Ever wondered what happens to dead hard drives when they aren’t permanently mangled by the Hard Disk Destroyer? Turns out some of them get fashioned into Hard Drive Clocks, which use the hard drive’s nonfunctional electronic components as backdrop to a desktop-sized analog time-teller.
Made by Teco Art, the upcycled pieces use the hard drive’s disk platter as the clock face, which they then combine with a variety of other throwaway electronic parts for various aesthetic and utilitarian purposes. With its exposed circuit boards, chips, and various electronic components, they should make a cool, albeit very geeky, addition to any engineer or electronic tinkerer’s workdesk.
All Hard Drive Clocks use a quartz movement for the clock and recycled electronic pieces for the various parts. That’s, pretty much, what they have in common collectively. Each one is, basically, styled according to the creator’s whim, so some are standard clocks with various exposed electronics, some come decorated as something else (e.g. they have a clock designed to look like a cat), and others get secondary functions (e.g. a clock with an integrated pen holster and another one with a business card holder). Materials for each clock varies, too, with units using everything from 60s-era disk platters to desktop hard drives to iPod drives (yes, the iPod is officially vintage now).
Teco Art has quite a bit of Hard Drive Clocks to choose from, so check out their Etsy store if you’re looking to shop for one.
