Category: Features

  • Building the Astro Clock

    In the last post, we took a look at a funky new sidereal clock from the Oscilloclock Lab. Now let’s take a look at what fanciness went into it!

    The Hardware

    [Alan], our astronomer protagonist, wanted to install all the electronics inside his Tektronix 620 X-Y Monitor. He didn’t need a nice fancy case.

    Demonstration of a Lissajous circle
    No pixels here! Circle Graphics

    No problem! We supplied the Oscilloclock Bare – our stand-alone controller board that generates images and text rendered in smooth and silky Lissajous figures.

    The board ships on a cast acrylic mount to make it easy to test externally, prior to installation into the host piece of equipment.

    Next, we added the Oscilloclock Wave. This is a Wi-Fi adapter that allows an Oscilloclock to pull (Solar) time from NTP servers over the internet, keeping accurate time indefinitely.

    Bare-bones Wave Core module

    For [Alan], we left the cabling and aesthetics options open, and shipped the basic Wave Core module instead of the stand-alone type pictured above.

    Finally, we included a decent quality power pack, to allow running the assembly prior to installation.

    This would eventually be eliminated by powering the unit from the Tek 620’s internal supply itself.

    The software – Sidereal time enhancements

    To transform the Oscilloclock Bare into the astronomically great Astro Clock that it is today, we needed sidereal time.

    Querying the sidereal API. Easy as pie!

    Easy! The US Naval Observatory Astronomical Applications Department provides a publicly available API for querying sidereal time, given a location.

    The Oscilloclock Wave already had features to pull earthquake data from a similar API and push it to the Oscilloclock for display. Extending this for another API wasn’t astronomically difficult.

    The Wave sports a bunch of advanced settings for particularly tweak-loving oscillofans out there. We just needed to add a few more! These are to enable querying and sending sidereal time to the Oscilloclock, and to set the location.

    Setting up for sidereal time

    But why not just calculate sidereal time?

    Some readers may have guessed that formulae and code libraries for calculating sidereal time are readily available. Why didn’t we just implement the calculation in code, and avoid depending on an external API?

    Our minimalist PIC 18F2680 even had a terrible bug at one point…

    Well, I’ve mentioned before that the current revision Oscilloclock Control Board uses a minimal-specification microcontroller with very limited capabilities, and is heavily optimized by coding in assembly language.

    Sadly, this chip was already jam-packed to the hilt, and there simply wasn’t any more space left for the code and run-time memory needed to calculate sidereal time internally.

    And writing the necessary floating-point calculations in assembly would be no mean feat!

    Why Assembly Code?

    Because We Can.

    But, it sure ain’t easy…

    So NO – we couldn’t easily calculate sidereal time, and it was API Option full steam ahead!

    Astro Screens!

    Even with its minimalist microcontroller chip, we’ve managed to squeeze some amazing stuff into the Oscilloclock Control Board firmware.

    For more of the weird and wacky, see Screens & Things!

    For this build, we needed yet more screens.

    First, we used our trusty Figure Creator software to render a rudimentary telescope into Circle Graphics sprite code.

    Astro Clock splash screen

    We then crafted a simple Astro Clock splash screen, by adding some random circles for stars and laying out basic text around the telescope.

    Finally, we added some basic digital and analog clock screens, using the same telescope figure as a centrepiece. This was mostly straightforward, but the existing clock hand drawing code did need some tweaking, to reference either solar time or sidereal time depending on the active screen.

    Done!

    Invoiced. Paid. Shipped. Received. Treasured forever. Right?

    Wrong!

    Sidereal really sidelined…

    A year after [Alan] received his lovely Astro Clock, the unhappenable happened. The Astronomical Applications API was taken down!

    “undergoing modernization”… a harbinger of API death! Jan 2020 snap courtesy archive.org

    The site was taken offline for a planned six months, for “modernization”. [Alan]’s sidereal clock was relegated to a normal solar Oscilloclock, albeit temporarily.

    But as lovers of electron beams striking phosphor, we always look at the bright side! Six months is still relatively short in astronomical terms! We resignedly marked “X” on the calendar, and bided our time.

    But then… the unfathomable fathomed. The COVID-19 pandemic struck. The USNO site modernisation was completely halted – very likely deprioritised in the midst of indiscriminate illness, clinical chaos, and staff shortages.

