Schlagwort: Clocks

  • This spinning spiral clock is hypnotizing

    This spinning spiral clock is hypnotizing

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    Sometimes makers come across products that they’d love to buy, but which are too expensive to justify. When that happens, the natural inclination of the maker is to build a DIY version. Such projects often end up costing way more — in both time and literal currency — than the product would have. But when we get lucky, we can save some money. That’s the case with this spiral clock built by Kelton.

    Kelton based this design on the Aspiral Clock. That product was quite expensive at $542 and the company that made it seems to be defunct now anyway. Kelton’s version looks similar and works in the same way, but only requires about $60 in materials.

    This clock is a giant spiral and indicates the time with a ball that rolls along the spiral. The entire spiral rotates at a constant speed, causing the ball to move towards the center. Numbers marked along the path show the time. When the ball reaches the center, it drops through a chute that puts it back at the beginning of the spiral. That repeats endlessly in 12-hour cycles.

    The electronics are very simple: an Arduino Nano ESP32 board tells a stepper motor to spin at the exact rate that Kelton calculated. That stepper motor turns the spiral, keeping the ball in motion. Because this development board has an ESP32, it would have been possible to connect it to a WiFi network to find the time and keep everything in sync. But Kelton didn’t think that was necessary, so the spiral just rotates at a constant rate.

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=weSswdvxEhA?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

    The real trick with this clock was the woodworking. All of the parts are laser-cut plywood and Kelton made heavy use of kerf cuts. Those break up a length of wood into many segments, so the wood can easily bend. That technique was perfect for creating the smooth spiral path and the result looks fantastic.

    The post This spinning spiral clock is hypnotizing appeared first on Arduino Blog.

    Website: LINK

  • Time Slider is an interesting spin on clock design

    Time Slider is an interesting spin on clock design

    Reading Time: 1 minute

    You can build a simple and accurate clock with any Arduino board, an RTC (real-time clock) module, and a four-digit seven-segment display. But if you want to be inspired by a more unique design, check out Hans Andersson’s Time Slider.

    This clever clock features four sliders — one for each digit of the time. Those sliders are 3D-printed frames which contain grids of “pixels” that are either open to make the backing visible, or closed to be black. They move up and down to whatever position is necessary to show the pixels necessary to form a numeric digit. The great thing about this design (aside from the interesting aesthetic), is that it is easy to scale up or down to whatever size the user wants.

    The hardware components for this project include an Arduino Mega 2560 board, a DS3231 RTC module, eight ULN2003 motor drivers with 28BYJ-48 pancake stepper motors, wires, and a power supply. All of the mechanical parts are 3D-printable. Two stepper motors drive each slider to ensure smooth operation. There are not any buttons to set the time, so the user must configure that in the included sketch and then immediately upload the code during setup.

    The post Time Slider is an interesting spin on clock design appeared first on Arduino Blog.

    Website: LINK

  • 3D-printed digital clock contains 24 analog clocks

    3D-printed digital clock contains 24 analog clocks

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    Clocks are fantastic means of creative expression, as they serve a practical purpose and therefore have a reason to exist, but aren’t limited to pure functionality. As such, we see many interesting clock designs. But ihart’s 3D-printed digital clock made from 24 individual analog clocks takes the proverbial cake.

    When observed from a distance, this clock looks like it contains large seven-segment displays. But it actually displays the numerical digits of the time using the two hands of 24 individual analog clocks. Those analog clocks don’t show the time, but instead form the segments that make up the “digital” digits. The choreographed dance of the clock hands as the time changes is mesmerizing and the sheer complexity of the system should excite even the most stoic engineers in our audience.

    Each of the 24 analog clocks has two hands that move independently, so this clock requires a total of 48 stepper motors. Each hand also requires a Hall effect sensor for finding its home position. While there were many other potential solutions, ihart chose to use one Arduino Nano board for every analog clock. That means that each Arduino controls two stepper motors. To simplify wiring and power distribution, ihart designed a custom PCB to host each of those 24 Arduino boards. A 25th Arduino Nano, paired with an RTC (real-time clock) module, coordinates the operation of the other 24.

    All of the mechanical components of the clock were 3D-printed. The design is somewhat modular to keep the unique part count down, which means that this could be expanded into a larger display. But even as it is, the clock is very impressive.

