Art Deco Flip Clock (Bioshock)

thingiverse

I'm not going to 3D print an entire mechanism. This is an Art Deco Bioshock-inspired flip clock that uses thrift shop-purchased Sony clock internals. If you've ever disassembled such a clock, you know there are no electronics involved; it's purely a 110V synchronous motor timed by the 60Hz AC frequency and a multitude of gears. The mechanism is actually quite awesome and only improves with time - our 60Hz is precise, unlike those from yesteryears. If your motor doesn't turn freely, it's probably full of dust. Don't put any oil in it; just dip it in alcohol for ten minutes or an hour, and it'll run like new. Look on YouTube; many people are reviving these things. Or you can simply get one that works right away - like I did. I paid $3.99 for the entire Sony clock radio at Value Village. This is a nice craft project that requires only a few screws and some glue. It's a two-color assembly printed on a single-color printer where different colored inserts snap together, and the stripes are simply glued into place. The glass is a flexible magnifier from a dollar store; it looks magical. Also, take a look at how to orient the pieces on the bed - there are a few that require support, like the bottom and one of the sides. To save time, I printed the bottom with multiple processes, not even printing the underside solid but leaving the honeycomb with only solid-printed washers for screws as a second process. Look at the pictures for proper orientation on the bed - some items matter. For attaching parts together, I found that a hot glue gun works great. Similarly, the cable connectors are hot-glued inside a "firewall" box. Two amber LED lights were added inside with some amber foil over them to diffuse the light. There's no transformer for the LEDs inside; just a second cable with a small wall adapter from the back. The clock mechanism was stripped of all switches or any parts non-essential to the clock itself. The knob for setting time - you'll need to re-drill the hole with a 7/64 drill bit (2.7mm) or a #36 gauge bit, and it will fit tightly. I didn't want to gamble, so I made it smaller. The original design had white highlights on the opening window, but I decided against them for a sharper look. The white is printed with glow-in-the-dark filament. The clock is very precise; it's a great mechanical wonder.