- Andrew 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
by soblemprolver
3 subcomments
- 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
by simonjgreen
2 subcomments
- 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
- I did the same for my office and bought used LAWO flipdot panels for this. Screenshot of the thing here: https://github.com/aivju/flipdotz
by OuterVale
4 subcomments
- 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.
by ricardobeat
1 subcomments
- 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…
by kaipereira
1 subcomments
- 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!
by shermantanktop
1 subcomments
- 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.
by yigalirani
1 subcomments
- > 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
by helsinkiandrew
0 subcomment
- Mikeselectricstuff did a 26minute deep dive into flipdots a few years ago which is worth a watch:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u26N-pQY2U4
by nandomrumber
2 subcomments
- That display needs some Conway’s Game of Life action pronto.
- (2024) It was a Show HN last time - maybe the author is still around (455 points, 123 comments) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40789672
- 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.
- Crazy seeing this posted today. I learned about flipdiscs from ChatGPT just a few hours ago because I'm trying to find a text display type you could build or at least repair yourself. Don't need much just ASCII with enough lines for running commands and output.
I think flipdiscs would be too expensive. Honestly a teletypewriter might be the most realistic, but wastes a lot of paper.
Any other suggestions?
by dec0dedab0de
0 subcomment
- I love physical displays like this, or split flaps. Anything that is not a screen, and keeps it's display without power. I keep getting ads for vesta boards, but I just can't justify the expense.
I have notebook from ~15 years ago full of pie-in-the-sky ideas for different types of displays. This was before I got a job that took up all of my attention span.
- I'd like to see someone play DOOM (or any game, really) using that flip disc screen!
by prima-facie
0 subcomment
- There's also the Atkinson dithering (made by Bill Atkinson) which produces very neat results.
by danvillalon
0 subcomment
- I think a missed opportunity on the website would be to have a flip button to change the colors pallete too!
White background black text and flip back to the current one!
Very cool project!
by abhiraj_patwa
0 subcomment
- 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!
- Popular in UK train stations until very recently. I suspect that there are still a few out there!
- 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.
- Looks like this would lend itself naturally to sorting algorithm demos.
by laserbeam
1 subcomments
- Damn, I really wish there was a T in "Quick jazzy vibe flows from exploding pixels", 'cause the sentence is just cool!
- 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!!
by jimnotgym
1 subcomments
- Lookmumnocomputer did some nice work for thismuseumisnotobsolete with flip displays.
See on YouTube or visit in person
- I would love to see the cost of the whole hardware mentioned. I guess it would be around a 1000USD
by grumpysysop
0 subcomment
- I wonder how small they can be. Would be an amazing watch display.
by polyterative
1 subcomments
- Technology is so cool and you're using it to build a mirror. Would have loved to see generative or other weird graphics.
- 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.
by einpoklum
2 subcomments
- 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/
- [flagged]
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