Flipdiscs
348 points - last Thursday at 1:54 PM
SourceAndrew Zolty under the artist name BREAKFAST has created quite a few stunning kinetic artworks with flipdisks.
Just one example: https://theartistbreakfast.com/works/traverse
Also created a larger more sculpted derivative the „brixel“ a rotating brick as pixel. Eg https://theartistbreakfast.com/works/oceans
> "Oceans" is a kinetic sculpture that embodies the dynamism of the world's oceans within the arid landscape of Las Vegas. Crafted from 483 motorized elements known as "Brixels," this piece mimics the movement of the sea's surface. The sculpture is alive with the pulse of the planet's waters, ...
All I can see are bars of gold.
fiatpandas
today at 11:47 AM
This is the product they commercialized: https://flipdisc.co/
Last I heard a number of years ago it’s around $2000/sq ft. Around the same price scale as mid range LED wall modules.
soblemprolver
today at 9:06 AM
It is so sad to see both this and the title "It's ok to abandon your side project" on the front page while I have three flipdisc displays sitting in the basement without the time and equipment to get them up and running.
No, it's not ok to abandon those flipdisc displays! :(
Admittedly I read neither of the articles. But who doesn't sometimes get caught up in the conincidence of titles on here may vote me down :D
whynotmaybe
today at 11:48 AM
Unless you've thrown everything away, your side project isn't abandoned, it's reprioritized.
simonjgreen
today at 7:30 AM
There is a fairly impressive installation of these at Heathrow airport in Terminal 5 outside the BA lounges. Struggling to find a decent video on YouTube, but this one’s not terrible https://youtu.be/G03WA30yFMI?si=hx5aLlrj_BH21yr2
OuterVale
today at 5:29 AM
They've been slowly replacing the flip-disc displays on the buses where I live with LEDs and LCD panels which has been such a shame. There is a beautiful mechanical satisfaction to a panel of flip-discs inverting and I genuinely find them easier to read.
They seemed less reliable than LEDs. When they were common here they would always have tens of dots stuck in the wrong position.
I'd imagine the vibrations didn't do them any good
OuterVale
today at 8:13 AM
Interestingly, I've never noticed any stuck discs. I'm pretty observant of them as well, because I think they're so cool.
The ones here could have been nearing the end of their life to be fair. They have basically all been replaced with LED signs now.
The Luminator MAX 3000 is an interesting hybrid between a flip dot display and an LED display. I find it very pleasing to the eye and easy to read, particularly at night.
In front of the flip dots is a frame that has a mini-LED that faces and front-lights each flip dot. This gives the appearance that each flip dot is glowing.
(1) https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8Ru1DSs1tjQ
nandomrumber
today at 6:27 AM
The LED / LCD displays are probably lighter (less heavy), and someone figured they can save 0.001 gallons of diesel a year fleet wide if they replace displays.
Net Zero Fatigue is real.
pastel8739
today at 6:50 AM
Much more likely, I think, the mechanical displays had some maintenance cost which cheap LED displays will not.
Rodeoclash
today at 7:16 AM
You've confabulated a reason why they replaced them, linked it to initiative then complained about them doing it all in two sentences. A gold medal in mental gymnastics is warranted here!
MrBuddyCasino
today at 7:49 AM
They’re probably just cheaper and require less maintenance.
You’re not doing your cause any favors by projecting everything on an ill-fitting frame.
yigalirani
today at 8:27 AM
> as a pleasant bonus, they emit a sound like rain hitting a window each time one of the disc flips
must be vrey annoying very fast if you have to sit next to it all day
kaipereira
today at 5:01 AM
This is insanely cool, the noise they make is also really satisfying!
What was the cost/time breakdown of the entire project because the flipdisc prices are hidden behind quotes and it seems like it would take quite a lot of time to complete the whole display!
The prices I’ve seen mentioned are around USD$3-5 per “pixel”.
Similar to all the ePaper projects that show up here, they’re expensive but cool gimmicks.
londons_explore
today at 6:14 AM
Whole dollars per pixel is insane!
The whole mechanism looks very 3d printable... I wonder if one could design one with PCB coils and a large 3d print only? If so, cost could probably come down to cents per pixel...
You'd probably also need a single 'C' shaped piece of steel for the magnetic flux path, but you might be able to find a supplier for the right shape already used for something else you can buy in large quantities very cheaply (eg. Steel staples).
ricardobeat
today at 10:27 AM
If I’m not mistaken (their pricing is a bit hard to find), nine of the flip fits display modules will set you back ~$5000 alone, plus the rest of the hardware. While I love the idea that is a lot of fun budget for other projects…
Thanks, I've been looking for that. Interesting how nowadays it's orders of magnitude cheaper to buy a 4k 65" panel and fake the dots (and sound) on it.
shermantanktop
today at 6:05 AM
There’s a very large one of these at “Climate Pledge Arena” in Seattle. Perhaps 8 feet tall and 16 feet wide. Pretty cool, but stuck pixels are even more annoying when it makes you want to reach out and poke them.
