3D-Printed Playing Card Clock Gives Vegas Spin to Old-School Flip Clocks

Hiura’s Casino Clock was more or less built from scratch using custom 3D-printed components including spinning wheels with hinged holders to which standard playing cards are attached. Inside each of the three wheels is a stepper motor which rotates it until the playing card representing the current time—synced over wifi—is displayed. The Ace is low, representing 1, Jacks are 11, Queens are 12, and the Joker cards stand in for zero.

The most enjoyable part of a flip clock is the sound of the flaps falling as the wheels spin, so to maximize that experience, Hiura randomly arranged the playing cards on each wheel (with the order of the cards specified in the source code) so that extra spinning is required every time a minute ticks by. It makes for a fun desk distraction, but it’s hard to imagine anyone wanting this thing on their bedside table all night long.