|
Cheap alarm clock
I just bought a cheap electric alarm clock - made in China naturally.
When I plugged it in it displayed the correct time. How does it do this? Does it pick up a radio signal? The clock works perfectly. I am just curious. ---MIKE--- In the White Mountains of New Hampshire (44° 15' N - Elevation 1580') |
Cheap alarm clock
---MIKE--- wrote:
I just bought a cheap electric alarm clock - made in China naturally. When I plugged it in it displayed the correct time. How does it do this? Does it pick up a radio signal? The clock works perfectly. I am just curious. ---MIKE--- In the White Mountains of New Hampshire (44° 15' N - Elevation 1580') Does it have a little picture of a dish antenna on it? When you plugged it in did it go crazy and start spinning rapidly? If so it receives the time code from the NIST time transmitter in Boulder, CO. However, there are some that have been set at the factory and they have a battery back up time chip in them so that the time is correct from the start. Supposedly you never have to set these, but they are standard quartz movements that won't keep the correct time forever. I prefer the ones that set themselves to the NIST transmissions. Bill |
Cheap alarm clock
---MIKE--- wrote:
I just bought a cheap electric alarm clock - made in China naturally. When I plugged it in it displayed the correct time. How does it do this? Does it pick up a radio signal? The clock works perfectly. I am just curious. ---MIKE--- In the White Mountains of New Hampshire (44° 15' N - Elevation 1580') Probably. I have two clocks like this and a watch, all battery operated, but you have to set them to your time zone. They are set by transmitted atomic clock signals and time is exact. |
Cheap alarm clock
On Fri, 20 Feb 2009 09:10:42 -0500, Frank
wrote: ---MIKE--- wrote: I just bought a cheap electric alarm clock - made in China naturally. When I plugged it in it displayed the correct time. How does it do this? Does it pick up a radio signal? The clock works perfectly. I am just curious. ---MIKE--- In the White Mountains of New Hampshire (44° 15' N - Elevation 1580') Probably. I have two clocks like this and a watch, all battery operated, but you have to set them to your time zone. They are set by transmitted atomic clock signals and time is exact. On it's way from China it went through Rome. The Pope blessed it, so it was set according to God. Since God is always right, so is the time. Now you know !!!! |
Cheap alarm clock
|
Cheap alarm clock
|
Cheap alarm clock
On Fri, 20 Feb 2009 10:19:16 -0500, wrote:
On Fri, 20 Feb 2009 08:36:47 -0500, (---MIKE---) wrote: I just bought a cheap electric alarm clock - made in China naturally. When I plugged it in it displayed the correct time. How does it do this? Does it pick up a radio signal? The clock works perfectly. I am just curious. ---MIKE--- In the White Mountains of New Hampshire (44° 15' N - Elevation 1580') I have seen both radio signal and pre-set internal battery powered clocks. It might be either. I have a couple of clocks that run through the displays on power up, as if they set the time automatically. Only one of them (then one that's a clock-radio) actually does. The other uses a little battery to keep time. -- Mark Lloyd http://notstupid.laughingsquid.com "The government of the United States is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion." |
Cheap alarm clock
On Fri, 20 Feb 2009 09:31:06 -0600, dpb wrote:
wrote: ... I have seen both radio signal and pre-set internal battery powered clocks. It might be either. How did they know which time zone to preset it to???? :) And how does it deal with Daylight Savings on and off? |
Cheap alarm clock
On Feb 20, 9:09*am, BillGill wrote:
---MIKE--- wrote: I just bought a cheap electric alarm clock - made in China naturally. When I plugged it in it displayed the correct time. *How does it do this? *Does it pick up a radio signal? *The clock works perfectly. *I am just curious. * * * * * * * * * ---MIKE--- In the White Mountains of New Hampshire * (44° 15' *N - Elevation 1580') Does it have a little picture of a dish antenna on it? *When you plugged it in did it go crazy and start spinning rapidly? *If so it receives the time code from the NIST time transmitter in Boulder, CO. However, there are some that have been set at the factory and they have a battery back up time chip in them so that the time is correct from the start. *Supposedly you never have to set these, but they are standard quartz movements that won't keep the correct time forever. I prefer the ones that set themselves to the NIST transmissions. Bill Are some of the more modern ones made using quartz crystals for their regular timekeeping functions (as opposed to being synchronized with the AC mains?) reason I ask is that I have never had a plug-in alarm clock that has kept anything resembling accurate time when running on battery backup - an outage lasting more than an hour or two will result in the clock being wildly off. The way that this was explained to me was that they generally got their timekeeping signal from the 60Hz AC power and only used the quartz oscillator when the power went out, and that plug-in alarm clocks generally used the cheapest oscillators (possibly ones that were rejected for use in wris****ches or other battery operated devices?) nate |
