Fully 3D-Printed 7-Segment “Digital” Clock Driven by 28 Servos

Further blurring the lines between so-called mechanical clocks that physically move under the power of digital circuitry, and true digital clocks that display only characters, this… clock, by O.T Vinta, features 28 segments that move under servo power to form numbers. Each number in the of the four-digit seven-segment display is tilted so that it is fully visible to the observer when needed, then retracted at 90 degrees when it’s supposed to be “off.”

An impressive 28 SG90 servos are employed to accomplish this operation, and the clock’s bolt-together frame is quite large at 580, x 206mm x 50mm (roughly 23" x 8" x 2"). Two Pololu Maestro controllers are used to operate the servos, as the maximum number of channels for this type of device is “only” 24. The clock is managed by a Universal Windows platform application called ServoClock, running on a Raspberry Pi under Windows IoT.

The results — seen in the video below — are quite pleasing, clicking away to show the time like an advanced steampunk display. If you’d like to build your own, detailed instructions as well as print files are available here, though the time needed to print and set everything up would still certainly be a major undertaking!