Times Infinity

 

PROJECT ABSTRACT

WE WERE PLAYING AROUND MAKING INFINITY MIRRORS AND CAME UP WITH AN IDEA FOR A CLOCK.

PROJECT REQUIREMENTS

THE CLOCK MUST HAVE AN INNER DISPLAY FOR THE HANDS AND A OUTER NUMBER DISPLAY 
THE CLOCK INNER DISPLAY MUST HAVE ENOUGH LEDS TO SHOW THE TIME DOWN TO THE SECOND (AT LEAST 60 LEDS)
THE CLOCK INNER DISPLAY MUST DISPLAY UNIQUE LEDS PATTERNS WHILE MAINTAINING DISTINGUISHABLE HOUR, MINUTE, AND SECOND HANDS.
THE CLOCK OUTER NUMBER DISPLAY MUST LIGHT EACH NUMBER INDEPENDENTLY WITH ANY COLOR.
 

PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION

THE COMPONENTS
SO FAR, THE CLOCK HAS 144 RGB LEDS, TWO 3D-PRINTED LED SUPPORT RINGS, A CONVEX MIRROR, A TWO-WAY MIRROR, AND A LASER ETCHED ACRYLIC MIRROR NUMBER DISPLAY,

THE INNER DISPLAY
THE INNER DISPLAY IS NOT A FLAT LED DISC.   THERE ARE ACTUALLY ONLY 120 LEDS ARRANGED AROUND THE BORDER IN TWO ROWS OF 60.   ALL THE OTHER LEDS ARE JUST AN ILLUSION DONE WITH THE MIRRORS.

THE NUMBER DISPLAY
THE NUMBER DISPLAY IS AN 8″X8″ PIECE OF ACRYLIC MIRROR.   THE NUMBERS ARE LASER ETCHED FROM THE BACK TO ALLOW THE LIGHTS TO SHOW THROUGH.   THE CENTER HOLE FOR THE INNER DISPLAY IS LASER CUT.   THE NUMBER DISPLAY LED RING IS ATTACHED TO THE BACK OF THE MIRROR AND HOLDS THE 24 LEDS USED TO LIGHT THE NUMBERS.

THE ELECTRONICS
FOR THE CONTROL MODULE WE USED A RASPBERRY PI-ZERO.   THIS ALLOWS US EASY ACCESS TO WIFI, TIME SERVERS, REMOTE CONTROL, ETC.
THE RGB LEDS ARE APA102C STRIPS.   THERE ARE TWO STRIPS OF 60 TO LIGHT THE INNER DISPLAY AND ONE STRIP OF 24 TO LIGHT THE NUMBER DISPLAY.   TO INTERFACE THE 3V PI TO THE 5V LEDS, THE PI-ZERO PINS ARE LEVEL-SHIFTED TO 5V THROUGH A 74AHCT125 QUAD LEVEL-SHIFTER.   

THE APPLICATION
THE APPLICATION TO RUN THE CLOCK AND DISPLAY PATTERNS WAS WRITTEN IN PYTHON.   THERE ARE THREE BASIC MODULES: THE INNER DISPLAY PATTERN MODULE, THE CLOCK HAND MODULE, AND THE NUMBER DISPLAY MODULE.   THE INNER DISPLAY MODULE CREATES THE COLOR PATTERNS FOR THE INNER DISPLAY.   THE CLOCK HAND MODULE OVERLAYS THE CLOCK HANDS ON TO THE INNER DISPLAY PATTERN.   THE NUMBER DISPLAY MODULE CREATES THE COLOR PATTERNS FOR THE NUMBER DISPLAY.   THERE ARE EIGHT DISPLAY PATTERN GROUPS CODED SO FAR.   SOME OF THE PATTERNS ARE HAND-POSITIVE (LIT LEDS ARE HANDS) AND SOME ARE HAND-NEGATIVE (DARK LEDS ARE HANDS).

THE DISPLAY PATTERNS
THESE ARE THE DISPLAY PATTERNS WE’VE COME UP WITH SO FAR.