Digital Sundial: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 12:12, 4 January 2023

Description

A Digital Sundial by Mojoptics displaying the time inside its shadow, with actual digits ! There is a tiny bit of magic inside...

No batteries, no motor, no electronics... It's all just a really super-fancy shadow show. The shape of the sundial has been mathematically designed to only let through the right sunrays at the right time/angle. This allows to display the actual time with sunlit digits inside the sundial's shadow.

The sundial displays time (with actual digits !!) from 10:00 until 16:00, updating every 20 minutes. You can precisely adjust the displayed time simply by rotating the gnomon (the magic box that displays time). So you can even adjust for Daylight Saving Time.

3D Printer Files

If you have access to a 3D printer, the source files can be downloaded at Thingiverse. Alternatively, you can buy a ready-assembled version from Etsy.

Videos

Activity:

Could something similar be constructed, perhaps showing hours only, simply by drilling holes through a length of bar?
Could the same technique be used to display messages or symbols instead?