Scope Clock Due

Scope Clock Due

Introduction

What makes this type of clock special is how the image is created. Many other scope clocks (including my own scope clock 1) use a pair of DACs to drive the CRT deflection amplifiers directly. Objects (lines, circles, arcs) are created by varying the DAC output in steps to move the beam about. Such displays can be "pixelated" in appearance - straight lines can appear with "jaggies". This design uses sine and cosine signals applied to the deflection amplifiers to generate a completely smooth and round circle (lines, arcs, ovals are generated in a similar manner). Such a display technique creates objects with no digital effects, pixelation, jaggies etc.

This page and its documentation describes a scope clock fully built, cased and finished. It is a fully open design and open source all released under a Creative Commons ShareAlike 4.0 International license. All of the mechanical drawings are provided for the laser cut acrylic and 3D printed parts, PCB files as Eagle schematics, layouts and Gerbers are in the documentation. The complete C source code for the three microcontrollers used is below (all compiled using the free GCC compiler).

So you can roll your own entirely or you can buy a complete kit or a fully assembled clock - all described below or in the documentation.

The base (or reference) design uses a Brimar D10-230 CRT (which I did provide as part of the full kit but I have now sold out, other CRTs are being prepared for sale). The documentation describes how other CRTs, that operate within the voltage range of the design, may be used.

Quick Links

• Introduction
• Preview
• Movies
• Case
• Documentation
• Kits
• Contact Me

Preview

These clock, date, information and other faces are a fraction of what are available. These photographs are of course static images and don't show the dynamic nature of many of the clock faces. A movie about the clock showing clock faces in motion is below.

Hover the mouse over an image to see more information

Analogue Clocks

Analogue Clock Faces with a pendulum

See also one of the Klingon clocks below.

Unusual Analogue Clock Faces

Notice that the pie wedges have hidden lines suppressed as one hand passes "in front" or "behind" another.

Digital Clocks

Date Indicators

The clock knows week day names and month names in 14 languages (so far). Characters with diacritics will be displayed correctly as shown here.

Examples of characters with diacritics.

This clock face shows the time in three different time zones with two different daylight saving rules. Handy to keep track of those distant relatives.

Arithmetic Clocks

Inspired by Mengenlehreuhr (set theory clock) in Berlin

Fictional Characters

Klingon

Predator

Inspired by the clock near the end of the film. The scope clock version counts forwards and not down and the clock will not explode when shown.

Elvish

These Elvish characters are in Tengwar in the Sindarin mode. Numbering is in base 12 and is read right to left.

Unusual Faces

More information on the a-scope or a-display radar is here.

More "information" on tennis is here, about 20 seconds from the start:

Inspired, not by the Matrix Movie, but by the 1995 Ghost in the Shell Movie titles, about 17 seconds in and repeats (enjoy).

Domino Faced

Inspired by a clock by Charles Rennie Mackintosh in Glasgow's Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum

Game of Life

Lissajous Figures

The clock can display static Lissajous figures as part of any clock face. A few examples are shown elsewhere on this page. But the clock can also display dynamic moving or rotating Lissajous figures by themselves. The frequency of the X and Y channels can be independently selected as can the waveform - sine or triangular.

Dekatrons

Using a cathode ray tube to draw a dekatron - whatever next?

Just for fun

The "eye" is controlled by the PIR sensor - when it detects motion the eye opens and a chime sounds.

Currently there are four letter word dictionaries in British English, American English and French.

Technical

GPS Information

Sensors

Movies

Case Design

Everyone will have their own ideas for what the clock could look like! A simple acrylic case comprising a chassis (available as a kit) and a dust cover (available from a 3^rd party supplier) is available.

Documentation

You should look in the "/CRT Projects/Scope Clock Due - Volume I" folder.

Kits

Complete Kit sans CRT

Main Board Kit

Complete with a programmed Arduino Due and programmed ATMEGA328P slave microcontroller:

All parts individually bagged, identified with value and part number:

Optionally, the SMD parts will be fitted for you (I have a solder paste stencil and a toaster reflow oven):

Deflection Amplifier Kit

Customised to suit your CRT if different to a D10-230:

PSU Kit

Again customised to suit your CRT if different to a D10-230:

Minimum Kit

Just the custom wound flyback transformer…

…and the three PCBs completely bare

NOS Brimar D10-230 CRT

D10-230 CRTs have sold out!

A 100mm diameter CRT, about 85mm usable diameter, available with either a P7 (blue short, yellow/green long) or P31 (medium green) phosphor. The tube comes with a B14G CRT base kit using laser cut acrylic components:

Although the D10-230 CRT has now sold out, I am currently preparing a number of other CRTs for sale with the Scope Clock Due and have photographs and movies of them in operation. All CRTs will be sold including a base and, if appropriate, a PDA connector. All CRTs are NOS. I will adapt the acrylic chassis and dust cover designs for the different tube sizes.

D10-230 CRTs have sold out!

Options!

The prices of Scope Clock Due kits are here.

Shipping

Shipping details are here.

Contact

Please contact me with any questions!