Oscilloclock.com

Handcrafted Scope Clocks with circle graphics

  • What’s up, Doc?

    What’s up, Doc?

    Let me introduce [Howard]. He loves electronics, has a bunch of old scopes, is obsessed with time accuracy, and happens to be a retired medical doctor.

    What do you give a chap like Howard for his birthday?

    Well, his loving son [Nick] had the answer! He gave his dad the ultimate gift – an Oscilloclock Exo 3KP1 with a custom medical-themed animation!

    Hong Kong connection

    [Nick] first reached out in February to check out his options. He explained that the family was spread across continents, but would be uniting in Hong Kong for the big birthday event, in June. Four months away!

    Could Oscilloclock deliver something glorious and mesmerising for his dad – but in time, and within budget constraints?

    Yes and yes!

    The lab just happened to have a set of fully assembled, older-revision boards just begging for love and attention. And also in stock was a beautiful new cast acrylic Exo case and CRT ring set — with some slight imperfections.

    By using these components, we could reduce the time needed to craft the device — and offer a substantial discount to boot!

    The clock was ready and shipped a week ahead of time – making sure [Howard] would not go disappointed on his big day.

    Perfectly Imperfect

    Frequent readers may recognise that your humble Oscilloclock senior engineer has perfectionist tendencies. Any “slight imperfections” come with some concessions.

    On the other hand, owners rarely perceive such imperfections as such. They either don’t notice them, or they actively enjoy them as features, making their beloved device just that much more unique.

    Quiz time! Can YOU spot any blemishes?

    Make a wish!

    [Howard] no doubt got quite a surprise when he turned on his birthday present and saw it literally light up the room!

    No, this was not a pyrotechnic effect made specifically for the occasion! It’s called an inrush current limiter, designed to preserve the longevity of the CRT.

    Howard’s device employs what we call “a sacrificial lamb”. In this scheme, a light bulb is used to absorb most of the switch-on current that would otherwise flow directly into the CRT heater. The bulb lights up brilliantly for a time, then dies out as heater resistance increases and current decreases.

    Primitive. Low-cost. Yet immensely effective. Brilliant!

    Medicine for the Medic

    The Oscilloclock Exo is a popular model. But every clock simply must be unique! [Nick] had just the trick in mind, with a request to incorporate the words “What’s Up, Doc?” to reflect his father’s illustrious medical career.

    Can do. But we took it a small step further — a simple animation depicting a patient standing behind an X-ray exposure screen!

    Eye candy. Proudly minimalist animation on proudly minimalist hardware!

    Post-ceremony

    Private birthday celebrations are private; we have no photos to share here of the ecstasy we hope [Howard] felt when, surrounded by [Nick] and his loving family, he unwrapped his birthday gift.

    However we do have a photo of the clock in-situ, after the trip back home:

    We wish [Howard] many future returns and thank [Nick] for the opportunity to bring joy to the family on their special occasion!

    Like what you see? Do YOU have a special person who deserves a special work of art? Let us know. We even gift-wrap!

    Like what you read? Every article here has been crafted by hand! While we use AI for idea generation and research, we never use it to write content or even to adjust the tone. What you read comes directly from the heart. Enjoy!

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  • New Oddball Arrivals!

    New Oddball Arrivals!

    We love to re-use, upcycle, recycle, restore, re-invigorate!

    We scour the planet, rescuing unique-looking cathode-ray tube based devices from certain destruction. We have oodles of oscilloscopes, spectrum analyzers, capacitor testers, audio monitors, medical instruments, television broadcast equipment, engine analyzers, and so much more!

    Check out these newly arrived devices, just waiting to become Oscilloclocks:

    Fukuda CS-1A Cardio-Scope

    A bed-side heart rate monitor, used in hospitals of yester-yore.

    By default fitted with a long-persistence 5″ CRT and amber filter.

    A colourful addition to any bedroom!

