Main Content

Hello and welcome back! Over the last few months, I am in the process of making a mechanical 7 segment display that uses PCB coils or electromagnets to actuate the segments. I had a lot of fun while learning new things. The project was so well-received, it even got published in Hackspace Magazine, twice! I received many comments as well as suggestions from you all. Thank you, everyone!

Mosiver, a physicist and maker, got inspired by this project and built an awesome “8x8 Haptic Wordclock”. Do check it out!

Till now, I was making only a single digit. One digit is not much of a use. So, in this Instructable, I will be combining 4 digits together to display something useful. This is going to be the last iteration (probably).

Let’s get started!

Things You Will Need
1x Arduino
7x DRV8837 H-Bridge Driver IC
2x 74HC04 NOT Gate IC
1x 74HC595 8-bit Shift Register IC
7x Neodymium Magnets 6mm x 1.5mm
1x 7-pin male header
1x 7-pin female header
1x 5-pin right-angled male header
1x 5-pin right-angled female header
4x M3 Screws”

Link to article