TO:CA, Japanese morning wood
By Ryan Block 
posted Aug 9th 2004 9:49AM
posted Aug 9th 2004 9:49AM
We're not entirely sure how it works, but those crazy Japanese minimalists have done it again. When the TO:CA isn't
plugged in, it's a block of wood. But better yet, when it is plugged in, it's still a block of wood. Oh, and
it tells time digitally in addition to being a block of wood, that's right. Designed by Kouji Iwasaki, the moku-clock
will set you back $285 US, not including bandages for the splinters you'll get when you try turn off the alarm first
thing in the AM.
[Via MoCoLoCo]
My guess is that it is an LED display behind a thin wood laminate sheet. If the laminate is thin(and light colored) enough and the LED bright enough, it should show through. Can't imagine that it would be too visible in sunlight though, of course I've had that problem with a regular alarm clock and the glare when sunlight hits it. Hmmm, This might work for wood laminate furniture, imagine a dresser with the time displayed on one of the corners, or on the drawer face.
The description on the page tells how it works.
The clock mechanism is inside of the block, with the wood on the front thinned. The clock display is very very bright, and shows through the thinned wood. I don`t believe it is an LCD display, but rather an old fashioned type of electric display.
I guess (and hope, because I really want one) we will see 20$ korean versions in about six months or so.
It will look perfect next to my Tivoli model 1.
The thinned wood is obvious, but for the display my guess would be laser leds in shaped grooves (the only way to get any kind of sharp definition for the individual display component bars), and the thinned wood reinforced on the inside with some kind of transparant resin, to avoid easily damaging the "display".