tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27619544008303447702011-09-26T03:51:01.498-07:00Time is the weirdest thing. That's why I need to measure it...head1962http://www.blogger.com/profile/11083452177987168127noreply@blogger.comBlogger11100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2761954400830344770.post-7906351299825790222007-09-12T01:36:00.001-07:002008-11-12T21:56:23.165-08:00<div><div><div><div>Time.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eePk-f1Usdk/Ruez93ESriI/AAAAAAAAADo/LSFIIwrOnBI/s1600-h/Photo+007.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5109250177610460706" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eePk-f1Usdk/Ruez93ESriI/AAAAAAAAADo/LSFIIwrOnBI/s320/Photo+007.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Why does it exist?<br />Where did it come from?<br />Why do we measure it?<br />So precise?<br /><br />Anyway.<br />I want to measure it too.<br />Build a machine to measure it.<br />Watch it, show it.<br />Passing.<br />Flowing.<br /><br />Understand it?<br />No.<br /><br />Just build a time measuring machine.<br /><br />Or 2...<br />Huygens, pendulum, weight, movement.<br />Problems.<br />Gears...<br />Very complicated.<br />Drew something up...<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eePk-f1Usdk/RuesB3ESrgI/AAAAAAAAADY/u6jYv6HrTD0/s1600-h/Photo+048.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5109241450236915202" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eePk-f1Usdk/RuesB3ESrgI/AAAAAAAAADY/u6jYv6HrTD0/s320/Photo+048.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />That should work, I think.<br />Have a pendulum.<br />Make it out of <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Quartz</span> so you get rid of all temperature problems at once.<br />Luckily there is one of the last <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">quartz</span> factories in Switzerland.<br /><br />Make the blob.<br />A friend of mine has a lathe.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eePk-f1Usdk/Rueph3ESraI/AAAAAAAAACo/gF1ksj3nSmg/s1600-h/Photo+002.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5109238701457845666" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eePk-f1Usdk/Rueph3ESraI/AAAAAAAAACo/gF1ksj3nSmg/s320/Photo+002.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />and make some more parts.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eePk-f1Usdk/RueqPnESrbI/AAAAAAAAACw/pJ1IAqmmcoU/s1600-h/Photo+004.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5109239487436860850" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eePk-f1Usdk/RueqPnESrbI/AAAAAAAAACw/pJ1IAqmmcoU/s320/Photo+004.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Connection things to fix the blob to the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">quartz</span> rod.<br />Fine adjustment <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">blobbies</span>..<br />A big solid threaded cylinder to close it all.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eePk-f1Usdk/RueqcXESrcI/AAAAAAAAAC4/IU_V51jOcJo/s1600-h/Photo+010.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5109239706480192962" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eePk-f1Usdk/RueqcXESrcI/AAAAAAAAAC4/IU_V51jOcJo/s320/Photo+010.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />And it looks cool too!<br />Now had to find a frictionless system to fix it to something solid.<br />Like a house or so... or a mountain...<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eePk-f1Usdk/Rueq2XESrdI/AAAAAAAAADA/8iZPA9dDZi0/s1600-h/Photo+043.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5109240153156791762" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eePk-f1Usdk/Rueq2XESrdI/AAAAAAAAADA/8iZPA9dDZi0/s320/Photo+043.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Used some very thin stainless steel.<br />Cut it out with a water jet<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eePk-f1Usdk/Rueq-XESreI/AAAAAAAAADI/O0aKiS_kvgU/s1600-h/Photo+045.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5109240290595745250" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eePk-f1Usdk/Rueq-XESreI/AAAAAAAAADI/O0aKiS_kvgU/s320/Photo+045.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />And the holder<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eePk-f1Usdk/RuerE3ESrfI/AAAAAAAAADQ/9Coq_P-XL-4/s1600-h/Photo+049.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5109240402264894962" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eePk-f1Usdk/RuerE3ESrfI/AAAAAAAAADQ/9Coq_P-XL-4/s320/Photo+049.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />That did it.