The original 4017 Decade logic clock was the second most funded soldering kit of all time on Kickstarter. We’ve revamped the same circuit, but this time with surface mount components. The result is an extremely sleek monolithic clock that looks great on any surface. The time is displayed on 1206 LED’s in a 0-9 format.

More information about this clock, including assembly instructions can be found HERE.

Why the CD4017?

The CD 4017 is a really neat decade counter chip. It counts incoming pulses from zero to ten and resets to zero. By stacking 6 of them and adding a 1Hz square wave input, they make a perfect clock!

How accurately does it keep time?

About as well as a digital wrist watch. The 1Hz time source is generated from a 32.768khz quartz crystal oscillator, two 24pF capacitors and three resistors, just like your old digital wrist watch from before the days of smart watches.

How small are the components? Are they hard to solder?

Many people have an aversion to surface mount components because they are so small. For this design, larger surface mount components were intentionally selected. The smallest component you’ll encounter is a SOT-123 diode. With the right tools, surface mount soldering isn’t that bad. You will need some .4mm 60/40 solder and a needle point soldering iron. If this will be your first attempt at surface mount soldering, you’ll probably find that it’s a nice change to not have to trim the component leads

What you’ll get and what you’ll need

You will get a PCB and a bag of parts. You will need a steady hand, a needle point soldering iron, .4mm 60/40 solder, and a USB-C power cord. A stand is also recommended. A stand can be purchased separately or you can 3d print your own. The STL is HERE