UEET101

Part I

SPRING 2009

Electronic Clocks

Contents
Introduction Mechanical clocks Electronic clocks o Analog clocks o Digital clocks Digital clock with crystal oscillators Clock display Cost and cost effective designs Conclusion

Introduction
The clock is one of the most important discoveries in the history of man and civilization.

The division of time into slots with different sizes and units is fundamental to the operation of society as well as individual.
Hesiod, writing in the 8th century BC., used celestial bodies to indicate agricultural cycles. Later Greek scientists, such as Archimedes, developed complicated models of the heavens--celestial spheres--that illustrated the "wandering" of the sun, the moon, and the planets against the fixed position of the stars.

The process of measuring time has progressively become more accurate, and the devices more localized ever since.
In our time, the dates and time are predominately measured by mechanical, and now mostly by electric and electronic clocks.

Mechanical clocks
Let us start with a primitive time measuring system that some of us are familiar with: A wind-up alarm clock, as shown in Fig. 1.

As we expect a clocks must have the following fundamental properties:

1. Be practical and for a need (purpose)

2. Comfortable to use
3. Cost effective 4. Manufacturable

Fig. 1 A wind-up alarm clock

Figure 2 shows how a wind-up alarm clock looks from inside.

Main components of the clock: 1. Display system with clock handles (not shown) 2. Wind-up springs (two) 3. Gear system to reduce the speed (notice two color gears) 4. Fly-wheel oscillator and speed controller

Fig. 2 - A wind-up alarm clock. A look from inside and back

Mechanical clocks with pendulum.

Pendulum clocks have been used to keep time since 1656, and they have not changed dramatically since then. Pendulum clocks were the first clocks made to be accurate. When you look at a pendulum clock from the outside, you notice several different parts that are important to the mechanism of all pendulum clocks: There is the face of the clock, with its hour and minute hands . There are one or more chained weights to power the clock; or a keyhole in modern clocks that are used to wind a spring inside.

And, of course, there is the pendulum itself.

In most wall clocks that use a pendulum, the pendulum swings once per second. In small cuckoo clocks the pendulum might swing twice a second. In large grandfather clocks, the pendulum swings once every two seconds.

How the pendulum swings

(a)

(b)

Figures (a) and (b) show how a pendulum controls the circular motion in a clock; and how the power is transferred to the pendulum to keep it moving.

http://www.howstuffworks.com/digital-clock.htm

 Pendulum Formula

w0 = (g/l)1/2
Where w0 is the circular frequency of the pendulum, g is the gravity of the earth and l is the effective length of the pendulum.

Questions:
1. How a wind-up alarm clock works? 2. How a wind-up alarm clock gets power? 3. Why there are two wind-up springs used in the clock?

4. Explain how the motion of a pendulum is powered? 5. Explain how a pendulum controls the circular motion in a clock? 6. What makes it possible to have different circular motion speeds for different handles in a clock (Hours, Minutes, and Seconds)? 7. How can we tune-up a pendulum to show the right time?

Electronic Clocks
Our main objective in this presentation is to study electronic clocks. Electronic clocks have predominantly replaced the mechanical clocks. They are much more reliable, accurate, maintenance free and they are portable. Hand watches can work for years with a tiny battery. Due to unique application, the electronic clocks (and watches) are the number one volume produced in electronic industry. In general, there are two kinds of electronic clocks: analog clocks and digital clocks.

Analog Clocks
Analog clocks are continuously motor driven and are synchronized with a 60 Hz (60 cycle of oscillation per second) signal generator, such as a normal domestic power line.

Fig. 3 Analog clocks with second handles and without.

Digital Clocks
Digital clocks are more common than any other kind. Here we still need to generate an accurate 60-Hz signal. There are two ways to generate this signal: Externally, and Internally One external source of signal generation uses the power line oscillation just like an analog clock. Another external clock signals come through the satellites, but only for synchronization. More common digital clocks are those independent from external sources of oscillation. In our presentation we mainly concentrate on this kind of digital clocks. At the heart of a digital clock is a piece of hardware that beats like a heart. This piece can generate an accurate 60-Hz signal.