<br /><br />Adjust the whole lot to the local gravity.<br />I calculated g at 9.805613002<br />Now just detect the movement of the blob.<br />Use that signal to count seconds.<br />And if the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">amplitude</span> gets too small, pull a bit with a magnet.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><object width="320" height="280" class="BLOG_video_class" id="BLOG_video-81f213fb42545473" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/get_player"><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="flashvars" value="flvurl=http://v10.nonxt5.googlevideo.com/videoplayback?id%3D81f213fb42545473%26itag%3D5%26app%3Dblogger%26ip%3D0.0.0.0%26ipbits%3D0%26expire%3D1331159836%26sparams%3Did,itag,ip,ipbits,expire%26signature%3D3803B9E6A9A31AAE40A3D540021B1D0823EFCCDD.11C255A20EA59A8EA81A46D0FF863B50203FCA0D%26key%3Dck1&amp;iurl=http://video.google.com/ThumbnailServer2?app%3Dblogger%26contentid%3D81f213fb42545473%26offsetms%3D5000%26itag%3Dw160%26sigh%3DXwoUzt58i1u_fU4Isb9UoF2uS40&amp;autoplay=0&amp;ps=blogger"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/get_player" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"width="320" height="280" bgcolor="#FFFFFF"flashvars="flvurl=http://v10.nonxt5.googlevideo.com/videoplayback?id%3D81f213fb42545473%26itag%3D5%26app%3Dblogger%26ip%3D0.0.0.0%26ipbits%3D0%26expire%3D1331159836%26sparams%3Did,itag,ip,ipbits,expire%26signature%3D3803B9E6A9A31AAE40A3D540021B1D0823EFCCDD.11C255A20EA59A8EA81A46D0FF863B50203FCA0D%26key%3Dck1&iurl=http://video.google.com/ThumbnailServer2?app%3Dblogger%26contentid%3D81f213fb42545473%26offsetms%3D5000%26itag%3Dw160%26sigh%3DXwoUzt58i1u_fU4Isb9UoF2uS40&autoplay=0&ps=blogger"allowFullScreen="true" /></object><br /><br />It works!<br />I can see seconds!<br />Count them too.<br />Can't tell the time yet.<br />Does it matter?</div><br /><div><br />Long time no time....<br /></div><br /><div>Had to find a cool way to show the measured units.</div><div>And calculate to indicate comprehensible sub measures.</div><br /><div>Seconds........................................................<br />Minutes..........................................................</div><div>Hours....................... </div><div> </div><div>Russian NIXIES.</div><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eePk-f1Usdk/R53us1jvcwI/AAAAAAAAAFY/VJq7xS6BHuo/s1600-h/DSCN2391-1.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5160543202095100674" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eePk-f1Usdk/R53us1jvcwI/AAAAAAAAAFY/VJq7xS6BHuo/s320/DSCN2391-1.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div>Then mount the whole lot on a nice oak cabinet.</div><div>With the electronics hidden behind.</div><div>And the wires too. A lot of wires....</div><div><br /> </div><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eePk-f1Usdk/R53tLVjvcsI/AAAAAAAAAE4/dr64zSh0iWk/s1600-h/DSCN2448.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5160541527057855170" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eePk-f1Usdk/R53tLVjvcsI/AAAAAAAAAE4/dr64zSh0iWk/s320/DSCN2448.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div> </div><div>Pendulum holder<br /><br /></div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eePk-f1Usdk/R53tc1jvctI/AAAAAAAAAFA/EUAvno6yKYo/s1600-h/DSCN2436.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5160541827705565906" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eePk-f1Usdk/R53tc1jvctI/AAAAAAAAAFA/EUAvno6yKYo/s320/DSCN2436.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div> </div><div>Magnet with second counter...<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eePk-f1Usdk/R53tsVjvcuI/AAAAAAAAAFI/W59ESlRKgYk/s1600-h/DSCN2429.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5160542093993538274" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eePk-f1Usdk/R53tsVjvcuI/AAAAAAAAAFI/W59ESlRKgYk/s320/DSCN2429.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eePk-f1Usdk/R53tsljvcvI/AAAAAAAAAFQ/XdTCEIb-MTI/s1600-h/DSCN2434.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5160542098288505586" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eePk-f1Usdk/R53tsljvcvI/AAAAAAAAAFQ/XdTCEIb-MTI/s320/DSCN2434.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><div> </div><div>And it works!!!!</div><div>Beautifully!!</div><div> </div><div>next clock.</div><div> </div><div>There is more time to measure!</div><div> </div><div> </div></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2761954400830344770-790635129982579022?l=littlrbigtimemachines.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>head1962http://www.blogger.com/profile/11083452177987168127noreply@blogger.com3