    The post 3D-printed digital clock contains 24 analog clocks appeared first on Arduino Blog.

    Website: LINK

  • This insane kinetic clock robot flips itself into position

    This insane kinetic clock robot flips itself into position

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    Arduino Team — February 23rd, 2022

    Displaying the time these days is trivial — you could do it with any Arduino board and a simple four-digit seven-segment display. But as humans, we crave novelty and it isn’t uncommon to see a clock that is more art than a practical timekeeping device. That is true of AKUROBATTO, which is an insane kinetic clock robot that flips itself into position.

    AKUROBATTO consists of a skateboard deck-shaped platform and a motorized robot. The robot acts like the hands of an analog clock, with two arms joined by a pivot joint. One can tell the time by judging the relative angular positions of the two arms. That sounds straightforward, but it gets more interesting when you realize that the pivot point between the two arms is not hard-mounted. So to change the angle between the arms, the robot must lock itself into place on the platform and then flip around.

    It achieves that movement using two geared stepper motors and two clever servo-driven locking mechanisms. The latter let the robot latch onto the platform in one of two locations. Two Arduino Mini boards control the movement and monitor the angle through an AS5600 rotary encoder sensor. The Arduinos communicate with each other using a pair of nRF24L01 radio transceivers.

    But the mechanical design is what truly sets AKUROBATTO apart. Its structure is 3D-printed, but it utilizes an ingenious system of locking rings and GT2 timing belts to transfer torque for movement. It is difficult to even comprehend without seeing the movement for yourself, which is exactly as kinetic art should be.

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  • This 3D-printed, three-sided clock tells time with three hands

    This 3D-printed, three-sided clock tells time with three hands

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    Arduino Team — February 9th, 2022

    Back in April 2021, Instructables user saulemmetquinn had the idea to build a fully 3D-printed clock that was based on the Triangulum constellation, which as the name implies, is a triangle. But it wouldn’t only tell the time using the typical set of hands and numbers, but also the current phase of the moon to stick with the astronomical theme. 

    To begin, Saul made a detailed mechanical model in CAD, complete with every facet and gear necessary for it to run. In short, the clock contains a spinning stepper motor that completes one rotation every 15 seconds (a ratio of 1:15). When combined with a series of reduction gears, this rate slows all the way down to 1:43200 for a single hour. In addition to the second, minute, and hour hands, an extra set of gears were added with a collective ratio of 99:2924 that keep track of the current moon phase. 

    After carefully assembling the clock by hand after printing each part, the ubiquitous ULN2003 stepper motor driver and 5V 28BYJ-48 were added to an inner panel along with an Arduino Nano Every. This board was selected due to its small size and larger memory footprint, which made running the Holo Clock firmware simple.

    To read more about this project, you can visit Saul’s write-up here on Instructables.

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    Website: LINK

  • This clock counts down to retirement

    This clock counts down to retirement

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    Arduino Team — January 14th, 2022

    For most people, the idea of retiring is a very exciting thought. Finally, after decades of hard work, you can clock out for the last time and spend the rest of your life relaxing and enjoying your leisure years. RdRnr318’s coworker updates her whiteboard every day to countdown the number of days until she gets to retire. To save Martha some effort and reduce the office’s marker budget, RdRnr318 built this “Nearly-Autonomous Retirement Countdown Display” to replace the whiteboard.

    This device does exactly what it says on the tin: it shows a countdown timer with the number of days until Martha reaches her retirement. It also displays the countdown in seconds, minutes, and hours, so Martha can get granular with her retirement daydreams. This device needs no buttons for setting the time, because RdRnr318 programmed it specifically for Martha. Her retirement date is hardcoded and there is a real-time clock with a battery backup, so it can automatically calculate the countdown even after losing power.

    An Arduino Uno board controls the device. It monitors the current time using a SparkFun DeadOn DS3234 RTC Breakout and displays the countdown on a simple 20×4 character LCD screen. Power comes from a wall wart or, in case of a power outage, a CR2032 battery backup. The case is a standard prefabricated enclosure box. The sketch is straightforward and pulls the current time from the RTC. It then subtracts that from Martha’s retirement date to get the remaining time. It even accounts for the differing number of days in each month and leap years!

