DIGIduino

DIGIduino is now fully funded on Kickstarter.

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At the moment, I am only taking orders through the Kickstarter page. 

Who am I?

I'm James, in January 2024, I launched "The Printable Watch". This was born out of an idea to 3D print and build a watch based on standard watch parts. Since starting I have developed, automatic, quartz and chronographs. The last feat was to build a digital watch. 

The Current Printable Watch line-up

What is DIGIduino?

DIGIduino is an arduino digital watch. You can 3D print the case in whatever colour or material you like or you can upload your own arduino sketch to the watch.

Inspiration

There are already plenty of well designed and documented DIY smart watches. I however, wanted a digital watch, inspired by the LED watches of the 70s.

I also wanted to design a practical, fun and functional Arduino based project.

Something you get to build, program and wear day-to-day. 

So I set myself a challenge to develop a digital watch movement, based on the Arduino platform that could be used with a 3D printed case.

After may design revisions, late nights and a lot more positive feedback than I was expecting, I've decided to put the DIGIduino into production as a pre-assembled development board. 

Uploaded the first prototype to the r/arduino subreddit and received a lot of positive feedback

DIY Digital Watch Series

Check out my YouTube channel here

I documented the design and development process through my YouTube channel, taking on feedback from the community during the development stages.

Prototype

The DIGIduino has been through a series of prototyping ahead of launching on Kickstarter. Below is a video of the operation of the watch. This is with a hand-soldered PCB. Pre-assembled PCBs are currently out for delivery and I expect to be able to receive, inspect and thoroughly test ahead of my launch date.


Who is this for?

I want DIGIduino to be accessible to all of the DIY community, from enthusiasts with no programming or 3D printing experience, up to those (like me) who have both. The kits will be supplied with a pre-programmed digital watch movement that will run a basic watch program. You will have access to the code on the watch and be able to modify and upload new sketches, maybe creating new functions specific to you! You might want to track the moon phases, create a D&D dice or an espresso timer!

The kits will also be supplied with a resin 3D printed case (as well as the .stl files) so you can assemble the watch without the need of a 3D printer. If you do have 3D printing capabilities, then you can experiment with different colours and materials. 

DIGIduino Specification

The DIGIduino is based on the ATMega328P 8-Bit microcontroller, this is the same MCU used as standard on the Arduino UNO. I've chosen this MCU as it's an extremely well documented and well-known chip in the DIY scene, meaning there are plenty of libraries, tutorials and knowledge out there for this set up.

  • ATMega MCU - Pre-programmed with a basic watch sketch
  • RTC Chip
  • 4No. Side push buttons
  • CR2032 Battery
  • 4No. Red 7-Segment Displays

Why Kickstarter?

Electronics assembly is an economy of scales game, the per unit cost drastically decreases as the volumes increase. I currently cannot outlay a significant sum of money for a large batch of assembled PCBs without knowing the true demand. 

Kickstarter is allowing me to accurately judge the volume of boards that are required which in-turn reduces the per unit cost so I can retail them for a fair price. 

Timeline

Below is the timeline I am working towards. I will do everything in my power to stick to this. However, as with every Kickstarter project, there may be unforeseen delays. My promise to you is, that I will stay transparent and communicate issues and resolutions in a timely manor. 

  • March 2025: Kickstarter launch.
  • April 2025: Manufacturing begins.
  • May/June 2025: Quality control and packaging.
  • June/July 2025: Shipping starts.