Split-flap displays are electromechanical display boards that are now considered obsolete with the advent of screens.
However, they were once used in airports and train stations to display information, with each character being represented by a flaps that would mechanically rotate to form a letter or number.
Now, a maker has created his own version of the split-flap display using a 3D printer, an ESP32 C3 SuperMini microcontroller and a stepper motor for each module.
Morgan Manly’s design is modular, so multiple characters can be daisy-chained together to display longer words or numbers, and even a blank flap is included on each module.
He has made the design open source and intends to create a kit for making the displays more accessible.
