Ring in the New Year with This Replica Times Square Ball Drop

2018 has come and (nearly) gone, and like every year before it since 1907, the New Year will be marked by brilliant illuminated ball being dropped in New York City’s Times Square. While you can watch the event on TV, or even in person, you can also create your own roughly 1:20 scale ball drop replica thanks to Adafruit.

The setup is controlled by an Adafruit Feather M4 Express, along with a Prop-Maker FeatherWing and an RTC module for its all-important timekeeping function. When the clock strikes 11:59, the ball is programmed to descend over the next minute, using a pulley system and servo modified for continuous rotation to control motion. Meanwhile, music plays on the speaker built into the base and NeoPixels inside the dome blink away to simulate fireworks.

The dome itself is 3D-printed in two halves, and sticks together using neodymium magnets. A variety of other 3D-printed parts are used for the project, plus ball bearings and a length of aluminum extrusion for the ball to slide down. Given the amount of print time required to construct this device, it may not be realistic to build your own for this year; however, there’s no reason you can’t get a jump on 2020 right now!