HowTo: pxlBlck – Build your own pxlBlck_SlotClock

To assemble the slotClock you need the following parts.

• 1x WS2812 or SK6812 LED strip 144LEDs / m 60 LEDs long
• 1x round Acrylic glass disc, milky, diameter 133mm
• 3D printed base
• 3D printed stand
• 3D printed cover for the stand
• 3D printed retaining ring
• 2x M8x40 cylinder head screw
• 1x Wemos D1 Mini (ESP8266)
• 4x self-tapping screw 2×6
• 3x cables approx. 10cm long

To do this, insulate the ends of the three wires approx. 5mm…

… and tin them with a little solder.

Now also tin-plates the contacts on the LED strip as shown.

Another view of the tinned contacts of the LED strip.

Now solder the prepared lines to the corresponding contacts as shown.

Here the red line is connected to the 5V contact, the black line to the GND contact and the green line to the DIN contact of the first LED.

The signal line is connected to the DIN contact directly on the first LED. This makes it easier to install the LED strip later.

Another view of the LED strip including the soldered lines.

For this you need the prepared LED strip and the 3D printed bracket of the SlotClock.

You should now start putting the wires from the front …

… through the hole shown in the led mount.

Make sure that the lines lead away from the LED strip towards the base.

Now it gets a bit tricky: The lines should now be brought together in such a way that they do not jam when the LED strip is pushed in.

Note: The bracket in the picture looks a little different than the STL file offered above. The STL file is the correct version. Only in this way the twelve and six o’clock positions are aligned vertically.

Another view.

Note: The bracket in the picture looks a little different than the STL file offered above. The STL file is the correct version. Only in this way the twelve and six o’clock positions are aligned vertically.

Then you can slowly put the LED-strip over the entire circumference as shown …

… into the gap in the LED mount.

The end of the LED strip could slightly overlap with the beginning of the LED strip.

Note: The bracket in the picture looks a little different than the STL file offered above. The STL file is the correct version. Only in this way the twelve and six o’clock positions are aligned vertically.

Make sure that there are no short circuits.

Note: The bracket in the picture looks a little different than the STL file offered above. The STL file is the correct version. Only in this way the twelve and six o’clock positions are aligned vertically.

If necessary, you can stick some hot glue or insulating tape behind the end of the LED strip to avoid any short circuits.

As soon as you have completely inserted the LED strip everywhere, your SlotClock should look like this.

For the assembly you need the base, two self-tapping 2×6 screws and the prepared LED strip holder.

Now guide the cables through the hole in the base as shown and lay it …

… congruent on the back of the LED strip holder.

Now you can mount the bracket using the two screws …

… screw it to the LED strip holder.

Be careful not to over tighten the screws.

Another view of the screwed in screws.

The LED strip holder should now be firmly screwed to the stand.

To do this, you need the prepared unit consisting of the LED strip holder and stand as well as a 3mm thick Plexiglas pane with a diameter of 133mm.

You can then simply put the acrylic glass …

… into the LED strip holder from the front.

The acrylic glass plate should now hold itself in the LED strip holder.

If you want to attach the acrylic glass plate additionally, you can now …

… put on the 3D printed retaining ring as shown.

Another view of the inserted acrylic glass plate incl. Retaining ring.

Two M8x25 screws are very suitable as weights.

Now insert the screws as shown …

… into the recesses in the base.

To prevent the screws from falling out, you can glue the screws in with a drop of hot glue.

The ESP8266 is available in different versions. For the installation in the SlotClock I recommend using the “Wemos D1 Mini”.

Before installing the ESP8266 you should …

… tin the following contacts with some tin solder.

• 5V
• G
• D4 (or D6)

Now you should prepare the lines to be soldered to the ESP8266.

Cut the cable to the correct length …

… and…

… removes the insulation of the lines by approx. five mm.

To make it easier to solder the lines later, you should tin the ends of the lines with some solder.

Then you can solder the prepared lines with the prepared ESP8266 …

…together.

The connections should be connected as follows.

After you have soldered the wires, you can insert the ESP8266 into the stand …

… and fix with a little hot glue.

A USB cable with a micro-USB connector and a relatively small micro-USB plug is best for this.

Plug the USB cable into the micro USB port of the ESP8266 as shown.

Another view of the connected USB cable.

Now you can put the lid …

… place it on the stand …

… and screw it to the stand with the four self-tapping 2×6 screws.

The line of the USB cable should be led out of the stand through the recess as shown.

Your SlotClock should now look like this.

You will need the following components for this.

• 1x LDR
• 1x resistor 1k
• 2x shrink tubing two cm long
• 2x lines about five cm long

So that the connections of the LDR can be led into the housing, you must first …

… drill two 1mm holes in the base.

Now remove the cover flap from the stand …

… and fold the ESP8266 upwards without damaging the soldered cables.

Now you can use the 1k resistor as shown …

… and solder it to the underside of the ESP8266.

You can then insert the connection pins of the LDR through the previously drilled holes as shown …

… and stick it in the base.

In order to connect the lines to the LDR, you should prepare them again.

To do this, remove five mm of the insulation at both ends of the cables and tin them with a little solder.

Then solder the wires …

… with the connections of the LDR and …

… isolate the exposed contacts of the LDR with some shrink tubing.

You can then roughly stow the cables of the LDR in the base.

In order to then connect the LDR to the ESP8266, you should tin the following contacts of the ESP8266 with some solder.

• 3V3
• A0

Then connect the first connection line of the LDR …

… with the contact “A0” of the ESP8266.

You then connect the other connection line to the “3V3” connection of the ESP8266.

Your structure should be completely soldered and …

… look like this.

After the installation you can screw on the cover of the base again.

Be careful not to damage any cables.