Monolithic Digital Clock / 7-segment Display Unit

Easy to make, beautiful digital clock with WiFi time acquisition.

- Monolithic structure : It consists of only one functional part (except rear cover) - Monolithic appearance : when power is off, it looks like a marble brick Maximum part size : 200 x 125mm

How to make

You need

- 25 pixels of WS2812B (a.k.a. Neopixel) LED strip, 60 pixels per meter (16.67mm pitch), not covered by waterproof tubes. I used BTF-LIGHTING product (IP30 Non-Waterproof). - ESP32 (ESP-WROOM-32) micro computer (I used 40 x 32mm type) - four 2 x 10mm tapping screws - electric wire, soldering iron - decoration sheet : renovation sticker sheet / wallpaper (woody, marble, cloth, etc.) How to make

- Parts can be printed without support. Print with supplied posture. - Cut LED strip to 7, 7, 1, 7, 3 (correspond to 1min, 10min, colon, 1hour, 10hour respectively) - Re-connect LED strips each other with electric wire (5V, GND, Din / Dout) - Connect LED strips to ESP32 (VCC, GND and GPIO16) - Check all LEDs lit - Stick LED strips to the main body with adhesive tapes. Please see the video carefully. - Set ESP32 to the cover and fix it with tapping screws. - Write program to ESP32 with Arduino IDE. - Stick decoration sheet. FAQ

Q1 : Which color of filament do we use?

A1 : White material might be brighter but it is not sufficiently opaque and light leaks. It degrades the contrast. Please use sufficiently opaque material (or increase the wall count).

Q2 : Why do not you use cheaper ESP-12 (Wemos D1 mini, etc)?

A2 : Wemos D1 mini can not be used in Japan because it is not TELEC compliant, so I select ESP-WROOM-32 based modules.

Q3 : Can I shrink this design to fit into the build table of my 3D printer?

A3 : You can shrink the width of the body slightly (upto 10%, I think). Do not shrink the vertical size because the pitch of LED strip is adjusted.

Q4 : Can I change the color of digits?

A4 : Yes, you can change the color by modifying the code. Please note that the LED draws much current when it is fully lit. More specifically, If all 25 LEDs are lit with full white (255, 255, 255), it consumes 1A (5W).

Tips

I bought some decoration sheet at 1 dollar shop (100yen shop). One is natural wooden sheet (very thin real wood sheet with adhesives). The other is marble like sticker sheet. Both are sufficiently translucent and diffuse.

It would be nice to use your favorite photo as diffuser.

The other idea is to use half mirror with this clock. In this case, stick a copy paper to the whole of backside of the mirror to diffuse the light.

SmartConfig

You can configure the WiFi settings of your ESP32 via smartphone app. Use smatConfig.ino as Arduino sketch.

- ESP32 stores SSID and password in its non-volatile memory. - If previous (memorized) SSID and password do not work, it automatically moves to SmartConfig mode after 30 seconds. The clock shows "SC" (meaning SmartConfig). - Please configure your WiFi using the apps at Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.khoazero123.iot_esptouch_demo&hl=ja≷=US

iOS: https://apps.apple.com/jp/app/espressif-esptouch/id1071176700

acknowledgement: Thanks to airtcp for his advise on SmartConfig.

Discrete units

Multi-purpose single digit and colon units (STL files) are added.

- You can use them for various projects, such as 24hours clock, subscription counter or huge calculator. - You can connect multiple units each other with holes at both sides. Not only screws but also zip ties would work. - Discrete back cover is supplied. The cover for single digit is snap-fit (with hooks). You can use side notches to pass through the cables or zip ties. Back cover for the colon unit has no way to fix, so please use glue. - Use smartConfig24H.ino to flash the code.