Most of us don’t ever have to know the precise time, all the way down to the second. Heck, many people would get by simply superb so long as we might discover the time inside 10 minutes or so. However exact timekeeping is extremely essential for a variety of scientific and technical endeavors. Past that, it may be cool to see the precise time with each excessive accuracy and precision. Six years in the past, Tim Alex Jacobs (AKA “Mitxela”) constructed the Precision Clock Mk II-1/2 to attain precisely that. Now he’s again with the Precision Clock Mk IV (don’t query the model quantity scheme).
The earlier Precision Clock Mk II-1/2
The Precision Clock Mk II-1/2 was very spectacular and will show the date and time all the way down to the hundredth of a second, which is 2 decimal locations after the seconds.
The brand new Precision Clock Mk IV
The Precision Clock MK IV is best by an order of magnitude, growing precision to the thousandth of a second. It additionally has a couple of different methods up its sleeve, together with a folding body, a flicker-free and jitter-free show, battery-powered and quartz-backed timekeeping, a extra STM32 highly effective microcontroller, and show precision that mirrors the clock’s precise accuracy.
That final function could be very attention-grabbing and never one thing I’ve seen earlier than. In engineering, the variety of vital digits is a sign of the precision or accuracy. If a technical drawing specifies a size of 52.00mm, you might need a corresponding tolerance of 0.01mm. If somebody provides you a QA measurement of 52.0mm, it’s secure to say that they didn’t use an instrument able to the required precision. The Precision Clock Mk IV shows the time in the same method, disabling probably the most vital digits if the present accuracy doesn’t match their precision.
The time, and that accuracy, comes from GPS. The clock’s GPS module lets it decide its location and subsequently time zone, which is handy. However extra importantly, GPS satellites present extraordinarily exact time — one thing that’s important for correct positioning. Within the occasion of energy loss, the clock will proceed to maintain fairly good time with a quartz crystal and watch battery.
As a result of probably the most vital digits increment so rapidly, Jacobs additionally labored exhausting to remove all flickering and jitter. Flickering is a standard downside for LEDs and it happens due to the usage of PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation) brightness management. PWM works by modulating energy in a short time with a purpose to decrease the common voltage, leading to much less perceived brightness. However that modulation makes the LEDs flicker, which you’ll typically discover whereas recording them with a digital camera. Jacobs solved that by controlling a voltage regulator with a DAC (Digital-to-Analog Converter), giving the LEDs true analog voltage for dimming.
The glint-free show, mixed with the excessive precision and accuracy, making the Precision Clock Mk IV genuinely helpful for scientific functions. Put the clock subsequent to one thing whereas recording in high-speed or capturing a snapshot, and also you’ll get an incredible in-frame timestamp.
Lastly, the entire clock folds in half. That’s cool as a result of it is rather lengthy in its regular configuration. Not solely does the folding make transportation (and transport) simpler, however the clock nonetheless features when folded. Which means customers can set it up in whichever of the 2 configurations they like greatest.
If you would like a Precision Clock Mk IV, Jacobs is promoting them on his private store. It’s out of inventory now, however you possibly can signal as much as obtain an replace when extra can be found. A package prices £250 GBP, whereas a completely assembled clock prices £350 GBP.
