My cats like to look out the window above my bedroom night stand. While jumping into and out of the window, they knock my alarm clock off the night stand. Yes I could train the cats to not jump onto the window ledge, but it keeps them busy and out of other trouble like keeping me awake when they are bored.
So any way, my trusty dual alarm clock of ten years was damaged when it hit the tile floor. It is still usable but buzzes occasionally like the ac transformer is starting to fail. After a few failed trials, I found a Timex alarm clock that was usable. After a few drops to the floor, it stopped alarming. When I took it apart to see if it was repairable, I found that they use an extremely cheap piezo speaker that literally crumbled when I removed it. I happen to have a few of the piezo speakers that where found in the older computers. I wired it in and relocated the output from the rear to the front.
It works for now but the buttons are really cheap and I know they will fail soon. I have been toying with making my own custom alarm clock and this just makes me want to do it sooner than later.
For the longest time I had an alarm clock that I had since the late 1990s that was VERY solid. It finally died about 4yrs ago and I bought an replacement.
While I like the USB ports on the new clock, it is very lightweight. I would knock it over in the morning all the time. So I got some thin lead sheets and crammed the inside with as much lead as I could and added some to the bottom. Much harder to knock over now.
When my clock died a few years I started using my phone’s alarm and it’s worked quite well. I enjoy having one fewer devices. What are you looking for beyond the alarm function?
I like having two alarm settings since I get up earlier some mornings to get chores done before I leave for work. I also like having the time visible to make sure I have not over slept or forgot to set the alarm.
I have used my phone on and off but being able to glance at the time is a big deal for me.
I use my phone for alarm function and leave it in the en-suite bathroom, so that I have to get up and stumble several paces to turn it off, by which time I’m actually awake and not just fumbling at the snooze button.
I also have a clock by my bedside that I rarely get around to adjusting for DST or for drift, which means that when I wake up in the middle of the night and look at it, I often have to do mental math to figure out what time it really is. If I’m awake enough to do math, I probably won’t get back to sleep, and in the end “oh I don’t care enough to do math” indicates that I’ll probably be able to get back to sleep…
I use Google Home for all my alarms and bedtime and wake-up routines. My wife has a hate-love relationship with our Google Home, she calls herself a tech-not!
I have a projection clock above my bed that also tells me, the outdoor temp. I know that is supposed to promote poor sleep hygiene.
As for clocks, being retired I also retired all my wearables except my phone which stays in my pocket. For some weird reason since I did that I can predict time within 15 min… good enough for me.
Clock pet peeve. Why do I have to run around my house once a year and set all my clocks?
Hello … NTP!
I did the research and the clocks that track ITS are like $200, so I made one. I need to replace all my clocks with these… so many projects.
This reminds me:
As a kid, I was always hard to wake up. My dad would wake me multiple times before I finally got out of bed.
So one morning I was awakened by the alarm. I got out of bed and stumbled around the room trying to find it. I noticed that it wasn’t quite as loud as normal just before I found it outside the window on the sill.
Cuckoo clocks, mantel clocks, grandfather clock. They all go off at roughly the same time. They are off anywhere from a couple seconds to a couple of minutes. Unfortunately, after a while your brain gets used to them and you no longer hear them.
My kids hated them when they still lived with us. lol
I am also retired so only need an alarm clock every blue moon.
Not sure why I need to see the time and have it at my disposal in an instant. I still wear analog watches even at work when we have clocks every where and of course on the computer.
For years my only alarm was my watch. It was one of the first Citizen eco drive aviation watchs that had time zone settings for when I travelled nationally and internationally for work. It also had multiple alarms. I literally wore out the buttons.
I have a Sessions mantel clock. It’s probably a hundred years old. It works, but it ticks so loud that we never run it. Still, there is a maintenance item that calls out to me. One of the holes that a gear pin turns in - is worn oval. I am really tempted to drill that hole out and install a brass bushing. But what’s the point? We don’t run that clock anyway :).
