Sesame Street - Pinball Number Count clock

This instructable will outline the construction of a customised clock. Whilst this is specifically the construction of the clock featured on Sesame Street; the Pinball Number Counting animation, the general procedures are the same and the instructions are as generic as possible. The clock is inexpensive and an easy way to create something out of the ordinary.



The author is located in Australia, as with all my intructables all my locations are Australian and currency is Australian dollars.

Step 1 Design Choice

Having grown up in the era; Sesame Street was a big part of my life. It was all forgotten until Family Guy did a reference to the Pinball Number Counting animated segment in the episode The Father, the Son, and the Holy Fonz.

YouTube video of the segment (not uploaded by myself)

After watching it numerous times, the idea to make a real clock from the image popped into my head.

Comments

[Ginger Magnus]

This is great! I constantly sing this song at work giving my co workers more reasons to question my sanity! Now I can have a prop to go with it!

[sween64]

I have been inspired to learn how to use a jigsaw so I can have my own Sesame St clock. I kind of want a continuous sweep with a second hand, if I fashioned a template for a second hand in similar fashion do you think it'd ruin the look?

[FireFairy-Jessica]

Nice idea! I loved that cartoon on sesame street.

[computerhobo]

why doesn't it turn red...?

[thydzik]

making each segment turn red would have made the project a lot more complex. so it was skipped.

[utilitarianjane]

Right on! Nice work!

[thydzik]

thanks!

[hiflyer]

Excellent work :D

I hope you don't mind, I added a Samurize version of the clock for desktop use ;)

samurize config

[thydzik]

thanks. I don't mind at all, that's why the files were provided.

[Ward_Nox]

faved

[Kenneth Gardner]

Yeah, this is really cool!!! Great job! About where the minute/hour hand go, well it all depends on the clock maker. If you look at The Clock Tower, Big Ben, the minute hand is on top and the hour hand is on the bottom. Not to say one way is wrong or right but it is all good! All you need now is to find a way to rig the thing up with LED's and audio so every hour on the hour it does the song and light up like the theme song. Once again thank you for this great idea!

[paul van buuren]

I could not resist making a flash version of this clock:
http://www.paulvanbuuren.net/content/2007/05/10/pinball-clock/
(Source files included)

[Inkydog]

Flash clock is great, Paul! Only thing I'd change is that the number color changes on the half hour instead of on the hour. For example, if it's 3:31, the highlighted hour is 4, not 3.

[nora]

i keep thinking of the other counting song:

1, 2, 3,
4, 5, 6,
7, 8, 9,
10, 11, 12
The ladybugs 12
At the ladybugs' pic-nic.

[Jack of Most Trades]

This is really cool! Thanks for putting up the PDF of the face. I think it has a definite Art Deco or Art Moderne look about it. And I'm a lazy guy w/o a router or jigsaw, so what I'm gonna do is glue the face to either some foam-core or heavyweight Shocard, then make the rest of it from some 1" blue Styro, hollowed out to fit the works, and then finish the exposed edges. BTW, sometimes good used clocks can be found at the junk shop for a coupla bucks.

[Brandi]

I don't know if these clocks are available in Australia, but if you're willing to go a bit spendy there's a recordable clock retailing online for US$30-$35:

http://www.seniorsinc.com/recordable_clock.htm

Gutted and refaced, it'd lend itself perfectly to this project!

[Coolbreaze]

I'm pretty sure Ryanfaerman is correct you say what seems to be the opposite?? Please do explain what you mean by the following Clock hands are always layered in this order minute (short) hand at the back, hour (long) hand at the top, and if it does exist; the second hand is the most outer

[thydzik]

You are all correct about the hands; had it the wrong way around, I will fix this.

[ich bin ein pyro]

in my universe the minuete hand is long and the hour hand is short the second hand is on top the hour hand is in the middle the minuete hand is on the bottom thats how my schools clock is

[ve2vfd]

I love it! Of course I had to go see the animation on youtube :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsSAuRS_koY

Man that gets stuck in your head!

[toyotaboy]

All this needs now is a soundchip activated every hour to play the music for that hour (I believe they did a seperate animation for every number?) "doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo DOO! dun dun dun DUN! TEN!"

[Inkydog]

Now to rig the thing so it plays the original audio on the hour!

[digitizelife]

Awesome! Watching that show with my brother and mom is a great memory from my childhood and that video was one of our favorites. Can I commission you to make one for me? If I had the time and tools I would do it myself. Please E-Mail me if you are interested. Thanks for an excellent Instructable!!!

[ryanfaerman]

Isn't the shortest hand on a standard clock the hour hand not the minute hand?

[HamO]

Extremely well done instructable! Nice job.

[mrmath]

One two three four five, six seven eight nine ten, eleven twe-eh-eh-eh-elve! That is SO cool!