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Compact Roman Numerals

I invented a way for a 24-hour display of hours and minutes to fit in 4 displays, by figuring out how to treat them like Arabic numerals - one digit each for tens and ones for the hours and minutes.

Most of the “digits” are intelligible to the uninitiated. Here are the numbers 1 through 9 in Compact Roman format:
Roman Numeral Clock

Roman Numeral Clock Project

I

I - 1

II

II - 2

II

III - 3

IV

IV - 4

V

V - 5

VI

VI - 6

VII

VII - 7

VIII

VIII - 8

IX

IX - 9

zero is blank.
 

The tens digit is less clear, though 30 is the only one that is radically different from the original.

X

X - 10

XX squished

XX - 20

XXX as III and X

XXX - 30

XL squished

XL - 40

L

L - 50

Some of these tens digits are farfetched. For 20 (XX), Imagine 2 Xs squished together. 30 (XXX) is pretty clumsy, as a combination of III and X. 40 (XL) is like XX, with an X and L smashed together.

Note that this set is designed for a 16-segment alphanumeric display, and the more common type is the 14-segment. 14-segment displays don't divide the horizontal lines at the top and bottom; that wouldn't do much damage to this format except that the “XL” tens digit would have the whole bottom bar lit up; a bit less readable, but more alien, so it's OK.

Happily, I have a number of 16-segment displays in my junk box. Now all I have to do is get them to show these “numbers”!

  
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