Digital Clocks

[paul_blakely]

I am part of a production team for José Rivera's Cloud Tectonics which will be opening in March. I am the lighting designer, but, being the most knowledgeable about these things, this problem will most likely become mine. At the beginning of the play, the clocks on all appliances (Stove, Microwave, VCR, etc.) are supposed to say 8:05. As a character enters the room, they are all to shut off and begin blinking 12:00. This part is easy, cut power and restore it. The part that will be difficult is that at the end of the play, the clocks are supposed to stop blinking 12:00 and resume time at 8:06. Now, I know I could open up the appliances and access the 7 segment displays manually, but I don't really have the time or the circuitry available to me for that. Can any of you clever folks here offer some advice about how to do this?

 

Thank you so much in advance,

Paul Blakely

[david.elsbury]

Are the audience even going to be close enough to *see* the displays??

[back_ache]

I would gut the existing appliances and put in my own display board.

 

The electronics are easy (especially as the audience will be expecting the appliances to have a cable coming out the back) and by being able to choose your own display you can be sure it is bright and clear enough to be seen by the audience.

[Junior8]

Are the audience even going to be close enough to *see* the displays??

 

That was my thought too. If they aren't and the clock effect is crucial to the piece why not take Back-Ache's advice but instead of gutting the appliances build a large prop trick digital clock to go on the set wall? Other than that I can't think of an easy, or at least quick, way round it.

[boatman]

Either buy or hire some sort of LED message display and build it into a prop clock. Then you should be able to control it via RS232 from a laptop. Maplins or CPC should have something useful, but Scanlite seem to be specialists in this area.

[TomHoward]

Considering that you only want three different times displayed, is there any need to build a control board? Just power the appropriate segments directly.

 

Option one:Have a common and three power ins for the three different segment arrangements.

 

Option two: Power the unit up for the blinking 12:00 and have two feeds directly to the display segments for 8:05 and 8:06.

 

Option three: Set the unit to 8:05 at the top of the play, power up & down to get blinking 12:00, then cut the power & light up 8:06 directly, requiring only one modification.

 

Also, there's only one segment different between 8:05 and 8:06, if you can figure out a way to use that to your advantage.

[Jivemaster]

Rip the appliance works out, replace the display with an LED one that you can control. Using lots of diodes rig one input for the first time, another for 1200 and another for the second time. Use big displays and lots of current or the feeble light in small size will be lost to all. Now if you can get a 2" display wall clock and do the works with that too THEN the audience might notice it

[paul_blakely]

I'm not too concerned about the audience noticing the effect, it is done at a point in the play where the script reads "The only light visible is the glow from the clocks on the appliances," so the clocks beginning to blink should be very noticeable. Thanks for pointing out the fact that only one segment is different between 8:05 and 8:06, it should help a bunch. If I make a circuit to crate 8:05, it should be a matter of inserting a switch to power that one extra segment.

 

I'll be bringing these ideas up at a production meeting today, thanks for all the input.

[Jamtastic3]

Ok looking at it from a completely different design angle, can you not replicate the LED digits via projected images - even one projector projecting various sized digits or just a four digit display? This could be displayed at the back, above the stage, as big as possible perhaps?

The scene could be very low lit and then once the digit sequnces on the screen/screens has finished, possibly the scene could snap into scene state?

[beware]

I wouldn't bother gutting the appliances. just stick LED displays to the front of them. The audience wont notice. especially if the main focus point for them will be in the dark.

 

Farnell Search for 4x 7 segment