Cheap alarm clock
On Feb 20, 2:30*pm, wrote:
On Fri, 20 Feb 2009 09:31:06 -0600, dpb wrote: wrote: ... * * * *I have seen both radio signal and pre-set internal battery powered clocks. *It might be either. * How did they know which time zone to preset it to???? :) And how does it deal with Daylight Savings on and off? If it syncs to NIST, it gets a signal as to whether DST is in effect or not when it syncs. (well, it SHOULD, there is a DST flag. I guess some clocks may be pre-set for DST changes, in which case older ones will not work correctly now that we've been mucking about with it. I do know that my "Sharp" alarm clock handles DST correctly, that is, it gets its DST flag from the NIST signal not from its internal programming.) nate |
Cheap alarm clock
The clock claims to have "Intelli-Time" (whatever that means). The time
zone is selected with a multi position switch. There is a daylight savings option switch. I'll find out in a few weeks if it resets automatically. For $12 it's a nice clock! ---MIKE--- In the White Mountains of New Hampshire (44° 15' N - Elevation 1580') |
Cheap alarm clock
On Fri, 20 Feb 2009 18:15:09 -0500,
(---MIKE---) wrote: The clock claims to have "Intelli-Time" (whatever that means). The time zone is selected with a multi position switch. There is a daylight savings option switch. I'll find out in a few weeks if it resets automatically. For $12 it's a nice clock! That's the one I had. I removed the battery for a couple of hours to see if it would really set itself. it didn't. ---MIKE--- In the White Mountains of New Hampshire (44° 15' N - Elevation 1580') -- Mark Lloyd http://notstupid.laughingsquid.com "The government of the United States is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion." |
Cheap alarm clock
On Fri, 20 Feb 2009 09:31:06 -0600, dpb wrote:
wrote: ... I have seen both radio signal and pre-set internal battery powered clocks. It might be either. How did they know which time zone to preset it to???? :) I understand they set the time based on the destination for the clock. |
Cheap alarm clock
|
Cheap alarm clock
|
Cheap alarm clock
|
Cheap alarm clock
On Sat, 21 Feb 2009 09:47:56 -0600, dpb wrote:
wrote: ... I understand they set the time based on the destination for the clock. So you're telling me WalMart is buying, keeping inventory straight, and shipping individual lots of clocks to various time zones? The clocks I see have a switch to set the time zone. While possible, seems highly antithetical to cost-cutting ... -- Mark Lloyd http://notstupid.laughingsquid.com "The government of the United States is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion." |
Cheap alarm clock
Phisherman wrote:
On Fri, 20 Feb 2009 08:36:47 -0500, (---MIKE---) wrote: I just bought a cheap electric alarm clock - made in China naturally. When I plugged it in it displayed the correct time. How does it do this? Does it pick up a radio signal? The clock works perfectly. I am just curious. ---MIKE--- In the White Mountains of New Hampshire (44° 15' N - Elevation 1580') I looked at several clocks in Walmart yesterday. Three were "radio-controlled" clocks," which is very nice for accuracy, power outages and daylight Savings Time changes. Take a look here... http://electronics.howstuffworks.com...uestion461.htm Why do so many, including myself, say "Dalight Savings Time" when the official term is "Daylight Saving Time"? I Think maybe it's because the added "s" makes the words roll off our tongues easier. http://tinyurl.com/ujskf Jeff -- Jeffry Wisnia (W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE) The speed of light is 1.8*10^12 furlongs per fortnight. |
Cheap alarm clock
On Sat, 21 Feb 2009 19:43:08 -0500, Jeff Wisnia
wrote: Phisherman wrote: On Fri, 20 Feb 2009 08:36:47 -0500, (---MIKE---) wrote: I just bought a cheap electric alarm clock - made in China naturally. When I plugged it in it displayed the correct time. How does it do this? Does it pick up a radio signal? The clock works perfectly. I am just curious. ---MIKE--- In the White Mountains of New Hampshire (44° 15' N - Elevation 1580') I looked at several clocks in Walmart yesterday. Three were "radio-controlled" clocks," which is very nice for accuracy, power outages and daylight Savings Time changes. Take a look here... http://electronics.howstuffworks.com...uestion461.htm Why do so many, including myself, say "Dalight Savings Time" when the official term is "Daylight Saving Time"? Maybe it has to do with Arsenal Savings and Loan. I Think maybe it's because the added "s" makes the words roll off our tongues easier. http://tinyurl.com/ujskf Jeff |
Cheap alarm clock
