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#heathkit #clock #Mostek
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#heathkit #clock #Mostek
- Music by Fran Blanche -
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Fran on Twitter - https://twitter.com/contourcorsets
Fran's Science Blog - http://www.frantone.com/designwritings/design_writings.html
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DC power for when you don’t have utility power ?
As an engineer, switch mode convertors can be your worst enemy during FCC approvals.
I do have a watch that uses a time station, or whatever it's called, so I believe it should still work as far as that is concerned.
I think the serial PC connection was really useful and not just a gimmick back in the mid 1980s. The early IBM PC had no real time clock installed, you had to set the date and time everytime after the PC booted into DOS. You could have used one of these clocks to set the PCs time automagically.
I have one of these GC-1000 clocks, I LOVE IT. A couple of years ago someone upgraded the power supply for me. The clock has now failed. Sadly, NO ONE knows how to fix them anymore.
I've had one for years. Recently had to recap it and retune the radio board. Where I am, 5 and 10 MHz are the best frequencies. You can modernize the clock and get a GPS interface for $90 or so if they ever have them in stock.
If you could set the time manually, it would not be 'accurate". Worked for Heathkit shop for 10 years! Loved it. Too bad the business model did not survive. Great products! A lot of fun! Products from DC to daylight! I miss it!
I own a GC-1000 clock. It is supposed to come up with the display BLANK, only the decimal point should light! The clock will display time within 3 to 20 minutes as it locks to the WWV signal. Mine works perfectly even 1400 miles away from WWV Boulder Colorado using an external inverted V antenna. 73 – KV4WM – A US Navy Nuclear Submarine Veteran and FCC Licensed Radio Operator. BTW – RTFM !!! it's all in there!
Would this clock, if synchronized correctly, be considered a Stratum 2 clock?
It's time to build your personal time signal transmitter, Fran.
I'm sure, arduino, can help you a lot for this.
Switching power supply is probably a bad choice for a sensitive RX like that……….Maybe fix the old one……and even try a bandpass filter on the RX
WWV didn't get its budget cut!?!?! Glad its still transmitting. I live in MD and 5Mhz always came through not so much on 10 or 15MHz Assuming the budget didn't get cut.
Fran – FYI that switch on the left side of the case turns off the displays which reduces the current appreciably. As others have suggested the substitution of a switch mode regulator is likely swamping the receivers so it may never sync properly. Also, I've had one of these for years and until I switched to an external antenna (a simple dipole tuned to 10 MHz hung in my attic) it hardly ever synced. Even with the external antenna, mine may take a day or two to sync but I live nearly 1100 miles from WWV.
There was talk of discontinuing the WWV signals due to budget cuts. If that happens then the GC-1000 becomes a boat anchor unless it can lock onto the Canadian time signal frequencies.
The 7800 series voltage regulators have a habit of oscillating if the input decoupling cap goes bad, or the ESR increases over time, as will happen with an aluminum electrolytic cap. At minimum, a 0.1uF ceramic cap with low ESR should be used directly at the regulator's input terminal. From your diagram, the input terminal of the 7805 has a low value series resistor resistance to the regulator input terminal which would appear as additional ESR of the caps used in the input circuit. The 7805 output voltage may oscillate at the output at a frequency of about 5MHz with a signal level of about 1Vp-p modulating the top of the DC component. It's important to look at the regulator output with a scope to find out whether or not the device is oscillating. A digital multimeter will simply show the output voltage to be about 4.5VDC for a 7805.