RM Prop Works — The Field Manual

Rob grinning in his visor, leaning on the Flux Capacitor

Section 01 · The Maker

Meet the bloke who actually made it.

No factory, no team, no middleman. If yours ever plays up, you're emailing the person who designed it, coded it and lit it up — all at one bench in Rochdale.

Rob in the workshop doorway, arms crossed, props behind him

Fig. 1.1 — Maker in the workshop

Fig. 1.2

Fig. 1.3

"From a tangle of wires with hardcoded numbers to a custom PCB with over-the-air firmware. One year. One bloke. Great Scott."

Hi, I'm Rob. It started the way most daft ideas do. I wanted a Back to the Future Time Circuits clock that looked like the real thing, couldn't find one I was happy with — so I had a go at building it myself. The first attempt was an ESP32 on a breadboard and a nest of wires held together by hope. The displays flickered, the first circuit board I designed blew the lot, and I taught myself to code the hard way: one problem at a time, usually at the bench long after everyone had gone to bed.

That clock's now on its fourteenth version, updates itself over WiFi, and sits on shelves in eighteen countries. Since then the workshop's grown — proton pack parts, the Flux Capacitor, a whole wall of props — but the rule hasn't changed: I design it, build it, light it up and test it myself before it ever goes near a box.

✓ Signed offRob · RM Prop Works · Rochdale, UK

Hands soldering the real Flux Capacitor controller board, the prop glowing behind

Section 02 · How It's Made

Every unit goes through all seven steps. By hand. By me.

No glued-in light kits, no drop-shipping, no shortcuts. This is the full sequence from blank bench to boxed prop — the same seven stages for every working build that leaves the workshop.

The real Flux Capacitor Controller v1.0 PCB

Fig. 2.1 — Controller PCB v1.0

Design files retained

Boards drawn in EasyEDA, parts modelled in CAD, firmware kept in version control — so every single build is repeatable and supportable.

01

Design the part

Modelled in CAD and drawn up as a custom circuit board in EasyEDA — screen-accurate, built to actually work.

02

Build the electronics

Custom PCB with proper power protection, an ESP32 brain, real addressable LEDs and sound — not a glued-in light kit.

03

Write & flash the firmware

Every effect hand-coded — the lighting modes, the 25-second time-travel sequence, the web control panel.

04

3D-print & hand-finish

Printed on the bench, then sanded, primed, painted and weathered by hand — mirror-finish nameplates, aged metal, the lot.

05

Test every single unit

Powered up, run through every mode and sequence, and left running before it's allowed anywhere near a box.

06

Pack with its operator's manual

Boxed with its own in-world quick-start card and operator's guide — the one customers write in to say they love.

07

Ship worldwide

Out from Rochdale to 18 countries and counting, with a six-month maker's warranty and me on the other end of the email.

Dr. Emmett L. Brown Enterprises

Temporal Displacement Division · Hill Valley · Est. 1985

UNIT: FLUX CAPACITOR
SCALE: 75% · LIGHTS & SOUND
PART NO. RMPW-FC-01

Fig. 3.1 — Flux Capacitor, fluxing

Exhibit 01 · Flagship

The Flux Capacitor

Hand-built working prop · 75% scale · 7 lighting modes

The piece that made the workshop. A hand-built working replica with three time-travel sequences synced to thirty-four addressable LEDs — presented here as it ships, running the Halo mode.

◉ Specification PlatePART NO. RMPW-FC-01

Size	26 cm high × 23 cm wide × 13 cm deep
Weight	650 g — front-heavy, lift by the body
Lighting	34 addressable LEDs · 7 modes
Sound	3 time-travel sequences, synced to the lights
Power	USB-C or DC · adapter included
Control	17-key remote, battery fitted

◉ The Seven Lighting Modes — key 7 on the remote

SMOOTHwhite comet with a fading trail

30FPStwin LEDs together, warm amber case

MOVIEalternating LEDs, deep blue case

SIMPLEsingle stepping LED, warm orange

PAIREDtwin-light chase variation

HALOtravelling light with a halo — ships in this one

RAINBOWfull colour cycle across all three arms

"Roads? Where we're going, we don't need roads. We do, however, need a 5V power supply."— from the operator's guide

Six-month maker's warranty

I designed it, wrote the firmware and built it — so I can fix it. Reply to your order any time.

