James Cox's DIGIduino Is a 3D-Printable, Arduino-Compatible, Microchip ATmega328P-Powered Wristwatch
With a Microchip ATmega328P and a real-time clock, this watch ticks the time away on seven-segment LEDs — or runs your own sketch.
Engineer and watch collector James Cox has launched a crowdfunding campaign for a digital wristwatch with a difference: it's 3D-printed and powered by an Arduino-compatible microcontroller.
"In January 2024, I launched 'The Printable Watch.' The Printable Watch (TPW) was born out of challenge to 3D-print a usable and functional wristwatch," Cox explains. "I have been a long term watch collector and engineer, [and] TPW has become a side project of mine. Since starting I have developed, automatic, quartz, and chronographs. The last feat was to build a digital watch. I set myself a challenge to develop a digital watch movement, based on the Arduino platform, that could be used with a 3D printed case."
The result is the DIGIduino, a circular circuit board powered by a Microchip ATmega328P eight-bit microcontroller — the same as you'll find the Arduino UNO R3, and fully compatible with the Arduino IDE and wider Arduino ecosystem. There's a real-time clock (RTC) chip, naturally, and four push-buttons at the sides to provide a user interface — and the time is read out on a classic seven-segment four-digital LED display. The housing, meanwhile, is 3D-printed, as you'd expect from a project dubbing itself The Printable Watch, and includes space for a CR2032 coin-cell battery.
"I want DIGIduino to be accessible to all of the DIY community, from enthusiasts with no programming or 3D-printing experience, up to those (like me) who have both," Cox claims. "The kits will be supplied with a pre-programmed digital watch movement that will run a basic watch program. You will have access to the code on the watch and be able to modify and upload new sketches, maybe creating new functions specific to you! You might want to track the moon phases, create a D&D dice, or an espresso timer!"
Cox is crowdfunding production of the DIGIduino on Kickstarter, with physical rewards starting at £22 for "early bird" backers of the bare movement on its own rising to £55 for the "Full Kit" which includes movement, resin-printed case, silicone strap, glass, screws, and a programming shield and connecting cable — mandatory if you want to replace the stock firmware. All hardware is expected to ship in June or July this year, the maker says.
