The candle "digital" clock

You know what holds a close second to digital in our hearts here at Engadget? Faux digital. An entry into the MACEF RE-think + RE-cycle Design Competition, Jim Termeer's Candletime is a set of candleholders that mimics the venerable digital clock display. We've got one here at Engadget HQ, and have set two interns on rotating 12-hour shifts to continuously manually update the time.

[S @ Dec 19th 2005 1:21AM]

Does it appear to anyone else that the dots of the colon are floating in mid-air??

[Rob @ Dec 19th 2005 1:22AM]

I think that is the coolest thing i've seen all day :)

[Brian @ Dec 19th 2005 1:22AM]

Uh... Since when is there a 39th hour?

[gnome @ Dec 19th 2005 1:22AM]

Brian, I think it happens on the 13th day of the 13th month... Lousy Smarch weather....

[Art Vandelay @ Dec 19th 2005 1:22AM]

So does this mean it can be 16:20 all the time?

[Kristian @ Dec 19th 2005 1:22AM]

If this 'changed the time' by itself, it would be much better.

[jason @ Dec 19th 2005 1:22AM]

Only on Hitler's birthday

[sparc @ Dec 19th 2005 1:22AM]

Now what would be really cool is if this was automated. Could probably replace the candles with propane/butane flame. Set up some valves, ignitors, and a controller to light the necessary segments. Might not be practical to do it down to the seconds level, but certainly once a minute should work.

Anybody know what is being used to create the colon? Is that just photoshopped in?

[Greg K? @ Dec 19th 2005 1:22AM]

"Uh... Since when is there a 39th hour?"
That's a one buddy, the other three candle pots you can easily see the silhouettes of aren't lit.

[Felonius @ Dec 19th 2005 1:22AM]

If you look it's actually a full digital "8" avaible to the first position... So it's done for completeness... I suppose you could do two things with that... Either show a zero when in the single digit hours, or use it like a digital watch with date display... Besides, this way you don't have to worry about which side is the "top"... If it's upside down it looks the same...

[b* @ Dec 19th 2005 1:22AM]

On the other hand, a lot of those segments in the first digit are unnecessary. If you're only ever going to be displaying "1" or "2", you don't need all seven segments. But I guess it looks better that way.

[Tyler @ Dec 19th 2005 1:22AM]

b*, you'll only get rid of one segment, which would be the upper left one. Every other segment is used for 1 and 2.

[Felonius @ Dec 19th 2005 1:22AM]

Well, in order to display both 1 and 2, you need 6 segments... top right and bottom right for 1, and top, top right, middle, bottom left, and bottom for the 2... The only one you'd be saving would be the bottom left... which really would look silly... and would it be worth it to save just one segment at that point? I'm waiting for the "Candle Digital Message Board" (aka "Candle Blinky Board"... I call them blinky boards, I don't know what the rest of the world calls them...)

[Mott @ Dec 19th 2005 1:22AM]

Two digits on a birthday cake might be cool.

[b* @ Dec 19th 2005 1:22AM]

Ah, good point. Duh.