Marriage of antique and neo-nowism. (Microcontroller controlled 1910 "digital"clock)!

[polo-g40]

Marriage of antique and neo-nowism. (Microcontroller controlled 1910 "digital"clock)!

I've been playing with pics and having lots of fun, all because of one thing, a 1910's antique "ticket" clock, and have it working pukka today!!!



These were made be EverReady, the "Jurghan's Ticket Clock".... We've been repairing some of them, their clockwork often gets sticky... They are excellent as clocks, but just need winding every day.. So one of the spares with no movement, I've added a stepper motor (out of a photocopier) a quad-darlington and a PIC... I started off with an I2c RTC (with crystal) connected in there so if it missed any turns (battery low or whatever) it'd recover them, but its accuracy was 0.1second out per minute according to my PC so thats not part anymore!

This started about a year ago with buying a Velleman Pic programmer from maplins'... I'd done a lot with PICs and 8051 a long time ago, part of electronics degree course (I ended up teaching the microprocessor module due to my previous exerience) and working in a test equipment department, but hadn't been near one for 10 years... One thing I wish I knew then was not to lock-out 16f628's (Put MCLR as internal tied and internal oscilator means never programmed again! Even with MCLR before VDD on) I've got a pile of them now that just flash whatever tune they were 1st programmed with!!

But this clock has been the inspiration to new challenges and it now works finally...!! The 16f88 is massively over-specced for the job but I'm sure thats ok! The battery life is yet to be seen too, I hope to plumb a mobile phone battery in so I can recharge it (in my phone) when needed.!

Cheers Well chuffed
NEAL

Moved to DIY section [alexan_e]

 

[BradtheRad]

Re: Marriage of antique and neo-nowism. (Microcontroller controlled 1910 "digital"clo

Good job. As you know, such retro devices are in demand and can bring good money if they operate and look polished as yours is.

As for me I wonder how much I could get for a few old tube radios we had, if I'd held onto them instead of taking them apart. :^)

 

[polo-g40]

Re: Marriage of antique and neo-nowism. (Microcontroller controlled 1910 "digital"clo

Many thanks!!!
I can't believe its still properly running (and near perfect time still) now 24 hours on!!! I spent a long time on this with it in nice easy "bits" to start but the mechanism and controller do need realy packing in so when it stopped working I've been loathe to un-pack it till now.

I had it working of sorts ages ago but it took me a while to get the timing bang on.. Starting using a 16f628a and with an actual RTC chip and crystal in a quest for accuracy but that was *real* lame time wise. 0.1second per minute out (I hooked up the PC to measure its movement pulses)... Too much error for my digitally expectant world! So then I got it to work perfectly (after several chip-deaths so now on a 16f88) using its extenal 4MHZ Crystal, perfect to 0.1s per hour avg accuracy) using my own simple timing loops. but then then I have had to take a 3 month break from it I've been away, so when I plugged my ICD lead into the nice (robbed off a photocopier) 3pin plug recently and it didnt work I had to take a while to carefully unpick everything. I got the chip out it's carrier to program it, but forgot WPUB (628 to 88 change to nRPBU) so I did find the ICD lead's veroboard track had broken (fixed now)

so this must be the most accurate one of these ever made I am sure... I had to sit down and count how many stepper pulses were in between each flick and put it in an array, but well worth it!!... I'll post a video I am that chuffed with it!!!

Many regards, thanx
NEAL

I am not quite that old but I remember taking to bits a "speak and spell" once...

---------- Post added at 21:02 ---------- Previous post was at 21:00 ----------

annd the only one ever with an ICD lead sticking out its bottom

---------- Post added at 21:03 ---------- Previous post was at 21:02 ----------

Ps keep hold of tubes for post nuclear!!!!!!!

 

[polo-g40]

Re: Marriage of antique and neo-nowism. (Microcontroller controlled 1910 "digital"clo

Not the best video but the battery's just gone flat.... at 25 seconds (&1:25 and 2:25) the magic happenshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHdbO51xn6A

 

[BradtheRad]

Re: Marriage of antique and neo-nowism. (Microcontroller controlled 1910 "digital"clo

Good work.

Don't know if you intended for it to skip past the 15 leaf?

I sold all my old tubes on Ebay for the cost of shipping them.

I once saw a letter from an old-timer in an electronics magazine. He asked people not to throw away old radios and tv's, etc. But rather to donate them to electronics schools so students could have real tube equipment to work with.

We might be able to fabricate tubes if we have to. Even the necessary vacuum. I read a science fiction story where students in a survival course were stuck on a distant planet. To call for help they made radio components from silicon and metal. (The instructor was a radio technician.)

How could they make amplifying tubes? They blew a glass tube 35 feet long, and sealed it at one end. They installed the plates and wiring at the sealed end. Then they filled the entire tube with water (somehow the plates didn't get wet). They lifted the tube vertically. The water level dropped to create a near-vacuum at the top.

 

[polo-g40]

Re: Marriage of antique and neo-nowism. (Microcontroller controlled 1910 "digital"clo

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