Tron Clock

You’ll never lose track of time with this cool Tron-inspired clock. When you turn on the light on the clock, the face will be illuminated to look like an identity disc. Turn out the lights and this clock will really shine!

You’ll need access to a laser cutter for this project, but the rest of the materials should be easy to acquire. I have attached the laser cut files I used for this project. Here is a list of other items you’ll need:

• Laser cutter
• ¼” Acrylic sheet
• Clock movement
• Flexible LED strip (I got mine at an auto parts store)
• 9V battery + holder (Battery is for the LEDs)
• Soldering iron + solder
• Black paint
• Acrylic-safe glue and/or tape
• (Optional) Heat shrink

This clock’s design is based on the identity disc from Tron: Legacy. I found the clock movement, LED strip, and battery holder I was going to use, and then modeled those in 3D so I could accurately design the clock. It was important for me to get the right dimensions of the actual components I was going to use because I planned on hiding them. I measured the thickness of the LED strip and made a slot slightly wider than that to allow enough clearance. The edges that are going to be illuminated and the slot for the LED strip is all in the back piece of acrylic (clock face). The smaller, front piece that hides the clock movement, LED strip, and battery holder is the face cover that is big enough to hide the components, but smaller than the inner etched ring.

Once you’ve finished modeling your clock, it’s time to cut out the acrylic.

After you’ve 3D (or 2D) modeled your clock face and face cover, you’ll need to export it into a file format that is compatible with a laser cutter. I have attached the .dxf files I used. This Instructable will not cover how to use a laser cutter. I took my files to a local machine shop and they cut the acrylic sheet I provided along with my files.

Next we will add the LED strip. You will need to cut the wires on the LED strip and solder them to your battery holder. My battery holder had an on/off switch so that I could easily turn the lights on and off. Then place the base of the LED strip in the slot that you made in the clock face and cut off any excess. Then remove the adhesive on the LED strip so that you can secure it onto the acrylic.

This step is very simple. Just paint the face cover black so that you won’t see it light up when you turn on the LEDs and so that you won’t be able to see the clock movement, LED strip, and battery holder on the back of the clock. Let the paint dry, add another coat if necessary, and then move onto the next step.

Now that you have all of the pieces, it’s time to put everything together. Glue or tape the face cover to the clock face. Make sure the hands are off of the clock movement and place the shaft through the holes of the clock face and the face cover. Glue/tape the clock movement to the back of the clock face for security. Put the hands on the clock and make sure the front edge of the shaft is secured so the hands won’t fall off. Glue/tape the battery holder just underneath the clock movement. Fold the wires of the LED strip/battery holder and tape them to the back of the clock face so that you won’t be able to see them from the front.

Once everything is secure and hidden, turn on the LED strip and hang the clock on your wall. Turn off the lights to really make the identity disc glow!

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