Floppy Voltmeter Clock

What is it?

The Floppy Voltmeter Clock is a special clock that instead of using the usual rotating hands, or seven-segment displays in the case of digital clocks, uses two analogue voltmeters in a retro style. It is therefore a unique and very special object. It is designed to be open source and easily made, so anyone can create one and put it in their desk, workshop or living room.

Like most of my projects, this one is also based on an STM32 microcontroller, which retains the cheap design but still has good computing power and all the necessary peripherals for the project.

Everything is conveniently powered by a phone charger with a USB-C cable. It consumes very little power, we are talking a few milliamperes.

3D printed case

The case was designed to have a minimal style. The whole thing can be completely 3D printed. To give it a more elegant touch I thought that the front part could be milled in wood with a CNC, I will try soon and once done I will publish the video of the project on my YouTube channel, so you too can find all the details and demonstrations.

On the back of the case there is the USB-C port for power, instead on the right side there are two buttons, one to set the hour and the other for the minutes. This allows you to reset the time easily by pressing one or the other button.

If you have instead wondered how to change the button battery since it is closed inside the case.. Well the answer is: there are no screws that close the front part from the back, but I created a magnetic closing system, so you just have to glue the magnets and everything remains closed. And so you can simply remove the front panel and open the case, remove the old battery and insert the new one.

Probably once you put the new battery there will be no need to change it for a few years🤣

All the files are correctly oriented, for the “back case” use supports for the rest of the parts they are not needed.
Print settings:

• Layer: 0.2mm
• Infilll: 10-20%
• 2 walls
• 4 top & bottom layer
• Material: PLA or PETG

You can find all the files needed for both production and the 3D printed case here or in the GitHub repository, so if you want to make changes you can download and modify everything you want.

BOM list

• 2x Voltemters (3V version): link
• 1x Ampmeter (200uA): link
• 6x Magnet (6mm*3mm): link
• 1x Floppy Voltmeter Clock control board: leave a comment if you are interested in one of these

(I have to find a different supplier or change the ammeter for the seconds, because I can't find any around. All the more reason to make a kit with everything you need)

Other information

I hope you enjoyed this project and that it inspired or encouraged you to create one too. For more information I suggest you subscribe to my YouTube channel so you don't miss updates on the project, there is a possibility that I make kits, so you have everything available without having to order things separately and/or program the board yourself. (I will update this post if I see interest on this).