Availability

[Update March 2023]

Hi! The Oscilloclock Lab is still on a pandemic-induced hiatus, for all the good reasons explained in last year’s announcement. For now the Contact form remains closed and we can only take enquiries from existing clients.

But good news – the constraints are being resolved, one by one, and Oscillolife will resume – eventually. We have oodles of backlogged ideas, heaps of ambition, and of course a nice stock of gorgeous CRTs and vintage scopes to make use of.

So stay tuned!


Unfortunately, Oscilloclock is currently on hiatus. See the announcement here.

Until we resume operations, we won’t be accepting any further orders or enquiries regarding availability.

But please do stay tuned (hit ‘subscribe’ on the main page) for further updates!



Would you like to have a luxury clock with beautiful silky graphics in your office or home?


Currently In Stock!

I occasionally produce an Oscilloclock just for the heck of it, rather than made-to-order. Here is a prime example – the intriguing 2015 CopperClock! See the the CopperClock page for more photos, and Contact me if you would like to discuss.CopperClock on shelf 03


Option 1 – The Full Package

These hand-crafted timepieces (see the Gallery for more) are available strictly on a made-to-order basis — to serious buyers only. I usually do not keep rolling stock, as I prefer to work with each owner to produce a clock that meets every need.

Whether your preferred look is sleek acrylic, steampunk brass, military, or vintage audio – I may have something of interest to you.

For the most discerning individuals, I can design around the CRT of your choice, explore different cases and materials, or modify the software based on your ideas. contact me to discuss your requirements.

I am fastidious about quality and beauty. Nothing here is mass-produced; even the PCBs are manufactured in very small lots in a medium-cost location. For utmost safety, the high voltage transformer is constructed to my critical specifications in the United States. I use a local acrylic manufacturer – and demand only the finest cast acrylic, not extruded.

Option 2 – The Oscilloclock Core

Do you just want the Oscilloclock innards?

For people who want to roll their own cases, and who have experience handling high voltage electronics and CRTs, I occasionally prepare custom board sets that are lovingly hand-assembled, tested, and tweaked for optimum performance with a given CRT.

A typical Oscilloclock Core layout, on a test acrylic mounting A typical Oscilloclock Core layout, on a test acrylic mounting
Oscilloclock Core - everything you need except a case! Everything you need except a case!

For further information see my post here.

Option 3 – Buy a Controller Board

If you have a favorite oscilloscope that you seriously want to turn into an artful timepiece, you will at least need a Controller Board.

Using the Control Board as-is requires a fully operational scope with reasonable DC bandwidth (ideally a few MHz) and full deflection at 0-5V on X and Y axes, and a pulse-tolerant Z-axis input capable of blanking sufficiently at 5V DC. Note that DC Z-axis capability is critical for a Circle Graphics clock, as segments are formed by blanking parts of a circle.

Typically, only boring, modern oscilloscopes will meet these requirements. To convert a delightful vintage scope requires bypassing the existing circuitry with a Deflection Board and/or a partially populated Power Board for isolated DC blanking. (The Heathkit OR-1 article mentions these and other factors to consider in the conversion process.) In any case, contact me for more information.

Control board (before lacquer spraying)
Yes it’s upside down… I was too lazy to invert the circuit

Option 4 – You just need HV boards or parts

Perhaps you already have a scope clock control board from somewhere, but you need a nice HV supply and deflection amplifiers? You may find the Power Board and Deflection Board handy.

These may need some modification, depending on your CRT. Let me know and we’ll see.

Power Board Power Board – several kilovolts of juice

If you’re rolling your own HV supply and just need a nice switching transformer, I have some in stock.

HV Transformer Custom switching transformer – made in U.S.A. to strict specifications

Guarantees and Warranty

If I agree to sell something to you, it will have a two-week money-back guarantee. If you don’t like it you can return it – there are others who want it! (Of course you’ll need to cover postage, transfer fees etc.)

For complete clocks, I provide a 3-year warranty on all components excluding the CRT (depending on how I obtained it and whether it was new or used). If something goes wrong during this period, send the clock back and I’ll repair it. (If I find out you’ve dropped it or broken it while fiddling inside with a screwdriver, I’ll charge for the repair.)

After the warranty period, I’ll do my best for you but you’ll have to pay for the repair. And it could take a while.

For boards or discrete components (like the transformer), there isn’t much point in a warranty, since you could fry the unit if you use it incorrectly in any number of ways. But you still have the satisfaction guarantee!

Enough dribble. I think you’ll be happy, and I’m sure it will last.


Accolades

I shy away from peppering my site with praise, as some folks find it cheesy (if not completely annoying). However, here are some customer comments that have really made my day!

“I want to give one of my favorite awesome clock makers wishes for a very Happy New Year. If my house was on fire, and I could save only one of my clocks, it would be Summer Dusk.”    — owner of the Oscilloblock Summer Dusk Edition

… but I didn’t really want to tackle the deflection amp or the high voltage circuitry. Buying the Oscilloclock XYZ display solved that problem. Everything arrived as and when promised, and I was beyond impressed by the care and workmanship that’s evident in everything from the boards to the harnesses to the documentation!    — owner of an XYZ Core

Reviews

Not exactly reviews, but the kind folks at Hackaday have written some very nice write-ups – see them here!

Even the AI wondertoy of 2023, ChatGPT, has reviewed Oscilloclock timepieces! See this incredible post here, and see if you can spot the mistakes it made.