Small battery backup?

[Jim Elbrecht]

Mine does that & it has no clock. $10 coffee maker plugged into a $5 timer. Probably the 5th coffee pot on the same timer over the past

20 years.

Jim

[JIMMIE]

At one time there was talk about the PoCo was going to start sending time signals on the lines and all this electtronic garbage would automatically sync up. I havent heard about that in a long time so I guess it was an idea that died.

Jimmie

[E Z Peaces]

I feel your pain! Do other households in the area have the same problem?

My worst problem used to be answering machines. With my last one, I had to hold a button while a voice counted through the days of the week, then to the right hour, then to the right minute. I'd stand around waiting, and if I missed the right hour or minute, I'd have to run through an additional 24 hours or 60 minutes.

Power failures don't affect my current phone clock. Perhaps it's powered by the battery in the handset. I still have to reset it for daylight time and for drifting, but it's quick, using the number pad and display.

I still have to reset the clock on my microwave. It would be hard to run it long on a battery because the display segments are lighted. However, it can be set in a jiffy. I do it at my convenience because the oven works fine without it.

I wonder why manufacturers don't advertise if a clock will keep running for a certain amount of time without power. To me, that's an important consideration. It should be easier than ever because clocks seem to need less power than before. I used to keep my 1996 computer plugged in because the clock could drain the battery before very long. I leave my

2006 computer unplugged 50 hours a week because I've never read that anyone needed to replace the battery in this model.

Nowadays, clock backups often use EDL capacitors because they have a longer service life than batteries. If a clock has a low-power display (LCD), that might be the way to go. The capacitor might need a series resistor so that when power came on, the charging surge wouldn't damage the power supply.

[David Nebenzahl]

On 11/15/2009 7:00 AM aemeijers spake thus:

Does anybody really care?

[Mark Lloyd]

[snip]

Probably. I've had an old Radio Shack clock radio made when they included schematic diagrams in the manual. That one showed the RC.

Although I'd like to know it's early.

[gfretwell]

If so I can't imagine why

[Mark Lloyd]

Is that clock called "Intelli-Time"?

That clock does NOT set the time automatically. It's pre-set and has a small battery to maintain time. There's a fake display when it's plugged in that serves no purpose other that making you think it's setting itself.

BTW, Mine became useless when the battery died.

[Sam E]

That's when you're suffering from drug withdrawal.

[Mark Lloyd]

Maybe the need for an internal clock comes with modern electronic controls. Many new appliances suffer from "power amnesia" and refuse to be on when switched externally.

[Mark Lloyd]

You could use a multi-handset cordless phone. Then you can have a phone in every room but need just one UPS.

BTW, there are some cordless phones that also connect to a cell phone (using Bluetooth), so you can have the multi-handset advantage with it too. I know of both Uniden and AT&T brands.

[aemeijers]

On a lot of stuff, other than lower assembly cost (and looking Kewel and hi-tech), I gotta wonder why they went to electronic controls. On some things, electro-mechanical makes a lot more sense, and lasts longer.

-- aem sends...

[Jules]

Couldn't agree more. Unfortunately the majority equate "electronic" with "better", so that's what the manufacturers give us.

The clock gets thrown in because it costs them next to nothing to do so and gives them something else to put on the feature-list - and lots of folk buy based on features, even if they don't need 90% of them and the design is compromised as a result.

Technically someone could make a coffee maker that lasts 20 years, is fully servicable, and doesn't cost the earth in parts. But where's the incentive to do that when they can just as easily market an inferior product with a shorter lifespan, safe in the knowledge that people will keep coming back for more of the same?

[George]

Or not, I did give you an accurate reason why it happens and it entirely possible it has nothing to do with something being loose.

[George]

But wally and friends have everyone programmed to think that cheap prices are all that matters. Anyone who buys from wally/big box etc has voted for what they have been told is important to them.

[HeyBub]

They do make such. They are sold to large cafeterias and are found on Navy ships, firehouses, and Marine bases.

Yep. After my third Black&Decker sooper-dooper coffee maker (at ~$40/pop), I opted for the $9.95 model from Walmart and plugged it in to a generic timer out of the junk box I'm good to go.

It doesn't last any longer than the B&D one, but it's far cheaper to replace.

[aemeijers]

Try buying a real telephone- single line, no answering machine, no caller ID, an actual handset that fits the head instead of some dainty nonsense designed by a stylist. Unless you delve into commercial sources or online, you can't. Retail, if they have corded phones at all, just has the disposable crap that isn't even heavy enough to stay on a table when you lean back in the chair while talking. I NEED a single-line corded phone with speaker and mute, for days I work from home. Can't find it in any stores around here. Hesitant to buy a pig in a poke online. Don't want anything that needs a wall plug or backup battery, don't need caller ID (which I refuse to pay extra for on principal) or speed-dial or anything like that. I have plenty of the old-time real WE phones for the other rooms, but need the speaker and mute for conference calls.

-- aem sends...

[Tony]

Oh No! I have two of them with a 9 volt backup battery. Now I'll have to look at the new ones cause you made me curious.

[The Daring Dufas]

A lot of my work involves telecommunications and I would recommend this particular phone to you:

TDD

[aemeijers]

Yeah, I saw that wandering around out there on the web sites. But who the hell is Vodavi? I could probably live with it, I guess, but I would prefer a real brand name. And no battery- 48 volts should be enough to stash a little away to keep the memory hot. But thanks for the real-world recommendation.

Googles- a generic supplier since '83. LG is a current behind-the-scenes OEM for them. I guess that is long-term by today's standards. I miss WE.... :^(

-- aem sends...

[The Daring Dufas]

Vodovi supplies a lot of business phone systems that you may not come into contact with. Believe me, they supply a fine product that's on par with many of the business phone systems that are available. Of course, many parts may be identical to those of other brand names. Sometimes a piece of phone equipment may be internally identical with one from another manufacturer.

TDD