OT: Analogue clock modification to quartz timig?

[N_Cook]

Please excuse the horological terms in the following. A nice brass and
glass dome Horolovar type 400-day , at least 50 year old J Haller of
Germany, torsion suspension clock. I've reset the pallets on the
escapement so it is back in working order.
These clocks are notorious for bad time keeping, bu tlook great, as no
fusee or remontoire mechanism so the back torque from the main spring
varies fully from fully wound to near unwound.
Rotation escapement is 8 turns per minute or 7.5 seconds per cycle,
exactly , in theory, but impossible to maintain even over a week let
alone a year, summer and winter etc. Playing with a very basic 1.5V
plastic quartz-timed clock mechanism with balance wheel escapement,
about 0.8mA pulse every 3 seconds powering its escapement via a
solenoid. If I brought out the solenoid to the steel "metronome" arm
part of the escapement on this clock, any chance of it keeping time?
Main motive power would still be the clockwork. So a pulse at end of
swing at 0 seconds, pulses at 3,6,9,12 miss altogether, leaving just
pulse at 15 seconds, so 4 per minute. If the arm arrives late the pulse
pulling it closer and if the arm leaves early it is pulled back
slightly, or am I missing something fundamental.
Hopefully around the 7.5 second full cycle one, it would be too distant
to be influenced by pulses at 6 or 9. Or would an astronomic type
gravitational lock situation arise , with drift , and another
synchronism would emerge?

 

[pfjw@aol.com]

a) These clocks were never meant to keep time. They were meant to be ornamental.
b) These clocks, generally, were the toys of the wealthy. They had servants to (discreetly) reset the clock each morning.
c) Any such clock modified to keep time would be anathema. To the clock and to the hobby.

Get it to run reasonably reliably, and then have Throckmorton set it each morning such that you believe it to be keeping time.

Peter Wieck
Melrose Park, PA

 

[N_Cook]

On 14/04/2018 13:47, pfjw@aol.com wrote:

a) These clocks were never meant to keep time. They were meant to be ornamental.
b) These clocks, generally, were the toys of the wealthy. They had servants to (discreetly) reset the clock each morning.
c) Any such clock modified to keep time would be anathema. To the clock and to the hobby.

Get it to run reasonably reliably, and then have Throckmorton set it each morning such that you believe it to be keeping time.

Peter Wieck
Melrose Park, PA

Scrotum is too occupied ironing The Telegraph for me, to accommodate
that extra chore.

 

[Mike Coon]

In article <pasvcb$3gn$1@dont-email.me>, diverse@tcp.co.uk says...

On 14/04/2018 13:47, pfjw@aol.com wrote:
a) These clocks were never meant to keep time. They were meant to be ornamental.
b) These clocks, generally, were the toys of the wealthy. They had servants to (discreetly) reset the clock each morning.
c) Any such clock modified to keep time would be anathema. To the clock and to the hobby.

Get it to run reasonably reliably, and then have Throckmorton set it each morning such that you believe it to be keeping time.

Peter Wieck
Melrose Park, PA


Scrotum is too occupied ironing The Telegraph for me, to accommodate
that extra chore.

Have it done at night. It must be just the cumulative error that is to
be eliminated. Only the working class are going to worry about absolute
error...

Mike.

 

[N_Cook]

An added note relevant to repair. The rocking anchor of the escapement,
is an early plastic, that holds the pallets with plastic move to lock
plastic clamps. Like a lot of problems with early tape recorders using
nylon like plastic, it can change dimension or relieve stress with age
and bend or something, then something touches or disengages or something
causing failure of the mechanism. In this case one o fthe tiny plastic
clamps had loosened its grip on the receive side pallet, allowing the
metal pallet to gradually move away from the escapement cog. Then the
escapement escapes.
Reset it to match the other pallet distance .