DIY hard drive clock (part 9)

Front panel assembly.

Front panel consist of two pieces: plastic support panel and aluminum faceplate separated by wooden spacers.

Support panel is cut from plastic cover of old printer. Panel holds controller board and illuminated control buttons board.

Faceplate is made from scrap aluminum and fastened to support panel with machine screws. 

To keep various power cables and control wires in order improvised wire holders made from 1/4" PVC drain tubing are used. Holders are attached to panel and chassis with hot glue.

DIY hard drive clock (part 8)

Visual enhancement.

This step may be considered as optional but it increases contrast of image being generated and improves overall visual appearance.

Light emitting part of hard drive is completely shielded by custom made cover.
Ambient reflected light and unwanted color glare are blocked by cover so light that can be seen by observer is coming only through slot cut in platter.

Cover for hard drive is made from plastic case of old printer, combined with part of food container .
Parts of cover are hotglued together and painted flat black.

DIY hard drive clock (part 7)

Assembling unit

For easy maintenance all electrical interconnections between assemblies are implemented with flexible cables and connectors.
To center hard drive on a chassis I had to reposition existing power supply board. 

To lover noise and vibration to minimal level I reused rubber shock absorbers from old computer. Shock absorbers are mounted on custom brackets and fastened to hard drive frame.

Four machine screws are installed onto chassis to serve as mounting posts for shock absorbers.