Shortt

Gareth's Downstairs Computer wrote on 8/7/2017 5:50 AM:

The clock is not designed to work arbitrarily. I am sure it has to be started with an approximate phase alignment. Likewise they have to trim each pendulum to swing at the appropriate rate. The master pendulum has to swing as close to a 2 second period as possible since that determines the accuracy of the clock.

There are a lot of details you don't find on most web pages about the clock.

I did wonder that, whether perhaps the two pendulums had to be started off swinging in human-judged synchrony. ISTR reading recently that it could take several days to install and commission the pair of master - slave clocks.

Perhaps the eagerly-awaited Hope-Jones book will reveal all!

Also found out about the previous high standard - the Riefler, having thought that they manufactured files!

I've just discovered that the two Philip Woodward books, "My own right time" and "Woodward On Time", both of which I purchased some months ago on recommendation from other members of the BHI Bristol Branch, have extensive discussion on the Shortt / Synchronome arrangement, and all my questions have been answered.

Apologies for wasting the time and bandwidth of those having little or no interest in the posited mechanical phase locked loop.

Being a bookworm, I tend to oversupply myself with publications about whatever happens to be my interest of the day, to the effect that it is difficult to keep track of all their contents.

Nevertheless, apologies.

Care to share any significant insights?

This is one of his standard excuses he uses when he is out of his depth/decides he can't 'win'. He suddenly discovers a book etc, which he has had a long time, which 'explains everything'.

We've seen it before with his 'Big K' nonsense- he claimed he hadn't noticed the T (as in 1/T if you prefer) in the standard maths of DSP. The 'not noticing' had lasted decades, supposedly.

Any 'insights' he offers would be useful as fertiliser but little else.