Stephen Hawking Unveils a "Time-Eating Clock"

Iria · Sep 22, 2008, 06:09 AM

Don't worry: it's not a cousin to the Large Hadron Collider, which some fear can destroy the world. No, it's not really eating time. But the Corpus Clock is certainly unusual.

On Friday, Sept. 19th, Stephen Hawking was on site to introduce the strange timepiece. The $1.8 million clock took five years to build and is totally mechanical. It is expected to run accurately for at least two hundred years.
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Source: Tech-Ex

**kris23** · Sep 22, 2008, 06:17 AM

how do these mechanical clocks work?

Cow_160483 · Sep 22, 2008, 02:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kris23

how do these mechanical clocks work?

i think you would have to be a total genius to figure that out or be some old guy like the the inventor. I mean what was wrong with the digital watch on his wrist?? And who is going to live for 200 years to keep checking the time to see if it has kept it accurately.

Some of these inventions are utterly senseless!

Matth · Sep 22, 2008, 04:15 PM

Wow, that is a ferocious looking beast.

The video also strips the grasshopper escapement down to its basics.

A well tuned pendulum clock can be pretty accurate - with temperature compensation, it could probably be as accurate as quartz.

The operation is described, but not in huge detail.

The key points of a mechanical clock are the drive (by a spring or descending weight), a method for rewinding the drive without uncoupling - for a spring, the spring housing is wound to tighten it, while the spring continues to drive the clock.

The escapement couples the regulating device (pendulum on a large clock, spring-wheel on a watch) to the first of the gear wheels, allowing the wheel to move forward by one tooth only for each cycle of the regulating device, and couples enough impulse back to keep the pendulum swinging.

The remaining stage is the division by the remaining wheels - in some cases 60:1 continuous reduction, so even the hour hand is constantly moving, but very slowly, or in this one, a step movement, so the next unit snaps forward by one.

Sep 22, 2008, 06:09 AM	#1
Iria DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 7,275 Rep Power: 89	Stephen Hawking Unveils a "Time-Eating Clock" Don't worry: it's not a cousin to the Large Hadron Collider, which some fear can destroy the world. No, it's not really eating time. But the Corpus Clock is certainly unusual. On Friday, Sept. 19th, Stephen Hawking was on site to introduce the strange timepiece. The $1.8 million clock took five years to build and is totally mechanical. It is expected to run accurately for at least two hundred years. _____________ Source: Tech-Ex

Sep 22, 2008, 06:17 AM	#2
kris23 Going Insane..... Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 6,019 Rep Power: 131 System Specs	how do these mechanical clocks work? __________________ Hardwareheaven Super-Moderator Building a new computer system and not sure where to start? Click Here! last updated (5/18/11) Rosewill FUTURE case replaces CM 690 II with its greater interior length. Building a PC: Step by Step Guide Written by Kristopher Pedemonte and Nathan Marks-Forder Edited by Allan Campbell Questions or Comments? feel free to post them in the forums!

Sep 22, 2008, 04:15 PM	#4
Matth Flash Banner Hater Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: UK Posts: 3,426 Rep Power: 93 System Specs	Wow, that is a ferocious looking beast. The video also strips the grasshopper escapement down to its basics. A well tuned pendulum clock can be pretty accurate - with temperature compensation, it could probably be as accurate as quartz. The operation is described, but not in huge detail. The key points of a mechanical clock are the drive (by a spring or descending weight), a method for rewinding the drive without uncoupling - for a spring, the spring housing is wound to tighten it, while the spring continues to drive the clock. The escapement couples the regulating device (pendulum on a large clock, spring-wheel on a watch) to the first of the gear wheels, allowing the wheel to move forward by one tooth only for each cycle of the regulating device, and couples enough impulse back to keep the pendulum swinging. The remaining stage is the division by the remaining wheels - in some cases 60:1 continuous reduction, so even the hour hand is constantly moving, but very slowly, or in this one, a step movement, so the next unit snaps forward by one. __________________ Mary had a little lamb, Her father shot it dead Now Mary takes her lamb to school, Between two crusts of bread Last edited by Matth; Sep 22, 2008 at 04:31 PM.