Pulse driver makes old clock run again!

Revive an old factory or railway clock with a pulse driver.

In the past, these so-called slave clocks were centrally controlled by a master clock. We have developed a piece of electronics that provides the pulses of a master clock, but on a smaller scale.

Pulse driver to revive old slave clocks

Installation

In this video, we demonstrate how to connect a pulse driver.

Installation is straightforward. We provide a manual, mounting materials, connection terminals, and a battery box.

The dimensions of the pulse driver are ca. 65 x 40 x 20 mm (LxWxH). Battery box measures 70 x 65 x 20 mm (LxWxH).

The different types of pulse generators.

12/24V Pulse driver

Clock control module suitable for electric pulse clocks from CTW Siemens TN Pragotron Moser Baer Favag Bosch Inducta Nedklok Solari Udine Westerstrand IBM / Simplex en meer…

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Electrique Brillié

55mA Pulse driver

Suitable for electric slave clocks made by French manufacturers Brillié (Electrique Brillié) ATO Charvet-Delorme

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220mA Pulse driver

Pulse driver for electric slave clocks made by English clockmakers Gents (Gent of Leicester, Electric clock system) and Magneta

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300mA Pulse driver

Suitable for slave clocks made by English manufacturers Synchronome E.C.S. andSmiths

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Pulse driver

Revive an old factory or railway clock with a pulse generator!

Battery-operated!

No wires over the wall and no electrical outlet nearby required!

History

Keep the clock mechanism original. Preserve a piece of electromechanical history!

Small

Not big

Fits behind the clock

What time is it now?

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The current time for each location and time zone can be found at Time.is!

A coil, magnet, and electric current

A coil is a typical and essential feature of an electric slave clock. By recognizing the coil, it becomes immediately clear that it is a slave clock. One or two coils can be found in any clockwork. 

Where there is a coil, there is a magnet. However, the magnet gets smaller as the clock gets newer. So, it became increasingly difficult to identify the magnet, but it is certainly always present.

The coil

A coil is nothing more than a cylinder of wound copper wire. By passing a current through it, an electromagnetic field is generated. Like magnetic poles repel each other, while unlike poles attract. This allows a magnet placed in the field of the coil to move. These properties are used in timepieces to convert electrical energy into mechanical force and move the hands.

So simple, yet so beautiful!

Note: No visible coil of wound copper wire? A coil is often wrapped in a protective casing. This has the additional advantage that the manufacturer can put some (technical) information on it. For example, how many turns of wire it contains, or for which voltage the coil is intended.

Pulse driver, master clock, slave clock – how does it work?

Let’s go back in time!

From the year 1850 onwards, there was a lot of experimentation with electricity. New knowledge about electromagnetism was emerging, and the first batteries were invented. Could a clock also work with electricity? Of course, that was also extensively tested.

Rails began connecting cities and trains started running. Through the electric telegraph, messages could reach people elsewhere. Both greatly accelerated the arrival of the electric clock.

However, for many years, the basis for precise timekeeping remained the mechanical pendulum clock. And so, the master clock made its entrance. One expensive and very precisely calibrated mechanical clock for the exact time, but electricity for its distribution.

With the addition of electricity, one master clock could make a whole series of slave clocks display the correct time. The pulses on which all slave clocks move the hands are given by the master clock once every 30 or 60 seconds. The master clock itself runs on the second.

The signal that the master clock sends to the slave clocks via copper wire is an electrical pulse. The pulses are a time indication: the minute starts now. At the same time, they contain the energy to move the clock hands. Therefore, we have named our device, which can control a slave clock, a pulse driver

Note: A daughter clock has different names, they are also called slave clock or pulse clock. A mother clock is also called a master clock (from English) or a main clock (from the German “Hauptuhr”)

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