    Halted… 2 years later, still no luck… Mar 2022 snap courtesy archive.org

    We waited, and waited, and waited. There were no fingernails remaining to chew when, after two and a half years, a revised API was finally made available at the end of 2022. Hooray! Thank the stars!

    API resurrected

    Fresh API documentation in hand, we set about modifying the Wave to use the fresh fruits of the USNO modernisation machine.

    Fortunately, there were only minor changes to the API – a few more mandatory data fields, a change in date format and such. These required a relatively small amount of rework in the Wave’s firmware.

    And … we were back in the amateur astronomy business.

    Almost like a big Christmas present from Santa!

    Was this [Alan]’s Christmas present? – Santa in your Clock

    Do we regret taking the API approach?

    It’s a good question. API death could happen at any time – possibly rendering the Astro Clock lifeless, listless, or lethargic yet again.

    But, no. The decision not to calculate internally was valid, based on the known constraints. And we did our veritable utmost to revive poor [Alan]’s Astro Clock as soon as possible.

    By the way, we at the Oscilloclock Lab certainly can’t complain about USNO’s API shutdown. We, too, have been heavily impacted by pandemic and other worldly events. As of this posting, our formal activities, too, remain on pause…

    … for now!


    Curious about other Oscilloclocks that use APIs? Check out the AfterShock Clock, which taps into an earthquake API to display earthquakes in (almost) real-time on a lissajous-rendered map!

  • Astro Clock
    Metropolis Time

    A few years ago, we introduced Metropolis Time, a time system based on the 20-hour, two-shift days featured in Fritz Lang’s iconic movie Metropolis.

    Since then, we’ve received a few requests to craft clocks that display some other calendar and time systems – from the ancient and archaic, to the religious, to the scientific.

    That’s Astronomical!

    Today’s exciting story began with a request from [Alan], a prominent amateur astronomer. He happened to have a lovely Tektronix 620 X-Y Monitor lying around, and wanted to turn it into a clock.

    Well, that would be easy – the Oscilloclock Bare is a bare-bones controller assembly that can be used to drive an oscilloscope or XY monitor that meets certain requirements (for the techies: a DC coupled Z-axis amplifier). And the Tek 620 is perfect – wonderfully performant, and perfectly compatible. Job done! Right?

    Oscilloclock Bare + Tek 620 + scientific passion = Astro Clock!

    No way! [Alan] didn’t want just any old clock. The custom splash screen above was pretty cool, but could his clock display something called “sidereal time“?

    Yes! Anything is possible, and here’s what we ended up delivering: several custom clock faces showing sidereal time (in both analog and digital formats), in addition to all the standard screens that are based on solar time.

    The shipped Astro Clock assembly!

    But what is sidereal time?

    A Solar day

    Well, most normal human beings and their clocks like to measure a 24 hour day by using the Sun as a reference point. One solar day is the time it takes for the Earth to spin on its axis enough and see the Sun at the same height in the sky as the previous day.

    For example, let’s say it’s 1 May 2023. It’s lovely weather out, and you happen to notice that the Sun reached its highest point in the sky at 12:30 pm. The next day, 2 May, you would find the Sun at its highest point at — you guessed it! — 12:30 pm. And if you ignore man-made tweaks such as daylight savings, you find the Sun is always at its highest point at 12:30 pm*, year-round, looking from the same location.

    *This is not quite true – because every day is slightly shorter or longer. But it averages out over the year.

    A sidereal day

    Sidereal time, on the other hand, uses the distant stars as a reference point to measure 24 hours. One sidereal day is the time it takes for the Earth to spin on its axis enough to see the same distant star at the same height in the sky as the previous day.

    Because the Sun is so close, and a distant star is so (relatively) far, there is a difference in the length of a sidereal day compared to a solar day. A sidereal day turns out to be approximately 23 hours, 56 minutes, and 4.0905 seconds.

    Confused? I don’t blame you. This video should help:

    History and Sidereal clocks

    According to this brilliant post, the concept and utility of sidereal time has been around a very long time. The length of a sidereal day was even calculated to a surprisingly high level of accuracy some 1,500 years ago!

    Here are two surviving sidereal clocks that were made “recently” – just a few centuries ago.

    But who on Earth would use sidereal time?

    Astronomers would.

    Most people don’t look at the boring old Sun all the time. We look out to the stars and galaxies far, far beyond our solar system. If an astronomer wants to track the position of Betelgeuse day after day, she can record the sidereal time that she saw it, and know that it’ll be at the same ascension at the same sidereal time the following day. Brilliant!

