Educational Clock

thingiverse

My son has been struggling to learn how to read an analog clock correctly. The design of most clocks separates the hour and minute scales, with the short arm pointing to the hour scale and the long arm pointing to the minute scale. This makes it easier for him to understand. This educational aid is designed to help my son practice telling time. The gears implement a 1:12 gear ratio, which represents the relationship between the hour and minute hands. I printed this model using a dual head extruder just for fun, but you don't need one to print it. To assemble this clock, you will need to print three separate parts: * You can either print the clock face in two colors by importing the EduClock_face.stl and EduClock_face_emboss.stl models and merging them, or simply print the EduClock_face.stl model in a single color. * The EduClock_arms.stl model contains a priming tower that slows down the print to ensure that the thin 3mm shaft of the minute hand is printed correctly. * The EduClock_gears.stl model contains the 32, 10, 8/30 teeth spur gears and the gear stay. Before assembling the clock, use a small utility knife to remove any sharp edges or blobs of filament from the prints. Make sure that all components fit together without forcing them, and if necessary, use a drill bit or file to clean the holes for proper assembly. Once you have tested that all parts assemble correctly, you will need to glue some of the parts together to make the assembly permanent. I use super glue with PLA parts, but be careful not to spill glue in the wrong place! Use only the smallest amount of glue required. To glue the clock together, follow these steps: 1. Glue the Hour arm to the 32 teeth spur gear, making sure that the chamfered edge points away from the clock face. 2. Glue the Minute arm to the 10 teeth spur gear, being careful not to glue any of the minute components to the hour components. 3. Make sure that the gears are aligned properly so that the minute and hour hands can both align at 12, then glue the gear stay into place. Please let me know if you make one or find this useful!