Because you don't have a "Dumb Novice" topic I have to post this here.
I am still trying to get my head round the workings of watches and clocks (Warned you )
I can see that the mainspring stores up all the energy, and is released in a controlled way, and is geared down to power the various hands and displays.
The balance wheel regulates, or controls the pallet lever (hopefully) via the balance staff, which controls the release of energy, (phew!)
Where does the balance wheel get its power from? it's got to be the mainspring but it would really help me to see it in my mind.
I can see the mainspring powering its own release of energy but the oscillating balance wheel has got to have an intermittant power supply otherwise it would just bang up to the stop

You folks should get tax benefits for me.
Thanks

Ken

Hi Ken, did you look through the good slide show that John Duvall made.It shows all the parts very well.

Kevin "Veritas" West

The rate of occilation of the balance is regulated by the hairspring. The balance wheel itself receives impulse from lever fork through the roller jewel. This power ( of the lever) is received from the interaction of the lever's pallet jewels and the escape wheel.


Mike Miller

Here's a link to a page with an animated escapement that might better explain the process... Courtesy of TimeZone...

Animated Escapement

Mike Miller

Kenneth,the power goes from the escape wheel to the lever to the bal.wheel.The bal.wheel movement is regulated by the occillating hairspring,which when swinging back and forth, makes the bal.assembly"pop" the lever back and forth via the roller jewel to allow advancement of the escape wheel.

Hope this helps.Don't be discouraged,it took me a loooong time to get it in my head how everything works,and I still reveiw to make sure I understand.

Sam Williamson
NAWCC 154312
IHC Charter Member 14
Member Chapters 96 and 185

Watches and clocks have managed without me for a while, but I think I'm on to 'em ( a little anyway)
Gratefull for your help folks



Ken

Suggestion.....take a good running 16s watch apart...re-install the pallet fork...and...the balance wheel WITHOUT the hairspring...slowly rotate the balance through dead center..watch the "impuse" ...I always do this test when I install a new roller jewel....then...put the watch back together WITHOUT the balance assembly....give her a few "winds" and flick the pallet fork back and forth....I always do this test when I install new pallet jewels....seeing this activity may help explain why your getting "good motion" from your balance wheel, and answer the above question.

I think it's probably easier to understand how a pendulum clock works, than it is how a watch works. Obviously, the gear train provides the power which keeps the pendulum swinging, and the motion of the pendulum regulates the rate at which the power from the gear train is released.

Essentially, the same thing happens in watches, except that since watches have to be able to operate in all positions, they can't rely upon the actual force of gravity to return a pendulum to center. Instead, they rely upon the "hairspring," which acts as an "artificial gravity," and a wheel as an "artificial pendulum."

The balance wheel has to be balanced so that it can always react the same, regardless of which way the watch is turned. Obviously, a pendulum wouldn't work sideways or upside-down, so a wheel has to be used instead, and the "artificial gravity" provided by the hairspring returns the "artificial pendulum" to center after it overcomes the power provided by the escapement at each "tick."

Needless to say, the subject is actually more complicated than that, but I've used that simplified explanation before with people who had no idea how a watch works, and most of them say it's helped them to understand.

================

Steve Maddox
Past President, Chapter #62
North Little Rock, Arkansas
IHC Charter Member 49

That's what was baffling me, why, if the balance wheel was powered it didn't just go as far as its stop and, well, stop?
Like everyone has said "impulses" so it isn't a steady power it just keeps getting "flicks". Your word "impulses" says it better.
When I go back to John D's tutorial (about four times now) I should be able to see a little more clearly.

Thanks guys

Ken

Ken,

The thing that made the light bulb come on for me was the realization that when the roller jewel comes around, engages the fork and moves the lever so that it lets the escape wheel free, it is the next escape wheel tooth pushing against the other pallet stone that provides that impulse that gives the roller jewel a little shove.

I had to realize that there are two different things going on with the roller jewel as it comes around and enters the fork. First it causes one pallet stone to release the escape wheel and second, as the other pallet stone stops the escape wheel, the wheel pushes on the stone which in turn makes the fork push on the roller jewel thereby putting energy into the balance wheel.

I hope I haven't confused you more, but if your light isn't bright enough yet, don't hesitate to come back. There are a lot of very bright people around here that are always willing to help.

Bruce

I don't think my light is bright enough yet, ,
but the word Impulse was being bandied about and all of a sudden a little bit of it clicked.
I couldn't see how both the balance wheel AND the escape wheel could be powered, and interract with each other.
I guess the regulator just alters the stop for the balance wheel, or has my light gone out again?
Hey Bruce, I use the smileys but I am trying like heck to grasp the principles afore I deprive the world of a single watch with my screwdrivers and a deCarle book.
The Smileys only mask my shame and I thank both YOU and all other contributors for answering my pre-novice questions.
Take care sir

Ken

I'm going to add my $0.02 worth and hopefully will add a little light and not just confuse everyone.
As the roller jewel enters the pallet fork horn it unlocks the pallet jewel that has been resting against side of the escape wheel tooth. When it is unlocked, the tension (from the mainspring) on the escape tooth will "impulse' the just unlocked pallet jewel so hard that the opposite fork horn will hit the roller jewel with enough force to spin the balance wheel against the hairspring. It sometimes helps to remember that during impulse, the pallet fork is moving much faster than the roller jewel. It is similar to giving a child on a swing a push as they pass by to keep them swinging at a constant rate. The fork starts by being pushed by the roller jewel (to unlock) and then quickly moves so fast that it in turn pushes the roller jewel (to impulse).
Now the regulator only acts upon the hairspring. When you move the regulator toward the "fast" position, what happens is that the index pins are moved so that the effective length of the hairspring is reduced. The "effective" length is the length from the center collet to the index pins, NOT out to the hairspring stud. The shorter the spring, the quicker the force of the spring will try to counteract the impulse from the pallet fork, so the watch's rate will increase.

Ed Ueberall
NAWCC 49688
IHC Member 34
The Escapement

Thanks for more explaining, i did wonder what happens when you move the regulator, sure makes alot more sense about hairspring problems too.

Kevin "Veritas" West