[Zimm] built a flip disc display with a 37x18 grid of two-sided discs, black on one face and blue on the other, driven not by per-disc magnets but by a single CNC tool head that physically flips each disc one at a time.
The tool head uses a color sensor and LIDAR to scan the array, identify which discs need flipping, and calculate exactly how far to push each one. It is slow. That is the entire tradeoff, and the piece does not apologize for it. The architecture is closer to a pen plotter than any conventional flip disc driver, which reframes what the project actually is.
The display is live and public. You can upload or draw an image at par.zimmzimm.com/upload and watch it render in real time. The full project log explains the sensing and positioning logic in detail, and that is the part worth reading.
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