06/09/2026
The great Richard Feynman once said that science does not ask why something is; it simply tasks itself to explain how something works. Paraphrased slightly from his 1946 lecture on the arrow of time, Princeton N.J. But there is a very important distinction: Why is there gravity? I dunno. Transgender unicorn inventions. God? But in the last few hundred years we can certainly define HOW it works with almost perfect mathematical certainty.
Nailed that 'how' on this oddball clock thrift piece. Which took eight minutes.
If you know me, you know I'm crazy and like clocks.
So here where we be.
I think I love this eleven dollar clock better than any of my others .. but why does it exist?
So here's how it works: Disregard previous errors and excited guesses before I opened it.
The outer dial is graduated on the ring in hundredths of a second, from 0 to 100. The inner in seconds from 0 to 60. There are only two indicators, not my originally reported three.
The synchronous AC motor of the clock always runs, but there is a solenoid activated if the red and black binding posts are shorted engaging the drive.
Ah but .. if the leftmost switch is down, black and red will also increment the mechanical counter, and the white binding post does nothing.
With the (leftmost) switch in the up position, the white post increments the counter only when the circuit is broken, and (but?) black still runs the clock.
Man I love how that needle rocks out hundredths.
Stupidly inaccurate as a mechanical device, but someone had this built. And it likely wasn't thrifty.
So sorry Richard.. I know what it does .. but I don't know why it exists.
