: XOR of all previous bytes

VRTC Model Command Byte Table

Command ByteDescriptionExpected Response FormatNotes
0x33Get full time[HH, MM, SS]Send once per second for clock
0x34Get hours only[HH]24-hour format (0–23)
0x35Get minutes only[MM]0–59
0x36Get seconds only[SS]0–59
0x43Get full date[DD, MM, YY]Year is two-digit (e.g., 24)
0x44Get day only[DD]1–31
0x45Get month only[MM]1–12
0x46Get year only[YY]e.g., 24 for 2024

Command and Response with Virtual Real Time Clock Model

Send Command to Read Full Time

Let’s say we want to send the “Get Time” command:

DescriptionValue
HEADER0xA5
LEN0x00
CMD0x33
CRC0xA5 ^ 0x00 ^ 0x33 = 0xF6

Final Packet (in HEX): A5 00 33 F6

 Arduino Code to Send This Command:

void sendVRTCCommand() {
  byte len = 0x00;
  byte crc = HEADER ^ len ^ CMD_GET_TIME;

  Serial.write(HEADER);         // Start byte
  Serial.write(len);            // Data length
  Serial.write(CMD_GET_TIME);   // Command
  Serial.write(crc);            // CRC
  Serial.println("Sent: A5 00 33 F6");
}

Handle the Response from VRTC Model

After sending 0x33, you’ll receive a response packet like: A5 03 33 HH MM SS CRC 
void receiveVRTCResponse() {
  if (Serial.available() >= 7) { // Expected: 7 bytes
    byte header = Serial.read();
    byte len    = Serial.read();
    byte cmd    = Serial.read();
    byte h      = Serial.read();
    byte m      = Serial.read();
    byte s      = Serial.read();
    byte crc    = Serial.read();

    // Verify CRC
    byte check = header ^ len ^ cmd ^ h ^ m ^ s;

    if (check == crc) {
      Serial.print("Time: ");
      Serial.print(h); Serial.print(":");
      Serial.print(m); Serial.print(":");
      Serial.println(s);
    } else {
      Serial.println("CRC Error!");
    }
  }
}

If time is 14:25:08, response will be: A5 03 33 0E 19 08 CC

  • 0x0E = 14, 0x19 = 25, 0x08 = 08
  • CRC = 0xA5 ^ 0x03 ^ 0x33 ^ 0x0E ^ 0x19 ^ 0x08 = 0xCC

Arduino Code

On an Arduino Uno, there’s only one hardware Serial, which is usually used for USB debugging. So if you’re connecting your Virtual Real Time Clock Module  to the Arduino, you should:

  • Use hardware Serial (Serial) for VRTC communication.
  •  Use SoftwareSerial to debug via another pair of pins (e.g., D10 and D11).
Virtual Real Time Clock Model Proteus Simulation
Virtual Real Time Clock Model Proteus Simulation

VRTC + LCD Display Example

This Arduino sketch demonstrates how to communicate with a Virtual Real Time Clock (VRTC) module over serial and display the time and date on a 16×2 LCD.

It begins by initializing the LCD and showing a welcome message. Once the setup is complete, the Arduino sends specific commands to the VRTC module over the serial port to request the current time and date. The VRTC responds with a structured data packet that includes the hour, minute, second for time, and day, month, year for the date. The code reads this response, verifies it using a checksum (CRC), and extracts the relevant information. It then updates the LCD to show the current time on the first line and the date on the second line. To keep the display current, the time is refreshed every second and the date is refreshed every ten seconds.

Virtual Real Time Clock Interface with Arduino and LCD16x2
Virtual Real Time Clock Interface with Arduino and LCD16x2

Download Library

Simply click on the button to download the library. You can refer to this post for instructions on how to install the library in Proteus 8. How to Download and install Library in Proteus (electronicstree.com)

Download

ZIP Password : electronicstree.com

If you have any requests for Arduino Module Libraries in Proteus, please leave a comment or message us using the contact form.

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