Time - NYU ITP



Duban Morales
Final
Date 12/04/2025

Flying Tourbillon 








Duban Morales
Week 10
Date 11/06/2025

Studies / Decisions 

















Duban Morales
Week 06`
Date 10/16/2025

Bill of Materials



Digital vs Mechanical

 
Digital clock Bill of Material

Component    DescriptionQty Approx. Price     Notes
Adafruit Round RGB TTL TFT Display (NV3052C)   4" 720×720 display, no touchscreen 1 $54.95 Core display panel
Adafruit Qualia ESP32-S3 Board Driver board for TTL RGB-666 displays 1 $19.95 Required for interfacing display
5V Power Supply (2A min) USB-C or barrel jack 1 ~$8 Powers the ESP32 and display
Jumper Wires (Male-to-Female) For connecting board and display    ~10 $3 Useful for prototyping
Micro USB Cable / USB-C Cable Data + power cable 1 $5
3D-Printed Enclosure or Frame Housing for display + board 1 free (ITP) Custom-designed
(Optional) Diffuser Lens / Acrylic Cover Softens the light, clock-face effect 1 ~$5 Laser-cut or 3D-printed
Real-Time Clock (RTC) Module DS3231) Keeps time accurately offline 1 ~$4 Connects via I²C
(Optional) Speaker / Piezo Buzzer For alarm or ticking sounds 1 ~$2 For audio feedback
(Optional) Touch/Proximity Sensor To change clock mode or color 1 ~$3 Capacitive touch input


3D-Printed Mechanical Complication Clock


Component Description                                                         Qty                Approx. Price               Notes
Stepper Motor (28BYJ-48 or NEMA 17) Drives main gear train 1 $5–$15 Choose size based on torque needed
Stepper Motor Driver (ULN2003 / A4988 / DRV8825) Controls motor 1 $3–$10 Depends on motor choice
Microcontroller (Arduino Nano / ESP32) Control logic 1 $5–$10 ESP32 if adding display/sensors
RTC Module (DS3231) Keeps precise time 1 $4 Keeps the motor in sync
3D-Printed Gears, Frame, Hands Custom mechanical components free (ITP) Design in Rhino/Fusion 360
Bearings / Bushings (optional) Smooth gear rotation several ~$6 3–4 mm ID typically
Metal Rods / Shafts (Brass or Steel) Axles for gears 3–4 ~$5 3 mm or 5 mm diameter
Vintage Clock Housing (repurposed) Decorative frame 1 free–$20 Use thrifted piece
Power Supply (5–12 V DC) For motors + logic 1 $8 Match motor voltage
(Optional) RGB LED Strip or Ring Ambient light behind gears 1 ~$5 Adds hybrid aesthetic
(Optional) Glass / Acrylic Cover Clock face window 1 ~$5 Laser-cut circular lens



can this be battery powered ? for about a month ?

Duban Morales
Week 06`
Date 10/16/2025

FINAL PROPOSAL ?





Celebrating the mechanism in moments, skeletonized - digital pocket watch ? 
 

Duban Morales
Week 05
Date 10/09/2025

Design study





Finding a rhythm within the mechanics of a watch face to to discover new patterns of time. By focusing on the moving pieces beyond the traditional hands, I explore how smaller motions and gear interactions can reveal the fractions in between.



Duban Morales
Week 04
Date 10/02/2025

Time Code




Time as rhythm, translating temporal intervals into motion and collision rather than ticking numbers. Each object on screen represents a distinct layer of time; one second, three seconds, fifteen seconds, thirty seconds, and one minute. Instead of counting or displaying time linearly, these layers move autonomously, drifting through space like rhythmic agents coexisting in the same field.



Duban Morales
Week 03
Date 09/18/2025

Time Machines




It’s Time.  A self critique of a tool used to tell how times passing. Some days none, some days more than others. Time passes different in different places.






Duban Morales
Week 02
Date 09/11/2025

Ecliptic






(AI generated time-lapse. No trees harmed in the making) 

The Tree’s posture becoming a visual clock.  Intimate, but still universally understandable. The lived experience of the tree expressing need, decline, and renewal.



Duban Morales
Week 01
Date 09/04/2025

Sundial (found object)




Repurposed found object (from the junk shelf), the piece revealed two distinct shadows as I was cutting it into an L-shape. The shadow suggested an analogy to hours and minutes, recalling the sundial’s principle that even the simplest elements can measure time. This informed the design decision to leave the object unaltered.



 Using the floor’s tiling as a grid, explored how the shadows might be read in relation to time