Sun Chime

Got a sunny day with a slight breeze? Then it’s a perfect time to go sit out back in the garden. Take a glass of ice tea and a good book and enjoy yourself. You won’t loose track of the time because you’ve got a Sun Chime over in the corner.

From a distance, it appears to be a regular sundial, with a set of windchimes hanging from the edge. Upon closer inspection however, you notice that the large face of the sundial is in fact a solar panel with a ring of tiny light detecting sensors. The sun provides the power to switch on/off the dampening devices, which systematically prevents certain chimes from sounding. Given the position of the shadow on the face, the light sensors detect the approximate time and trigger the corresponding dampening devices to switch on/off. Therefore, every half-hour of daylight has a unique combination of tones, allowing the experienced listener to tell time while they enjoy the subtle music.

Note: This requires a good sunny day AND a strong enough wind to sound the chimes, so it should be considered quite unreliable, but it’s still a bit fancier than a regular sundial. With all the goofy things people put in their backyards, this should definitely be acceptable. Maybe I can find a way to incorporate a bird bath as well…