About DougsWordClocks

WHY DID I MAKE THIS?

I built the Word Clock for a number of reasons, Initially, with my Instructables article, I wanted to help educate people about simple electronic design and construction, and to give more people the ability to have their own amazing, conversation inducing timepiece.  Later, as I received emails from clients saying that they felt building one was too complex, I started making them for others

My goal is to be able to help people achieve that wonderful feeling of quiet satisfaction that comes with knowing that that had something truly special.  

It is characterized by an email I received from one of  my clients that went something like this:

"Thank you Doug for such an amazing clock.  I brought it as a present for my boyfriend, and when he saw it he fell in love with it.  He wanted to put it into our dining room, I wanted to put it into our lounge.  We argued and I let him win :-).  Thank you so much for such a beautiful clock"

Emails like that are what drive me.

IS THIS IS JUST A QLOCK2 CLONE

In late 2009, I saw the QLOCK2 on a hobbyists web site. I was immediately struck by its beauty, but also by its price!! I decided that I would write an article showing people how they could build their own version

I published my original Word Clock project on Instructables.com. Immediately, I started to get emails from people wanting kits or complete clocks, using my design. After considering how best to make them without infringing on any of the original intellectual property, I have been busy making clocks and supplying kits to people all over the world.

While my clocks were inspired by Qlock2, it is not fair to say that the Qlock2 was the first word clock. For many years prior to 2009, there were a few Linux screen savers that displayed the time using words, and there was of course the beautiful art piece made by Sam Buxton in Jan 2007 which showed a beautiful word clock.

BUT THERE ARE HEAPS OF THESE ON eBay 

Yes there are. You can easily get a cheap copy of mine.

After I made my original clock, I published articles on Instructables.com allowing others to make them.  My intent was that other hobbyists would make them for themselves.  And the hobbyist community was awesome. Sadly, not everybody was reasonable and some people purchased a sample from me and went large scale.  Quite rapidly I discovered that there were a number of others that appeared all over the web. In some cases, people even had access to huge Injection Molding machines and could make 10,000 of them at a time, dropping the manufacture cost down way below what I could ever dream of.  I can't do that.

It ripped my heart out to find other retail stores selling them, but I persist.  While I used to employ 3 people part time to keep up with demand, my business has shrunk to just me in a garage - just the way I started.

And I will keep on making and selling original, handcrafted timepieces that I warrant for years.  Try going back to the original store for the cheap clocks after 10 years to have a power supply or LED replaced.....

Easy!