reylon master clock

2007-07-29T03:50:00.001-07:00

Reylon made a synchron driven master clock with a twist. It had battery back-up if the mains failed. Synchron master clocks are just synchronous motors, that drive a cam and a set of switches. Regulation of the clock is determined by the frequency they are driven at, 50 Hz (50 cyles per second) and the gear box. Generally set to turn once in one minute, to give second swipe hands. This means in this period two pulses have to be generated for a 1/2 second impulse slave clock.

This blog details the operation of the clock and the components in it. The trick of the time was to have a synchro motor that could be driven via a battery back-up, of around 40V with this model.

2007-07-29T03:47:00.000-07:00

The picture shown is the synchro-motor which is connected to the mains supply and the pilot slave clock. Both standard units.

The slave is driven off a cam and an adapted synchro motor, that can be driven of the mains, via a step down transformer or by switching the dc batter voltage, via a RLC reid switch circuit.

2007-07-29T03:40:00.001-07:00

You will notice on the right hand side and in some of the other pictures, three sets of switches. The left hand one is to advance the recorder. It has a return action, so you dont permanently apply the battery voltage to the recorder. The right hand one is to advance the slave, on the model we have it has not return action, but would expect it, so have to be careful is switched up, else it will apply the battery permanently to the slave. The middle switch is overall retard/normal. All this does is remove the battery supply from the clocks, so they can retard.

The connectors are a pair of mains connectors, then S (slave) and R (recorder) then pair for the battery. The S is connected to the external slaves and the other end of the series circuit must be connected to the - terminal of the battery. If you want only the pilot slave, you have to make a link between S and -. Please also note the variable resistor in the left hand side. This is to adjust the series current of the slave circuit.

The slave circuit

2007-07-29T03:33:00.000-07:00

What is on view is the main circuits of the clock.

1) Trickle Charge; output from the transformer, about 40v rms goes to the diode, back right hand side, this goes to the resistor (variable) above. You will notice we have disconnected one side because we where driving it of a power supply, not battery system.

You can also see the dismantled cam drive, that drives the recorder output and the slave clock. This motor is connected to the ac, or if this fails the vibrating d.c. voltage.

Notice the mercury swith is down, ac of, so motors driven by chopping up the d.c. Notice the resistor and the two capacitors, for the two pole circuits of the motor. When ac mains is available the mercury switch is bought up by the connected coil. This hums like hell, and rattles if not correctly set up. All part and parcel of the noises of this weird clock.

2007-07-29T03:10:00.000-07:00

Please notice the motor assembly that drives the cam. This cam in turn drives the slave and the recorder pulses of the battery power supply. So about the motor, it runs on about 40V ac, and when the main fails 40V dc, via the vibrating Reid. The resonate frequency of which is R C L. The thing to notice about the motor is is has a spring and ratchet. In that it does not rotate like a normal synchronous motor. In the picture you can see that we have had to replace part of this mechanism, because it was made of mazac. We made an alli part replacement. The picture shows this before it is attached to the arbour bush.

Please not that the rotor, rotates freely on it axis, the arbour of the motor. The arbour also is free running with regard the plate the spring is attached. Its hard to photograph, but the other side of the ratchet wheel, is a small arc grove, this offers limits to the motion, via the pin that is extended, and fits in this slot.

With dc operation the motor is pulses forward, and returned by the spring. You will notice an arm in the gear assembly, that engages with the ratchet, so the motor is pulsed and then advanced on ratchet worth.

I took this assembly out and it works fine for normal synchronous motion, but put back in it works for both ac and dc.