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---
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
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 !!!!
I have seen both radio signal and pre-set internal battery powered clocks. It might be either.
snipped-for-privacy@hotmail.com wrote: ...
How did they know which time zone to preset it to???? :)
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...
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.
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
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---
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.
I understand they set the time based on the destination for the clock.
Many of them are having problems with that once since they recently changed the date.
The only really accurate way is the radio sync along with user input of the correct time zone.
All I have seen allow manual changes.
snipped-for-privacy@hotmail.com wrote: ...
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 ...
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I don't know what it is either, but it sounds better than my clock, that has "Dummi-Time".
The clocks I see have a switch to set the time zone.
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.
Maybe it has to do with Arsenal Savings and Loan.
I try to control the urge.
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