How a QUARTZ CRYSTAL clock works? Learn it in 5 minutes!!
Inside of a Quartz clock on your wrist, there is a tiny Tuning Fork cut from a shining Quartz Crystal that keeps the clock running on time. This tuning fork is kept inside a metal container and plated with mirror like electrodes.
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| Photo by Antony Trivet |
We all know that frequency between 20 to 20,000 hertz is audible to human. The quartz tuning fork mentioned here designed specifically to oscillate at a frequency of 32,768 hertz so it doesn't bother you. We'll learn more about this below.
If asked why this amount specific(oscillation)? Then you need to know about piezoelectric effect first. Read this below⬇
How quartz crystal works or behaves/piezoelectric effect?
Quartz crystal made of SiO2 , when it's been compressed or bent it generates electric charge. Same thing can be done vice versa, when electricity is applied on quartz it bents or changes shape of it. Isn't it amazing! This is called Piezoelectric effect (discovered in 1880).
When a voltage is applied to electrodes(the tiny crystal tuning fork) it flexes so slightly. That's where the magic happens.
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| ©Open Circuits |
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| ©Steve Mould |
Working process of Quartz Crystal as a tuning fork ⬇
A tiny piece of quartz crystal is taken and then cut into tuning fork, and then electricity is being applied (zapped) to oscillate at a frequency of 32,768 hertz. That number can be also expressed as 2^15,which means if you divide that number 15 times you'll eventually get the result 1.
Why 1? So, you can convert this 1 hertz into 1 second as a unit of measurement. Remember how piezoelectric effect works? Applying voltage to oscillate the crystal fork, I explained it a few seconds ago.
[Watch this video to get the quick information easily. It also helped me.]
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| ©Open Circuits |
How does the frequency conversion happen(32,768 to 1 Hz)?
Through a frequency divider circuit. Flip-flops, logic gates, counters are the main components present in that circuit. The desired output 1 hertz is gained by this circuit to keep the mechanism of time keeping.
A 15 stage digital binary counter chain, causes 15 flip-flops, then eventually results 1 hertz that is used to power a small stepper motor(it turns exact amount), which then uses the gears to advance the hand of an analog clock 1 turn out of 60.
And other gears moves the minute and hour hands. When it comes to digital clocks, the mechanical transformation can be avoided completely and the signal can be used directly to show it on LCD display.
A flip-flop can be accomplished with 2-4 transistors which not huge, an IC(Integrated Circuit) of Intel's core i9 consists of 4.2 billion transistors. For more understanding read this from Quora.
Some extra related information
Mechanical watch can loose 5 seconds per day while Quartz watch can loose a second per day. The most accurate clock is The Atomic clock which also uses the vibration of quartz crystal.
The quartz clock is specifically designed to oscillate at frequency of 32,768 Hz by the engineers and manufacturers, so it can be converted to 1 at the same time it is not audible to human.
Watch this videos frequently one after another, to understand easily (for lifetime) about how a Quartz Crystal clock works?
- Video 1
- For a details understandings Watch this
- Video 2
- There are plenty of videos out there, go and search Quartz clock, you'll find them.
I came out through "Quartz clock" while reading the book "Open Circuit" and decided to gather more information about it. You can check that book, it explains circuits openly and easily.
So, this is how a Quartz Crystal clock works. It's a great invention I think. What a world we live in with amazing engineering and inventions. To read more amazing articles like this you can visit my blog.
If you've found this blog informative then you can visit my other blogs in this website. There are more amazing contents like this. And comment down what do you think about "Quartz Clock"? See you again.
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