Electrical connection on vintage clock

[mike]

Elderly relative handed me an electric clock at Xmas and said, "Can you make this work?"

Picture here:

pins are approx 1cm long, 13mm apart and 3mm in diameter.

Does anyone know whether a suitable connector for those pins is still available / what it's called / where it might be bought?

If it's possible to source the right lead, is there any reason that it mightn't be safe to use? Is there anything in there that might have decayed over the years?

Thanks in advance for any info.

[Graham.]

Pretty sure it's a standard 5A female connecter, like these

?item=EL172.jpgSomething like that is intrinsically pretty safe, I wouldn't worry unless offering it for sale.

Incidentally there is a knack in starting those synchronous motors, without a kick-starter, you can get it to run backwards and even at double speed.

[Chris Bartram]

help.

[Peter Crosland]

The thing that would concern me is if it is electrically safe given the age. I might be being very pessimistic but if someone were injured or it caught fire then I would not want it on my conscience.

[Brian Gaff]

I think the weirdest clock I was ever given was what they called an atmospheric clock. Basically there was some kind of cylinder and a wire that got hot which expanded the air and the piston went up and pushed an escarpment, there switches and at least one valve in it and it kept terrible time! I gave it to a clock nutter in the 70s.

Brian

[Bob Eager]

Strangest kind of clock I've come across was a Congreve clock. First found out about them when I read "Trustee from the Toolroom" as a boy.

[Gazz]

Wasn't richard branson was it? would explain the running of his train service perfectly :)

[Frank Erskine]

Just use a pair of insulated crocodile clips. A 1A fuse in the mains plug, and the usual RCD in the CU should protect you.

[Nick]

Are you referring to an Atmos clock? Patented by Jean-Leon Reutter in the late 1920's. Early clocks were powered by mercury to wind the movement. Ths worked by temperature changes. LeCoultre took over in about 1935 and redesigned the clock using an expanding, gas filled, metal bellows to wind the movement. This works by atmospheric pressure changes. Jaeger-LeCoultre still make them. Older clocks are very collectable and highly sought after. They can be hideously expensive. IIRC J-LC produced a one-off Atmos a few years ago that sold for $1.8 million. That one contained 2kg of gold and 500 diamonds, not my style! I have collected Atmos for many years.

In one of his books, possibly 'The Ascent of Man', Jacob Bronowski refers to the Atmos clock as the closest thing on earth to perpetual motion. Fascinating machines. Completely silent with no visible power source. They will usually operate for up to 20 years between services. As for time keeping, they are not the best. A well maintained and regulated clock however can be excellent. I have one that has lost 2 minutes over a five year period. I start to worry if one of my clocks is more than six hours out over a twelvemonth. Nick.

[Nick]

Ah.. a Congreve Rolling Ball clock. A truly appalling time keeper but fascinating to behold. I bought a good quality repro about 30 years ago. Still running and always makes me smile. Nick

[Andy Champ]

I saw one once. Fascinating device. It was for sale... but I didn't want to pay the thousand quid. (IIRC)

Andy

[geoff]

In message , Graham. writes

Look at the Op's picture carefully ...

[Graham.]

I'm not 100% sure what you are getting at, but let me explain further

Here is my clock, similar, but perhaps a later design.

"turn slowly" knob is what I'm calling the kick starter it gives the motor a kick with a spring loaded pawl and with a little luck it keeps going. It cannot be rotated backwards and it cannot impart sufficient force to make the motor run at 2X.

On the OPs clock the "roll knob" is actually the spindle of the synchronous motor itself.