# Watch Timing Software



## Roger (May 17, 2003)

Whilst trolling around, I found some software that is designed to check the timing of mechanical movements by "listening" to the escapement with a sensitive microphone.

Has anyone played with this? or has anyone got any recommendations for other software or even a commercial machine?

I spent all my working life in electronics, so building something is acceptable.

Recommendations anyone please?

Regards

Roger


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## Roy (Feb 23, 2003)

I had a play with it and could not get it working.

I remember someone else here tried and managed to magnetise their watch.

I had a machine for sale a few months ago.

Contact me if you are after something as I know where there are some.


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## Silver Hawk (Dec 2, 2003)

Roger,

Did you get anywhere with this?







I'd like to buy something...I have a spare IBM Thinkpad ...

Been looking at:

http://www.delphelectronics.co.uk/

and

http://www.bmumford.com/mset/modelwatch1.html

Roy, what do you use? I still have the Vibrograf M80...but want something a little more flash







but must be cheap









Cheers

Paul


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## Henry W (May 13, 2006)

you know, while I was doing A-Level Physics (several moons ago!) we played with something called a "Pico Scope"

this was a USB device which measured changes in voltage, current or whatever you wanted the software to measure. As it's name suggests it was accurate to pico-second or 0.000,000,000,001 second (Thats one millionth of a millionth of a second)

if you were to hook a mic. or something similar up to that, you'd be able to tell the software to use a 1/100 second scale to measure the pulses comming from the watch, and alter it accordingly.

You could also use something like a light reflecting off the balance wheel and a light dependant resistor to take the measurements.

Shame i'm not still at school, i could just go to the physics lab in my free time!!!


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## Roy (Feb 23, 2003)

I use a Â£1500 Elma Watch-Matic..


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## Xantiagib (Apr 22, 2005)

Roy said:


> I had a play with it and could not get it working.
> 
> I remember someone else here tried and managed to magnetise their watch.
> 
> ...


I'd been looking for ages for a home made setup with microphone... never ocurred to me about the magnetizing... best keep an eye out on the 'bay.... so far I do it by ear over many many days..... would be nice to do it quicker than that.


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## Roger (May 17, 2003)

Just after I posted this in Sept 2004, I downloaded a demo of "Watch Timing Machine".

This demo did not allow you to calibrate it correctly until you actually bought it.

It was useful as a test bench.

The comercial unit (if I remember correctly) used a quality contact michrophone.

I played around for a long while with various microphone elements with varying degrees of sucess.

The main problem seem to me to be.....fairly high gain was needed to drive the software which necessitated building a pre-amp.

There after the problem was signal-to-noise ratio.

in other words the setup was graetly effected by ambient noise.

Basically, the software did as it said, but the comercial unit was really needed.

Roger


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## Thomasr (Oct 11, 2011)

bump for this topic, am having trouble with the biburo software connected through a vibrograph timing machine


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