I have recently purchased plans for the Electrical pendulum clock and Silent desk clock - so I am going to be busy making clocks ...
Having a background in electronics, I think I could make some improvements on the pendulum drive circuit.
Although the Chinese modules can no doubt be persuaded to work - my impression is that they could likely prove to be somewhat temperamental.
Furthermore, they are likely to be very wasteful of power.
The battery voltage varies considerably over the life of a battery
Considering a single battery, its voltage would vary from around 1.5v down to 0.8v or so as it becomes fully discharged.
So if the circuit is to work when the battery voltage is 0.8v, then it follows that 2x power is being wasted when the battery is new.
The Chinese module could, in any event, be overdriving the electromagnetic coil (excessive current and/ or pulse duration?) - so probably at least a 5x saving in power, i.e., a 5x improvement in battery life, is practicable.
Additionally, if a boost converter is added, the new circuit could be powered from whatever voltage may be preferred.
The number and type of batteries would be selected based on the desired operating life between battery replacements.
A new design will involve a particular size of coil, PCB and battery holder which will require changes to the base part of the clock.
Is it possible to provide a step file for that base part?
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Have you any thoughts as to the feasibility of producing a wall-mounting version of this Electrical pendulum clock?
Best Regards,
Douglas
Hello Steve and Douglas Reid, I read the above thread with great interest as I am in the middle of trying something similar with my Electro Magnetic pendulum clock. I have built the SP1 and am on my third Sp2 weight driven clock. I have the SP1 in my office at work and have assembled an SP2 for me at home and one for my son in law at his business and am finishing another SP2 up right now for my 2nd daughter. They all run with an error of less than 1 minute in a week. But I have never been able to get the EMPC to run accurately. No matter what combination of pawls I tried it would always eventually advance by two teeth per swing or not advance at all. I put it aside for a while as I needed to get some other things done. (Like the SP2 I promised my daughter almost a fear ago lol). In the last few weeks I've been messing with the EMPC a bit more. I am running it from two 18650 cells through a LM2596 buck converter. I was hoping a more stable voltage would lead to a more consistent pendulum swing. At the moment I'm not concerned with battery efficiency. I am just trying to get the clock to run consistently. I had the LM2596 laying around so that is what I'm using. I hadn't even thought of a boost converter and I am not sure of the pros and cons of either one. The results so far have been mixed. I will say it is much easier to tune the clock by adjusting the input voltage which has a direct effect on the pendulum swing amplitude. A 10mv change in voltage has a noticeable effect on the pendulum swing and corresponding pawl travel distance. It leaves me wondering how this clock could ever achieve reasonable accuracy running directly on AA batteries. The clock is now running on about 2.5Vdc. The active pawl is near the top of the pendulum. Previously I was running with less voltage and the active pawl was lower. While doing so I became aware of some mechanical issues with my clock. It was running and keeping good time but then stopped. Two of the gears had slid toward each other and came into contact which locked up the clock. I installed some tiny washers where needed to space the gears. I may have installed one to many washers on one of the gears as afterwards the clock would not run at the same voltage. It seems I added some friction. I didn't feel like taking it apart again so I just increased the voltage and raised the active pawl a few notches. That is why I say I have had mixed results. One day soon I'll remove the extra washer but for now I just wanted to prove it could run consistenly. Yesterday I designed a base to hold the 18650 cells and the LM2596. The clock with its original base will just sit on top of this base and be wired to it. If this all proves successful I will probably redesign a replacement for the original base to accommodate the regulator and batteries.
Douglas Reid, I am very interested in any ideas you may have concerning the electronics for this clock. I have mentioned it here before and you may already be aware of them but just in case here are a couple links showing how Dick Bipes has accomplished a similar idea using a micro-processor to regulate his electro-magnetic clock. I think his use of a cammed pendulum driving the active pawl is key. I think that arrangement alone might help this clock quite a bit.
Clock Link:
https://www.instructables.com/A-wood-gear-clock-with-a-unique-drive-mechanism/
Electronics Link:
https://cdn.instructables.com/ORIG/FGB/5WH6/I4IXCJU9/FGB5WH6I4IXCJU9.pdf
James