    Mariners and Astronauts would.

    They can fix their location even when the Sun is not visible, by observing the position of the stars and calculating their position back from the current sidereal time. Life-saving!

    Oscilloclock Labs would.

    Because we can.


    In the next post, we’ll take a look at the build. What hardware went into this Astro Clock? How on earth does it tick? Can you figure it out?

  • Recently I had an enquiry from [Frank], who had just begun a life-long love affair with scope clocks by purchasing one on eBay. The clock was great – but he felt that the two available screens (simple analogue and digital clock faces) lacked a certain oomph.

    He then stumbled across Oscilloclock.com, and in his smitten state immediately reached out with his number one question: just what screens are available on an Oscilloclock?

    Well, let me save Frank’s time trawling through years of blog posts. Right here in one place are most of the Oscilloclock screens and features created to date.

    Enjoy the show!

    Standard Time Screens

    These stock-standard analogue and digital time screens may be quite simple, but they do evoke the ‘retro’ look that most people appreciate.

    And you can flip a menu setting to display days, months, years in Japanese:

    There are also some ‘random’ screens that add in a bit of dynamic visual entertainment:

    • Random number screen
    • Random letter sequence screen
    • Random four letter word screen (clean words only, by default!)
    • Random phrase screen (the phrase list is typically customized to a theme)

    And of course the mesmerizing Timedrops screen:

    Themed Screens and Features

    … These themed features were developed more recently, and can be added for a small fee to help cover development costs!

    Astroclock (Sidereal Time)

    External XY input

    OscilloTerm (serial terminal)

    Oscilloblock (lego)

    Metropolis

    Aftershock Clock (Earthquake display)

    Unbirthday Clock

    War Games

    Oscilloclock Globe (work in progress)

    Radioactive (work in progress)

    Logo screens

    Over the years many folks have requested that I render custom logos in Circle Graphics. Here are some examples:

    “Seasonal Treats”

    Up next are some fun, mildly interactive animation features. Not exactly screens per se, these animations pop up after a predefined period of inactivity – but only during certain months of the year. Can you guess which months?

    Boo!
    Santa in your Clock!

    Menu screens

    There are far too many configuration menu and test screens to present here. Fiddle to your heart’s content!



    Q. How are screens switched?

    Screens are switched simply by rotating the control knob in one direction or other.

    There is also a configurable auto-switch feature; the screen is changed every 90 seconds in a predefined order (with the exception of some animation screens). The display time is configurable, and the auto-switch feature can also be turned off for those who prefer to switch screens manually.

    Q. How are screens selected & configured?

    Customers can request screens to include and/or specify the switching order. The configuration is done here in the lab before clocks are delivered.

    Oscilloclock also provides a firmware upgrade kit, which allows the customer to upload a revised version of the firmware into the clock themselves. Using this, updates to screens and other features can be uploaded without shipping the clock back to the lab.

    Q. What is the process for rendering a custom screen or logo?

    We typically prepare a mock-up based on the customer’s description, sketch, or image file. This is tweaked as needed until the screen looks just right to the customer.



    Like what you see? Contact me!
  • War Games on an Oscilloclock!

    As I’ve hinted before, your friendly Oscilloclock gang is entirely pacifistic. We abhor the thought of actual military activity in this modern day and age. BUT we love games just as much as anyone – and we also love light-hearted movies with happy endings!

    So when [Ian] (of Bunker Club Clock fame) came up with the idea of a feature based on the iconic 1984 flick “War Games“, I pounced on the chance!

    Check out my YouTube channel to see this and other videos in HD!

    Now, this may look like a simple animation. But Ian’s Oscilloclock is powered by a tiny processor with minimal specifications, and 100% of the code is written in assembly language. Implementing this baby in assembly and keeping within just 3K of RAM was quite an accomplishment!!

    About the host clock

    The gorgeous model shown here is a painstakingly-retrofitted Heathkit CO-1015 Engine Analyzer. It’s the perfect play-toy for any serious motor-head who grew up during the Cold War!

    First up on the custom build list is the original meter fitted with amber LED lighting and ticking audibly each second. (And yes, the tick intensity can be easily adjusted.)

    Next up, there is the optional External X-Y input feature. Normally, this is used for plain and simple Lissajous figures like the below…

    … but by tweaking some settings, we can get some segments of Jerobeam Fenderson’s incredible Oscilloscope Music Kickstarter video to display quite nicely!