    HP 8414A Polar Display

    This early 1970’s Hewlett Packard green-screened device will take your living room straight back to the Space Age! The display is rack-mounted by default, serving up a full NASA look-and-feel.

    And removed from the rack, the 8414A is as cute as a button! It’s the perfect size for your desk, coffee table, or display case.

    And for the truly serious NASA enthusiast, we might rack-mount the display next to a blue-phosphor HP 8412A Phase-Magnitude display. A dual-display visual virtuoso!

    Cleaning, restoration, and modifications

    These devices are original and deliciously dirty! We’ll do our best to clean, polish, wax, and otherwise restore every surface as much as practical.

    If you really want, we’ll re-paint, re-plate, re-finish, or re-anything – to get you the right look & feel.

    We can modify with cast acrylic side panels, custom-turned wooden knobs, or brass bezels. We can do anything, in theory. Warning: diamond-studded escutcheons do tend to be rather expensive.

    Minimal invasion vs. Full conversion

    Heathkit Engine Analyzer – Full conversion

    Our default recommendation is to bypass all the existing circuitry with a full set of Oscilloclock boards that drive the CRT directly. This ‘full conversion’ approach gives best performance, maximum reliability, and allows us to offer a full 3-year warranty on all components (except the CRT).

    Tektronix 520A VectorClock – Miminal invasion, maximum re-use

    But some devices are, miraculously, in partial or even full working condition when discovered! If the device can be electrically restored, we can apply a ‘minimal invasion, maximum re-use’ policy – keeping the existing circuitry alive, and installing only what’s needed to control the display. While reliability and performance suffer, this allows us to keep the original controls mostly functional, for the ultimate in twiddling pleasure!

    Stripping and weight reduction

    Many vintage devices are heavy! For owners who are less fastidious about maintaining internal originality, we can strip out unnecessary components and circuitry to lighten up the final product significantly.

    Some owners take this option, but additionally request that we retain every wire, board, and screw in a separate box for them to admire. We applaud their fascination in their device’s history and its engineering culture!

    If you like the look of these new-found beauties, let us know. If you don’t, let us know. If you have your own beloved device to convert, let us know.

    Heck, just let us know!

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  • Mass Production – in Threes

    Mass Production – in Threes

    For Christmas, @oscillokid gave your humble senior Oscilloclock engineer a book: Why do Buses Come in Threes? It’s a playful tome, with surprising facts about how mathematics plays a part in nature and society.

    From three-leaf rules in plants, to the musical triad, to triple bird call repetitions, to The Three Body Problem — this magic number is everywhere.

    And it’s no coincidence that Oscilloclocks also Come in Threes!

    Do Oscilloclocks really come in Threes?

    Yes! But to be more precise, it’s the Oscilloclock printed circuit boards that come three at a time. Here you can see three boards being assembled:

    The Oscilloclock lab — where life happens in triplicate!
    These three Power Boards still have a longgggg way to go…

    Why in Threes?

    Well, every component of your Oscilloclock is manually picked from a bin, manually placed on the board, and manually hand-soldered.

    In a standard Oscilloclock model such as the Model 1 or the Exo, there are more than 300 individual parts!

    Picking, placing, and soldering just one board is onerous. Two boards? Tedious! And in such finite physical space, four boards is futile. Three wins!

    Wait – do you even procure in Threes?

    Each bin contains multiples of 3 + a bit extra

    Yes. We order parts from reliable distributors in very small quantities. The magic formula is a small multiple of 3, plus an extra one or two to fit minimum quantity restrictions and to cover parts attrition. The duly received parts are then manually unpacked and manually placed into the bins.

    By the way, parts attrition is the phenomenon where parts are wasted: misplaced, incorrectly mounted, or broken during assembly. At the Oscilloclock lab, we are proud to have an average attrition rate of less than 2%!

    Why procure parts in such tiny quantities?

    Ordering in large quantities is cheaper.