On Sat, 21 Feb 2009 19:43:08 -0500, Jeff Wisnia
wrote: Phisherman wrote: On Fri, 20 Feb 2009 08:36:47 -0500, (---MIKE---) wrote: I just bought a cheap electric alarm clock - made in China naturally. When I plugged it in it displayed the correct time. How does it do this? Does it pick up a radio signal? The clock works perfectly. I am just curious. ---MIKE--- In the White Mountains of New Hampshire (44° 15' N - Elevation 1580') I looked at several clocks in Walmart yesterday. Three were "radio-controlled" clocks," which is very nice for accuracy, power outages and daylight Savings Time changes. Take a look here... http://electronics.howstuffworks.com...uestion461.htm Why do so many, including myself, say "Dalight Savings Time" when the official term is "Daylight Saving Time"? I Think maybe it's because the added "s" makes the words roll off our tongues easier. I try to control the urge. http://tinyurl.com/ujskf Jeff -- Mark Lloyd http://notstupid.laughingsquid.com "The government of the United States is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion." |
Cheap alarm clock
On Sat, 21 Feb 2009 09:47:56 -0600, dpb wrote:
wrote: ... I understand they set the time based on the destination for the clock. So you're telling me WalMart is buying, keeping inventory straight, and shipping individual lots of clocks to various time zones? While possible, seems highly antithetical to cost-cutting ... I don't know how they handle their distribution. I would think that the problem you are pointing out would explain why they often seem to be a time zone or so off. |
Cheap alarm clock
wrote in message ... On Sat, 21 Feb 2009 09:47:56 -0600, dpb wrote: wrote: ... I understand they set the time based on the destination for the clock. So you're telling me WalMart is buying, keeping inventory straight, and shipping individual lots of clocks to various time zones? While possible, seems highly antithetical to cost-cutting ... I don't know how they handle their distribution. I would think that the problem you are pointing out would explain why they often seem to be a time zone or so off. We have an "atomic clock" at work. It is often off by an hour and right now it is set for a different time zone so it appears correct. When we go to DST, who knows what will happen. It has been stable for a couple of months now, but at times it would make an adjustment and come back an hour off. |
Cheap alarm clock
Ed Pawlowski wrote:
wrote in message ... On Sat, 21 Feb 2009 09:47:56 -0600, dpb wrote: wrote: ... I understand they set the time based on the destination for the clock. So you're telling me WalMart is buying, keeping inventory straight, and shipping individual lots of clocks to various time zones? While possible, seems highly antithetical to cost-cutting ... I don't know how they handle their distribution. I would think that the problem you are pointing out would explain why they often seem to be a time zone or so off. We have an "atomic clock" at work. It is often off by an hour and right now it is set for a different time zone so it appears correct. When we go to DST, who knows what will happen. It has been stable for a couple of months now, but at times it would make an adjustment and come back an hour off. My "Sharp" brand "atomic" alarm clock from Target has been flawless since new. Only issues I have with it are short battery life (it's powered solely by batteries, have to replace them every couple months because the display gets hard to read at night) and not very loud alarm beep. But I can't use an AC powered alarm clock unless the alarm works when the power is off, and while some may work like that, it's hard to find documentation that it will in fact function. nate -- replace "roosters" with "cox" to reply. http://members.cox.net/njnagel |
Cheap alarm clock
Nate Nagel wrote:
Ed Pawlowski wrote: wrote in message ... On Sat, 21 Feb 2009 09:47:56 -0600, dpb wrote: wrote: ... I understand they set the time based on the destination for the clock. So you're telling me WalMart is buying, keeping inventory straight, and shipping individual lots of clocks to various time zones? While possible, seems highly antithetical to cost-cutting ... I don't know how they handle their distribution. I would think that the problem you are pointing out would explain why they often seem to be a time zone or so off. We have an "atomic clock" at work. It is often off by an hour and right now it is set for a different time zone so it appears correct. When we go to DST, who knows what will happen. It has been stable for a couple of months now, but at times it would make an adjustment and come back an hour off. My "Sharp" brand "atomic" alarm clock from Target has been flawless since new. Only issues I have with it are short battery life (it's powered solely by batteries, have to replace them every couple months because the display gets hard to read at night) and not very loud alarm beep. But I can't use an AC powered alarm clock unless the alarm works when the power is off, and while some may work like that, it's hard to find documentation that it will in fact function. nate Forgot to mention, one more quibble. The clock I have uses a battery powered outdoor temp sensor, and apparently supports three of them. I'd love to have extra temp sensors so I could monitor temp in the attic, garage, whatever, but who knows where to buy them. I suspect that it was probably a relabel of someone else's product, but whose? nate -- replace "roosters" with "cox" to reply. http://members.cox.net/njnagel |
