Glow-In-The-Dark Laser Clock (DIY)

Robot is designed to draw the time on glow-in-the-dark material using UV LEDs

Pencil sketches of how I imagined it might look

Solidworks modeling of the 3D printed parts

Full system assembly including electrical components. (Arduino Uno, two 9g servos, push button, 5mm Led 405nm, real time clock module)

The 3D printing software I use is Cura. This shows the orientation of the parts while they're printed.

Time lapse of the 3D print using octoPrint on the Raspberry Pi. My printer is a Monoprice Maker Select V2 ($299) and works wonderfully! The filament I used is eSun PLA + but any PLA or ABS should print fine! Print with no supports enabled if you can

Close up of just the body put together without electrical componenets

Components include: Arduino Uno, 2x 9g servos, RTC (clock), push button, 5mm UV led (405nm), rubber feet, glow sticker, 3D printer parts and wire+heatshrink

I used 22 gauge solid-core wire that I pulled out of some CAT-5 cables and spooled on a wooden pencil

I used Fritzing to make a wiring diagram that you can find here: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2833916

Close up of soldering the RTC module (clock)

Soldering wiresto the push button terminals

Soldering the LED (USE BRAIDED WIRE HERE....allows for easier movement of the arm assembly)

M3 x 8mm nuts thread directly into the arms (self-tapping)

These cheap 9g servos use PWM (pulse width modulation) to control position of the arm assembly

Inserting Arduino UNO and screwing in M3 6mm screws.

Feeding the LED wired through the front of the enclosure

I attached all the ground pins together to make them easier to plug into the Arduino. Heat shrink is used to prevent electrical shorts from occurring. Cable management is minimal haha

Fastening RTC Module and preparing the servo wires to be soldered

Attaching arms and inserting LED. I later 3D printed a light focusing cone that attached to the tip of the led. The cone (not pictured but included in 3D files on Thingiverse) allows the light to be more focused and draw with more clear and defined numbers.

Applying the glow-in-the-dark sticker to the front of the enclosure. This sticker is what glows when the robot "draws" the time. The LED 405nm wavelength is perfect for maximizing glow! (Similar to a blacklight with glow paint)

Fades quickly during bright daylight conditions

At night it's really bright!

If you would like to build your own, 3d files, schematic, bills of materials, Arduino code, and links can all be found on my Thingiverse post here:
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2833916

Please feel free to ask any questions! I will do my best to answer.

Thanks for checking it out!

-Tucker