⚠ Caution · Shield eyes from light

Bright flashing & strobing effects — may not suit photosensitive epilepsy. A collector's display piece, not a children's toy.

Acquire · Etsy · Full buyer protection£349.00

View on Etsy →

RM Prop Works · 75% scale · hand-built in the UK · operator's guide in the box

Temporal Field Generator

Destination · Present · Last Departed · OTA Firmware v14

UNIT: TIME CIRCUITS CLOCK
DISPLAYS: 9 · RED / ORANGE / GREEN
PART NO. RMPW-TC-14

Fig. 4.1 — Time Circuits, lit

◉ Film plate — the real light-up sequence, running on loop

Exhibit 02 · Flagship

The Time Circuits

Working light-up clock · nine displays · OTA firmware v14

A working light-up clock that keeps real time and updates itself over WiFi. From a breadboard tangle to its fourteenth version — the piece this whole collection grew out of.

◉ Specification PlatePART NO. RMPW-TC-14

Displays	9 seven-segment displays — red / orange / green rows
Timekeeping	DS3231 RTC + internet NTP sync, automatic DST
Control	Full web control panel from any phone or laptop
Sequence	25-sec epic: scanner → 1.21GW → 0→88 → fireworks
Updates	Over-the-air — no cables, just a browser
Modes	WiFi or fully standalone (RTC only)

Internet time sync + automatic Daylight Saving

Epic time-travel sequence, or simple mode

Glowing picture-frame border at 88mph

Smooth dimming — down at night, up at dawn

Fixed-IP option, auto WiFi recovery

Wireless keypad add-on (in testing)

Updated for life, over WiFi

New features land as free over-the-air updates — the clock's gone from v1 to v14 and keeps improving. No case opening, no USB.

The clock · Etsy£200.00

View on Etsy →

★ The set · Flux Cap + Time Circuits£499.00

View the set →

RM Prop Works · working light-up prop · hand-built in the UK

The neon RM PROP WORKS sign glowing in the workshop

Section 03 · The Build Story · v0 → v14

From a tangle of wires to v14.

One year, one bloke. The Time Circuits clock grew up in public — breadboard to custom PCB to over-the-air firmware, one problem at a time. Here's how it got to its fourteenth version.

V0 · Chaos Era

A tangle of wires and a dream

An ESP32 on a breadboard, hardcoded numbers, a nest of DuPont leads. But it lit up red, orange and green — and it looked like Back to the Future.

v1.0 · First Stable

The first commit worth keeping

WiFi, internet time, nine displays, settings that survive a power cut. Then a custom PCB — which promptly blew the displays, and taught the expensive lesson about power protection.

v10.10 · Shipping

The one that goes in every box

A dark amber web portal styled like the prop itself, the 25-second epic time-travel sequence nobody else was doing, and firmware updates over WiFi. First units shipped.

The finished Time Circuits clock fully lit

v14 · In Service

A rebuilt 0→88 speedo and a glowing frame

Three WiFi bugs squashed, the speedometer rebuilt to hit every number from 0 to 88 so it genuinely feels like flooring it, and a glowing picture-frame border during the 88mph phase.

Read the Full Build Story →

Proton Pack Upgrade Parts

Neutrona Wand Fitment · Hand-Finished · '84 Build Spec

RANGE: VALVES · KNOB · FRAME
FINISH: HAND-WEATHERED
PART NO. RMPW-GB-KIT

Fig. 5.1 — Upgrade parts

Exhibit 03 · The Proton Pack Range

Proton Pack Parts

Hand-finished upgrade parts for your '84 pack

Valves, crank knob and booster frame — sized and finished to drop straight onto a neutrona wand. Better than Hasbro's, half the price of the real ones, and finished by hand on the bench.

