[PROJECT_ID: 0x02][STATUS: CONCEPT][CATEGORY: HARDWARE • CARDANO]

ADAClock

A Cardano-native BlockClock. A small e-ink desk object that cycles through live network metrics — price, block height, epoch, slot — pulled straight from the chain. No Cardano equivalent exists yet. This is the attempt.

the_idea

In the Bitcoin world, Coinkite's BlockClock became a cult object — a WiFi-connected e-ink display cycling BTC price, block height, sats-per-dollar, and halving countdowns. It sat visibly behind Jack Dorsey during a 2021 US Congressional hearing. It turned network state into furniture.

Cardano has no equivalent. That gap was pointed out directly by Lucas (Pedro H. Lucas, founder of 45B.io) — a Cardano community enablement hub — during a Discord conversation about the Cardano Doorbell. His suggestion: build the Cardano version.

ADAClock is that project. A desk device cycling live Cardano metrics: ADA/USD price → block height → current epoch → slot number → tx count in the latest block → back to price, roughly 8 seconds per metric.

The plan is deliberately open: publish the full build documentation alongside the firmware so anyone can build their own, and potentially productize a finished version later. Lucas already has a spare microcontroller from an old weather-station project he wants to repurpose to build his own once plans are released.

how_it_works (planned)

[Blockfrost API]
   |  price, block, epoch, slot, tx count
   v
[Raspberry Pi Pico W]
   |  cycles metrics on ~8s timer
   v
[Waveshare 2.13" e-Paper HAT — 250×122px, SPI]

Same controller and same API layer as the Cardano Doorbell — the two projects share a stack deliberately. The doorbell proved chain-to-hardware works; ADAClock extends it into a finished object.

Why e-ink over LED/OLED: zero flicker, near-zero power draw between refreshes, and the "cypherpunk desk object" aesthetic that defines the BlockClock category. Why a Waveshare Pico HAT specifically: it plugs directly onto the Pico W with no loose wiring — essential for anything meant to be sold as a finished product.

build_it_yourself (planned BOM)

ComponentNotesEst. cost
Raspberry Pi Pico WSame controller as the doorbell~$6
Waveshare 2.13" Pico e-Paper module250×122px, plugs on as HAT, SPI~$18
Enclosure3D printed or laser-cut, TBD~$3–5
USB-C cable + stand~$3
Total BOM~$30

Full build documentation (BOM, firmware setup, assembly) will be published with the firmware. Wiring documentation is minimal by design — the HAT eliminates it.

what_i_learned

Nothing yet — this page is being written before the build, deliberately. The doorbell taught the chain-to-hardware fundamentals; this section will fill in as the prototype comes together. Watch this space.

what_comes_next

  • [ ] Create dedicated adaclock repo (separate from pijam-vol2)
  • [ ] Write firmware — multi-metric cycling display pulling from Blockfrost
  • [ ] Design/source the enclosure
  • [ ] Write the full public build doc
  • [ ] Prototype in hand → follow up with Lucas (45B.io)
  • [ ] Decide on pricing if productized — reference point: BlockClock Micro sits at $50–70 retail against this ~$30 BOM
related_build Cardano Doorbell — where this stack was first proven. [read →]
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