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  • A DIY digital clock with a twist

    A DIY digital clock with a twist

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    Arduino Team — December 27th, 2021

    The digital clock has existed in its current form for decades at this point, so it’s quite exciting to see when a new take on the classic design comes along. The Time Twister 5, created by Hans Andersson, is a fully 3D-printed electromechanical clock that twists certain blocks into place, which make up digits to display the current time.

    Each block consists of five distinct layers, where each layer is a triangular prism with three outer faces. These faces come in a total of five different patterns and are arranged in such a way that any digit from zero up to nine can be represented by simply turning the correct layer(s) a certain amount. The internal electronics — including the Arduino Mega, DS3231 real-time clock module, sensor shield, and power circuitry — are all housed in the gold-colored base. Each layer is stacked upon three metal rods for support and contains a single micro servo that twists planetary gears to move the outside while keeping the inside stationary.

    While watching Andersson’ demonstration video below, it is tough to not become entranced by the synchronous movements the digits all rotating into place within the timespan of a second. To read more about his project or to download the files to build one yourself, you can visit his website here.

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    Website: LINK

  • Holo Clock is a novel 3D-printed clock that tells time using a pair of rings

    Holo Clock is a novel 3D-printed clock that tells time using a pair of rings

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    Arduino Team — August 10th, 2021

    Simply looking at a traditional analog clock sitting on a wall somewhere got pretty boring for one Instructables user who goes by saulemmetquinn, which is partially why they wanted to create a novel design instead. Their device uses almost entirely 3D-printed components that come together to form the “Holo Clock,” since it seems holographic with its floating minute and hour hands.

    The Holo Clock project started with a surprisingly complex design in CAD software. There are two rings that are lined with teeth that sit stacked horizontally. The back ring is the minute hand, and because it is moved almost directly by the stepper motor, it spins more quickly. The hour hand is driven by a set of gears that reduce the output of the minute hand’s cogs by a factor of 60, thus making it turn at the correct rate. 

    The electronics for the clock are extremely simple. It uses an Arduino Uno with a set of four output wires, along with power and ground, to control a ULN2003 stepper motor driver. This in turn outputs current to a generic 5V stepper motor that spins the first drive gear at a known, precise rate for consistent timing. Likewise, the code is also straightforward, as all it must do is step the motor a certain amount depending on how many steps are left within the loop. 

    You can read more about the project in saulemmetquinn’s tutorial, which was recently recognized as a runner-up in the Instructables Arduino Contest.

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    Website: LINK

  • Kinetic digital clock takes 7-segment displays to another dimension

    Kinetic digital clock takes 7-segment displays to another dimension

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    Arduino Team — July 20th, 2021

    Seven-segment displays have been around for ages, and they have a really cool retro aesthetic about them. Over on Instructables, user alstroemeria (known as Jacky Mok in real life) decided to build a different kind of display that utilizes individual servo motors to slide the segments out, thus creating a 3D clock. The main board in this project was the Arduino Mega, which was selected due to its large number of digital GPIO pins that can set all 28 of the servos to the correct positions. 

    The current time was tracked using the DS3231 RTC module that stores the time and can keep it even if power is removed. The program Mok wrote first initializes the servos and sets them in the “off” position. Within the main loop, the time is retrieved from the RTC module and converted into digits. From here each digit is mapped to a series of segments which are then moved into the correct spot with the corresponding motor. 

    The clock enclosure Mok designed is quite elegant and captures the feeling of a classic seven-segment display. As seen in the accompanying video, watching the digits slowly move and morph into various shapes can be mesmerizing. More details on the concept and its construction can be found on Instructables. 

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkjKl4GjinQ?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

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  • The MonKlock tells time using the Cistercian numeral system

    The MonKlock tells time using the Cistercian numeral system

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    Arduino Team — June 25th, 2021

    Way back in the 13th century, an order of monks known as the Cistercians created a unique numbering system that used a series figures and rotations to represent numbers up to 9,999 in just a single character. Because these numerals are so great in compact displays, using them in a dot matrix to show the current date and time was a no-brainer for danjovic.

    For the aptly named MonKlock, Danjovic combined a DS3231 real-time clock with an Arduino Nano to keep track of the current time, plus a large 4″ 5×7 LED matrix. All of these components were placed onto a custom PCB, along with two buttons that cycle between various modes and the time, day, month, and year. Finally, he made a wooden base that props up the PCB vertically and provides a convenient path to run the USB cable. 

