From the Loftsmith Workshop

Fake nixie clock case for 1.14 in ST7789 breakout screens

Gives four small screens the glow of an old nixie tube clock without hunting down real tubes. Each screen sits upright in its own round socket on a dark top, and the brown base has ribbed sides and a small opening at one end. Change the ESP32 board length and width to match yours.

2 parts · 71 g · 169 × 49 × 42 mm

by Loftsmith Workshop

Long brown case with a dark top and four round sockets, each holding a screen showing a numeral 1 to 4
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No adjustable sizes

Ask for the sizes you want to tweak, e.g. “make the width adjustable”.

Change it in the Studio

Parts

  • base · PLA (wood-fill PLA suits it) · Upright as modelled, floor on the bed

    169.2 x 49.1 x 22 mm at the defaults, about 40 g and 59 min at 2 walls/15%. Reeded front and back, coved plinth foot, ESP32 fence with two 9 mm posts, USB-C opening at the right end and four counterbored screw bosses. Stiff everyday PLA is enough: the case only carries the domes and electronics.

  • deck · PLA (black) · Flat underside on the bed, sockets up

    166.2 x 46.1 x 19.7 mm, about 30 g and 45 min at 2 walls/15%. Carries the turned socket collars sized to your domes, the screen jaws, a wire window under each screen and four M2.5 insert holes underneath.

Print settings

Layer height
0.2 mm
Walls
2 (3 walls for stiffer screw bosses: about 95 g and 2 h 20 min for both parts)
Infill
15%
Supports
None
Notes
At 2 walls/15% the default 4-digit case is about 73 g and 1 h 48 min of PLA (base about 40 g/59 min, deck about 30 g/45 min). The 6-digit case at the same settings and default domes is 250.6 mm long, about 105 g and 2 h 29 min, and needs a 256 mm bed.

Hardware

  • 4 × 1.14 in ST7789 IPS breakout board, 240 x 135, 28.0 x 31.4 x 3.1 mm · 4 or 6 to match the Digits setting. The case assumes the pin row is along a 28 mm edge; that edge goes up and the plain edge goes into the jaws. Solder wires to the pins and trim them short.
  • 4 × Glass dome, open bottom · 4 or 6. Default 30 mm inside, 1.5 mm wall (33 mm outside), 48 mm tall. Set the sliders to your domes; the screen needs at least 29.5 mm inside.
  • ESP32 dev board · Up to 75 x 32 mm (ESP32 board length and width sliders). Header pins pointing down are fine: the board sits on 9 mm posts between its pin rows.
  • 4 × M2.5 heat-set insert, 4.5 mm long · Pressed into the deck underside.
  • 4 × M2.5 x 10 mm screw, head 4.5 mm or smaller · Driven up through the base bosses from underneath.
  • Double-sided foam tape · Two small pieces to hold the ESP32 board on its posts.
  • Thin hookup wire and a USB-C cable · About a 3 mm bundle per screen; the plug passes a 14 x 8.5 mm opening.

Assembly

  1. Press the four M2.5 heat-set inserts into the holes in the deck underside.
  2. Solder a short bundle of thin wires to each screen's pin row and trim the pins short. Lead the wires down behind the board and through the window in its socket, then push the board's plain edge (the edge opposite the pins) down into the jaws, screen facing the front (the side with the low lip). The
  3. Stick the ESP32 board onto its two posts with foam tape, USB end toward the opening at the right end; downward header pins hang between the posts.
  4. Wire the screens to the ESP32 using the pinout of your chosen firmware. The screens usually share the SPI lines and each gets its own chip-select.
  5. Lower the deck onto the base and drive the four M2.5 x 10 screws up through the bosses from underneath.
  6. Drop a glass dome into each socket. Add a small dot of clear silicone in the seat if you want them fixed.
  7. Flash an open-source ESP32 multi-screen ST7789 clock firmware, and set its screen rotation so the digits read upright with the pin edge at the top. No firmware comes with this design.

Good to know

  • Fits and clearances are checked in the Loftsmith engine only. The case has not been printed or test-fitted, so check your board and dome sizes against the sliders before printing.
  • Made for the 28.0 x 31.4 x 3.1 mm breakout board. Pad positions aren't published, so the case assumes an 8-pin row within 3 mm of a 28 mm edge. Put that edge at the top. If your board's pins are along a 31.4 mm side, it won't stand as designed.
  • The display area is assumed to be centred on the board; if yours is offset, part of it may sit behind the collar lip.
  • Domes must be at least 29.5 mm inside. A dome too short for its diameter and wall is drawn at the smallest height that fits, and the check gives that height (44.5 mm for the default 30 mm inside, 1.5 mm wall dome).
  • The ESP32 board is held by foam tape on its posts inside a locating fence, not by screws.
  • The 6-digit case needs a 256 mm bed. Choose 4 digits for a 180 mm bed.
  • Domes sit loose in 4 mm deep seats with 0.5 mm clearance and can lift off if the clock is knocked over. Glue them if that matters.
  • PLA softens around 55 °C. Keep the clock out of direct sun and away from heaters.
I printed this Remix

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