€ 89,00 incl. tax
The well-known Volta pulse driver, now in white!
The Volta is our 12/24 volt pulse generator and provides an adjustable 12 or 24 volt pulse every minute.
The pulse driver runs on batteries but can also be powered by USB-C or another 5V power supply. (see here the other power supply options)
- Includes battery box for 4x 1.5V AA (batteries not included)*
- Including connection terminals
- Includes Velcro for mounting
*Optionally, you can choose a larger battery box with 4xC-cell batteries instead of the 4xAA battery holder. Or do not use batteries and connect the pulse generator with a plug adapter.
Suitable for electric slave clocks from CTW Siemens TN Pragotron Moser Baer Favag Bosch Inducta Nedklok Solari Udine Westerstrand IBM / Simplex Ericsson Rolex Bürk and more...
- Choose between 12 or 24 volt pulses by means of a switch.
- For one or two movements (double-sided clock)
- Power supply: DC Jack and USB-C connector
The Volta provides adjustable 12 or 24 volt pulses every minute and can also run on batteries. It is not radio-controlled and must be manually set to the correct time using a button to generate pulses. Since there is no time synchronization, daylight saving time changes are not adjusted automatically. The electronics inside the pulse generator generate the higher pulse voltage of 12 or 24 volts from the low supply voltage, so no separate power supply is required.
By default the Volta is delivered with the following configuration. This is suitable for the vast majority of 12/24V clocks:
| Configuration option | Setting | |
|---|---|---|
| Pulse frequency | one pulse per minute (1 per second temporarily, for setting the time) | |
| Pulse lengths | 150, 200, 250 or 300 milliseconds (medium) | |
| Pulse polarity | Alternating (bipolar) | |
See ‘configuration options’ for all possibilities. You can also change it yourself later.
Measure the resistance of a clock movement with a multimeter to get an indication of whether it is still working properly.
The measured resistance is expressed in ohms, symbol Ω. Values higher than 1000 are often expressed in kilo-ohms (k=1000). 4500 Ω is then written as 4.5 kΩ.
Measured resistance
This table shows the expected resistance values for different pulse voltages.
| Clock movement with pulse voltage | Resistance (approx) |
|---|---|
| 6V | approx. 600 Ω |
| 12V | 1 kΩ to 3.5 kΩ |
| 24V | 3.5 kΩ to 5 kΩ |
| 48V | 9 kΩ to 11 kΩ |
| 60V | 14 kΩ to 16 kΩ |
- Measure without the movement electrically connected
- A very low value indicates a short circuit, possibly in the coil
- An infinitely high resistance (the multimeter shows "OL" or "1") indicates a broken coil, or a poor electrical connection between the terminal and the coil.
Movements are often adjustable for different pulse voltages. By setting it to 24 volts, a 60-volt movement, for example, can still be used with this pulse driver. This can often be done by rearranging the links between a row of small screws.
A 6V movement measures a low resistance of around 600 Ω. These movements are rare and almost always pre-war. Ask about our special 7/12V pulse generator for this!
There are movements that deviate from the expected resistance values described above, for example:Bodet flip clocks. These 24V pulse clocks have the designation “Type 5 BT600” on the coil and measure approximately 900 to 1000 Ω. These clocks from the French company Bodet also exist under the names TN, Siemens, and Nedklok.Westerstrand pulse clocks. These measure approximately 1500 to 1700 Ω, but are driven by 24V pulses.
Connecting a double-sided clock (two separate movements) to 1 pulse generator is possible!
This pulse driver provides voltagecontrolled pulses, so multiple movements are connected parallel to the pulse driver.
Sometimes one of the movements stays 1 minute behind after setting the time. In that movement, the coil is wired with reverse polarity. Reverse the pulse connection of this movement. Swapping plus and minus reverses the polarity between odd and even minutes. Set the hands to the same time again and give a few pulses to check the result.
Battery powered!
In addition to batteries, the pulse generator can also be connected to a fixed power supply. A generic USB adapter (phone charger) can also serve as a power supply via the USB connection (USB-C on the Volta and Ampère, micro-USB on older models up to and including version S3).
For details about the power supplies, see:
Size
Pulse driver dimensions:
65 x 40 x 20 mm (LxWxH)
Dimensions of 4xAA battery box:
70 x 65 x 20 mm (LxWxH)
On time!
The pulse generator uses a crystal oscillator as a time base. The crystal is temperature-compensated and deviates a maximum of 4 seconds per month.
For each pulse generator, we adjust the internal time base as precisely as possible. However, after a few years, there may be some aging, which is why we use the four-second range as the bandwidth within which the deviation lies.
Changing the configuration
The basic configuration can be adjusted on the latest generation of pulse generators via the configuration menu.
- For example, need one pulse every 30 seconds instead of one pulse per minute? Follow the step-by-step guide pulse frequency to adjust:
Change pulse frequency base configuration
- Need longer or shorter pulses? Follow the step-by-step guide to set other pulse lengths as well:
Change pulse length base configuration
- Follow the step-by-step guide below to change the polarity (alternation) of the pulses:
Change pulse polarity base configuration