Binary Clock

A History of the Binary Clock

Computers count by using the binary rather than the decimal numbering system. Since the Learning Center housed the College computer system, Dr. Donald Hangen, president, decided in 1981 that a binary clock would be a particularly meaningful, eye-catching focal point for the soon-to-be-dedicated atrium. He had seen and admired a binary clock at a corporation in the Mid-west.

In response to the President’s request, Corning Community College electrical technology student Thomas O. Prescott designed and built such a clock as a senior design project. Prescott built the electronic circuitry and Ed Eames of Big Flats Woodworking Company constructed the eleven-foot oak case that holds the display section. The clock was completed in time for the building dedication and open house on October 1, 1982.

While the binary clock ran fairly well over the years, there were a few problems. Whenever noise (unwanted signals) appeared on the AC power line, the clock lost the proper time and needed to be reset. Resetting was not easy since the control electronics and the actual clock display were not in the same room.

To correct these difficulties, Curtis Cowles, another electrical technology student, redesigned the clock in the spring of 1988. Cowles used a microprocessor chip called the Intel 8048. The newly-designed binary clock circuitry was installed in June 1988. At the same time, the power wiring for the clock was changed so that it used the same well-regulated AC voltage as the main CCC computer system. The new design also incorporated features to make the clock very easy to set. It has performed flawlessly since its installation.

Over the years, the clock has proven an interesting conversation piece as many wondered: “How does it work?” The addition of this history plaque and explanation in February 1990 completed the “clock story” until May 2006.

A successful Major Gifts Campaign funded numerous renovations on our campus in 2006. Included in these renovations was the Learning Center atrium. The binary clock was relocated to the Science Building in January 2008. In its new location, the clock stands as a testimony to the dedicated and innovative efforts of CCC’s electrical technology students.

The redesigned Binary Clock controls keep accurate time… until a power outage. At that point, it would automatically reset to 12:00AM as most every other clock does and would go on keeping time that is off until noticed. The newly designed controller (1988) was easy enough to reset, but still needed to be manually reset to the correct time.

In 2019, one of the electronics students was looking for a Senior Project to tackle and it was suggested that maybe they could look at a way to have an “auto reset to the correct time”. This would entail being able to access an internet time server on a reset. The student decided to use a new microcomputer to accomplish this task as electronics had advanced considerably since 1988. He settled on using a Raspberry PI which is a small single board computer. He had to design an interface board to connect the Raspberry PI to the existing circuitry of the Binary Clock. He also had to write software to accomplish the task of controlling the appropriate outputs on the Raspberry at the appropriate times to drive the circuitry. He decided on using a programming Language called PYTHON to accomplish this task. (The Previous controller was programmed using Assembly Language which is more efficient and faster but the new controller is multitudes times faster and more powerful offering greater flexibility).

The Clock was further upgraded in 2022 by Associate Dean of Instruction Brad Cole and Instructor Matt Haas. Mr. Cole redesigned the interface board and revised the software program to include some trouble shooting capability, set timing on the display to be more power efficient going into hibernation mode during the night as well as drive a computer monitor with an explanation of how to read the Binary Clock and also a QR Code to take you to this page! Mr. Haas contributed to the software by writing the code that would power down the monitor during the night and turn it back on in the morning.

More Details

It is interesting to note that the Binary Clock started life using discrete components of logic gates on integrated chips (over one hundred chips) to a much more compact controller with a much lower chip count to the latest with even fewer components yet with much more functionality. The cost for these components was approximately the same… initial version, revised version and the newest version.

The original clock kept time, but over time it would lose a few seconds which added up just like the old clocks in your cars used to and would have to be advanced every so often. The clock design of 1988 kept perfect time until there was a power outage. The original design used a crystal and some counter circuits. The crystal circuit would drift (beat at a different rate) with temperature which contributed to the time being off. The 1988 redesign actually monitored the 60Hz 120volt AC wave that powered the system (from a wall outlet) and counted how many times the wave form crossed zero volts. For 60Hz, that would be 120 times a second. The zero crossing circuitry was monitored by the microcontroller which then updated the time every second. The power company maintains the frequency of the 60Hz 120v power very accurately, therefore this enhanced design was very accurate… until a power outage.

The redesign of 2019 took yet another approach. Time servers are maintained by NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology- US Department of Commerce). The redesign leveraged a NIST Time Server to be even more accurate. In fact, if you have a Smart Watch, you can see that it is synchronized to a time server and also this Binary Clock… they will change minutes at the same time! The software was written to check the time server at startup (or reset) and also periodically throughout the day to ensure the clock is accurate and on-time, even after a power failure! https://time.gov

If this is at all interesting to you, you may be interested in the following programs at Corning Community College. (Please check out the latest catalog/website)