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I wanted a clock that never needed setting. Things escalated

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Re: I wanted a clock that never needed setting. Things escalated

#111

Post by conorcleary »

Dylan16807 wrote: post #106
seba_dos1 wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I've also kind of wondered if GPS might be able to give you a time less accurately but quicker. Sometimes I look at the NMEA GPS output, and it sometimes doesn't have a position fix, but it does give out a time + week number No. Accurate time is one of the prerequisites for acquiring a position fix, and it's the one that's the easiest and fastest to obtain from the sky. Typically a receiver should be able to get ti…

> if there's enough sky visibility Which is a thing we shouldn't be requiring here. Picking up a single satellite without any position data is enough to drive a clock.

That 'three words' grid-hex system seems a lot cheaper and doesn't rely on time-space constraints in this light

Re: I wanted a clock that never needed setting. Things escalated

#112

Post by seba_dos1 »

Dylan16807 wrote: post #106
seba_dos1 wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I've also kind of wondered if GPS might be able to give you a time less accurately but quicker. Sometimes I look at the NMEA GPS output, and it sometimes doesn't have a position fix, but it does give out a time + week number No. Accurate time is one of the prerequisites for acquiring a position fix, and it's the one that's the easiest and fastest to obtain from the sky. Typically a receiver should be able to get ti…

> if there's enough sky visibility Which is a thing we shouldn't be requiring here. Picking up a single satellite without any position data is enough to drive a clock.

You need enough sky visibility to discern signal from a single satellite from the background noise without having accurate time and recent enough almanac already.

Re: I wanted a clock that never needed setting. Things escalated

#113

Post by dewarrn1 »

Animats wrote: post #19

It's a clock. Does it really have to have remote updating, a command line interface, an Internet connection, and HomeKit integration? That's too IoT. I have three La Crosse clocks that run off the NIST time signal out of Boulder, CO, and need their AA battery replaced maybe once a year. The real challenge is running such a thing on a small battery for a year. I once made a small clock that displayed "A LITTLE AFTER S…

It's not quite the same, but your prose clock solution reminded me of this: https://www.authorandco.com/products/author-clock.

Re: I wanted a clock that never needed setting. Things escalated

#116

Post by MrGilbert »

bux93 wrote: post #98

>damned if I could find one with a red seven-segment display that I liked (maybe someone else’s search kung-fu is better than mine?). The secret to finding an inexpensive radio-controlled clock/alarm/watch of your liking it to be German. They LOVE their Funk-Uhren! Sadly they typically only support Germany's DCF77 signal. You can also trivially find DCF77 receivers as components to use in a project.

They are quite handy, though. Also, there is a (commercial, proprietary) weather protocol encoded on top. However, since the end of june, there are technical issues and no forecast is being transmitted. [1]

[1]: https://www.heise.de/en/news/Meteotime-Weather-stations-supp...

Re: I wanted a clock that never needed setting. Things escalated

#118

Post by maratc »

RossBencina wrote: post #110
Frost1x wrote: post #11

I’ve had a Phillips “atomic” alarm clock beside my bed for 23 years that just sets based on radio signal and auto restores if the power is lost, to which it has a backup 9v battery. There’s a time zone setting offset slider and a DST slider. I basically touch it twice a year, maybe another if I move time zones. I’ve only had to touch it for DST (never switched time zones). Takes me conservatively 10 seconds to find a…

Australia here, no radio time as far as I know. Lately I've been wondering whether accurate time could be derived from terrestrial digital TV signals.

You can set your clock with an iPhone app or a computer with a pair of speakers. https://timestation.pages.dev

Re: I wanted a clock that never needed setting. Things escalated

#120

Post by WillAdams »

Animats wrote: post #19

It's a clock. Does it really have to have remote updating, a command line interface, an Internet connection, and HomeKit integration? That's too IoT. I have three La Crosse clocks that run off the NIST time signal out of Boulder, CO, and need their AA battery replaced maybe once a year. The real challenge is running such a thing on a small battery for a year. I once made a small clock that displayed "A LITTLE AFTER S…

There is a charming "Literary Quote" clock:

https://www.uncommongoods.com/product/literary-clock

and I've often wished that it had a set of quotes for such approximate times.

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