The Persistence of Vision (POV) Watch takes advantage of the theory of persistence of vision to create a unique wristwatch that displays the current or elapsed time while the arm is swinging (such as during a run or brisk walk). A sequence of LED patterns from the watch are displayed in quick succession and interpreted by the wearer as a single, static image appearing in “thin air.”
A Microchip PIC16LF628A handles the image display functions and interfaces with a mercury switch to detect the current direction of motion, which allows the image to be displayed twice per cycle (arm moving out and arm moving back).
Adafruit publishes a wide range of writing and video content, including interviews and reporting on the maker market and the wider technology world. Our standards page is intended as a guide to best practices that Adafruit uses, as well as an outline of the ethical standards Adafruit aspires to. While Adafruit is not an independent journalistic institution, Adafruit strives to be a fair, informative, and positive voice within the community – check it out here: adafruit.com/editorialstandards
Stop breadboarding and soldering – start making immediately! Adafruit’s Circuit Playground is jam-packed with LEDs, sensors, buttons, alligator clip pads and more. Build projects with Circuit Playground in a few minutes with the drag-and-drop MakeCode programming site, learn computer science using the CS Discoveries class on code.org, jump into CircuitPython to learn Python and hardware together, TinyGO, or even use the Arduino IDE. Circuit Playground Express is the newest and best Circuit Playground board, with support for CircuitPython, MakeCode, and Arduino. It has a powerful processor, 10 NeoPixels, mini speaker, InfraRed receive and transmit, two buttons, a switch, 14 alligator clip pads, and lots of sensors: capacitive touch, IR proximity, temperature, light, motion and sound. A whole wide world of electronics and coding is waiting for you, and it fits in the palm of your hand.
Have an amazing project to share? The Electronics Show and Tell is every Wednesday at 7pm ET! To join, head over to YouTube and check out the show’s live chat – we’ll post the link there.
Um, shouldn’t the LED bar be rotated 90 degrees from its current position? The direction of motion is at right angles to the arm.