[time-nuts] Mechanical clock sound pickup circuit

[ed breya]

This may be totally ridiculous, but maybe there's another way to get a 
balance wheel signal. The X-band Doppler type microwave motion detectors 
can pick up various object signals in free air from quite a distance, so 
maybe up close there would be enough resolution and penetration of the 
metal parts of a timepiece to get a usable signal in and out. It would 
tend to accentuate the fastest part of any motion - the balance wheel in 
this case. I can picture setting one up with the horn pointed at the 
thinnest part, likely the watch face, from maybe a few inches away - or 
whatever it takes to not overload the detector. The audio detector 
signal (if sufficient) could then be processed in the same way as with a 
microphone sound signal.

Ed