Pong Arcade Clock

A Pong clock is something I've wanted to make for around a decade. It's a fun Pong demo of two computer player competing. The right player scores every minute, while the left player scores only once an hour. The score tells the current time.

Most variations of the idea feature stiff, unrealistic computer players. They perfect track the ball constantly except when they intend to miss, at which point they avoid it almost to the point of comedy. I spent time watching human players compete in the game and taking notes how how they behaved. Humans overcompensate, estimate and err about where the ball will land, and tend to overshoot when they eventually miss.



I designed a PCB, milled it on my CNC machine, and attached it to an LCD. Incidentally, that's the same display from the old Nokia 5510 phones. They still make these in China where they're cheap and very energy efficient. I would have liked a color display, but the power draw wouldn't support a constantly running clock.


For the enclosure, I designed a miniature arcade cabinet using Fusion 360 and 3d printed it. It took a long time to design to satisfaction, but the aesthetic is totally worth it. It really brings the clock together in a fun way.


Of course, you can't build just one. Most of the work was in the design, so assembling a second one didn't take long.


For added fun, I included some playable games based on Nintendo's Game & Watch series from the 1980s, one of which I owned as a child (thanks, Mom and Dad!). I've recreated both Ball and Vermin as playable games on the miniature arcade. Check out the pong clock and the games in the video below.

Stylish Binary Clock

The geekiest clock that I see with any regularity has to be the binary clock. It's usually just a series of LEDs and it's not uncommon to see commercial USB models on engineers desks at work. For several years I've idly considered building one, but couldn't think of a way to make one that wasn't just ugly.

That changed when I got a 3d printer and laser cutter, opening up a myriad of potential enclosure ideas. A couple years ago, I saw a Kickstarter project that showcased the perfect housing: something that looks so decorative that you'd never know it was a clock!

I purchased a vector file from Etsy and used my CNC software to nest the vectors so they'd use less material. I cut it using my new craigslist find: a laser cutter.




It used roughly a sheet and a quarter and was kind of fun to assemble together! I wouldn't have thought to put pieces together so artistically, so I'm glad I purchased the vectors for this.


I milled a PCB on my CNC machine. I realize now that I've never showcased this process outside of a brief mention on my weather station, so I'll need to remember to go into detail on a future project. The brains are a simple microcontroller, watch crystal, and buttons for setting time/configuration. The windows are covered with vellum paper.


All assembled, it looks great! To the casual observer, it's a cute little house with lights that occasionally change. To the geek, it's also a clock. If I ever make another one, I'll probably paint it before assembling it.


For festive occasions, I added a variety of color combinations: pastels for Easter, reds for Valentines Day, etc. You can see the Christmas and patriotic (July 4th, Flag Day, etc.) displays below. The colors are randomized and sometimes change when you're not looking.




Technical Specs for Geeks
LEDs are a simple WS2812B (IP30) strip cut into pieces.

MCU is a PIC24FV16KA301, which is 5-volt tolerant and supports my PIC24 WS2812B code. Firmware & buttons allow for brightness control, clock calibration (so it runs the right speed), and color schema selection.

Color schemas include

• warm white
• Valentine's (reds/pinks)
• Easter (pastels)
• patriotic (red/white/blue)
• St. Pats (greens)
• Halloween (orange/purple/green)
• Thanksgiving (fall colors)
• Christmas (red/green)
• "unicorn barf" (random colors)

Flip Clock Repair, Cordless Adapter, and More Funny Shirts

It's a mid-year "Odds and Ends" entry, starting with a fun flip clock that my brother gifted me for Christmas a few years back. One of the flip panels broke several months ago. Unfortunately, it's a critical panel--the one that's supposed to prevent the hours from flipping until the minutes wrap from 59 to 00.

I suspect a bad design put continual stress on this panel until the tab broke off. Among all the panels, this one is unique, so I'm not surprised it broke first. It also means I can't just leave it out (the clock would advance from, say, 3:56 to 4:56, then 4:57..4:59 and finally 4:00... ugh!). And I can swap it out for a different panel. Instead, I 3d printed my own and painted it up.


The replacement is actually thinner than the original.



It works great!



Cordless Adapter
While we were repairing fences, my neighbor mentioned (again!) how convenient it would be to have an AC adapter for his cordless tools. He wanted to be able to use them even when all the batteries were dead.

I gutted a dead battery pack, wired in an adapter plug, and purchased an AC adapter with matching specs. Not a big project, but he was very happy with it.



More Funny Shirts
It's been a while since I first made the vinyl cutter or any additional shirts on it. I put together a few designs that I thought would be fun for the family.


The middle shirt is my first attempt at multiple vinyl colors. It came out nicely!


I had hoped to amuse my parents with some of these on our vacation next month, but Coronavirus put a stop to that plan. At least I can wear them during the week as I work from home.