LED "Ball" clock

thingiverse

I built a Ball Clock originally from 3Dadicto (https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4786491). It worked great with the many design changes, but was too noisy. I used a Raspberry Pi Pico to drive the stepping motor at exactly 1 rpm, which was a challenge in itself since the process time plays a large role in accuracy with ~ 7.4 uSec delay per line of code, and running with an output of 53 Hz, the loss was noticeable. So… I built an LED equivalent using the Python programming to do the adding the physical ball mechanism accomplished. The timing loop is only 1 cycle per minute with only 8 lines, so a 941 uSec pause was need in the program. It is all shared in the attached document “LED "Ball" clock.docx” . The box and face are printed in PLA with a color change for the digits. There is also an aligning part to glue (super glue) the face frame to the face. Also included is an LED removal tool – so you can support the back side to tap a failed Led out. This is needed because the 38 LEDs tend to sometimes have one or two failures. The face is not as tight a fit as needed, so I used a 5-minute epoxy “paint” on the outer edge of the face support. I use a little methanol to liquefy the mixture prior to painting on. Be sure to let it fully harden (a day or so) so it does not stick the parts permanently together. You want the face to fit tight enough to stay put, but be removable if needed. You could CAD in screw holders if you want to. I used clear LEDs that are too bright, so I list Warm White, which would look better. Parts needed: • Warm White 5 mm LED’s: https://www.amazon.com/EDGELEC-Diffused-Resistors-Included-Emitting/dp/B0785DLY5J/ref=sr_1_4?crid=7G3PQS3RQEMV&keywords=frosted+white+5+mm+led&qid=1662305383&sprefix=frosted+white+5+mm+led,aps,69&sr=8-4 • Ribbon wire: https://www.amazon.com/EDGELEC-Diffused-Resistors-Included-Emitting/dp/B0785DLY5J/ref=sr_1_4?crid=7G3PQS3RQEMV&keywords=frosted+white+5+mm+led&qid=1662305383&sprefix=frosted+white+5+mm+led,aps,69&sr=8-4 • Blank circuit board: https://www.amazon.com/EDGELEC-Diffused-Resistors-Included-Emitting/dp/B0785DLY5J/ref=sr_1_4?crid=7G3PQS3RQEMV&keywords=frosted+white+5+mm+led&qid=1662305383&sprefix=frosted+white+5+mm+led,aps,69&sr=8-4 • Raspberry Pi Pico: https://www.amazon.com/EDGELEC-Diffused-Resistors-Included-Emitting/dp/B0785DLY5J/ref=sr_1_4?crid=7G3PQS3RQEMV&keywords=frosted+white+5+mm+led&qid=1662305383&sprefix=frosted+white+5+mm+led,aps,69&sr=8-4 • 4017 Decade counter chip: https://www.amazon.com/EDGELEC-Diffused-Resistors-Included-Emitting/dp/B0785DLY5J/ref=sr_1_4?crid=7G3PQS3RQEMV&keywords=frosted+white+5+mm+led&qid=1662305383&sprefix=frosted+white+5+mm+led,aps,69&sr=8-4 • 12-Volt to 5-Volt converter: https://www.amazon.com/EDGELEC-Diffused-Resistors-Included-Emitting/dp/B0785DLY5J/ref=sr_1_4?crid=7G3PQS3RQEMV&keywords=frosted+white+5+mm+led&qid=1662305383&sprefix=frosted+white+5+mm+led,aps,69&sr=8-4 • 12 VDC power cord: https://www.amazon.com/EDGELEC-Diffused-Resistors-Included-Emitting/dp/B0785DLY5J/ref=sr_1_4?crid=7G3PQS3RQEMV&keywords=frosted+white+5+mm+led&qid=1662305383&sprefix=frosted+white+5+mm+led,aps,69&sr=8-4 • Miscellaneous hook-up wire • Solder and soldering iron