Freeform Circuit Sculpture Does Double Duty as a Calculator and Clock

Inspired by Mohit Bhoite’s freeform circuits, “dennis1a4” decided to have a go at this sort of sculpture. What he decided on as a “fun but not overly complex” project was a binary calculator, a mix of nerdy fun and usefulness. As with many projects however, feature creep took hold, and this build instead became a dual-function calculator and clock, giving it a purpose when on display.

After quite a bit of work – certainly more than was originally intended – the calc/clock shows digits on two rows of eight red LEDs. These are driven by a TLC5928 IC in an SSOP package, which is impressively soldered into place and suspended by its leads. An MCP7940 RTC module provides timing, while an ATmega328P microcontroller is tasked with overall control.

The base of the device is CNC-cut out maple, with six cherry key caps cut out of maple for user input. A battery from an old Nokia phone is concealed within this wooden section, which powers the unit when lifted off of its stand. A pair of pins protrude from the stand for charging, and a bell jar sits on top to protect it from dust and frame things nicely.

It’s a beautiful build that should be useful and interesting in more ways than one!