I once saw one of the original machines used for adjusting balance wheel watches. It used an audio frequency tuning fork oscillator and a series of count downs to drive a drum at the rate the watch ticked. The watch was placed on top of a microphone that picked up its ticks and caused a pen to ink a paper chart on the drum. The pen moved along the axis of the drum at a constant rate. The slope of the line showed how many seconds a watch would gain or loose in 24 hours. I wonder if you could use an induction coil to pick up the 32678 Hz from the quartz oscillator and trim it up. Only in an older watch, I guess.
Regards. Max. K 4 O D S. Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Transistor site http://www.funwithtransistors.net Vacuum tube site: http://www.funwithtubes.net Music site: http://www.maxsmusicplace.com To subscribe to the fun with tubes group send an email to, [EMAIL PROTECTED] ----- Original Message ----- From: "Didier Juges" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "'Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement'" <time-nuts@febo.com> Sent: Saturday, December 01, 2007 9:17 AM Subject: [time-nuts] Watches >I believe watchmakers have a device they use to measure the vibration from > the stepper motor or the escape mechanism and indicate if the watch gains > or > looses time. I am not sure how accurate that system is, and if something > equivalent is in use on crystal watches. > > Chuck, can you tell us? > > My son's Bulova was at the repair shop for something like 3 months > (August-November, I got it back last week) for what I initially thought > was > a dead battery (the watch was erratic). The watchmaker said a capacitor > had > to be replaced (did not ask which, I assumed it was the trimmer > capacitor). > He further said the factory sent the wrong capacitor 3 times, after which > he > decided to replace the entire movement instead, hence the 3 months and $60 > repair (after discount). > > I am not sure if my son's watch is crystal controlled or some other > system, > I know some Bulovas used to use a mechanical tuning fork resonator > (Accutron?) His watch is only 2 or 3 years old. > > Didier > >> -----Original Message----- >> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >> [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Chuck Harris >> Sent: Saturday, December 01, 2007 8:45 AM >> To: Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement >> Subject: Re: [time-nuts] Chronometer contest sponsored by >> IEEE Spectrum >> >> Hi Max, >> >> I haven't seen a quartz watch with a trimmer capacitor in >> something like 20 years. >> >> What they do now days is use a microprocessor with flash ram, >> and the timing machine reprograms the microprocessor's second >> counter to trip at the right time. >> >> -Chuck Harris (amateur watchmaker) > > > _______________________________________________ > time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com > To unsubscribe, go to > https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts > and follow the instructions there. > > > > -- > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG Free Edition. > Version: 7.5.503 / Virus Database: 269.16.12/1163 - Release Date: > 12/1/2007 12:05 PM > > _______________________________________________ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.