Moving Pixel Clock
By Ben Everard. Posted
This article was originally published as part of HackSpace magazine, which has since been incorporated into Raspberry Pi Official Magazine.
"Clock projects are cool. LED projects are cool, too. And if it moves, all the better. So why not build a moving pixel LED mechatronics clock?” With this thought began Erich Styger’s 18-month development of the Moving Pixel Clock.
More accurately, the project began when Erich spotted a bunch of tiny stepper motors for sale online. They came with no instructions, no datasheet, and no information at all other than the name – ‘Mini stepper motor @5V’. They have a travel of around 10 mm, which takes around two seconds, and Erich thought it would be a good idea to use them to add some interest to a digital clock display.
The final build comprises five stacked PCBs housing the stepper motors and stepper motor drivers; each PCB has 16 stepper motors, with each one hosting an addressable RGB LED. That gives you a grid of 16 × 5 moving pixels to display the time. It’s simple, but in an admirably complex way.
Erich’s blog detailing the project build is a masterpiece of clarity; in it he outlines the build process, from single stepper motor to a wall of moving pixels. Each 3D-printed part and custom PCB is laid bare, giving us a glimpse into the work that’s gone into making this weird and wonderful timepiece.
Ben is the Editor of HackSpace magazine. When not wrangling words, he enjoys cycling, gardening, and attempting to identify wild mushrooms.
Subscribe to Raspberry Pi Official Magazine
Save up to 37% off the cover price and get a FREE Raspberry Pi Pico 2 W with a subscription to Raspberry Pi Official Magazine.
More articles
Make your RAM go further – Raspberry Pi OS memory optimisation tips
In issue 164 of Raspberry Pi Official Magazine we have been playing around with the new Raspberry Pi 5 1GB RAM. While the RAM shortage caused by the demands of AI infrastructure is annoying beyond belief, this has been a great chance for us to really get to grips with RAM. Generating images in Stable […]
Read more →
Mighty Projects – 1GB Computer in Raspberry Pi Official Magazine 164
It’s normal for computers to get faster and more pwerful, but the new-ish Raspberry Pi 5 1GB is a step in the other direction: it has all the processing power and the same GPIO pins of its more costly siblings, but with only 1GB of RAM it’s at a price that’s friendlier on the wallet […]
Read more →
Win one of five 256GB Raspberry Pi Flash Drives
If you’ve been around long enough, you know that every Raspberry Pi accessory is top quality, and the latest Flash Drive is no different. Fancy a big one? We have five up for grabs, and you can enter below… Win 1 of 5 256GB Raspberry Pi Flash Drives
Read more →