Don’t get me wrong. We like unique displays as much as others. But sometimes we stumble upon a very unique language, so that we lack the basic vocabulary to describe it. This marble dot matrix alphanumeric display is like this. But it’s cool, so we’ll try it.
The core of [shinsaka hiura] design (literally) is a 3D printing cylinder with a spiral groove on the outer circumference. The cylinder rotates in a cage with a vertical rod; The size of the bar and slot can accommodate 6 mm Airsoft BBS, which are fed into the slot through the port on the fixed base of the display. BB is fed into the slot in the correct position to form characters, which move upward as the cylinder rotates. Just watch the video below – it explains better than words.
The smart thing is how BBS enters the state. There is no separate mechanism to close the feed port, but there is a backlash mechanism, which will open the feed port when the motor driving the drum runs in the opposite direction for a period of time. This is a clever use of cam to complete the work without adding additional servo, which reminds us of his simple design shown in a servo seven segment display.
It’s not clear whether this is a very practical display, but it doesn’t hinder its coolness. Although [Xinying hiura] has just released a follow-up video showing a larger version of the Google calendar used to display upcoming events, so maybe we are wrong.