    Peeking inside the Engine Analyzer Oscilloclock is also a must-do! Not only is this visually appealing, but you also get a significant olfactory kick from the sweet smell of vintage electronic components…

    Attractive Oscilloclock boards and cabling, neatly tucked away
    The original circuit is completely bypassed – but still looks awesome!

    Tech Talk – Strategies, Maps, and Missiles

    The War Games feature uses the Oscilloclock’s Sprite Engine module to display the world map and up to 9 missiles when the W.O.P.R. system is simulating various war strategies.

    32 of the 130+ strategies seen in the movie are implemented. For each strategy, a random number of missiles are launched along a predefined Primary trajectory, followed by a random number of missiles along a predefined Retaliatory trajectory. If any of the 9 missiles remain, they are launched along randomly selected (but predefined) trajectories.

    Trajectories are predefined because computing them using 8-bit arithmetic would consume a huge number of cycles! At least, a small amount of randomness is added to the launch position and velocity parameters at run-time, to make things more interesting.

    As the simulation progresses through the strategies, the speed of the launches increases and the delay between launches decreases. This gives a similar effect to that in the move, where WOPR moves through strategies at warp speed until it realises that there is no winning this game…

    A Joint Effort

    Creating a huge number of realistic trajectories (68 in total), translating start and end X and Y coordinates from latitude and longitude into the Oscilloclock’s Cartesian plane was a task of mind-blowing proportions! Here we see our 2nd junior technician eagerly earning his room and board.


    Like what you see?

    Are you a petrol-head? You need an Engine Analyzer ticking over at your bedside or in your office! Were you brought up during the Cold War, perhaps in the Soviet Union or in the US? Get the War Games feature and fry the world safely! Contact me if you like what you see.

    (Disclaimer: Oscilloclock.com hopes that no-one is offended by the deliberately light-hearted tone of this post, in referring to the decidedly serious topic of nuclear warfare.)

  • Quake News!

    Fake news – a common keyword these days. Fortunately, Oscilloclocks do not display fake news. But wouldn’t it be handy to see quake news on an exotic scope clock? This is the challenge [Atif] gave me – and one year and many grey hairs later, here is the result: The AfterShock Clock!

    This custom-crafted Oscilloclock Core Duo assembly is a unique first in several ways:

    1. It’s the first scope clock ever that pulls in and displays real earthquake data!
    2. It’s the first scope clock ever that puts a dual-beam CRT to good use – one beam for the clock display, and the other for the earthquake and map overlay!

    Earthquake display

    The AfterShock Clock’s WiFi module connects at regular intervals to two public APIs (servers) to collect the latest earthquake events. It then feeds earthquakes to the clock’s quake gun controller, rotating quakes every 30 seconds. Cool!

    (Note: flickering is due to camera effects and is not visible to the human eye)

    Of course, there is the usual wide variety of standard clock screens to cycle through! The quake map’s beam is automatically dimmed for most of the screens, giving a soft ‘watermark’ effect.

    Dual-beam CRT

    The E10-12GH CRT used in this clock is certainly not mundane!

    Beautiful spiral PDA lets you really see inside the cavity!
    Nothing beats a dual-gun CRT for intricacy… (except a quad- or pentuple-gun CRT!)

    Oscilloclock Core Duo

    Atif wanted to create his own case, so he initially asked for an Oscilloclock Core. But currently a single Core set does not provide control, deflection, and blanking circuits to drive TWO electron guns… So he had two choices:

    1. Wait an eternity for me to redesign the boards to fully support dual beams.
    2. Get started now! Simply put two Core assemblies together, with some degree of inter-control and removing any redundant circuits.

    Atif chose the latter – and the Oscilloclock Core Duo was born!

    WiFi setup

    Setting up the WiFi connection is easy – just connect a device to the clock’s administration SSID and pull up the admin page. (To foil any would-be hackers out there, the admin SSID is available only for the first 5 minutes after power is applied.)

    Then, access the admin URL and configure the connection to your home router:

    There are a million other advanced settings to tweak things such as quake polling interval, quake magnitude filters, maximum quake age before purge, and other geeky aspects…. See the Support page.

    Oh, I forgot to mention – the clock also synchronizes time against an NTP server, eliminating the need for a GPS module.


    Like what you see?

    Do you go for electron guns? idolize intricate electrode assemblies? Have a filament fetish? Or just want some quake news? This kind of clock might fit the bill. Let me know!