Although the cutoff for saying ‘Happy New Year’ is somewhere around today, there’s still plenty of time to reminisce about 2022 and all that we accomplished. Hackaday alum [Jeremy Cook] spent much of last year designing and building a triple-zone PCB clock, dubbed the 742 clock. It is called so because of all the 7-segments, and then 42 from the height in millimeters of each PCB. Also because it’s 24 backwards, and if we may be so bold, because 42.
If this looks familiar, it’s because we covered the single-panel version a few months ago. Much like that one, the triple time zone clock is controlled by a single Wemos D1 mini, and the other two panels are chained to the primary board. This version has a frame made of 20/20 extrusion with nice 3D printed caps on the ends to finish off the look.
As with the single-panel clock, this one uses bared-FR4 PCBs to diffuse the LEDs, and the effect looks really nice. We particularly like the capacitive corners that control the clock and the colors, which change throughout the day when left to their own devices. Be sure to check out the build video after the break.
Are you really into LEDs? Consider building a Berlin clock.
Very cool clock! you could add time zone info to the random dot area…
Thanks so much for the writeup Kristina!
While i enjoy this page very much i never understood why it is so focused on clocks. What is the point seriously? Why is everybody and their dog building clocks. I understand this is me being dump and also this is nice work well done, again. Maybe this is some sort of master class i never got the hang off. Now excuse me while i go on playing with my dear stones.
Exercise of skills, and a finite species fascination with time.
“…an utterly insignificant little blue-green planet whose ape-descended life forms are so amazingly primitive that they still think digital watches are a pretty neat idea.” -Douglas Adams
What Ostracus said and I’d like to add, because you can always use a clock or give it as a gift so it’s at least a bit more of an everyday practical end object than many projects.
With that many digits it’s a crime against horology to not make it display ISO 8601 format.
We’ll have to add another display if they put the US on constant daylight wasting time. Former time zone, and imposed time zone. If they do I’ll go full time GMT.
“the cutoff for saying ‘Happy New Year’ is somewhere around today”
I can think of over a billion people who might disagree with you on that, but it’s still a neat clock.