Timing is Everything

BRIEF RANT: What is wrong with Radioshack and Fry's electronics!? I understand that if you are like most of my friends you will roll your eyes at what I'm about to say, but if you are an avid electronic hobbyist, I hope you understand my frustration. The problem is that I can't find any stupid crystal oscillators! As I mentioned briefly in my previous post, they provide very accurate pulses at a high frequency that you can use to provide very precise timing. They are ubiquitous in hobby radio applications (here is why I am appalled at Radioshack) and are necessary to run programmable circuits, which are widely available at Fry's, WHO DOES NOT SELL CRYSTAL OSCILLATORS! So, if you want to get every component at one store EXCEPT the one you desperately need, go to Fry's.

Well, at least I thought I needed a crystal oscillator...

Turns out you can get extremely accurate timing based off of the 60Hz AC signal from your wall outlet. Apparently the power company will oscillate the AC signal at exactly 60 pulses a second every minute, every hour, and every day of the year. It's supposed to be one of the most accurate methods of keeping good time. I have seen a few examples of circuits using this method of timing on Hackaday.com, but I felt they left out a few important points. Hopefully the next few posts will clear this up. The only issue is that my nixie power supply runs off of 9VDC. So I have decided to put a transformer directly onto the board, meaning I will have direct access to the oscillating signal. Unfortunately, I have never-before tinkered with an AC signal.

See you next time!

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