Once the enclosure dries, glue the clock face (the plexiglas and vinyl part) to the baffles using clear silicone. I found the contact cement wasn't exactly friends with the foam inside the foam board so try and avoid getting glue on it. Using contact cement, I glued all of the foam board pieces together and re-enforced the enclosure using bits of additional foam board. I love that stuff!įinal assembly is fairly straightforward. Trial fit the clock face to the grid using tape.Chase the air pockets out from between the film and the vinyl.Just like the vinyl, you probably should use some sort of soapy solution during the application process.Add the diffuser (privacy film) by laying it on top of the vinyl.Chase the air pockets out from between the plexiglas and vinyl (use some sort of soapy solution to make this part easier).Be sure to use a bit of soapy water and a squeegee to push out as many air bubbles as possible when applying the vinyl to the plexiglas. ![]() Affix the vinyl cutout to the plexiglas.Remove the protective film from one side of the plexiglas.Glass | Plexiglas | Vinyl | Diffuser | Baffles | LEDs | Foam Board | Electronics | Shadowbox back Once assembled, the clock layers look like this (front to back): Then add a single sheet of privacy film over the vinyl. The result was to cut out the vinyl letter grid in revers. I've tested a few different layering styles to cut down on light bleeding and provide good light diffusion. The privacy film works great as a diffuser. I found the big box home improvement stores carried small 11 by 14 inch sheets of Plexiglas, as well as rolls of privacy film. The face of the clock, inside the glass, is put together using a sheet of clear plexiglas, the vinyl cutout, and a diffuser. Trial fit and center the grid square in your shadowbox, using bits of poster board as shims.Tape or glue the poster board strips around the grid backing, creating a nice square.Wrap the leads from the LED strip around the grid backing.Cut out four 1 1/2 inch strips from the thick poster board.Attach one stack to the back of the grid at the top and bottom.Tape or glue two stacks of these strips, four to each stack.Cut out eight 9 1/4 by 1 inch strips from the same quarter inch foam board as the grid backing.I used a few thick poster board bits as shims to center the grid. Once you have the enclosure assembled, it's time for a trial fit inside the shadowbox. Prior to final assembly, I used contact cement to make everything solidly bound together. For the initial assembly I taped everything together. The sides of the enclosure are built using thick poster board and used to frame in the grid. I cut out a little hole in the side board to prevent the side from bowing. You can see in the photo above where the three wires from the LED strip wrap around to the back. This allows you to disassemble the components, if needed. The electronic components are attached using the Velcro command strips. This creates an area behind the grid to mount the Arduino and project board containing the RTC. If you're using the same 10 x 10 shadowbox, use four 9 1/4 inch by 1 inch strips for the top and another four for the bottom. Starting with the back of the board where your LED strips are mounted, add a few strips on the top and bottom. The base of the Word Clock is built primarily using foam core board and double-sided tape. Once you have the code and base electronics working, it's time to start building the clock enclosure. Once you have your circuit built and functional, transfer the same simple wiring over to a single-sided circuit board. For testing and prototyping, I suggest using a breadboard. ![]() Wire up the Arduino to the Real Time Clock, buttons, and LED strip, based on the diagram above.For even power distribution, I ended up running a second set of power leads, reconnecting them half way up the LED strip.Solder the grid together, zig-zagging your way from one end to the other, based on the flow indicators on the LED strip.Solder a 1000 ♟ capacitor between the positive and ground leads on the LED strip. ![]()
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