12h led clock matrix style

thingiverse

My first full 3D printable led clock case, a project still in development. I'm sharing my idea now because I've discovered many useful concepts from fellow users that have inspired me to push forward. I'm currently testing print the design to ensure all parts fit together seamlessly. The top surface will feature six rows of LEDs with sixty lights each, arranged in five columns. Each LED cell will display time information accurately, giving a clear visual representation of the current hour. The clock's electronics, including an ESP8266 module in my case, will be housed outside the casing for enhanced modularity. This design choice allows users to easily switch between different ESP8266 modules or Arduinos as needed. Update 2017-04-03: I've created a proof of concept and successfully printed a test version to verify print quality and LED control functionality. However, I must admit that the green filament isn't ideal for displaying time information, so I'll be sticking with white for now. My daughter loves green, though! Regrettably, the case doesn't snap together as intended due to my subpar soldering skills. To address this issue, I need to adjust the outer border's design where the LED strips are located. Furthermore, the screw holes aren't snug enough and require a diameter of 2.5mm for optimal fitment. Update 2017-04-14: After some much-needed time off, I've updated my models and printed a revised version with several key improvements. White filament has proven to be a far better choice than green for displaying time information. The new design features optimized screw holes for a tighter fit and extra space on the outer border for solder points – a welcome relief for those who struggle with soldering like myself. The clock now displays hours in red, minutes in green, seconds in blue, and AM/PM indicators in a different color. I may tweak the colors further once I've completed more testing. The printing process took 2 hours and 53 minutes for the top/cover, while the body part required 11 hours and 53 minutes to complete. To achieve these results, I used Simplify3D with layer heights of 0.2mm for the front section, 0.1mm for the numbers (approximately 3.2mm thick), and 0.3mm for the rest of the case. My nozzle is a standard 0.4mm. Next steps include tackling the electronic aspect and creating a casing for it. Stay tuned for further updates as I progress!