    But — we want the latest and greatest for our Oscilloclock owners! Even for the exact same component type and the same manufacturer, fresh lots may perform better and/or last longer than older lots, thanks to advances in design or manufacturing processes.

    Additionally, Oscilloclock circuit designs are constantly evolving. We prefer to adapt to newer component types regularly (with a few exceptions).

    Having a huge backlog of old stock would encourage us to stagnate. No way!

    Why not “mass produce”?

      Simple. Our motto is ‘Hand Crafted Scope Clocks’! This means an artisan design and assembly process, right down to the soldering.

      This fits with the Made In Japan mantra and the country’s ものづくり (monozukuri) culture. In an era where board factories are exclusively located overseas, embracing hand assembly helps keeps things local.

      Lastly, factory procurement and assembly is more costly in Threes. And we don’t want to increase quantities, as we constantly evolve the designs.

      But isn’t hand assembly a lot of effort?

      Yes, it is. Procuring the parts and assembling the boards takes hours. But it’s worth it to our Oscilloclock engineers!

      • The sheer joy of hand-crafting something for someone else.
      • The control over aesthetics such as precise component placement.
      • A dopamine rush as anticipation grows to the climax of final testing!

      We DO use factory assembly sometimes…

      That said, we aren’t silly! We DO use factory assembly for bespoke work where miniaturization or performance demands outweigh the joys and aesthetics of hand assembly.

      For example, the heavily specialized Oscilloclock Core Duo System below is designed to drive dual-gun cathode-ray tubes in a very small form factor. At this level of miniaturization, factory assembly is a given.

      The Oscilloclock Core Duo System! 90% factory-assembled

      What else is “Hand-Crafted”?

      Acrylic. We use cast acrylic (not extruded). The raw material is manufactured in Japan, and then machined locally, by hand, and to order.

      You guessed it – we order custom acrylic parts In Threes!

      Fan mounts. We’ve shown this before, but we can’t help but show it again!

      Cables and Harnesses. Hand- everything! See our earlier write-up.

      The Printed circuit boards themselves? No! Sorry to disappoint you, poor reader, but the last time we etched PCBs was for the Prototype. With all the messy chemicals and finicky alignment required for double-sided boards, we draw the line here!

      They say, “Good luck comes in threes”. We think so. And our patrons must think so, for several of them have commissioned three (or more) devices!

      Do you want to explore possibilities? Reach out with an idea. Or three!

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    1. Cores for a Good Cause

      Cores for a Good Cause

      [Mike], a cathode-ray aficionado and a major sponsor of Oscilloclock’s X-Y-Z Core design, reached out earlier in the year with devastating news:

      His home, workshop, and all its contents had been completely destroyed in the Palisades Fire (California, U.S.) in January.

      We at Oscilloclock are no strangers to earthquakes, typhoons, nuclear meltdowns, and even bear invasions. But we have never witnessed our home, lab, and all surroundings destroyed in a wildfire such as [Mike] experienced:

      Homes and neighborhoods devastated by the Palisades Fire. Jan. 14, 2025

      What was lost…

      [Mike] had been designing and building his own cathode-ray tube based clocks. His focus was on the controller – the microcontroller-based circuit that generates signals telling the CRT’s electron beam where to go, and when to turn on and off. He also designed and built the clock cases himself.

      He’d needed help for the high-voltage power supply, deflection amplifiers, and isolated blanking amplifier. These are a little complex (not to mention dangerous), so he’d decided to use the well-matured Oscilloclock X-Y-Z Core product to do all the heavy lifting – so he could just focus on the controller.

      And, we’d provided him with a bunch of lovely vintage CRTs.

      Putting all these together, Mike had made 4 complete clocks – and wow, they were beautiful!

      4 clocks ticking in unison. Blissfully unaware of the disaster awaiting…

      Of the four clocks thus constructed, two had gone to [Mike’s] friends.

      However, one of the clocks had come to [Mike] for repairs right at the time of the fire.

