Re: Clock Project


Anthony Fremont wrote:
igorshump@xxxxxxxxx wrote:
Would like to build a digital clock with a long-duration mechanical
escapement ("artistic" part).

I found Bill Bowen's site

http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/Bill_Bowden/

and could probably decipher something here, but thought I'd try for
some advice/ shortcut.

I envision empirically determining the periodicity of my "escapement
mechanism" and inputting that time period into my clock via dip
switches.

I had to read this a couple of times before I got it (I think). If I
understand you, you want to use a pendulum of arbitrary length (and
arbitrary period) and then have this advance the clock mechanism the correct
amount for each swing. For example, say you used a 1 meter long pendulum
with a period of 2 seconds. You would want to advance the the clock 2
seconds each cycle. Correct?

This number (not much resolution needed due to mechanical
vagaries of long-period escapement) would then be latched into the
clock electronics to provide the clock increment.

Not sure what you mean here, there is nothing vague about the motion of a
pendulum.

One could call this a "variable increment clock", I guess.

Could someone point me to a circuit that comes close to this?

Bryan Mumford has something like this going, but he uses a pendulum to
generate the pulses to an electrical drive system for the hands. He keeps
the pendulum going with magnetic impulses. The impulses are triggered by
the pendulum itself, so that the pendulum is the thing actually keeping
time.
http://www.bmumford.com/clocks/em2/index.html

.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Clock Project
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  • Re: Clock Project
    ... but I was thinking of a complex escapement ... mechanism" and inputting that time period into my clock via dip ... say you used a 1 meter long pendulum ... clock electronics to provide the clock increment. ...
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  • Re: Clock Project
    ... I envision empirically determining the periodicity of my "escapement ... arbitrary period) and then have this advance the clock mechanism the correct ... say you used a 1 meter long pendulum ... the pendulum going with magnetic impulses. ...
    (sci.electronics.basics)
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