Correct Time?

[Bird]

Bret, maybe that's what I have on the nightstand by the bed. It's a $15 GE clock/radio. The only reason I bought it was because it had big numbers that are easy for an old man to read, AND especially because I thought I MIGHT (but hopefully not) need an alarm clock sometime and would likely not hear a regular alarm clock anymore. At any rate, I just plugged it in and it set itself. It has a switch on the side to flip for "daylight" or not daylight time. And that's the only setting it's ever required. I did look at the manual last night and it says they recommend changing the batteries in it every 3 to 5 years. I guess I'll have to start thinking about that, since it was 3 years old in September. [img]/forums/images/icons/laugh.gif[/img]

[JazzDad]

That is strange, Bird. Why would you need batteries if the clock sets itself?

[Bird]

Beats me, Brett. I would assume the two AA batteries are primarily backup for power outages. And I've never had to reset it in spite of many power outages and even two moves to new homes. I've never even figured out how to operate the thing without the manual. Oddly enough for anything with batteries, the batteries were included with this clock. There's a 4 postition switch to set the time zone, a 2 position switch to indicate daylight savings time or not, and the manual has a "WARNING: Please avoid playing with these buttons after entering the Clock/Alarm set mode." But the manual does include instructions for setting the date and time "in case the memory holding batteries are accidentally removed." It would make sense to me that backup battery power only "holds" the date and time set. But in 3 years, the time hasn't drifted off at all. [img]/forums/images/icons/confused.gif[/img]

[Pat]

Bird and Brett, Time doesn't drift on our "atomic" clocks because the NIST National Institute of Standards and Technology, I think and used to be National Beaureau of Standards) has an atomic clock, a real atomic clock that uses the accurate oscillations of Cesium atoms to maintain time extremely accurately. They broadcast time signals that can be picked up by our "atomic" clocks and even though our colcks could in theory be so sloppy as to drift a second or two a day they get reset just about every night so there is no accumulation of errors.

My projector clocks require two double A cells. I read the manual carefully and found the plug in wall power supply is to power the projector long term without running the batts down. The clock is battery operated. Nt a clue why this arrangement.

In the old days some electric clocks were wind up clocks that were electrically wound and had no particular accuracey advantage (remember when dash clocks in cars would make a spark in the dark every so often and a click noise?). Later the clocks were synched to the power line AC voltage which is 60 Hz. The utilites used to adjust the frequency just a tiny little bit to keep the long term electric clocks set properly (no long term accumulationi of errors.)

Pat [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[Bird]

Yep, Pat, I believe my 1955 Cadillac Coupe DeVille had the clock that was periodically wound electrically. Of course that car was 5 years old when I bought it. And as with most automobile clocks of that time, it was highly inaccurate or unreliable. [img]/forums/images/icons/tongue.gif[/img]

[LazyJ_Arabians]

'55 Caddie from Bird's flambouyant years

Chrome baby ...



Fully loaded with A/C, power seats, and hydraulic power windows ... 5,000 lbs

Limited trunk space tho ...

[Bird]

Somebody must have painted it. It used to be white over green (and a different shade of green, at that). Hydraulic power windows? It was the first car I ever owned with air-conditioning (which blew the air from ducts behind the rear seat forward instead of from the dash), power seat, and power windows, but I don't recall any hydraulics.