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[Markus] is attending the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm. For his Advanced Prototyping class he had to make something using rapid prototyping technology — i.e. 3D printers, laser cutters, and breadboards. He chose to make a fantastic looking clock.
He started by designing the entire thing in CAD. The base is 3D printed on a Ultimaker. The world clock display is a piece of laser engraved acrylic which he heated up and curved to fit. Using an Arduino and a 16×2 LCD matrix he created a simple clock program with the ability to show different time zones. The way you select them is very clever.
A thin strip of brass is located at the bottom of the display, which acts as a touch-sensitive resistor strip.
Depending on where you press it, the resistance changes and the Arduino switches to that timezone. It’s a clever use of an awesome sensor which really gives the project a nice touch. Not bad for a 6 week school project!
Speaking of laser cut clocks, check out this absolutely ridiculous geared pendulum clock made out of acrylic!
[via r/DIY]
Filed under: 3d Printer hacks, Arduino Hacks, laser hacks