User manual

Volta pulse driver (12 / 24 Volt)

Volta pulse driver

The Volta pulse generator has a voltage-controlled output and can be set to generate 12 or 24 volt pulses.

Pulse control 12 or 24 volts
Polarity 1 Alternating (positive–negative in turn)
Frequency 1 1 pulse per minute (or 1 per second)
Load For 1 or 2 movements (double-sided clock)
Size 60 x 40 x 20 mm (LxWxH)

(1) This manual describes the operation with the 'standard' basic configuration of the Volta pulse driver. This configuration can be chosen when ordering. It can also be adjusted at any time via the configuration menu. In the last section you can read how this works.

Connections

Right side: clock pulse connection

Clamp screw connection for the wires to the clock movement.
The cable to the clock may be longer than the supplied terminals. Tested up to a length of 10 meters.

Left side: power connection

The pulse generator can be connected via either a DC jack or USB (USB-C on the Volta and Ampère, micro-USB on older models up to and including version S3).

  • DC Jack connection Ø 5.5 x 2.1 mm (3.5 – 6.0V DC)
  • USB port (5V DC)

The battery box is equipped with a DC Jack connector.

Please note: with the battery box and USB connected at the same time, only the battery box is used as the power supply.

  DIP switch settings

With the DIP switches, the pulse voltage, pulse length and the seconds mode can be set.

To activate a changed setting, the pulse driver must be restarted.

How to restart

 

Pulse voltage

Use dip-switch 1 to determine the voltage of the pulses:

12 volt pulses

24 volt pulses

Seconds mode

Dip switch 2

One pulse per minute (pulse frequency)

One pulse per second, for driving a seconds hand

Pulse length

With DIP switches 3 and 4 you can set how long a pulse stays ‘on’.

150 milliseconds (best for batteries)

200 milliseconds

250 milliseconds

300 milliseconds

Don't forget to restart the pulse generator after changing the settings. How to restart

 

What does the TIK button do?

Depending on the settings, the TIK button has different functions.

With: One pulse per pulse frequency

TIK = Generate pulse

Press the button to generate a pulse. The LED flashes briefly.
Use this to set the clock to the right time. With each manual pulse, the internal seconds count of the pulse generator is reset to 0.

Tip: Press and hold the button for a whole series of pulses. 

With: One pulse per second

TIK = Pause / Start

With the push of a button, the seconds pulses are paused or resumed (play/pause).

In pause mode, the LED flashes briefly and regularly; play: LED is off.

Empty batteries

The pulse generator checks the supply voltage level at two points in time.

  • Startup: once when switching on the pulse generator
  • TIK button: whenever a manual pulse is generated

When the supply voltage is (too) low, the LED flashes 3 times in a warning pattern.

It is possible that the clock will still work normally, but the batteries will run out completely in the foreseeable future.

 

With dead batteries, it may happen that the pulse generator still functions, but the clock will no longer advance.

  Technical details

Pulse driver dimensions 65 x 40 x 20 mm (LxWxH)
Battery box dimensions 70 x 65 x 20 mm (LxWxH)
Batteries (battery box) 4 × 1.5V AA (penlight)
Timekeeping accuracy Within a bandwidth of -4.0 to +4.0 seconds per month on average per year
Supply voltage 3.5 – 6.0 Volts DC
Power connector 1 DC Jack Ø 5.5 x 2.1 mm
Power connector 2 USB-C (Volta); micro-USB type B up to and including version S3
Pulse output 12 volts or 24 volts (bi-polar) max. current approx. 300mA
Pulse output connection Terminal connection for wire gauge 0.129 – 1.31 mm² (26-16 AWG)
Environment Indoor use

Changing the configuration

The basic configuration can be adjusted on the latest generation of pulse generators via the configuration menu.