Pong Matrix Clock Fit for Any Modern Home

What do you get when you cross old-school gaming with a useful timepiece? The Pong Clock, of course! This type of clock, which tells time based on the score of a Pong game played within the mind of an Arduino, was originally conceived of by Nick Hall, but Brett Oliver has taken this project to a new level, enhancing it with several useful features.

Most obviously, Oliver’s version has a very nice housing create from a jewelry box, and uses a display mask to make a very clean and diffused light pattern emanating from the LED matrix inside.

He added a temperature sensor, as well as a PIR unit that allows it to only show numbers when someone is around to see it. Finally, a countdown timer is also included, which sounds an audible alarm when completed. This would be extremely useful if it resides in a kitchen, or it could go next to a treadmill to make sure you get your full workout in!

The resulting build can be seen in the video below. With the new housing and enhanced capabilities, it would fit well in any modern home that would like a small nod to gaming’s past. Aside from Pong, there are a few other display modes, so if you’d like something less distracting you can switch things around as needed.