How cool is this ....

Author Message
Volhout
Guru

Joined: 05/03/2018
Location: Netherlands
Posts: 4809
Posted: 03:47pm 11 Mar 2025      

Magnetic ball clock....

clock

Volhout
PicomiteVGA PETSCII ROBOTS
Mixtel90

Guru

Joined: 05/10/2019
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 7440
Posted: 04:36pm 11 Mar 2025      

How dare you...
I ended up watching Ripping Yarns too!
The Testing of Eric Olthwaite
;)


(Brilliant clock!)
PeteCotton

Guru

Joined: 13/08/2020
Location: Canada
Posts: 522
Posted: 05:15pm 11 Mar 2025      

Fantastic!
bigmik

Guru

Joined: 20/06/2011
Location: Australia
Posts: 2942
Posted: 11:18pm 11 Mar 2025      

Nice one Volhout,

I am struggling to figure out how they did it.

The bottom section appears to have indents over the 7 segment area but no balls in them but a row of spare balls can be seen along the bottom in front of these indents.

I guess they have a small but powerful electro magnet on the top section for each pixel.

Hmm I need to ponder this whilst I am curing the world of all diseases and wars,

Regards,

Mick



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Volhout
Guru

Joined: 05/03/2018
Location: Netherlands
Posts: 4809
Posted: 02:00am 12 Mar 2025      

Hi BigMik,

I've given it a thought as well.

1/ The top section could be all passive. For every pixel a 3mm round permanent magnet.
The bottom section has (for each digit segment) a rotating gutter, that holds the balls up (so they stick to the magnet) or scrapes the balls from the magnetic surface, and keeps them in the bottom section.

2/ The top section could have a system as in 1, that brings the 3mm magnets to the surface of the top section - or - pulls them away from the surface (so the balls don't stick). This could be based on small RC servo's, each driving a digit segment worth of magnets (28 servo's...that uses power). Then the bottom could be all passive.

But yes, they could all be electromagnets counteracting permanent magnets (so you only need short -pulse when to drop a ball, +pulse when to attract a ball).

Volhout
Volhout
Guru

Joined: 05/03/2018
Location: Netherlands
Posts: 4809
Posted: 11:47am 12 Mar 2025      

I found it...

arduino page

Volhout
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Volhout
Guru

Joined: 05/03/2018
Location: Netherlands
Posts: 4809
Posted: 07:07am 13 Mar 2025      

Some people have a strange kind of humor...

For all that doubt: this is an alarm clock .
Must be quite an experience, to wake up besides this..



Volhout
Mixtel90

Guru

Joined: 05/10/2019
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 7440
Posted: 07:43am 13 Mar 2025      







:)
Edited 2025-03-13 17:45 by Mixtel90