Assembling the 3d Printed Pieces

Once you have all the 3d parts printed, assembling the clock is a 10 step process. It should take around an hour to complete. The tools needed are:

• A pair of scissors to print out the diffuser
• A pair of pliers or a wrench to help seat the magnets that hold the back to the enclosure

Step 1 - Cut out the Diffuser

1. Print out the diffuser sheet (it is in the main folder wordclock/docs/Diffuser Sheet.pdf)
2. You only need to use regular paper for this
3. Cut along the dotted line to give the right sized square to fit on top of the grid

You do not have to be super accurate with the cut.

Step 2 - Place the Diffuser on the Grid

1. Place the diffuser sheet on top of the grid to confirm the size is right

It should be a good fit but it isn't an issue if it is a bit bigger or smaller. You do not need to glue it to the grid, just leave it loose

Step 3 - Install the Magnets in the Clock Enclosure

The enclosure attaches to the back using a set of magnets. This provides a secure connection but is easy to open again if you need to. The magnets are a press fit into the provided holes but you have to line them up well. Using some pliers or a wrench may help to force them in.

1. Separate the magnets and label them to mark their orientation. This can be a bit tricky as they are strong. I found it works best by trying to put them onto something metallic and using a marker to mark one side with a "X". Make sure all the "X" sides are the same polarity.

*(four of the magnets arranged on a metallic tin just for labelling*

2. Press fit four of the magnets into the corner holes of the back enclosure as shown in the picture, X side up. These should press in place and hold firmly. You can add some superglue in case they are not a tight fit although I found this not to be necessary.

3. Do a double check that you have the same polarity upwards by holding one of the spare magnets a few inches away and checking to see if it is attracted or repulsed. The best way is to hold the spare magnet X side down and bring it close to the one you installed. You should feel the magnets pushing away. If they attract then one of them is labelled wrong.

From the back the enclosure should look like this.

Step 4 - Install the LED matrix in the Enclosure

*(if you used superglue in the previous step then wait for that to fully dry before continuing*

1. Orient the LED matrix so that the three wires are coming from the top
2. Orient the enclosure so that the large opening and four thermal vents are at the top
3. Push the LED matrix into the enclosure and feed the three wires through the large opening in the enclosure

4. Push the LED matrix fully in place to the back of the enclosure
5. It will be a tight fit and may buckle up a bit. There is no need to force it, just make sure it is reasonably seated. When you add the grid it will align the LED matrix properly

6. Check that you have the orientation right by looking from the back. The three wires should be coming out of the main hole in the back of the enclosure.

Do not worry if you used glue and some of it shows on the back of the enclosure. The clock back will cover that later.

Step 5 - Insert the Grid into the Enclosure

1. Insert the grid directly into the enclosure (the diffuser goes on top of the grid)
2. Do not put the diffuser between the grid and the LED matrix - this could cause some overheating
3. Push down gently to make sure the grid forces the LED matrix into place
4. Confirm that the LED lights are visible through the grid and that the grid fits fully inside the enclosure

Step 6 - Place the Diffuser on top of the Grid

1. Now place the diffuser on top of the grid
2. Make sure it fits squarely inside the edges of the enclosure
3. If it overlaps the edge of the enclosure then cut it back into shape

Step 7 - Push the Clock Face onto the Enclosure

1. Orient the clock face so that the first line containing "IT IS" is at the top
2. Orient the enclosure with the diffuser on top and the top of the enclosure at the top also
3. Push the clock face onto the enclosure
4. It should be a press fit
5. Make sure that the diffuser is inside the face and has not become dislodged

You should be able to see the diffuser through the holes in the face.

From the side you should see the enclosure fitting snuggly in the face.

Step 8 - Install the magnets in the Clock Back

*(this can be trickiest part of the assembly!)*

There are four magnets in the clock back that line up with those in the enclosure. It is important to make sure the magnet alignments match what you did before.

The new magnets will be pressed inside the holes in the corners from the back.

You will be working a bit blind so you have to align them behind the holes and push them in. They should be a press fit.

I do not recommend using superglue in this step as it would be tricky to do that without glueing a magnet to your finger!

A technique I found useful is to put the magnet on the top* part of your wrench and, turning the enclosure on its side, push it in that way. Make sure you do this with the X side down.

1. Install the four magnets in the clock back with the X side down

Once you have all the four magnets in place the back should look like this, with the four magnets in place with their X sides up.

Step 9 - Install the Buttons in the Clock Back

1. Push the two wires on the back of one of the buttons into the right hand hole on the clock back
2. Feed the wires through the metallic washer and hex nut that comes with the buttons
3. Pull the button all the way up until it is flush with the back of the clock back

*(note in this picture I had the washer on the other side - I'm not sure which is the right way actually! It doesn't seem to matter much although it looks cleaner with the washer on the inside)*

4. Hand tighten the hex nut until it is flush with the clock back also
5. You will have to hold the button from the other side to get a tight fit
6. Note it is very easy to cross-thread the hex nut - the nut is very thin and it can easily go on a bit crooked, which stops it seating properly. Just go slow and try to get it aligned properly before screwing it in

6. Repeat for the other button
7. Try to align the buttons with the wires coming out horizontally as this helps a bit with the wiring later

Step 10 - Add Connecting Wires to Buttons

The end of the wires from the buttons are simple bare wires. You need to extend these to allow them to connect onto the RPI main board.

For this you do not need to solder anything, you can use some of the electronics wiring.

1. (optional) Strip a bit of extra wire from the end of the wires from the buttons. This is optional but gives you a bit more wire to play with in the next step
2. Take a female-female wire and push the ends of one of the wires from the buttons into the end. It should go into the hole and seat. Be careful not to kink the wire as it goes in.
3. (optional) You can wrap the newly connected wire in electrical tape to make the joint more secure but I have found that this is not usually necessary
4. Repeat for the other three wires from the buttons