VHS Cassette Clock

How to recycle and old video tape, quartz clock and an LED.

VHS is dead in the UK, the bottom-end of the market is struggling to shift VHS cassettes for pence. I have several, and found a new use for one.

I had an old quartz clock movement, the rest of the clock having fallen apart years ago.

And I have a lot of other electrical bits from broken TVs, videos, stereos etc.

Step 1 Materials / Parts List

One ordinary VHS video cassette.
One ordinary (analogue) quartz clock movement.
A LED.
A battery box.
A switch.
Some wire.
Epoxy glue.

Tools
Craft knife.
Dremel-a-like 12V tool.
Screwdriver.
A nasty cheap soldering iron with a manky-tip, and some solder.

Comments

[ifox1]

That is so cool my parents own a video shop so we have tonnes of old cassettes

[lemonie]

I'm still tying to think of a use for the magnetic tape...? L

[ArcticNemo]

Very slim shrink wrap?

[lemonie]

I don't believe that it shrinks too well.

L

[NachoMahma]

. I've heard (but never seen it done) that it make good audio tape. But cutting to the right width sounds like a royal PITA to me.

[lemonie]

Yes but I have a similar number of redundant audio tapes. I did think about making an 8-track machine, but that would be very difficult for little or no use to me. L

[sheru1982]

Excellent Idea!!! (:

[Quest for Questions]

 Where can I buy a quartz clock other then at a store ?

[lemonie]

Cheap quartz movements can be bought off the internet, they're not really shop things.
BUT, if you can find a used clock really-cheap, like junk - you can get the movement out of that.

L

[Quest for Questions]

 I did one without an LED but it had minutes

[lemonie]

Any pictures of it?

L

[Quest for Questions]

 Yep . here they are , I'm working on the minutes, this one is new

[Quest for Questions]

 p.s. this project rocks

[porcupinemamma]

wow!

[Hudson Hill]

Recycle its a beautiful thing

[lemonie]

Have you got any other ideas for a stack of redundant VHS cassettes? L

[Uni Spin]

this is relly neet. great job.

[Emsaid]

I really like this!

[sharlston]

THIS IS COOL DEFINETLY GOT MY VOTE AND 5 STARS

[iectyx3c]

This is epic (or perhaps I should say epoch) - 5 stars and my vote for the Epilog contest. I am subscribing to your 'ible channel and looking forward to more great stuff from you !

[lemonie]

Thanks! L (I would have expected a comment on my toaster first?)

[EEvil]

Outstanding!
I'll make mine...
But, tell me...
Doesn't the presence of the LED reduce the current that gets to the "quartz clock movement" and cause it to get late fast?

[lemonie]

Hi, the LED is connected to a separate power supply, have a look at step 5 again. L

[TheGoodLife]

Thank you for visiting my instructable.

So often.

http://the-goodlife.blogspot.com

[Lance Mt.]

? ? ? Arrrre you trolling???

[lemonie]

Still can't get the thing to load...
You would have been better off posting the comment on one of the comments I had posted there (it is out of context here).

L

[DGCYS]

I don't know if you did this, but if you solder 2 wires from the contacts of 1 of the batteries in the holder and solder to the clock bat. tabs you can eliminate the battery in clock. Watch the polarity (+ / -) and voltage (1.5v)

[lemonie]

I could do that, but it was obviously easier not to, I appreciate the comment.

L

[shamca]

Cool project - great creativity.

[lisabe]

So cool!

[agis68]

Excellent project, brilliant idea well executed.....5/5 for good!!! ps....all ready i build my own.....

[lemonie]

Yeah, I like the look of your clock - did your mum like it? L

[LinuxH4x0r]

Awesome! ^{how did I miss this?}

[lemonie]

There's a lot of stuff comes through here, I am finding things popping-up out of chronological order. L

[Re-design]

This is pretty good! You could put a second clock in the bottom and attach it to the min. armature and get a min. readout.

[lemonie]

That is a good idea, might have to be done at some point.

Thanks

L

[crazycommanche=US=]

poor simpsons u dont desecrate them

[lemonie]

It was going in the bin otherwise... L

[crazycommanche=US=]

well in that case the simpsons must be honored

[lemonie]

Well I suppose so.I've still got the magnetic tape in there, preserved until (whenever) so I guess it's going to last longer than the rest of my videotape. L