Being an avid Internet browser (quite an accomplishment, right?) and, perhaps more notably, a person who writes for several publications involving unique DIY projects, I’ve seen a lot of clocks. Binary clocks, Nixie clocks, countless variations on mechanical clocks, somehow I continue to be impressed with what people come up with.
This latest clock, on display in a video from 2015 below, uses an exposed series of gears driven by a DC motor, and is kept in line by an optical reflex sensor to measure the gear speed. The coolest feature of the clock though, is that the minute hand is attached to the hour hand. Via the exposed gears, it travels around the center of the clock, rotating on the hour hand, in a manner similar to the movement of the planets in our solar system.
The device is 3D-printable, with files and more info on the build available here. According to the original author, its not that hard to make, claiming that the electronics are the hardest part. If, on the other hand, you’d rather just buy one in kit form, the Mektok has them available with a few changes to improve the device’s reliability and accuracy.
