ProjectsContact

Time Circuits

Doc Brown

LED number displays that show various dates

Overview

In 2015, I set out to create a replica of the time displays from Back to the Future as a vehicle for learning more about electronics design.

What followed was a nearly yearlong journey of design, learning, and rarely interacting with other human beings.

After months of breadboarding, PCB design, programming, electronics assembly, and extremely amateur metal work, the project was completed just in time for BTTF day on October 21, 2015.

Fast forward ten years later, an issue caused one of the display modules to fail. A few soldering touch-ups and replaced 16 segment display driver later, and we're back!

Project Type

Build

Project Status

Completed

Date Started

Jan 1, 2015

Date Ended

Jul 13, 2025

Members Involved

Matt Schaefer
a laptop is open on a desk next to a monitor
a pug dog is sitting on a messy desk next to a laptop computer .
a notebook is open to a page with a drawing on it .
a person is cutting a piece of metal on a table .
three dell monitors are sitting on a white table
a bunch of wires are connected to a board that says 08 20 15 12 15
a circuit board with a lot of wires connected to it is sitting on a wooden table .
a computer screen shows a drawing of a building in sketchup pro
a box filled with wires is sitting on top of a wooden table next to a notebook .
a stack of metal boxes sitting on top of a white table .
a laptop computer is open to a program called fritzing .
a notebook is open to a page that says 2015 07 26
A metal box, drilled out for electronics
a wooden table with a bunch of metal pieces on it .
a bunch of wires are connected to a motherboard on a wooden table .