Mains powered analog wall clock built breaking all the rules

Retro

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One can't find new analog mains powered electric clocks for consumer use nowadays, having been replaced by ones that can run for years on a single AA battery, but VWestlife did and reviewed it, particularly its internal electrical design and construction, which is odd to say the least. At least it kept time and didn't catch fire, but safety is suspect due to the flimsy way that the mains cable is secured.

For me, this is a gadget to collect and keep pristine in its box due to its unusual nature.

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petermarkley

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Interesting, I’ll have to give it a watch!

However the topic does immediately remind me of my own little art piece, a Raspberry Pi that I turned into a robotic chiming wall clock. It uses a standard Raspberry Pi power supply to convert AC to DC, so that part just kinda “worked” out of the box for me.

I’ve had it in mind for some years now to make a video about my robotic clock, but haven’t gotten around to it yet.
 

petermarkley

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Finally got around to watching the video. What a shame that they soldered the AC mains the wrong way around! The concept wouldn’t have been half as bad if not for that poor execution.

At least with the tiny resistor, there’s an identifiable tradeoff that motivated that design choice. Not so with the hot line being connected to everything at full voltage…!
 
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