Something is intriguing about novelty clocks that refreshes the age-old timekeeping approach. The unique mechanism at the heart of these timepieces makes them desirable, especially for those who value time above all else. YouTuber soiboi soft from Germany loves working with pneumatic principles, creating some really interesting things never seen before.
This time around, the ingenious inventor has crafted an air-powered desk clock that works on the same principles of compressing air to control the display membrane. While that might sound a little too technical for some, the idea is to change the appearance on the surface of the flexible clock membrane to display the current time. That is simply cool, and who wouldn’t want to have this desk clock grace their geeky setup?
Designer: soiboi soft
Building the four-digit display of the Air Powered Segment Clock begins by crafting the custom parts using 3D printing. The next task is to carefully connect the vacuum lines to the complex mechanism so that it can pull the flexible membrane to create the dent representing the luminous bars, just like a digital clock. Even when the signal is turned off from the backend, the shape holds still until the next command to turn it off is initiated. As soon as the command to release the vacuum pressure is initiated, the membrane returns to its flat position.
The combination of these seven memory cells (as he calls them) forms a single digit representation. Based on the digit to be displayed, the memory cells are in an on or off position, thereby displaying the whole digit. This whole display array is a combination of four such digits, and based on the microcontroller programming and the complex software input, they magically suck-in to create the digit on the membrane. Dots in the middle appear every time a number is changed to represent the seconds, minutes, and hours.
The basic architecture of the Air Powered Segment Clock is similar to how a RAM functions, storing values in specific locations courtesy of the data and address lines. When the hardware and software trickery to display the time come into unison, the DIY desk clock comes alive. Going a step further, the DIYer adds a stopwatch function to the clock, because why not? Frankly, this is one of the best DIY creations I’ve seen in a long time. I bet every one of you out there is wishing this project turns into a buyable novelty clock someday. Imagine adding this to your workstation, gaming setup, or simply sporting on the living room shelf!
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