Ask nearly anyone, and they would say a clock is a robot, a specialty device that provides the time of day. In this post of Robot Archaeology, we’ll review clocks that move.
The best known robotic clock is the Plotclock kit. This clock uses a pen to write the time on a small whiteboard square, then erase it a minute later. This uses three micro servos and a plastic frame.
There are some other interesting projects using motors for hands as in this Make project below. There are a number of analog stepper clocks worth exploring in this one tutorial.
Other clocks use flip mechanisms. One interesting take on flip clocks is the FabAcademy 7 segment clock:
Each segment is flipped with a servo, 7 servos per digit, 28 in all.
Do you know of some special analog clocks made with motors, steppers, and more? Post your suggestions in the comments!
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.
