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Clock circuit design idea

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Connecteur:
A lot of our clocks nowadays achieve accuracy by referencing a signal from the internet or from a shortwave broadcast. Quartz clocks are quite accurate and atomic clocks are nearly perfect, but most of the everyday clocks we use have the annoying habit of drifting off accurate time long before we notice it. But what about a much simpler solution designed into the clock circuitry itself? 

A simple clock such as one in a stove could learn how to keep more accurate time by taking note of two numbers: 1, the amount of time elapsed since the clock was last set, and 2, the amount of time lost or gained since the last reset.  From this valuable data, it's simple math to correct the clock speed, making it much more accurate each time it's set.  The circuitry should be designed to adjust it's own rate based on the actions of adjusting the clock.

I once saw this feature built into a mechanical clock that was built in the Soviet Union.  The instructions were that the clock should be adjusted once a day to correct the time until it kept excellent time.  For example, if you set the time correctly on Monday at 8 AM, and by Tuesday at 8 AM it had lost 10 minutes, setting the clock caused the mechanism to automatically adjust the mechanism to be 10 seconds faster per day.  After a few adjustments, this mechanical clock provided almost flawless timekeeping.

I'm surprised that no one has incorporated this simple principle into digital clock design in all the years that they have been used.

m98:
That's just not how this works. Clocks don't only drift from a constant frequency offset.

Connecteur:

--- Quote from: m98 on July 25, 2020, 05:33:02 pm ---That's just not how this works. Clocks don't only drift from a constant frequency offset.

--- End quote ---
Seems to me whatever the cause, it could be mitigated by this simple time-correcting solution.

TimFox:
Back in the day, clocks at railroad stations ran freely (with pendulum mechanism) and would receive a synchronizing pulse (telegraphed from an observatory) on the hour that pushed the minute hand back to top center (12).  So long as the pendulum was reasonably accurate, each correction was small and the clock would stay synchronized to the observatory over the long run.

Benta:
I have lots of clocks in my house. The only one I need to think about is my oven clock. All the others are synchronized either by DVB, Web or DCF-77.

To me it's a non-issue.



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