Harry Potter Wall Clock With L.E.D Strip Lighting

My initial plan was to just repaint my daughters room and study area but discovered that where she sits in her room to study, its a wee bit dark. I was going to get an overhead light and attach it to the wall but couldn't find exactly what I was after without damaging the freshly painted walls. She also needed a clock in her room, which was just going to be a digital one but had an idea to combine both. I'm a freelance 3D printer and do various custom pieces for home and office spaces so why not use it to create a clock and theme that she liked. Of course Harry Potter was the obvious choice!

List of materials used:

Circle piece of 3mm Perspex- cut by a friend of mine

Motion Sensor Detector Light Switch- https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00WU0H0TM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

White LED Strip Lights Kit- https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07DZT4SJC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

HSS Drill and Tap Bits- https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0855QG1Z1/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

M5x8mmx7mm Brass Knurl Thread Inserts- https://www.amazon.co.uk/Faankiton-Knurled-Threaded-Embedment-Printing/dp/B099N4JQCM/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2ECLQHI5Y5KH0&keywords=Precision+Brass+Insert+Female+Thread+Kit+Knurled+Threaded+Nut+for+Daily+Repair+3D+Printing+Proje&qid=1675766240&sprefix=precision+brass+insert+female+thread+kit+knurled+threaded+nut+for+daily+repair+3d+printing+proje%2Caps%2C64&sr=8-1

Assorted Screw Bolts M2 M2.5 M3- https://www.amazon.co.uk/Socket-Screws-Combination-Electrical-Connection/dp/B09TZCK4S3/ref=sr_1_50_sspa?crid=1H3VX4IS609J9&keywords=Assorted+Screw+Bolts+M2+M2.5+M3%2C+600+Pcs+Tiny+Bolts+Allen+Head+Self+Tapping+Set%2CMini+Round+Head+Black+Machine+Screw+With+Screwdriver+For+Repair+Electronics%2CNotebook%2CComputer%2C+Mouse%2C+Keyboard%2CToys+Brand%3A+Lemiyoo&qid=1675766665&s=industrial&sprefix=assorted+screw+bolts+m2+m2.5+m3+600+pcs+tiny+bolts+allen+head+self+tapping+set+mini+round+head+black+machine+screw+with+screwdriver+for+repair+electronics+notebook+computer+mouse+keyboard+toys+brand+lemiyoo%2Cindustrial%2C68&sr=1-50-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGZfbmV4dA&psc=1

Clock mechanism- https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08L4SLWZW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Dremel Multi tool

Soldering Iron

CA Glue and activator

Gorilla Glue

3D Printer- Ultimaker 2+ with Innofil White PLA

My first plan was to use a wood surround for the close as I has loose timber in my shed and was a way of using them up. I had seen a process called Kerfing which is what that guitar makers use to curve acoustic guitar bodies. After a few initial trials, I couldn't get the section cuts precise and fine enough to allow for a proper curve so I reached out to various wood workers who, to my surprise had not heard of this technique before and I had to do alot of explaining on how the process worked, weren't able to help so I ditched that idea and went back to my initial plan of 3D Printing the surround.

I began creating my ideas in Fusion 360 to get exact measurements and layout of how the clock would look. I knew that a Harry Potter theme would be incorporated into the design but I wanted to get the design down first and worry about the aesthetics later.

I had already acquired the Perspex circle from a friend so I had the diameter already set out(500mmx3mm) so I could build on that and put the jigsaw of processes together. Having the physical clock mechanism on me I copied the dimensions of that into Fusion along with all the Thread nuts, L.E.D strip lighting and approximate surround to get my design.

One issue I ran into was how to mount the Perspex to the surround and where to place the light strip. Initially I was going to set the Perspex into the surround via a trench cut in the middle of the surround but instead used that to fix the strip into and just screw the Perspex to the surround with the threaded nuts and bolts.

Once I was happy with my design I sectioned it up for printing. I use Cura to slice and print. My print area isn't big enough to print a full or half circle so I had to section them into 8 pieces and glue them together with gorilla glue and. I had to arrange the nuts and bolts correctly in order to align the holes up, which was abit tricky as you have to calculate the offset of the 3D Printer, which was only 0.175mm off but can upset the alignment of the whole piece.

I drew out a template on carboard of the full clock with 360 angles from a protractor, to align all the various parts of the clocks holes and eventual aesthetics Harry Potter pieces.

I printed the surround with pre-existing holes which were a fraction smaller that the diameter of the threaded nut so that I could use a solder iron to heat the nut which in turn melted some of the outer wall of the pre-exiting holes to allow it to sink into the filament and give a good bond.

I used counter sink drill bits for the perspex holes and clock mechanism.

The LED strip was placed inside the trench which runs along the print and lead is run out the bottom hole, all predesigned in Fusion360.

For the aesthetics side of the clock, my daughter wanted a Harry Potter theme but wasn't sure what she wanted. I liked the Marauder`s Map aspect of the movie. Working in Adobe Illustrator and InDesign, I created a design using foot prints for the minutes and used Harry Potter typography for the hours.

The obvious solution for the hands was the wands used in the movie, Dumbledore and Harrys.

Once I had all the pieces printed, I assembled the clock using the cardboard template to ensure everything was aligned.

Using the CA glue instead of superglue to stick all the printed pieces. Superglue leaves a frosty residue from the fumes on perspex, so best to use CA.

Fixing the clock to the wall was the next step but I didn't want to damage the wall with a hook or put sticky tape up. I designed a wall holder for the clock which would slip into the bracket but still look tidy whenever the clock had to come down.

Final step was to have the clock light up whenever it was needed instead of having it on constantly. I attached a motion sensor to the lead which already had an accommodation for one. This allowed my daughter to turn it on whenever she walked past it.

I hope you enjoyed reading this project as much as I did making it.