Happy New Year! Looking back, 2015 was a superb year, full of fun and fancy. And just in case you thought last year’s creative juices were exhausted by the fabulous Oscilloblock, rest assured that there was an even crazier creation – the 2015 luxury edition CopperClock!
The unusual facade for this unit was built to order by a Canadian craftsman specializing in hand-hammered and silver-soldered copper weather vanes. If you enjoy metal art, you will certainly approve of this!
But… you may have read my previous articles and know that three-inch Oscilloclock models are typically powered by 2.1kV high voltage power supplies. Isn’t there any danger in using a metal case?
Never fear! The internals are fully encapsulated in a beautiful cast acrylic case, providing full insulation and utmost safety.
Breaking from tradition, I’ll refrain from describing other features of this unit (such as the selection of a round-faced CRT to give it character), and instead just post a few more photos of the clock ‘in situ’. Enjoy!
The 2015 CopperClock atop a beautiful Philips Radioplayer. What a match!… or perhaps atop a vintage Estey pump organ?… perhaps it looks best on a 1920’s Edison Diamond Disc Phonograph!
Like what you see?
This exquisite specimen is currently available to someone with a metallurgical and chronometric disadvantage. Visit the Availability page for more information, and of course see the Gallery for other unique creations!
Fresh off the press – some photos of the Oscilloblock – Summer Dusk edition in its new home! The owner is clearly a huge Nixie tube and neon aficionado, but this is his very first CRT clock. What a fitting environment!
Ahh, summer – it’s well and truly over. But one person in the world is able to enjoy the warm, cheery feeling of summer every single day: the proud new owner of this beautiful Oscilloblock – Summer Dusk edition!
Truly the best thing to come out of the lab this summer – the Oscilloblock!
The Exterior
This playful timepiece features a Lego art case, painstakingly designed and constructed by Oscilloclock lab’s junior technician from a whopping 548 brand-new Lego parts sourced from around the globe. No expenses spared! Even the control knob is actually a Lego Technics gear. And just in case the owner wanted to take it apart and build it all over again, we included a 140-step Lego building guide in the package. Good luck!
The Oscilloblock features a good-looking 1970’s 3-inch (75mm) flat-faced CRT from Toshiba, with the iconic scripted logo in great condition on the base. At the rear is a scarce brown bakelite CRT socket, which are very hard to find complete with the rear insulating cap! The harness consists of tough 3kV tolerant silicone-sheathed cabling, shielded over most of its length to reduce electromagnetic interference.
Wow, these vintage bakelite CRT sockets are hard to find!No doubts about authenticity!
One design goal was to have more than 90% of the CRT’s surface area completely exposed for viewing and touching, as opposed to encasing it in acrylic. Borne from this was a tremendous achievement for 2015: a new CRT ring support structure!
Acrylic rings with super-tiny pocket holes… cast and machined in Japan!
Internals
The internals of the clock are equally exquisite. A set of latest-revision Oscilloclock control, deflection and power boards drive the CRT at 2.1kV, providing a crystal-clear, ultra-bright trace. And of couse, every figure and character is generated using silky-smooth Circle Graphics.
The CRT assembly simply lifts away for showing off the internals! But DON’T TOUCH…Latest-revision boards. 250+ components. All hand-mounted!On-board GPS for accurate timing – anywhere in the world!
Operation
There is only one control. It’s intuitive. It’s fun. It’s simple! Visit my YouTube channel to see various Oscilloclocks in operation.
But not everything is obvious, and Oscilloclocks all ship with an Operation Guide, with content specific to each and every unique unit. Here’s a snippet from the Oscilloblock’s guide:
No Oscilloclock model ships without a decent Operation Guide!
Like what you see?
There’s really no limit to what can be done with a CRT and an idea! It was my son’s idea to use Lego, and he is proud to know there is nothing in the world quite like this Oscilloblock. See the Gallery for other equally unique creations.
The rainy season is officially over, and the long heat of summer has taken command. But here at Oscilloclock.com, we plan to sweat it out in air-conditioned comfort at…
Visit our booth and check out several new models! First up is the fabulous 2015 edition Oscilloblock. One unit will go on sale at the event!
Here we see the original Oscilloclock Prototypeleaping for joy with the glorious Leap Second! The Hourly XY Bump screen-saver even bumps the screen twice, just for added effect.
Note: Flicker is due to camera effects and is not visible to the human eye.