Cheap alarm clock
on 2/22/2009 11:17 AM (ET) Ed Pawlowski wrote the following:
wrote in message ... On Sat, 21 Feb 2009 09:47:56 -0600, dpb wrote: wrote: ... I understand they set the time based on the destination for the clock. So you're telling me WalMart is buying, keeping inventory straight, and shipping individual lots of clocks to various time zones? While possible, seems highly antithetical to cost-cutting ... I don't know how they handle their distribution. I would think that the problem you are pointing out would explain why they often seem to be a time zone or so off. We have an "atomic clock" at work. It is often off by an hour and right now it is set for a different time zone so it appears correct. When we go to DST, who knows what will happen. It has been stable for a couple of months now, but at times it would make an adjustment and come back an hour off. Now, if they will make all time keepers with an atomic time feature, maybe I won't have to go all around the house resetting appliance clocks after a power outage. :-) -- Bill In Hamptonburgh, NY In the original Orange County. Est. 1683 To email, remove the double zeroes after @ |
Cheap alarm clock
In article ,
willshak wrote: on 2/22/2009 11:17 AM (ET) Ed Pawlowski wrote the following: wrote in message ... On Sat, 21 Feb 2009 09:47:56 -0600, dpb wrote: wrote: ... I understand they set the time based on the destination for the clock. So you're telling me WalMart is buying, keeping inventory straight, and shipping individual lots of clocks to various time zones? While possible, seems highly antithetical to cost-cutting ... I don't know how they handle their distribution. I would think that the problem you are pointing out would explain why they often seem to be a time zone or so off. We have an "atomic clock" at work. It is often off by an hour and right now it is set for a different time zone so it appears correct. When we go to DST, who knows what will happen. It has been stable for a couple of months now, but at times it would make an adjustment and come back an hour off. Now, if they will make all time keepers with an atomic time feature, maybe I won't have to go all around the house resetting appliance clocks after a power outage. :-) Isn't bluetooth supposed to take care of that? Your waffle maker talks to your electric toothbrush, etc? Pretty soon your iPhone will automatically order a new pair of shoelaces from Amazon when one of yours breaks. I'm becoming a luddite. |
Cheap alarm clock
Nate Nagel wrote:
My "Sharp" brand "atomic" alarm clock from Target has been flawless since new. Only issues I have with it are short battery life (it's powered solely by batteries, have to replace them every couple months because the display gets hard to read at night) and not very loud alarm beep. But I can't use an AC powered alarm clock unless the alarm works when the power is off, and while some may work like that, it's hard to find documentation that it will in fact function. nate I have a couple of "Sharp" brand wall clocks. They have good battery life, but of course they don't have digital displays and alarms. One of them keeps good time, almost, right through the DST change. The other one doesn't. The first one I bought apparently uses the DST flag on the time signal. However, it has a quirk that in the morning after a change it will be right, then in the evening it will go back to the other time. Then the next morning it will be right again and will stay that way till the next time change. The second one I bought of the same brand and model has the DST change hard coded, so it is off an hour during the interim between the new time change and the old one. I do usually set the time zone to compensate, but people in Eastern and Pacific time zones just have to lump it I guess. Bill |
Cheap alarm clock
On Sun, 22 Feb 2009 11:17:52 -0500, "Ed Pawlowski"
wrote: We have an "atomic clock" at work. It is often off by an hour and right now it is set for a different time zone so it appears correct. When we go to DST, who knows what will happen. It has been stable for a couple of months now, but at times it would make an adjustment and come back an hour off. Yea many of them were/are poorly programmed. Part of the problem was the change in DST that was recently made. |
| All times are GMT +1. The time now is 08:06 AM. |
Powered by vBulletin® Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004 - 2014 DIYbanter