The Model 1930 Frequency-precise Power Inverter makes it possible to use a synchronous electric clock of any voltage or frequency anywhere in the world. Using the Model 1930-115V, you can power a 115 Volt 60Hz clock in England, or Australia, or the Netherlands…anywhere the power mains is 230 Volts 50Hz. Or, you can power a 230 Volt 50Hz European clock here in the USA where power is 115 Volts, 60Hz. As such, it is a universal, very high precision, instrument-grade 50Hz to 60Hz or 60Hz to 50Hz converter–at an incredibly affordable price! We use the Model 1930-230V in our home to power several very nice Smiths bedside clocks in our collection. Can you imagine being waken up by the gentle 50Hz alarm from a vintage electric English alarm clock, here in the USA? We do!
But did you know it is ALSO possible to power the Model 1930 family products from a 12 Volt battery? We took advantage of this to solve a difficult problem at the Williamson County Courthouse Tower Clock in Georgetown, TX.
During renovation, the Williamson County Courthouse Tower Clock had been converted to synchronous motor drive. This means that the mechanical escapement and drive weights had been removed, and the escape wheel is now driven by a 115V 60Hz synchronous electric motor. This motor requires voltage above 105 Volts AC to operate. Unfortunately, evidence was that during certain local load conditions, the voltage at this motor was dropping below the required voltage, resulting in the motor stalling and the clock losing time. Here is how we solved it:
1. We powered the clock’s timekeeping synchronous motor by plugging it into the Model 1930-115V.
2. We connected the Model 1930-115V rear panel input jack to a rechargeable 12 Volt battery
3. We connected the battery to a line-operated charger…
…and the problem was solved! Now the clock motor never stalls and the clock keeps perfect time. Even if power is lost (for example, during a storm), the clock will continue to run for several hours from the battery without losing even a fraction of a second!
It would have been impossible to solve this problem any other way so economically! Typical UPS backup devices simply don’t have the frequency accuracy for this application.
To further illustrate this, we were able to plug a cigarette lighter adapter into our car, power the Model 1930-115V, and drive around with a 115 Volt wall clock on our front seat plugged into the Model 1930-115V, keeping perfect time!
So if you have an application for powering a clock or similar device, or if you need to battery back up your clock, the Model 1930 can take care of your needs. If you have vintage audio equipment (which also requires precision frequency), consider the Model 1930–or our new Model 1935 family for higher power–to take care of your needs.
Note: To operate the Model 1930 family products from 12 volts, a special plug adapter will be needed. Please contact us if you wish to do this…it’s pretty simple.