After being kept in storage for about 12 years, I finally got around to dismantling an old (and non-functional) Apple Powermac G4 and repurposing it.
The internal components, motherboard, PSU, Drives and cards have been removed and recycled, but I want to showcase the three fantastic and highly visual clocks. My inspiration came from an initial idea which I found on Pinterest.
I've also been able to perfect several new skills during this process, and my soldering has improved significantly. Overall, I'm delighted with the results.
Dismantling was pretty straightforward, and after a little work, three polycarbonate pieces, the two sides and the mirror-door assembly were available. The rear panel was not much use as it had too many holes.
The process required many iterations and the essential tools for any project work - blu-tac and tape, but eventually, I settled on a design, obtained the parts and have assembled the three clocks.
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The most challenging part was machining the central mounting bracket on the reverse of side panels to mount the clock mechanism, without cracking the board itself.
I decided to use LED tape to provide a controllable illumination system, installed a USB connector for power and in two of the clocks introduced analogue clock mechanisms.
For the first model, I decided to adhere the LED tape to the edge of the frame; however, I soon realised this was not a suitable option as the tape was too wide for the available structure. The LED strips were instead placed flat against the panel for rear illumination.
A serendipitous event occurred when wiring one of the LED tape connectors, which gave rise to a beautiful feature where the LEDs in the centre are out of sync with the exterior LEDs. I decided to make this a function and have incorporated this into every design.
The third clock made from the mirror door front panel was different.
Due to the design of the panel, I decided to incorporate a digital clock, with LEDs providing background illumination.
A single LED was aligned with the power button and wired out of sync with the other LEDs.