The 3D-Printed Flip-Clock Looks Old, Packs New Features
This Raspberry Pi-controlled device includes automatic time adjustment, weather forecasts, FM radio, and Spotify playback.
Flip clocks are something of an older technology, but are still available to purchase without much hassle. If, however, you want something that’s all your own, with exactly the features you want, you may have to go a little further — like this custom clock from hacker ‘iz2k.’
His device is powered by a Raspberry Pi 3A+ with a custom driver board. It includes automatic time adjustment, weather forecasting via an icon flap, FM radio, and Spotify playback. Flaps are painted with custom stencils, and user interface is provided by two rotary encoders. Amazingly, nearly the entire structure, gears, input knobs and even the flaps are 3D-printed. If you want to duplicate it, a shopping list of STLs can be found here.
Notably, it has an actual FM radio, using an SDR dongle as a tuner as well as a physical antenna. Audio plays through an Adafruit I2S Stereo Speaker Bonnet, along with a pair of corresponding speakers. A snooze bar is also implemented with a couple of tactile button switches below, and is used to either stop the alarm or shine a nightlight via RGBW strips.
Check it out on display in the video below. You can see it scrolling through different functions, responding to user input with light and audio feedback in Spanish.