First: what this thing is called
The classic arrivals-and-departures board is called a split-flap: each cell is a drum holding dozens of half-cards that rotate until they stop at the right letter, producing the unmistakable clack-clack. It's also known as a Solari board, after the Italian company that invented it and shipped it around the world — if you enjoy that story, we tell it in the legendary airport board: a history of the split-flap. Knowing the name matters: it's what you need to search for to buy, build or recreate one.
The three ways (and who each one suits)
Buy a physical split-flap board
Modern manufacturers still make true mechanical boards, flaps and motors included. It's the most faithful option — and the most expensive: small wall units start around €3,000, lobby formats reach tens of thousands, and flaps and motors need maintenance. It makes sense as a sculptural piece in premium spaces with the budget for it.
Build it with 3D printing and electronics
Open-source projects offer plans for printable flaps, stepper motors and controller boards. It's a beautiful electronics project… and a weeks-to-months hobby: one module per character, calibration, upkeep. Perfect if the journey is what you enjoy; impractical if what you want is the result on your business's wall.
Recreate it in software on any screen
The third route turns a TV or screen you already own into a split-flap board that looks and sounds like the real thing: same flipping flaps, same cascading choreography, same clack-clack. No works, no technician, updatable from your phone. That's what Flappit does, from €19/month with a 7-day free trial.
Recreating it on your TV, step by step
- Create your account at flappit.com/panel — 7-day full trial, no card.
- Open flappit.com/tv in the TV's browser. No browser on your TV? A pre-configured HDMI stick fixes it: plug in and go. Installation in detail here.
- Link the screen: the TV shows a 4-letter code; type it into your control panel and they're connected.
- Write your first message: choose lines, letter and flap colours, add your logo and a clock, and hit update. The letters flip across the screen, in cascade, until your text is composed.
What you actually need
A screen (the lobby TV you already have, a monitor or a vertical totem), Wi-Fi and five minutes. Nothing else: no works, no new cabling, no technical skills — if your team can open a website on the TV, they can do this. And if the internet drops one day, the board keeps the last content on screen instead of going dark.
Ideas for your space
Hotels: welcomes with the guest's name, breakfast hours, today's events, group farewells. Restaurants and cafés: today's menu, specials, "today we recommend…". Clinics: queue numbers and notices with a warmer look than a corporate screen. Gyms: today's classes and challenges. Offices and events: room agendas, visitor welcomes, launch countdowns. At home: a message flipping in the kitchen every morning — the ultimate retro treat.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a real airport board cost?
A new mechanical split-flap starts around €3,000 for small wall formats and climbs to tens of thousands for lobby sizes, plus flap-and-motor maintenance. The software recreation on an existing TV starts at €19/month.
Can I have it on a regular TV?
Yes. Any Smart TV with a browser works as-is; for older sets, an inexpensive pre-configured HDMI stick solves it.
Does it sound like the real boards?
Yes — the flap clack-clack is recreated and optional: turn it on for the full effect or silence it in quiet environments.
Does it work on vertical screens?
Yes: landscape for lobby TVs and portrait for reception totems, adapting the letter grid to the format.
Who updates it day to day?
Anyone on the team, from a phone or computer: type the message, hit update, and the flaps spin on the screen right away.