The latest issue (Sep 2010) of Elektor magazine has a catchy title on its cover: "Give your projects simple grace with the Elektor project case". Browsing the magazine curiously, I found out that the mentioned project case is actually the way I enclose my own projects, made out of two laser-cut plates of transparent acrylic. I am glad I am not far off from "perfection" :)
Since it cannot be said better, here is the quote from the Elektor article:
A brief tour of the World Wide Web clearly shows one of the problems facing many electronic enthusiasts: the enclosure. All too often it’s a plastic box in a dismal shade of grey, cluttered with an awkward arrangement of connectors, controls and indicators. You spent hours designing a stunning PCB layout, assembled the board neatly, and it ends up in a humdrum plastic box. Isn’t there a better way?
Starting today, for people who don't own (and are not interested in owning) a soldering iron, I am making available the assembled and tested version of the Wise Clock 2. It comes with the SD card, formatted and with the right files on it, the USB power adapter (5V DC output) and a 4-foot miniB USB cable (used to power the clock from either a computer or the USB adapter). In the assembled Wise Clock 2, the transparent acrylic plates are thicker, at 4mm (1/6"). The ATmega644 microcontroller comes programmed with the latest software (since new feature are added periodically). The display can be chosen between red and green.
Wise Clock 2 is shown in the photo at right and also in this video.
The clock is available for shipping to North America only, for the price of US$125, with free shipping.
