We’ve come a long way from the first patent for a digital clock in 1956. Now, with the accessibility of a wide range of electronic components and additive manufacturing, you can build your own illuminated clock!

This is a seven-segment LED clock built with an Arduino Nano or Arduino Pro Mini. Every segment can be lit in a different color, and the colors and combinations are limited only by your imagination!

• Who designed it: parallyze
• Difficulty: Intermediate
• Core components: Arduino (Nano or Pro Mini), RTC module, LED strips, switches, resistor
• Where to find it: Thingiverse

Tick Tock

3D Printed Clock: 30 Great Projects to Tell Time

Building your own lamp is cool enough. For those who love biology, or just enjoy a geeky aesthetic, this RGB double helix lamp is an impressive build, but its components are surprisingly simple.

The maker has provided a multi-part model of this 3D printed double helix lamp. The recommended resolution is 0.2-0.3 mm, and you shouldn’t need a raft or supports. Once printed, construction involves WS2812B LED strips and an Arduino Nano as well as a switch.

• Who designed it: Hedo
• Difficulty: Intermediate
• Core components: Arduino Nano, LED strips, micro switch, power supply
• Where to find it: Thingiverse

As its name suggests, this is one hi-tech dress! It has programmable LED strips attached underneath the outer layer of the dress, sparkling in RGB.

The maker completed this wearable project with some knowledge of sewing, soldering, and electronics. Some tips were given, including that you avoid cutting up the LED strips into separate LEDs. This is because you’d then have to solder them together, which according to the maker was laden with problems since the wires kept snapping off. For simplicity’s sake, it’s recommended that you use vertical LED strips instead. If possible, use silicon-covered LED strips to limit damage due to bending.

• Who designed it: mikaylas123
• Difficulty: Intermediate
• Core components: Arduino Uno, Addressable LED strips, soldering iron, a dress, additional fabric and sewing materials to attach electronic components
• Where to find it: Instructables

The classic LED cube is another project you may want to create. While the maker of the pictured project opted for an Atmega16 chip, it’s equally possible to create LED cubes with Arduino microcontrollers, as in this project using an Arduino Uno.

To build the 4x4x4 LED cube (or even the 8x8x8 if you’re very committed), you’ll need a lot of time and patience to solder the 64 LEDs together. The Instructable goes into a good amount of detail to walk you through the steps for construction and programming.

• Who designed it: chr
• Difficulty: Intermediate
• Core components: Arduino or Atmega16 microcontroller, LEDs, resistors, transistors, 10uF capacitors, ceramic capacitors, tactile switch buttons
• Where to find it: Instructables

This beautiful lamp, shaped like a lotus flower, was made with the Arduino Uno! Each of its 12 leaves can move as they are connected to SG90 servos, which in turn are controlled with the Arduino microcontroller.

The maker notes that the model was printed in PETG filament. You’ll need a fair few other parts to put this together, but the results will justify your efforts! You can watch it in action in the maker’s video.

• Who designed it: JobSmolders
• Difficulty: Intermediate
• Core components: Arduino Uno, LEDs, servos, light-sensitive resistor, potentiometer
• Where to find it: Thingiverse

The photoresistor, also called a light-sensitive resistor, is a basic component in most electronics starter kits. Here, the maker demonstrates its practical use with an Ardino Uno and a few LEDs, as well as a bunch of resistors to create a DIY ambient light sensor. It can be programmed to detect when the room is bright, at an average light level, or dark.

• Who designed it: DCamino
• Difficulty: Beginner
• Core components: Arduino Uno, photoresistor, LEDs, resistors, jumper wires, breadboard
• Where to find it: Arduino Project Hub

There are plenty of light-up hats available at stores, but for a fraction of the cost, you could build your own smart hat with an Arduino Pro Mini. And the advantage of building your own is that you have full control of the programming!

This build utilizes Bluetooth technology with an HC-05 module, addressable WS2812B LED strips, a portable 3.7V LiPo battery, and a hat! The maker has even made a mobile app for it. Check it out to make your own!

• Who designed it: EyalSch
• Difficulty: Beginner
• Core components: Arduino Pro Mini, SparkFun FTDI Basic Breakout, HC-05 Bluetooth module, addressable LED strip, 3.7-V LiPo battery, a hat
• Where to find it: Arduino Project Hub

Not your typical LED cube! The BlinkyCube was remixed from a geared cube model to fit RGB LEDs as well as the Arduino Nano.

The code was written with the FastLED library and the maker states that half a kilogram of filament was used.

Glow-in-the-dark filament was used for the pictured build. However, it’s noted that white material may diffuse the light better.

• Who designed it: plasmaton
• Difficulty: Intermediate
• Core components: Arduino Nano, LEDs, 3.7-V battery, boost converter
• Where to find it: Thingiverse

This is the Orb of Destruction, found in the video game Overwatch. The maker created this with an Adafruit Pro Trinket that is based on the ATmega328p, also found in the Arduino Uno. However, other Arduino microcontrollers, specifically ones of a smaller size such as the Pro Micro or Nano, could also be used.

To illuminate it, a 16 RGB LED ring was used. Not sure how to program it? No fear, the maker has included a basic sketch that will have the orb cycling through the colors of the rainbow!

• Who designed it: Daniel_W
• Difficulty: Intermediate
• Core components: Adafruit Pro Trinket or Arduino microcontroller, Adafruit Pro Trinket LiPoly backpack, RGB LED ring, 1000 uF capacitor, resistor, 3.7-V battery
• Where to find it: Thingiverse