Date:         1 Feb 1996 10:21:44 -0800
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         "Harvey Chao" <Harvey_Chao@smtp.svl.trw.com>
Subject:      Re: Late Split VDO Clocks..

                      RE>>Late Split VDO Clocks...                 2/1/96


>From: SMAHER@po2.gi.com

>Impressive German ingenuity...
>
>The VDO (Kenzle) clock.  I took this puppy apart last night.  Some sand 
grains
>were found in the casing.  I got it to werk almost for about 50% of its
>"stroke".  THis is where the ingenuity comes in.  It appears to me the
>clock operates via a contact (point) system similar (visually) to the
>points in the distributor).  As the clock ticks along the gap between these
>"points" lessens until current is transmitted across the gab to reset a 
lever
> (for lack of a better word) against a tension spring. The lever and spring
>unit becomes engaged into a gear which provides the potential energy for 
the
>intricacies of this clock... And the gap closes..

So it's a spring-powered wind-up clock, that periodically rewinds itself
with 12VDC (or 6VDC) power?  Kewl...

================
You folks are spoiled by your modern solid state quartz clocks to the point
that you don't remember the old electromechanical clocks described above. 
Detroit (shudder) used them for years, and they generally lasted the length of
the vehicle's warranty or 1 year, whichever was less.  And long term
accuracy?? HA!
Harvey