[time-nuts] Cesium Mechanical Chronometer

[Tom Bales]

>
> And now for something completely different:  I am working on a quixotic
> project to control a standard, detent-escapement marine chronometer (e.g.,
> Hamilton 21) with a CSAC cesium atomic clock module.  Yes, I know this
> makes no sense--but, then, we're timenuts.  I want the mechanical
> chronometer to function normally if the CSAC signal, presumably a 1pps
> pulse, is lost.  The CSAC will be GPS disciplined, so during normal
> operation, with an operating GPS constellation, the time is referenced to
> UTC via GPS; if GPS is lost, then the CSAC takes over and its 1pps signal
> drives the chronometer; if all electronics are lost, the chronometer hangs
> in as a mechanical chronometer.  Has anyone any experience with
> electrically controlling (or disciplining) a marine chronometer?
>
>