How to Build a
Time Fountain
By Shawn Patton
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1
How to order parts
for a time fountain.
And then hold on to them four 22 months without
doing anything.
By Shawn Patton
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2
How to Build a
Time Fountain
in a Night!!
After having bought the
parts almost 2 years
ago…
By Shawn Patton
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3
How I Built the
Time Fountain
You'll See Today
Which isn't done yet, but it's still pretty cool…
By Shawn Patton
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4
What is a time fountain??
A time fountain is a fountain that can stop
time!
 Not really, but it is a fountain that uses a
strobe light to give the illusion that drops
are hanging in mid-air.
 I got the idea from Nate True by way of
hackaday.com… two years ago.

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5
Nate True’s Time Fountain
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Totally sweet, but…
Hard to build, uses a drip sync mechanism
requiring an elaborate setup and
programmed chip. Boo!
 Uses Fluorescein dye which stains
everything. Boo!
 UV light can burn your retina. Boo!


Why can’t you just strobe a light? Humm….
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To the internet!!


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Found a page by Alain Bellon, who says, yes,
you can just strobe, if you have a constant drip
rate.
He even gives a schematic for a circuit using a
555 timer chip.
He also discusses how cool white liquid looks
with white LEDs shining on it (no more toxic dye
and retina searing light!)
What makes water white you ask?
Why, Miracle Milk, sold right in Southside at the Cuckoo’s Nest Magic Shop.
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8
Design
3 drips are better than 1, I could have
backwards time, stopped time, and slow
time with three different strobe rates! All
the forms of time, at my control!!
 Metal is cool! Let’s use that a lot!
 Tall, no, taller! Make it big!!

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9
Design Revamp

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3 drips, am I insane?!? Let’s get one working
first.
Steady drip needs water at same level always.
Must pump in, must have drain back down.
Would be cool to run the tubes for water up the
metal support tubes.
Have block of wood inside bottom metal piece to
support poles. Store electronics in bottom too.
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10
Rough Schematics
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And now a word from our sponsor:



A timer 555 chip from Radio Shack: $2
A printed circuit board : $3
Not having to buy either and finally using that
gift your cousins gave you when you were 12:
Priceless.
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12
Shopping…
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Strips of white LEDs from Hong Kong
Various resistors, capacitors, and switches
from Radio Shack.
Hardware from Lowe’s and Home Depot.
And, another trip to Radio Shack for a new
soldering gun, since I couldn’t find my old one.
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13
New soldering gun:
Sweet sunbeams:
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14
Leads to… a bunch of stuff:
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15
Assembly Notes
Don’t try to make your fountain all in one
night.
 Drilling stainless steel is very difficult.
 Having a spigot to control water drip-rate
is key (Yes, finally I did something right!)
 Wood is easy to work with, and it’s better
to get something done than nothing : )

Plus, it actually looks kind of cool, and I think the final design will use wood.
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16
Yada yada yada: Demo Time!!
For some links, this
presentation, and a
placeholder for photos
and instructions, visit:
Makes your water, whiter!
http://www.shawnpatton.com/timefountain
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