Checking the time before leaving home often requires checking your phone, which carries the risk of being distracted by everything else on it. The Round Weather Clock keeps both time and forecast together on a circular screen, making it easy to know if you need to grab the umbrella on your way out. It might look like a humble desk clock, but it knows considerably more about the day ahead.
Smart displays do exist, but they’re practically just tablets or even mini televisions. They take up space, bombard you with notifications, and suggest things you didn’t even ask for. With a 3.4-inch round touch screen, this clock doesn’t have much room to fit anything other than the time, today’s weather, and the forecast for the next five days. The circle is also a more familiar and friendlier shape for a bedside table, where the display can be changed to a less information-dense analog clock style.
Designer: Josh Hendrickson (Anoraker)
When you’re half-asleep early in the morning, you can simply glance at the clock and know what’s heading your way. Switching between analog and digital faces offers a more traditional feel and a straightforward readout. You don’t have to pretend that a screen showing rain is an antique just because its case is round.
You have some choice when it comes to the enclosure, depending on the aesthetic you prefer as well as the route you want to take. You can 3D print the “Pebble” style that has a compact, gently tilted body with a bowl-like rear. It’s a shape that fits well beside a computer without looking like an extended display, providing a mix of modern design with a more classic clock face.
If you want to go the more traditional route, however, there’s the “Classic” style, a straightforward circular body with a slightly flatter back. It also comes in a variety of wood options, including walnut, maple, or cherry. It gives a bit of contrast with a warm, natural finish and a digital display. The wooden version can be bought as a finished product, complete with the clock, for $340, while the more adventurous people can grab the free Pebble 3D printable and make their own.
Despite its simple functions, you can, in theory, add a bit of your own features to make it a little smarter. You can, for example, push a message on the screen from a remote device, such as your phone, or you can display a reminder to pick up your keys or other things near your door. It also has a dim red mode to keep the display less distracting and blinding at night.
As with the enclosures, builders can choose whether to go with a Raspberry Pi with some round screen or a Waveshare ESP32-P4 that comes with its own touch screen. That said, the Pebble style is specifically made for the ESP32-P4, so that’s something to keep in mind right from the start. Either way, the DIY project kindly provides instructions for whichever you pick.