LED glass clock with ESP8266 and LED SK6812 mini-E

ArturAVS wrote:

Instead of a grinder, a 1000 -2000 "water" paper will work better, especially as if you press a little, the glass will break.

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You should be able to sand wet. But if you don't have what you like....
2000 paper is probably a bit overkill.... Maybe preparation for polishing.
Here sanding with an angle grinder (not too high speed). Paper 120 (I don't have any other paper at the moment). It looks quite coarse. But the edge is safe and does not cut. All the more so because in this design you can't see it.
I think 240 paper would be enough to make it look better.

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Very cool watch. I would love to make one myself, as Nixie prices are high.
As for test tubes, haven't you thought about plastic ones? Definitely easier to process and the temperatures there are not so high that something could happen.

Best regards,
A.

I have not had plastic tubes in my hand. It is difficult for me to judge. I have had bad experiences with market plexiglass. In spite of all protection during processing and even later during use (wiping with a cloth), micro scratches appear. Perhaps the test tubes are made of better plastic.
When cutting and machining my first glass test tube, I also had my doubts about whether I could handle it (I had never done it). But now I know that it is really nothing terrible.
Well, and in conclusion, glass will always have that glassy glow.
As the Christmas/New Year frenzy passes, I will try to complete the article with more detailed information on watch construction and glass treatment.

efi222 wrote:

I have not had plastic tubes in my hand. It is difficult for me to judge. I have had bad experiences with market plexiglass. In spite of all protection during processing and even later during use (wiping with a cloth) micro scratches appear. Perhaps the test tubes are made of better plastic.

I had and there should even be some plastic ones lying around in a drawer somewhere. However, I have not tried to use them for such a purpose as a colleague, maybe one day.
As for scratches, I can't comment as I haven't tested it, but maybe it would be possible to polish it?

efi222 wrote:

When cutting and machining my first glass tube, I also had doubts about whether I could handle it (I've never done it). But now I know that it's really nothing scary.

I have a very similar diamond disc as a colleague. I haven't cut glass with it, but it goes into PCB laminate almost like butter, I've also cut aluminium and brass angles and I know they can do the job. With glass I would be concerned about chipping and that it might simply break.

efi222 wrote:

Well, in conclusion, glass will always have that glass shine.

Fact .

efi222 wrote:

As the Christmas/New Year frenzy passes, I will try to supplement the article with more detailed information on the watch construction and glass treatment.

Glass machining would interest me, the rest too, but I don't have a 3D printer, so I'm unlikely to realise such a watch for myself any time soon anyway.
Merry Christmas.

Greetings,
A.

Very cool design. Ideas for making an interesting clock abound. Such as this one, which mimics various 'displays' on an oled. .

The price of this watch $100. Asian friends offer similar designs cheaper (but on LCD, I think).

The cut glass does not need to be ground, it can be nicely doused in the flame of a gas burner, even on a gas cooker.
Approach the glass to the flame slowly, turning to heat the entire circumference fairly evenly and gradually, otherwise it will crack.
And getting closer and closer to the flame, the glass will redden at the ends and melt nicely. Keep turning all the time. Cool so as not to expose to draught.

You could try to stuff 128x32 OLEDs with SSD1306 into the test tubes.... I'm just not sure if the existing libraries allow 90 degree rotated display.

The popular 128x32 0.91" oled should theoretically fit into a 16 mm diameter colon tube.
I wonder how the durability of these displays is.

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I don't have any experience myself, but I know that things can be different with OLEDs and a lot of people complain about the low longevity.

Regards,
A.

Well. Clock devices, however, work 24/24.
TFT remains as an option, but the effect will be worse. Although I may be wrong.

As for cutting glass tubes, there is also a baaavery old method..... Wrap the cutting area with twine/cotton thread, soak in spirit/denatured alcohol, light the thread, put in cold water. With a little dexterity it breaks evenly. Then just stone/waterpaper and wet sand the sharp edges by hand.... 65 years ago I saw them making undersized (height) glasses for oil lamps/flashlights in the countryside this way.

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Olkus wrote:

... with OLEDs it can be different and very many people complain about poor durability.

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Here are some reviews of a cheap OLED display
https://www.elektroda.pl/rtvforum/topic4078363.html#21244576

I have added a more detailed description of the construction in the first post.
Greetings .

>>21357480 I can't believe I found such detailed instructions. From now on my desk is adorned with this clock, my eyes cannot get enough of it

In 2003 I finished my primitive work with displays. I found info on alphanumeric NIXIE and scans of how these displays work. http://mtvk.pl/tremolo/literki/a.gif managed to dump this from a GIF file.
If you change the 'a' to something else, it changes. In principle it would be sufficient to display the files on a screen tucked away in the banana.
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It looks like seven segments. But the picture is very small. Is this a NIXIE lamp?
A.. I understand to display these gifs on a small LCD display for example.

Such a final idea .If someone is annoyed by the seams on the printout of the tube plinths, a cap can be made. Print in vase mode.
May also be useful for other such round solids.
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At the beginning of the article I lamented the lack of tubes with a diameter larger than 25mm. In the new version of the slides I have trimmed from the so-called 'Edison bulb' 30mm diameter tubes. They are a little more difficult to cut as the wall thickness is about 1mm. It takes a bit of skill and a slightly different approach than cutting a tube with a thicker wall.
I also added extra illumination to the slides (nice ambience in the dark and beyond). The whole structure is now 220 x 120 x 48 mm.

It looks very nice.

efi222 wrote:

I was bemoaning the lack of tubes larger than 25mm in diameter

Let's move on. Perhaps in the role of "test tubes" , use the bulbs from typical high-powered "soda" tubes with E40 threads?

These bulbs from 30mm bulbs already look nice, but a colleague made me curious. So 'by eye' this bulb from a sodium bulb might be 45mm.

I'll try to get some used ones.

efi222 wrote:

So "by eye" this sodium bulb might be 45mm.

Slightly larger, 1000 W.



I'll ask my UR colleagues of a certain company, they have some ~100kw/pc light towers there. Maybe those will be there.

Super!
I was just wondering where to hit for used ones. Because a new one costs a few tens of zloty.
65mm diameter is a fat deal😁. 45mm would be nice already too.

65mm diameter - it's probably cheaper and easier to .... jam jars apply

efi222 wrote:

where to hit for used ones

A dozen years ago, when I was working in UR myself, I used to exchange (various) cardboard boxes and dispose of the damaged ones. Now the problem. Some colleagues have changed jobs/facilities, some have emigrated.... I should have some info by the end of the week. Buying new ones is pointless. And as if they pass the test at your place, it's recycling full steam and looks nice . Maybe ask @Łukasz-O some more , maybe he has some access....

bsw wrote:

it's probably cheaper and easier.... jam jars apply

I don't think you notice the aesthetic difference....

Apparently only a 5mm difference in diameter, but visually there is quite a difference.

efi222 wrote:

Apparently only 5mm difference in diameter

The larger ones look "more solid". Overall the effect is great.

The larger ones similar in size to the EL34

You write about liquid silicone. Can you write what specifically you use to smooth out the 3D print?