Making a Split Flat Display Clock - 3D Printed | Arduino

Whenever I go to the airport or train station, I often see those spit flap screens. I really like them and have always wanted to make one for myself. so i came up with this idea. A Split Flat Display Clock.

1. Stepper Motor with Motor Drivers : Aliexpress/Amazon
2. Arduino Borad : Aliexpress/Amazon
3. Hall Effect Sensor : Aliexpress/Amazon
4. 607 Bearing : Bought from local market
5. Magnets 3*1 mm : Aliexpress/Amazon
6. Magnets 8*3 mm : Aliexpress/Amazon
7. Solering Iron : Aliexpress/Amazon
8. 3D Printer : Aliexpress/Amazon

When I created this project, I was a beginner in 3D design and used Tinkercad. As a result, there may be some imperfections in my design. It has a lot of moving parts.

For 3D printing, I use the Creality Ender 5 and print all the parts with various filament colors.

As this project involves three split-flap displays, I will not demonstrate the making process for each one separately. I will only show the process once because we have to repeat the same process, with minor changes in the number of flaps.

Each unit has its individual stepper motor. I use 28BYJ-48 stepper motors. The installation process is pretty simple: just place the motor in its designated spot and tighten it with two screws.

The Hall Sensor plays a crucial role in this project, providing essential data to the Arduino. It determines which number is currently displayed on the screen, among other functions.

The primary motor gear requires a 3*1mm Neodymium magnet for precise positioning. The magnet interfaces with a hall sensor, enabling the sensor to detect the exact position of the stepper motor.

The flaps are also 3D printed, with each display featuring a different number and size of flap. After printing the flaps, I crafted a base to hold two flaps in the correct position. Then, I applied number stickers made from white vinyl, which I cut using a Cameo 4 plotter.

After applying sticker on all flaps, i install flaps into the crank shaft.

After installing the crank with the main unit, the next step is to align the hall sensor. Here are the steps:

• Remove the middle gear.
• Ensure that the display shows 0, you can spin the flap to 0.
• Align the main gear with the hall sensor, ensuring that the hall sensor faces the magnet.
• Install the middle gear.

The display assembly is complete, and I have also prepared the other displays. The assembly process remains the same, with only minor changes in the crankshaft and the number of flaps.

The bottom plate is also 3D printed. I installed some magnets into the bottom plate as well as on the display unit. You might think it's overengineered, but actually, I did it because I want to remove and install the display unit easily.

Now we can install the display unit onto the bottom plate. Simply align the display unit with the magnets, and it will automatically settle into its place. Ensure that the display is placed in the correct order.

Now, it's time for electronics. For the microcontroller, I'm using an Arduino Nano. Each stepper motor requires its individual motor driver. I want to make this project well-organized, so I've decided to use a custom PCB board. This circuit requires these components:

1. Arduino Nano
2. 3x ULN2003 ic's - i remove them from orignal motor drivers
3. Barrel Jack DC Socket

Now, simply make the connections and upload the codes. After that, install the main board into its designated spot to finish the project.

Codes: https://bit.ly/3G6TGSp

So Finally, the project is complete, it turned out pretty good, im pretty happy with the results. i have attached the working video or you can watch full tutorial video on youtube.

It was a fun project to create, and I learned so many new things while building it. There are a few bugs that can be fixed by tweaking the code. I will continue working on this project and aim to release improved versions in the future.

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