Kinds of Digital Clocks

The clock signal can be extracted from the 60Hz oscillations in a normal power line. Many clocks that get their power from a wall socket use this technique because it is cheap and easy. The 60-Hz signal on the power line is reasonably accurate for this purpose. The signal can be generated using a crystal oscillator. Evidently any battery-operated clock or wristwatch will use this technique instead. It takes more parts, but it is generally much more accurate. The clock signal or the synchronization signal can be transmitted through one or more satellites.

Digital clocks are normally digitally displayed.

Fig. 4 Digital clock with date, and with AM and PM indicator.

Questions:
1. How a domestic power line is characterized? Give at least two main characteristics.
2. Why 60-Hz power signal is essential in some electronic clocks? 3. What synchronization means? 4. What a crystal oscillator is made of?

6.
7.

What is a piezoelectric material?

How does a crystal oscillator works?

Digital clock with crystal oscillators

As the name suggests digital clocks with crystal oscillators are build by using 1) crystal oscillators, 2) digital elements (also known as logic gates), 3) display units, and 4) power supplies. Power supplies are devises that get the AC power from the line and turn it to DC power, exactly like power we get from a battery. In our presentation we only use the battery types.

Digital clock with crystal oscillators

There are variety of methods that one can design and construct a digital clock. One method is to use discrete components, known as standard cells or shelf devices. A second method is to use integrated circuits, known as chips. A third method is to use programmable devices such as FPGAs. Integrated circuits are much more efficient and commercially available. You can simply buy a clock chip and build the entire clock by adding other components such as display and power supply to it.

A digital clock built by using IC chips There are number of Integrated Circuit (IC) manufacturing companies that are making chips for digital clocks. To build a digital clock by using these chips all we need to do is to provide three more parts and electronically connect then to the chip, and put all on a printed circuit board and package it the way it looks on our desk. These three components are: crystal oscillator, power battery, and display.

FPGA Development Boards

FPGA Development Boards

Digital clock IC chip

Figure 5 shows one Digital Clock IC that is running four displays (seven segments), two to indicate hours and two for minutes. This particular chip operates with 32768 Hz crystal oscillator.

Fig. 5 A Digital Clock IC Chip

IC chips
Dual in line

Questions:
1. What is DC power, and how is it different from the power line (called AC)? 2. What is an Integrated circuit (IC) chip? 3. What is a seven segment display? 4. How do we build a digital clock from a digital clock IC?

Cost and cost effective designs

The last part in this study is to find out the cost of a digital clock, and compare it to a one in the market.

1.

Evidently, building one digital clock in the laboratory turns out to be much more expensive than buying it made, from the market.

Why?

2.

Suppose the unit price of all five types of components of a digital clock are given, as listed in Table 1. Add 20% cost for other unspecified parts, and 50% of the total cost for labor and other handling charges.

Table 1
Items Qt. Unit Price in $ Total price

Digital clock chip and socket

Crystal oscillator and the circuit Seven segment displays (4) Battery and battery holder PC board and casing

1
1 1 1 1

6.50
2.80 9.60 3.30 6.70

6.50
2.80 9.60 3.30 6.70

Calculate the price for a digital clock you build, and compare it to your choice of a desk clock bought from a department store.

How much difference do you see, and why?

Conclusion
We have studied as to how the clock as a time measuring devise is developed through the history of human civilization. More accurate time keeping devices are shown to be mechanical and electronic clocks. However, up to date most developed clocks are electronic digital clocks. We learned that we can make our own digital clock in several ways, and one that is more economical and simpler is by starting from clock ICs. We can add crystal oscillator, display units, and batteries to the IC chip and make it a full fledge clock. The detailed solution for constructing a digital clock is the subject of our next session.