◉ What's in the RangePART NO. RMPW-GB-*

R-701	Clippard valve replica, mirror-finish nameplate — £16
R-331	Hand-painted valve, mirror-finish plate — £16
Crank Knob	Hand-finished matt black replica — £8.50
Booster	Frame weathered to a bare-metal look — £10
The Kit	Booster + both valves + crank knob — £40

Made for real builds

Repeat buyers kitting out whole '84 packs — one valve at a time. Sized and finished to drop straight onto the wand. The full star-rated feedback is on the Reviews wall below.

★ The full upgrade kit · Etsy£40.00

View the kit →

Single part · Clippard R-701£16.00

View valve →

RM Prop Works · hand-finished upgrade parts · made in the UK

Finished clock and Flux Capacitor on a home sideboard, blueprint behind

Section 04 · The Collection

Seventeen pieces, all currently on display.

Everything currently on display — the hand-built props and kit parts first, prints and extras below. Each tile links straight to its Etsy listing, with full buyer protection.

The Builds

Hand-built props & kit parts

Prints & Extras

Posters · apparel · digital

Enable JavaScript for the full gallery — or browse the listings directly on Etsy:

Section 05 · Provenance · In Their Words

4.77^★

133 reviews · 89% five-star · real Etsy reviews

5★

89%

4★

7%

3★

3%

≤2

1%

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

"What an amazing clock! I love it! And Rob is absolutely the most amazing seller I've ever worked with. After the initial setup my clock stopped working on one of the dates — Rob jumped right in, sent me a replacement part, and the clock works perfectly!"

Time Circuits Clock buyer

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

"Love the Operator's Reference Guide by Dr. Emmett L. Brown Enterprises. Thanks also for the mini flux capacitor."

Time Circuits buyer

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

"This has to be the best reproduction/replica on the market. The quality far outweighed my expectations!"

Proton pack builder

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

"Great quality, great price, and looks a lot better than Hasbro's Clippard. Arrived quickly and well packaged. Looking forward to adding it to my '84 pack."

Clippard valve buyer

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

"Great — and half the price of the real ones. Highly recommended."

Crank knob buyer

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

"Génial, super réaliste, j'adore — et livraison rapide, merci !"

France

The full workshop in daylight — printers, props and the bench

Section 06 · Where We've Sold

One bench in Rochdale. Parcels on four continents.

Every pin is a real delivery — Etsy and eBay, April 2024 to today. Not bad for a one-person workshop.

341Total Orders

18Countries · 36 US States

4Continents

18,100 kmFurthest Parcel

◉ Deployment map · Etsy + eBaySTATUS: PLOTTED

Open sales map in a new tab →

Furthest flungTitirangi, New Zealand — roughly 18,100 km from the workshop.

Busiest little townNiota, USA — four separate orders from one small place.

The US story53% of everything — 182 orders across 36 states, even a military APO/FPO address.

Section 07 · The Studio

Beyond the collection.

◉ Commissions · Open

You dream it, I build it.

Got a prop in your head that nobody sells? Send me the scene. If it can be built and it lights up, there's a good chance it can leave the workshop with your name on it — like the full-scale DeLorean build I wrote bespoke firmware for.

Start a commission →

◈ Contact · Direct to the Maker

Talk to the bloke who made it.

No call centre, no bot. Questions before you buy, or your prop playing up after — they all land on the same desk in Rochdale, with a six-month maker's warranty on every working build.

Email[email protected]

Shopetsy.com/shop/RMPropWorks

Warranty6-month maker's warranty on all working builds

Section 08 · The Vault · Coming Soon

What's on the bench next.

A peek behind the workshop door — prototypes being wired up, add-ons in testing and the next props lining up to join the collection. Not listed yet; email the workshop if you'd like first dibs.

Time Circuits · Add-onIn testing

Wireless keypad

A second ESP32 keypad so you can punch in your own destination time from across the room — being bedded in on the bench right now.

Back to the FuturePrototype

Full-scale DeLorean firmware

Bespoke lighting and sound firmware written for a full-scale DeLorean build — the kind of commission that leaves the workshop with your name on it.

WorkshopOn the bench

The next prop

There's always something half-soldered under the lamp. New builds only join the collection once they've earned their place — designed, lit, tested and boxed.