I built this word clock using parts from Adafruit.
It isn’t an entirely original idea, but I was inspired by Doug Jackson’s Wordclock, who in turn seems to have been inspired by German design firm Biegert & Funk’s Qlocktwo. There are a couple of different ways of creating the faceplate. Doug’s Wordclock uses a cut vinyl sticker, while Cello62 and Scottbez1 both use a stack of printed acetate sheets. I used the laser cutter here at Adafruit to create a black acrylic faceplate, which required creating the design with a vector graphics editor.
I built the frame myself using lumber from the hardware store, which was actually fairly time-consuming. Cello62 and Scottbez1 both use an inexpensive store-bought frame, which is another option.
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.
Building something similar but rather than all the pins a mega can offer the LEDs will be multiplexed and controlled with the HT16K33 breakout and I2C (files on github in KiCad).
I love it!
Building something similar but rather than all the pins a mega can offer the LEDs will be multiplexed and controlled with the HT16K33 breakout and I2C (files on github in KiCad).