    In order to translate a given decimal number into a Cistercian numeral, danjovic designed a custom font that maps the figure to an array of pixels. When it’s time to display a number, the required numerals are added on top of each other using some simple arithmetic, and then the final result is sent to the LED matrix. 

    As seen in Danjovic’s video below, the clock looks really cool while powered on, and the additional functionality from the two buttons adds even more fun. Even though it can take a while to learn what each numeral represents, this project is still a great showcase of using clever math to fit dense information in a small space. 

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cjMaMe3Ewg?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

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  • This digital clock uses 24 Arduino-controlled analog faces

    This digital clock uses 24 Arduino-controlled analog faces

    Reading Time: < 1 minute

    This digital clock uses 24 Arduino-controlled analog faces

    Arduino Team — March 5th, 2021

    After being inspired by a beautiful, if rather expensive timepiece, Ira Hart decided to make a 3D-printed clock with 24 analog faces that combine to form a single digital display. The overall device is controlled by a single Arduino Nano, which keeps track of the time using a RTC module. This unit coordinates 24 other Nanos on custom carrier boards, which in turn drive their own little clock face via a pair of steppers and a gear system.

    When working together, these 24 clocks can tell the time in very large characters, and even show a variety of kinetic art as it changes from one minute to the next. It looks awesome in the video below, and build info is available in Hart’s project write-up.

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dgTDBvfCqc?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojEFLDAwa5w?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

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  • Get the time from GETULA, a modular chain link clock

    Get the time from GETULA, a modular chain link clock

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    Get the time from GETULA, a modular chain link clock

    Arduino Team — January 5th, 2021

    After observing a bicycle chain lying on the street in a random pattern, Ekaggrat Singh Kalsi was inspired to make a morphing clock that bends chains to tell time. The clock, known as “GETULA,” consists of four independent modules that work together to reveal the hour and minutes.

    Each GETULA module uses two stepper motors to advance a couple of custom 3D-printed chains out of the device’s structure. As they are pushed forward, a pair of servos manipulate the links left and right, incrementally creating numbers when fully formed.

    Control is accomplished via an Arduino, along with some A4988 stepper drivers. As of now, only one number is animated, but the other three digits can still be positioned to simulate how the full four-digit device will look.

    You can see a nice demo of GETULA the first video below as well as a clip of it changing from the year 2020 to 2021 in the second.

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXhVSKZmvAM?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eP3Yu4OyLuI?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

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    Website: LINK

  • Know what time it is anywhere in the world with this Nano 33 IoT-based NTP clock

    Know what time it is anywhere in the world with this Nano 33 IoT-based NTP clock

    Reading Time: < 1 minute

    Know what time it is anywhere in the world with this Nano 33 IoT-based NTP clock

    Arduino Team — December 14th, 2020

    Kaleb Clark, like many of us, works with others from all around the globe. While he could view any number of websites or commercial options to see what time it is for these other people, he decided to make a world clock to get this info at a glance.

    What he came up with uses a 3.5″ SPI TFT screen to show eight time zones in the device’s main section, plus a pair of 7-segment displays for two more “slots.” The unit runs on an Arduino Nano 33 IoT, which checks the time over WiFi via the Network Time Protocol, or NTP.

    In theory, Clark will never have to set this clock, but user interface is provided by an encoder to select the times on display, and whether they are shown in a 12 or 24-hour format.

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7x_qvfwjos?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

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  • Tell time and temperature with sliding numbers

    Tell time and temperature with sliding numbers

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    Tell time and temperature with sliding numbers

    Arduino Team — October 19th, 2020

    While dial clocks are functional and well-understood, for something a bit more uniquely styled, Luuk Esselbrugge has created a 3D-printed timekeeping unit with four rows of sliding numbers.

    As seen here, each digit moves up and down to show the appropriate hour and minutes under the power of a stepper. A rack system is integrated into the number-slider itself, with a printed driving gear affixed to the small motor. A WS2812B LED shines through the proper number on display, with red representing time and green indicating that it’s instead in temperature mode.

    The device is controlled by an Arduino Nano, with time obtained via a GPS module. More info — including Arduino code, print files, and necessary parts — is available on GitHub.