I use quotes because it will always be the Colosseum to me, where I saw the Butthole Surfers, Dead Moon and Nirvana. Don’t get me started on the Kingdome.
Brendinooo
today at 11:56 AM
That arena famously has dead pixels on its video boards hanging over the ice as well!
I bought a flip dot display on eBay and now I am stuck with the old thing and my lack of knowledge to make it work. Here's a great resource about technical details (only German though) https://radow.org/flip-dot.php
EDIT: "They have high readability, a long lifespan, and achieves anywhere between 25-60fps" - I think you can't achieve 60fps with a flip dot display.
londons_explore
today at 6:18 AM
Depends how much power and noise you're willing for it to make!!
Remember that texas instruments DLP technology which is in use in pretty much every office/home cinema projector is effectively micro flip-dots micromachined in silicon, and that can operate at ~10,000 FPS.
With my rudimentary physics knowledge I'd think that smaller structures can be moved faster than bigger structures.
EDIT: also when you google a bit you can find a guy who maxed out flip dot displays at 30fps (which honestly I thought would not be possible either)
IshKebab
today at 10:24 AM
Uhm yeah they are a lot smaller. That makes a difference obviously.
laserbeam
today at 10:43 AM
Damn, I really wish there was a T in "Quick jazzy vibe flows from exploding pixels", 'cause the sentence is just cool!
scrumper
today at 10:54 AM
From the exploding pixels and then you're fine. You needed an H as well anyway.
nandomrumber
today at 6:09 AM
That display needs some Conway’s Game of Life action pronto.
abhiraj_patwa
today at 9:13 AM
It's crazy that I was trying to find good resources for split flaps and then flip discs just yesterday and was just thinking, damn, there aren't any good or recent information about flip discs, just decade-old proprietary stuff to be found
Great work!
grumpysysop
today at 11:03 AM
I wonder how small they can be. Would be an amazing watch display.
bovermyer
today at 8:36 AM
The author mentions SubSpace (the computer game, from the 90s), and the limited pixel budget for player banners in it.
It would be interesting to see if you could run a pared-down version of that game on a display like this.
I would love to see the cost of the whole hardware mentioned. I guess it would be around a 1000USD
jimnotgym
today at 8:47 AM
Lookmumnocomputer did some nice work for thismuseumisnotobsolete with flip displays.
See on YouTube or visit in person
If you're into electromechanical machines, he also has a working telephone exchange and a bunch of videos where he restores its various components and explains how it works (I still don't quite understand how it works though). That's the original reason I subscribed to his channel, but his wild musical contraptions are also cool.
I'd like to see someone play DOOM (or any game, really) using that flip disc screen!
kelseyfrog
today at 5:40 AM
I was thinking of Bad Apple!![1], but maybe that's too niche.
1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtutLA63Cp8
You made me wonder just how often Touhou is even mentioned on HN, so I did a quick search and... less than 15 results! (not counting dupes).
Niche indeed...
I wonder if you could have it play the music as well by the right timing of flipping, just like how the Floppotron works.
The first thing I dig in the article was a search for "bad". Glad I'm not the only one.
Tetris seems like a good fit -- given the frame to frame changes are minimal adjacent pixels, the responsiveness should be acceptable
Popular in UK train stations until very recently. I suspect that there are still a few out there!
Is the last photo on that page, describing the cabling, a screenshot of another photo displayed using flipdiscs? that is a whole lot of discs!!
razorbeamz
today at 5:17 AM
I think it's just a simulation of what it could look like if it were flipdiscs.
I remember seeing those at the airport when I was a kid it was fascinating, one of the screens was close to the ground and I got over the chairs just curious how do they flip, now we have the boring soulless LEDs.
polyterative
today at 6:45 AM
Technology is so cool and you're using it to build a mirror. Would have loved to see generative or other weird graphics.
bovermyer
today at 8:33 AM
Did you read the article? The author goes into several applications beyond just that.
einpoklum
today at 6:36 AM
I have a question about those wire ferrules they said they were using:
I occasionally connect wires to terminals, but - I've never used ferrules: I just self-twist the thin strands, push the thing in, and use the lever or tightening screw depending on the terminal's mechanism.
Why would I use a ferrule? Or perhaps, under what circumstances is that advised?
PS - Link to the ferrules they mentioned: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07R6QQ7MW/
orangewindies
today at 7:15 AM
The wire will crush over time and the connection will become looser. That will increase the resistance of the connection and in high current applications will cause heating. If you're really unlucky it will cause a fire.
Ferrules often have insulating shells around the base which are good strain relief.
Ferrules also evenly distribute the clamping force and prevent crushing of the strands.
Ferrules solve the problem of having to align the threads every time you re-post them in a terminal block.
mfgadv99
today at 11:05 AM
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