Digital timepiece enlarges, transitions to digital format
Erich Styger's MetaMetaClock V5: A Visual Masterpiece with Enhanced Functionality
Erich Styger, renowned for his innovative creations, has unveiled the latest iteration of his MetaMetaClock - a clock made of clocks that captivates with its intricate design and advanced features. The MetaMetaClock V5, an upgrade from its predecessors, boasts a multitude of improvements, making it more visually striking and functionally superior.
The heart of the MetaMetaClock V5 remains the acrylic light-pipe hands, a feature introduced in version 4, which continue to create the digits based on the orientation of the hands. However, the most significant change comes with the increase in the number of individual clocks from 24 to a staggering 60 clocks, enabling more detailed and complex displays.
Hardware redesign is another key aspect of the MetaMetaClock V5. Larger PCBs now group four dual-shaft stepper motors per microcontroller (NXP LPC845 Cortex M0), a change from each clock having its own modular PCB in previous versions. This redesign reduces the overall parts count but trades off some flexibility.
Communication within the MetaMetaClock V5 occurs via an RS-485 bus network for the microcontrollers. The clock face is now made from a large slab of CNC-cut oak, a departure from the use of veneers in the last version, making this the most aesthetically attractive version yet.
New display possibilities include showing date, time, block letters, arbitrary text, and kaleidoscopic color effects from integrated RGB LEDs on each clock. An open-source design with all relevant files available on GitHub encourages others to add options and functionality.
Additionally, the MetaMetaClock V5 features a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) interface for quick and wireless switching between display modes or setting the time. Future planned features include adding WiFi and a web-based user interface for enhanced control.
In summary, the MetaMetaClock V5 expands the complexity and visual capabilities significantly through more clocks, grouped PCB control, aesthetic material upgrades, RGB illumination, wireless BLE control, and an open-source framework enabling further expansion. Since the MetaMetaClock V5 is open source, anyone who builds one can add more options, potentially allowing for more effects.
The MetaMetaClock V5, with its open-source design, invites gadget enthusiasts and technology aficionados to delve into its intricate workings, using data-and-cloud-computing to enhance its functionality by implementing WiFi and a web-based user interface. This open-source masterpiece, boasting an oak clock face illuminated by integrated RGB LEDs on each of its 60 PCB-controlled clocks, brings a unique blend of data-driven technology and traditional craftsmanship to the world of timekeeping gadgets.
