Electromagnetically-driven pendulum (was Re: IBM ScanMaster)

From: Derek Peschel <dpeschel_at_eskimo.com>
Date: Thu Apr 5 11:53:50 2001

Shawn Rutledge wrote:
> On Thu, Apr 05, 2001 at 08:53:53AM -0500, John Foust wrote:

> > Pendulums could be sync'd by starting their swing at the
> > same time by a pulse on a control line (which would release
> > a catch that had held the pendulum at top-swing), and they
> > could be re-sync'd and their swing regenerated with a well-timed
> > pulse to an electromagnet at the apogee of the swing-path.
>
> That sounds pretty cool. Maybe someday it'd be fun to build a slave
> grandfather clock, with the pendulum driven that way instead of by
> weights. Has anything like that been built commercially?

Siegmund Riefler, then R. J. Rudd, then (someone) Shortt, all designed
precision clocks that worked something like that. One problem with building
them yourself is that for best results the pendulum should be in a vacuum!

-- Derek
Received on Thu Apr 05 2001 - 11:53:50 BST