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    Website: LINK

  • This Arduino-powered clock tells time in colors

    This Arduino-powered clock tells time in colors

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    This Arduino-powered clock tells time in colors

    Arduino Team — October 7th, 2020

    As humans, we’ve divided time up into 24 hours per day, 60 minutes per hour, and 60 seconds per minute. With many of us now working from home on differing schedules, time may seem a bit less concrete than before, like something that fades from one part of the day to another.

    To express this new reality, e14 Presents’ Matt Eargle has constructed a clock that cycles through “every” color in the rainbow, subbing in a scaled version of the HH:MM:SS time value for RGB values on a 5” LCD TFT display.

    The build is powered by an Arduino Uno with an RTC module for accurate timekeeping. The resulting color panel is quite interesting, if not so useful for, say, catching a train. If you do need to be punctual for something, the actual digits are shown along the side, so it should still be usable when things are (hopefully) a bit more normal.

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtvV1r_LD4U?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

    In the socially-distanced, work-from-home apocalypse of Southern California, clocks have become obsolete as time has become essentially meaningless. After months of no longer using an alarm clock, Matt has missed the simple act of checking the time — even for curiosity’s sake — and decides to build a clock that measures the passage of time in a completely novel way: by converting hours, minutes, and seconds into hexadecimal values and displaying the relative color value associated with that time. It’s certainly not the most practical chronometer in the world, but this hexadecimal color code clock proves that form doesn’t always have to follow function!

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  • This stepper-driven mechanical clock can be set to two different time zones

    This stepper-driven mechanical clock can be set to two different time zones

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    This stepper-driven mechanical clock can be set to two different time zones

    Arduino Team — August 5th, 2020

    Clocks normally tell you the time in your particular location, but what about that person that you know across the country or even on the other side the world? What time is it there? While it’s easy enough to do a web search or do a calculation, in order to find this out at an instant, Jeremy Cook made his own mechanical dual time zone clock.

    The device is powered by an Arduino Nano, which drives a stepper motor to advance each minute. Using physical gear reduction, dual hour gears move at 1/12th the rate of the minute indicator gear, which can be offset to the secondary time zone of your choosing.

    A real-time clock module is implemented to trigger each stepper advance, and a single button fast forwards the assembly when needed. Code, while still in a somewhat experimental state, is available on GitHub.

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqGwIec4I80?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

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  • Create a digital clock out of 24 analog clocks

    Create a digital clock out of 24 analog clocks

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    Create a digital clock out of 24 analog clocks

    Arduino Team — July 7th, 2020

    What if you were to use the hands of a clock not as an individual display, but as part of an array that moves together to form digits? That’s the idea behind Clockception by “Made by Morgan,” which utilizes 48 servo motors to drive 24 clock-like faces in an 8×3 grid.

    The build uses an Arduino Nano and three servo driver boards for control, along with a DS1302 RTC module to track time. The overall clock is constructed out of stained poplar, while the dial assemblies are 3D-printed.

    Clockception was actually inspired by the ClockClock project by Humans Since 1982, but by using his own design and DIY methods, he was able to get the cost down to around $200.

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdpLYvw7i-E?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

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  • This tape measure shows the time of day in inches

    This tape measure shows the time of day in inches

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    This tape measure shows the time of day in inches

    Arduino Team — May 1st, 2020

    Tape measures are great for determining length, width, and height. But what about the fourth dimension, time? Normally you’ll need a different device to show this ever-changing entity, but creators Alex Fiel and Anna Lynton have managed to turn the measuring tool into a clock.

    Instead of being pulled to a certain distance, the tape extends automatically representing the hour by number of inches shown.

    Unrolling is controlled by a NEMA 17 motor inside its custom 3D-printed housing, along with an Arduino Nano and RTC module for proper timekeeping. 

    Check it out on display in the video below! 

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSvwEukJsqk?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

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  • Electromechanical 7-segment clock made with an Arduino and 28 servos

    Electromechanical 7-segment clock made with an Arduino and 28 servos

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    Electromechanical 7-segment clock made with an Arduino and 28 servos

    Arduino Team — April 15th, 2020

    Digital clocks are often made out of a series of 7-segment displays, which light up to represent the needed numbers. Michael Klements’ electromechanical project, however, doesn’t use LEDs, but instead physically flips 3D-printed segments into view with 28 micro servos. 

