Digital DMX Clock

[cmohr]

Hi everyone!

 

Im doing a performance where we need a clock that can be coded (and controlled via DMX) to count down: showing minutes and seconds.

 

It must be able to freeze at surtain times (a big plus if the ( : ) in the clock can continue blinking),.

 

It would also be really nice if the clock can be coded to make each second go faster/slower than a real second.

 

Lastly the clock must be able to "reset" to the original time /or/ count backwards.

 

Preferrable a clock similar in design with the image below.

 

I hope someone can help me in the rigth direction.

 

Kind regards

 

[timmeh2]

Hi

 

I'm sure TimSabre would be all over this one, try sending him a PM.

 

You could knock out up very easily out on an Arduino driving a big LED display. You could even PWM drive the display to give it a dimmer function.

 

The easiest way to control it would actually as if it was a fixture, with 6 DMX channels, each channel controlling each digit, plus the 5th one for the bit in the middle, and 6th for overall brightness.

 

All the best

Timmeh

[maeterlinck]

Hi,

 

If you're looking for someone to build it for you then feel free to send me a PM or email nick at junctioninc.co.uk. We build special project piece for theatre and events.

 

If you're after help to build it yourself happy to answer questions on here.

 

Thanks,

 

Nick

Junction

[timsabre]

Yeah would be relatively easy with arduino. The tough bit may be finding a big enough display, and making it look nice.

[timmeh2]

Yeah would be relatively easy with arduino. The tough bit may be finding a big enough display, and making it look nice.

 

You can get some really pretty 4" 7-seg displays in all sorts of colours. KingBright make a lovely white one that's very even.

 

The only annoying thing is they ask for more than an arduino can source so you have to use something like bunch of CD4511BEs to drive them.

 

All the best

Timmeh

[Tomo]

If you want it big, then a DMX-controlled constant-voltage LED driver and 12V LED tape is a good option.

 

Four digits plus ':' is 29 circuits, which would only be four of the 8-circuit LED drivers on Aliexpress/ebay.

 

Then just create the numbers using a secondary cuelist/sequence on your console - most of the mid-size and larger consoles have multiple cuelists that you can trigger from the main one.

[timmeh2]

Hi

 

That sounds like a winner - no electronics experience required.

 

Would be more expensive though.

 

All the best

Timmeh

[timsabre]

Good idea about the DMX tape driver. I have seen a good version of a big clock made using tape in cut out polystyrene (I think it was LED sign modules actually, but tape would work just as well)

 

 

 

https://www.sparkfun.com/tutorials/47

[empyfree]

I’m no inventor, so I’d stick to what I know best now, video...

 

A single pixlemesh panel laid on its side would give you 64 x 32 pixels resolution of LED video in a 400 x 800mm frame. If that’s not high enough resolution I’d jump up to an Infiled panel, at 128 pixels x 256 in a 500mm x 1000mm frame.

 

Then some artnet controllable video playback software (my choice would be Resolume Arena) and two video files. One would be the blinking dots. The second would be the time, this I would control.

[timmeh2]

You could, although some might consider it not overly cost effective.

 

There's nothing magical or overly complicated about bolting LED stuff together, it's all off the shelf. Coding Arduinos is easy with practice and there are litterally millions of code examples to put you on the right track

 

It's a good skill to know.

[Charlotte_R]

Hi, if you email me at charlotte[at]charlotterobinson.co.uk with some further details about size and how you intend to use it, I can provide you with a quote to build this.