Omar Estrada

I am a visual artist who has used MaxMSP on installations before but always in collaboration with people way more experienced than me. I am working at the moment in a new piece in which, essentially, I want to progressively slow down an electronic "vintage" clock (80s). This is, to slow down the clock at a specific percentage (potentially 2%) per year. Is this possible?

I searched the forum and found many references to digital clocks but not electronic ones. I will keep searching in the web but if someone can point me to a probable solution to my research, I would really appreciate it.

PS: I´m still choosing the clock but it should be from the soviet "Electronika" family. I have been trying as well with a mechanic clock from the 70s but the electronic one makes more sense for the idea.

I am a visual artist who has used MaxMSP on installations before but always in collaboration with people way more experienced than me. I am working at the moment in a new piece in which, essentially, I want to progressively slow down an electronic "vintage" clock (80s). This is, to slow down the clock at a specific percentage (potentially 2%) per year. Is this possible? 

PS: I´m still choosing the clock but it should be from the soviet "Electronika" family. I have been trying as well with a mechanic clock from the 70s but the electronic one makes more sense for the idea.


how-to-progressively-slow-down-electronic-vintage-clock

2% is quite a bit. About a half a hour a day. You need slow it down about 2-3 minutes every hour for a year.

Many of those old clocks suspend time keeping while being set. If you can't program the display internally, you might be able to mechanically press buttons that put it in set mode for x period of time. Otherwise, it's probably easier to gut it and program your own cloned display. Or maybe one of those mechanical flip clocks from the 1970's Those are just screaming to modded.

2% is quite a bit.  About a half a hour a day.   You need slow it down about 2-3 minutes every hour for a year.   

Many of those old clocks suspend time keeping while being set.   If you can't program the display internally, you might be able to mechanically press buttons that put it in set mode for x period of time.  Otherwise, it's probably easier to gut it and program your own cloned display.  Or maybe one of those mechanical flip clocks from the 1970's  Those are just screaming to modded.


Interesting approach, Metamax. Thanks a lot!

How about faking it by adding a display to the old clock? Just buy one of the displays over at Adafruit that fit into the clock and program it yourself to display whatever you like:

A color LCD display could look very much like a vintage electronic clock.

Alternatively (and cheaper!), you can buy the display of an electronic clock and use an Arduino or what you prefer to display whatever weirdness you desire:

http://www.ebay.com/bhp/digital-clock-kit

How to progressively slow down electronic "vintage" clock?