DIY clock ideas – How to make your own LED Tix clock and Ping-Pong ball clock

TiX Clock

Clocks are one among those articles in the house which every guest, visitor and housemate sees every now and then. But if it is guaranteed that every person casts a look at the clock, then shouldn’t we make it unique? In this article, you will learn how to make your own unique LED Tix clock and Ping-Pong ball DIY clock ideas

How to make your own LED Tix clock

Apart from getting the step – by – step instructions for making your own LED Tix clock you will also learn about the difficulty level of the task, the time required to complete the project, a list of resources you will need to get the final clock, estimated cost you may incur, answers to some of the frequently asked questions, some quick tips and things to watch out for so that you do not injure yourself.

Difficulty level

Moderately challenging.

You may require some expertise in certain areas of the project, particularly Bascom AVR basic code, schematic and PCB codes.

Time required

Varies according to the skill and speed employed.

Resources required

  1. 1. AVR microcontroller
  2. 2. Reflector grid
  3. 3. Office lights
  4. 4. Smoked perspex or transparent like these perspex sheets depending on how you want your clock to look.
  5. 5. Diffuser
  6. 6. A bunch of LEDs

Estimated cost

It depends upon the availability, quantity and quality of the materials listed in the “resources required” section.

Instructions for DIY clock ideas

Step – 1 : The electronics used in the clock

The first step is to work on the layout of the strip board. You need to use transistors as row drivers and the IC’s as column drivers. This design lets more current to the LEDs so that they light up brighter.

Step – 2 : The display of the clock

The display of the clock is made using the display board, a square reflector, a diffuser and a Smoked perspex. If you want to give more reflection from the lights then you can use a sheet of tinfoil under the LED’s.

Step – 3 : The case of the clock

To make the case of the clock you can use almost anything which is available or you wish to use as a case of the clock. Here, Rimu (a native timber to New Zealand) is used to make the case of the clock. You can cut the tracks and the design to sandwich the board, reflector, diffuser and window in the case.

Step – 4 : The final product and files for the clock

Now you need to use Bascom AVR basic code, schematic and PCB to give final touch to the Tix clock.

Frequently asked questions on DIY clock ideas

1. I do not have much technical knowledge. Is it an easy task to make an LED Tix clock if I try to make it on my own?

Ans: The difficulty level of the project of making the LED Tix clock on your own is moderately challenging. It means that you will require some expertise in certain areas of the project. Particularly you will require knowledge of Bascom AVR basic code, schematic and PCB codes.

2. The material – Rimu, which is a native timber to New Zealand, is not available here. What can I use for making the case of the LED Tix clock?

Ans: The choice of choosing the material of the case of your LED Tix clock totally depends upon your requirements and the availability of the material you want to use. You can use metal, wood or anything which is solid to keep the clock safe.

3. What is the cost I have to incur to make an LED Tix clock on my own?

Ans: The estimate cost completely depends upon the availability, quality and quantity of materials which are listed in the ” resources required ” section earlier in the post.

4. How is the LED Tix clock useful?

Ans: Clock is among such articles which are watched by everyone who comes in the house; therefore they leave an impression on your guests. Having some unique design of the clock seeing which people ask ” What is this? ” or ” How do you watch time through this? ” is a great way to leave a lasting impression on your guests.

5. Is it safe to make the LED Tix clock on your own?

Ans: The LED Tix clock makes uses of electricity to work. Where electricity is involved, danger also comes along with it. We need to take extra precautions to be safe from the dangers of electricity.

6. I have technical knowledge but I have never made a thing on my own, how much time will it take to make the clock myself?

Ans: The time required to complete the project totally depends up on person’s skills and speed.

Quick tips on DIY clock ideas

  1. 1. If you have some extra time, then you can also add some decorative designs to the case of the clock, if you are using wood or similar material.
  2. 2. You can also attach some hooks to the back of the case, in case you want to hang the clock on the wall. In this way the clock will not cover up any of the space.

Things to watch out for

  1. 1. The LED Tix clock makes the use of electricity, so make sure the electronic switch is off so that you are safe from any danger which may arise from electricity.
  2. 2. Take care while you wire the various electronics such as LEDs, transistors and Integrated circuits. If you do not wire them properly then it will be difficult to find where the error has occurred.

DIY Ping-Pong ball clock for gaming freaks

Here is one nicely designed DIY clock that all you gaming freaks out there would love to make it the important part of their home decor. Crafted out of 105 spare ping pong balls and almost same number of equivalent number of LEDs, the clock was designed by fellows out there at Hack A Day to inspire you so much so that you would want to make one for your geeky den.

How to do it

The ping-pong ball clock as y’all can see mimics the ones hanging outside the banks. But unlike those clocks, the one talked about here has ping-pong balls as the diffusers on top of a 15×7 matrix of LEDs. The LEDs are pressed into a piece of pegboard, and the display is run by an ATmega168 and a Maxim DS3232 real-time clock that’s connected in a circuit comprising of transistors and wires.

One picture here in the article displays the clock in the off mode while the other one is in lets you know how the clock looks like when turned on. The clock doesn’t look much appealing when turned off but looks visually cool when it is ON. For the geeky gaming freaks out there, the cool ping pong clock would be the ideal inspiration.

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