In this article, I’ll walk you through every step of how I built my very own Shadow Display—and show you how to create one yourself. I’ve chosen to turn mine into a sleek, minimalist clock, but the beauty of this open-source project lies in its flexibility: you can decide how many digits to display, separator style and adapt it in the way that suits your taste.
All the design files, firmware and assembly guides are freely available, so feel free to download, tinker and customize to your heart’s content.
Video version
If you prefer watching over reading, I’ve got you covered. Check out the video where I walk through the whole process.
Source files
The project is totally open-source, which means you can grab it and tweak it however you please. Since this project is basically a spin-off of the “7-Flip Display” project, you can grab most of the files straight from there. You can snag my design, the PCB layout, the 3D model, the bill of materials, and firmware – and make it exactly as is. Or, you can use it as a jumping-off point, make changes, and whip up something totally fresh.
Where can I buy it?
If you don’t have the time—or just can’t be bothered to build that display yourself—swing by my store. You might find something there that catches your eye.
JLCPCB
The sponsor of this project is JLCPCB. They made that beautiful board for this project. For a few bucks, and in a matter of days, you can have a professional PCB on your deck, ready to solder 🙂 Now, for new users, they provide up to $80 sign-up coupons.
And if you don’t feel up to it, they can solder all SMD components for you as well.
Project Overview (In Progress)
Hey, I’m really sorry the article isn’t finished yet. I didn’t manage to wrap everything up before my vacation—I was so eager to get the YouTube video out! 🙂
In the meantime, you can go ahead and download all the files to take a look. You might not even need a super detailed guide and could figure it out on your own. Also, check out the LINK—every electronics/PCB component and the firmware are exactly the same as in that other project.
As soon as I’m back from vacation, I promise I’ll finish the article!
Thanks so much for your understanding 🙂