      And just like that – three works of art were lost forever.

      The road to recovery

      Since the fire, [Mike] has been living in smaller quarters, with no room (and, you can imagine, not much time either) for hobbies.

      But we both knew he’d be back into it! And when he reached out in April to discuss getting more XYZ Cores, in anticipation of a fresh year-end re-start, we were overjoyed. To what better cause could a couple Cores contribute?

      Two new X-Y-Z Cores, CRTs, cabling, accessories – everything [Mike] needed to get back to work!

      [Mike] recently reports that he’s managed to rent a workspace, and will be setting up again from December!

      We can’t wait to see what transpires.

      We wish the very best to [Mike] and all others affected by disasters, whether natural or inflicted, as they rebuild their lives. And may they never give up in their quest to increase the artistic entropy of our world!

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    2. Slow motion

      Slow motion

      Nestled amongst the standard features that come with all Oscilloclocks is a special effect called “Slow motion”. We suspect very few owners have noticed this feature, and fewer yet have actually tried it! It hasn’t been very well advertised… Until now!

      This Exo really likes the slow life!

      No, this video is NOT just being played back slowly.

      It’s the graphics rendering itself that

      has

      been

      slowed

      down…

      Welcome to the Slow motion feature!

      What is it doing?

      As described in Circle Graphics, every image and character shown on your Oscilloclock is constructed from segments. Each segment is actually an ellipse, arc or a line.

      Normally, an image (or text) is displayed on the screen by drawing its segments very quickly, all within the time of one frame. Each frame is completely redrawn 50 times per second. By repeating the drawing so rapidly, and adding in some persistence effects of the CRT phosphor, the human eye can’t see individual segments being drawn.

      But when “slow motion” is enabled, only one segment is displayed per frame. For an image or text with 50 segments (at 50 frames per second), it would take 1 second to draw the entire image. At this rate, the eye can easily distinguish each segment as it is rendered!

      Even the original Prototype from 2009 boasts this glorious feature!

      Enabling slow motion

      It’s in the menu!

      Menu → Effects → Slow mo delay

      A delay value other than 0 turns on the effect. This number indicates the number of frames that each segment will be displayed, before moving on to the next segment. Increasing the number therefore makes for a “slower” rendering of the image.

      In the above videos, the delay was set to 1. Here’s what it looks like when set to 10!

      Hybrid fast & slow motion!

      In the videos so far, you’ve seen the slow motion effect applied only when rendering characters – numbers and text.

      This is by design! Most graphics, figures, and images are intentionally left unaffected, so we can enjoy hybrid screens, like the below two examples!

      Hybrid slow motion – graphics are fast; numbers and text are slow!

      Phosphors and persistence

      At this point in the article, dear Oscilloclock owner, you must have tried out the feature on your own device – and you probably noticed a key difference in behaviour…

      No doubt you could observe the individual segments being drawn, but they disappeared so rapidly that you couldn’t catch the entire image!

      Slow motion on the cute litle Toshiba ST-1612B

      What’s going on? Were all those cool videos above doctored in some way?

      Absolutely not!

      This P1 phosphor isn’t very persistent…

      The difference is the phosphor in your CRT. Most Oscilloclocks to date have shipped with a green P1 or P2, blue P11, or amber P12 phosphor CRT. These are all beautiful phosphors, but they are relatively “fast”. They emit light quickly and brightly when struck by the electron beam, but they have very little persistence; the light fades relatively quickly.

      Enter the P7 phosphor! This incredible chemical first fluorescences (lights up) in a pale violet/blue colour, and then phosphoresces (persists) for some time in a yellow colour!

      Check out our other posts on the P7 phosphor! The trailing effect and Brimar Beauties for Plug & Play are a great start.

      Are you into slow food? Enjoy the slow life? Want to slow down even more? This feature is for you. Sit back, relax and watch electrons traveling at the speed of light actually form characters on your Oscilloclock!

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