Handcrafted Scope Clocks with circle graphics
Oscilloclock.com proudly presents a new feature – Seasonal Treats !
This month, the ghosts come out of the attic and merge with the electron stream, leaving their telltale prints in the phosphor… but if you get too scared? Just push the button and blow them up!
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The atmosphere at Oscilloclock.com has been charged lately. Mails have been pouring in from folks who want to generate high voltage for their CRT projects, but have instead ended up with high tension from frustrated attempts. The primary culprit? Lack of a decent HV transformer.
CRTs require high voltage, to coax electrons out of the electron gun and then accelerate them towards their fiery demise at the screen. This voltage can range from hundreds of volts for small tubes, to tens of kilovolts for large tubes! In the case of the Prototype and Model 1 CRTs, around 3kV was needed.
One of the most exciting things you can do with a Scope Clock is to simply look at it from behind! In many CRTs, the anode coating (a conductive black surface sprayed onto the inside of the glass) doesn’t extend all the way to the screen – leaving a nice gap of clear glass from which to observe the beautiful electron beam.
Ha – you can put down your magnifying glasses now.
(more…)A colleague asked me whether the trailing effect you see on the seconds hand was a photography trick, or something actually visible to the human eye.
Yes, the trailing effect is real, and it’s thanks to a characteristic of the CRT’s phosphor screen called persistence.
(more…)I personally delivered the StokesScope Model 1 clock in late 2010. The excitement! The fervour! We were so giddy we had to take a break in the middle.
All went well except for 1 major mishap, which I will share in a future post. Subscribe so you don’t miss the gory details and lessons learned.
