Details: https://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?%2Fforums%2Ftopic...
If you want to see a big one in person, the TWA Hotel at JFK Airport in New York has the original split-flap departures display made by Solari di Udine [1] (the same company makes the MoMA clock). Solari also makes other split-flap devices [2].
Not to get off on a tangent, but the TWA Hotel is a very cool place to visit [3].
[0] https://store.moma.org/for-the-home/home/clocks/solari-cifra...
[1] https://science.howstuffworks.com/engineering/architecture/t...
Alphanumeric split-flap displays are way more complex and expensive; you won’t find those anywhere for cheap. The higher-end Solari clocks (the ones with added complications like day and date) likely sit somewhere in the middle; I wouldn’t be surprised if these resemble big watch mechanisms with similar complications.
https://i5.walmartimages.com/asr/e528a8d0-6191-4472-adf5-935...
BTW the arduino is overkill. All you need is a few tracks along the wheel and some electrical contacts. Encode the position directly in the track connectivity. Select position by just sending the binary for the desired letter down the wires. When it reaches the correct letter, the powered contacts get cut off and the motor stops turning.
... or use a $4 MCU. Even get Wifi capabilities for "free".
Sure, the guy has some fancy tools, but what I saw looked like something you could have laser-cut by way of Shapeko (or similar online laser-cutting services). He in fact referenced an acrylic version that would laser up nicely.
I suppose the electronics would be a learning curve but I might just go with the KiCad PCB he provides and go from there. (Curious though about the acrylic version — how it handles the electronics.)
Vinyl cut letters... This is do-able but also points out to me that the author is something of a perfectionist. Someone just getting their feet wet in a split-flap display might start out lettering their flaps with a Sharpie.
As you say, if the fun is in driving an analog display with software you could do a lot worse starting out with matte board, hot glue, a Sharpie and a handful of electronics.
https://www.brusselsairport.be/en/pressroom/news/175-destina...
