Thermionic Valve Based Watch

[scroth1994]

This is a project I'm considering taking on, but I'm having slight doubts about the possibility of it.

Thermionic Valves (or vacuum tubes for any Americans out there!) can be used with an RLC circuit to make an oscillator. One such design is the Colpitts oscillator (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colpitts_oscillator).

Would be possible, by adjusting the capacitor and inductor values, to make a valve oscillator that oscillates at 1 hertz? And you could then use the output to count time?

Even if I had to use the valve to oscillate at higher frequencies, I could still use an IC to gain a lower frequency from that?

It might be interesting to have a watch/clock incorporating old and new electronics.

I understand it isn't the most efficient way of doing things, but it's more for the aesthetic and nerdy effect!

Thanks in advance

 

[john monks]

I think you might try making an a-stable multivibrator using a 12AU7 and driving something like a 6J5 to drive a ratcheting mechanism in a standard 1.5 volt clock mechanism. Wouldn't be very accurate but would be fun.

 

[scroth1994]

I like the sound of that, I'll look into it!

Yeah, accuracy is nice, but it's the fun of the project that's important in this case. If the end result happens to work particularly well, bonus!

Thanks