Mononymous prop designer Barry has put his abilities to work in upcycling a discarded mid-century trendy clock radio — including Bluetooth compatibility, a selection of customized clock faces, and a light-pattern projector on the rear.
“There are lots of [guides] that modify audio system, clocks, and radios so as to add Bluetooth, good audio system, and LEDs,” Barry admits of his work. “[Mine] reveals my means of modifying a mid-century trendy clock radio, together with dismantling, reproducing the clock assist, making interchangeable clock faces, and projecting patterned lights from the again.”
With its internals lengthy deceased, this clock radio was saved from the junk pile to play host to trendy guts. (📷: Barry’s Prop Store)
The guts of the venture is a sadly-deceased Sylvania clock radio, completed in eye-catching gold within the mid-century trendy (MCM) type. The gadget’s rectangular format might have given some trigger to think about using its housing for a show of some sort, however Barry’s upcycling is extra sympathetic — whereas nonetheless delivering a helpful end-product.
The clock’s AC mains-driven mechanism was eliminated and changed with a battery-powered motion, for simplicity. Likewise, interior lighting comes courtesy of a battery-powered LED mild strip — simply built-in into the surprisingly spacious housing. “I needed to switch the AC clock mechanism with a battery-powered clock, however I did not wish to take aside the unique clock to reuse its steel clock face,” Barry provides.
“I made a decision to reproduced the clock assist utilizing sheet steel. Optionally, you can use foamboard to manufacture a clock assist. I used a steel brake to bend the sheet steel. I marked the bend location with a steel scribe. I additionally marked the minimize traces with the scribe after which bent it forwards and backwards to interrupt the steel alongside the these traces. I minimize a chunk of foamboard to assist the battery-powered clock, as proven within the footage above. I additionally used foamboard to create ears to carry the clock in place, utilizing the screws that held the unique clock in place.”
The brand new clock mechanism makes use of printed faces created in — of all issues — presentation device Microsoft Powerpoint. (📷: Barry’s Prop Store)
This substitute face was then given a makeover, utilizing a considerably uncommon illustrator’s device: Microsoft Powerpoint, chosen for its “line-art functionality,” Barry explains. “I created the art work for a number of clock faces and took screenshots for every of them. I then cropped the screenshots to 4″×6″ and had them printed at a neighborhood photograph service.”
The rest of the venture is just placing the brand new {hardware} contained in the case, together with an off-the-shelf Bluetooth speaker — not, sadly, built-in with the radio controls on the entrance of the clock. A brand new rear with cut-out patterns permits the LED lighting to “venture” from the rear, illuminating the wall behind.
“Discover that there are a number of projections of the cutout form,” Barry writes. “That is as a result of many LEDs within the LED strip, every projecting the form from a special angle. I am undecided whether or not to name this a bug or characteristic.”
Barry’s full information is out there on Instructables.