    When in use, each segment’s bright green surface is clearly visible. When “off,” they’re turned to reveal a slim black edge that goes largely unnoticed.

    The device is powered by an Arduino Uno, along with a DS1302 RTC module. Two PCA9685 16-channel PWM drivers control the motors directly, and as they run off of I2C, more servos/digits could even be added if needed. 

    You can see it all in action below and read more about the timepiece in Klements’ blog post.  

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKNxyh06X1c?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

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  • Check the time, date and conditions on this ILC1-1/8L clock

    Check the time, date and conditions on this ILC1-1/8L clock

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    Check the time, date and conditions on this ILC1-1/8L clock

    Arduino Team — October 24th, 2019

    While OLED displays and the like are extremely versatile, there’s still something really charming about vintage VFD tubes. Christine Thompson (AKA ChristineNZ) in fact built her latest clock specifically to use eight ILC1-1/8L VFD tubes, which each stand nearly four inches tall.

    The device is equipped with an Arduino Mega board, a MAX6921 VFD driver, a DS3231 RTC module, and a BME280 sensor that allows it to also show pressure, humidity and temperature in both Celsius and Fahrenheit. 

    The retro-themed timepiece packs a speaker and an MP3 module to play chimes every 15 minutes, and in addition to the digits on the front has a secondary display and control panel on the back for setup. The unit is housed in a mahogany frame with shaped copper supports, nicely complementing its glowing green numbers.

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIt0i_Hu4O0?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

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  • Steampunk radio and clock display with dual Arduino Mega control

    Steampunk radio and clock display with dual Arduino Mega control

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    If you want to create your own steampunk/mad scientist entertainment center, it would be hard to top this radio/clock setup by Christine Thompson. 

    Her device displays the time and date on eight VFD tubes, arranged on top of another eight that show the radio frequency and volume, along with the ambient temperature and pressure read by a BMP280 sensor.

    A wide variety of lighting effects, motor-driven clockwork, coils, and even an automated Morse key cement its steampunk theme, and it’s nicely housed in a restored radio cabinet. 

    The project is controlled by a pair of Arduino Mega boards linked together via I2C, and Thompson’s write-up has all sorts of tidbits for potential retro-display builders.

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNr5fjqYvFQ?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

    This project is without doubt the most complex I have undertaken, with sixteen IV-11 VFD tubes, two Arduino Mega cards, ten LED Neon light circuits, a servo, an electromagnet, two MAX6921AWI IC Chips, five DC power supplies, a HV power supply, two DC Volt meters, a DC Amp meter, FM stereo radio, 3W power amplifier, LCD screen, and keyboard. Apart from the above parts list, two software programs had to developed from scratch and finally the construction of the entire radio required about 200 hours of work.

    I decided to include this project onto the Instructables site not expecting members to reproduce this project in its entirety but rather to cherry pick the elements that where of interest to them. Two areas of particular interest to the site members may be the control of the 16 IV-11 VDF tubes using two MAX6921AWI chips and its associated wiring, and the communications between two Mega 2650 cards.

    The various components included into this project have been sourced locally, except the IV-11 tubes, and the MAX6921AWI chips both obtained on EBay. I wanted to bring back to life various items that would otherwise languish in boxes for years. All of the HF valves where sourced with the understanding that all where failed units.

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    Website: LINK

  • Simulating a flip clock on an Arduino-driven LCD screen

    Simulating a flip clock on an Arduino-driven LCD screen

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    Simulating a flip clock on an Arduino-driven LCD screen

    Arduino Team — August 20th, 2019

    Although flip clocks may be extremely interesting electromechanical devices, with rolling flaps to show what time it is, they’re also fairly complicated if you want to build one yourself. Mark Wilson, however, took a different approach with his project, simulating the output on a 320×240 LCD display.

    The clock is powered by an Arduino Uno and a DS3231 RTC module, allowing it to show the time, date, a blinking colon, and even the days until the trash/recycling needs to be put out. Alternate screens are available as well, including a Pong clock, triangle clock, and cube clock, which can be individually selected or set to randomly cycle if you so desire. 

    For its housing, Wilson chose a minimal acrylic/standoff design that seems to suit it well, and you can see it in action in the short demo clip below.

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JB12y5fYdpQ?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

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    Website: LINK