Bryan Mumford MicroSet User manual

Page 1
Learning to Use MicroSet .................................................................... 2
Features ....................................................................................... 2
Quick Start .......................................................................................... 4
Measure beat error ...................................................................... 4
Measure the rate .......................................................................... 4
Using MicroSet .................................................................................... 7
Watch sensors .............................................................................. 8
The Beat Error Mode .................................................................... 9
The Time Mode ............................................................................ 12
Select the beat count ............................................................ 12
Read the results .................................................................... 12
Beep on completion .............................................................. 13
Blanking window ................................................................... 13
Time Mode Options ...................................................................... 14
Show error per day .............................................................. 14
Running Average ................................................................. 15
Speaker On/Off .................................................................... 16
Data Capture ........................................................................ 16
Dumping captured data ........................................................ 18
Paper tape output ................................................................ 19
The Accutron Mode....................................................................... 22
The Tick Mode............................................................................... 23
Balance Wheel Amplitude ............................................................. 24
The Computer interface ............................................................... 25
Conguration ....................................................................................... 26
Beep On/Off .................................................................................. 26
Time Mode beat count .................................................................. 26
Blanking Window size ................................................................... 26
Time Mode display format ............................................................ 27
Oscillator calibration ..................................................................... 27
Technical Functions.............................................................................. 28
Technical Notes.................................................................................... 29
Accessories ......................................................................................... 30
Hardware Options ............................................................................... 30
Sample paper tape plots ..................................................................... 31
Summary of operations ....................................................................... 32
MicroSet Watch Timer
Table of Contents
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Learning to Use the MicroSet Timer
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How this booklet is organized
The Quick Start section will provide very simplied step-by-step instructions for the basic
operations of the MicroSet Watch Timer to help you get started.
After this, a description of each function with more detail about some of the background
issues will be presented. We strongly recommend that you read this section, at least a
little at a time, to understand the full features of the timer.
Following this a Technical Reference section will explain some of the ne points to
consider if you’re interested.
A short summary of each command will be found inside the back cover. A ow chart of
operations will be found on the back cover.
If you have a question about some aspect of MicroSet, rst look to the Table of Contents.
You should also feel free to call or email us at Mumford Micro Systems to ask questions
about issues that are not clear to you.
Phone: [phone]
Email: [email protected]
Features
The MicroSet Watch Timer incorporates many unique features. These include:
• MicroSet is a small, portable, battery-operated unit that takes up little room on the
workbench and can be easily taken in the eld.
• It has a resolution of one part per million which means an accuracy of one second per
week. A temperature compensated timebase (TCXO) is available as an option.
• It will display watch rate as “Beats Per Hour”, “Seconds Per Beat”, or seconds of
error per day and is not limited to a programmed set of train times.
• The most common watch rates are automatically recognized.
• A special Running Average feature will display the total accumulated rate of a watch
for as long as you let it run. This produces rate readings that are remarkably
stable and much more accurate.
• A “Blanking Window” feature allows MicroSet to ignore sounds that occur at intervals
other than the expected beat time. This greatly reduces false readings.
• The Beat Error Mode displays beat error to a tenth of a millisecond..
• The Accutron Mode will measure the rate of tuning fork watches as frequency of
oscillation or error per day (optional sensor required).
• MicroSet will produce paper tape charts of watch performance when used with an
inexpensive label printer (printer is optional).
• An optional interface to personal computers is available for more sophisticated
analysis of watch performance, including balance wheel amplitude. This allows
you to see how a watch rate varies over time, and to evaluate trends in these
uctuations that can help you diagnose problems and understand erratic behavior.
The software will also simulate a traditional paper tape printer on the computer
screen.
• An optional Balance Wheel Amplitude modication can be added that displays
an oscillogram of each tick on the computer screen and calculates the balance
wheel amplitude much more accurately.
• A variety of optional sensors are available for clocks and watches.

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• An optional memory module can be added to capture watch data “in the eld” for
later analysis on a personal computer.
• Optional temperature and barometric sensors allow you to analyze compensation
in watches.

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Quick Start
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For people who want to get started, and don’t want to bother with explanations or
background, we will start with a simple description of how to use MicroSet.
First, measure the beat error
The Beat Error Mode is used to get the watch adjusted so both halves of the beat are
of equal duration.
Plug your watch sensor into the
jack labeled “Sensor In” at
the top end of the timer.
If you have the clip-on sensor,
clip the alligator clip onto the
winding stem or bow of the
watch. Note: this sensor is
not ideal for watches. Better
results will be obtained
with one of the other watch
sensors.
If you have the Simple Watch Sensor, set your watch on top of the brass tube.
If you have the Clamping Watch Sensor, mount the watch between the sliding arm
and the metal tube.
Turn MicroSet on with the LEVEL control. The LCD screen will say:
MicroSet Watch Timer
Set the Level Control to the 9 o’clock position.
Press the MODE button once. The screen says “Beat Error...”
If the LED on MicroSet is not blinking, turn the Level control up until the LED blinks
once on each beat.
Press the BEGIN button.
The LED should now be blinking with each beat.
The LCD screen should now display the beat error of the watch. The readings should
be consistent, but they may not be identical every time. For example, it might say
“Error: 8.5”. This means the beat error was 8.5 milliseconds.
If the beat error varies wildly, the Level control may not be set to the optimum level.
Slowly turn the Level control up to nd a setting where the beat error readings
are the most stable.
It’s beyond the scope of these instructions to tell you how to adjust the beat error in
the watch. MicroSet’s job is just to measure it.
Measure the rate
Once you have measured the beat error and set the Level control, use the Time Mode
to get see what rate the watch is running at. MicroSet will measure a number of beats,
then tell you the average rate for each beat.
Assuming MicroSet is still measuring beat error, press the MODE button once. The
LCD screen should say:
Beat Error ...
Press the MODE button a second time. The LCD screen should say something
similar to:
Time 10...
The LEVEL control should already be correctly adjusted from the Beat Error
mode.
You can now choose how many beats of the watch to average before you get an
Sensor In
jack

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answer. The default setting is 10 beats. To change this, press the PLUS or MINUS
buttons, or hold them down, until the number of beats you want to average is
shown on the LCD screen. A value of “10” will get you a quick answer. The best
number to use is twice the number of teeth on the escape wheel.
The LCD screen now says “Time 10...” (or the number you set)
Press the BEGIN button.
The LCD screen says “Rate:” and the LED blinks each time the watch ticks. MicroSet
will measure the watch for the number of beats you specied. At the end of this
time, MicroSet will give you the average rate of the watch. For example, it might
say “Rate: 18001.10”. This means the average rate was 18010.10 Beats Per
Hour. It might also say something like “Rate: .200010”. This means the average
rate was .200010 Seconds Per Beat. You can congure MicroSet to display
answers in either Beats Per Hour or Seconds Per Beat. Refer to the section titled
“Conguration - Display mode” for more details on these two choices.
You can also set MicroSet to display how fast or slow the watch is in seconds per
day. To do this, press the BEGIN button while MicroSet is measuring the rate.
The LCD screen will say:
Show error/day?
To say “Yes” (you want to see error per day) press the PLUS key.
MicroSet will now show you what it thinks the “Target Rate” is for this watch. In other
words, MicroSet will guess what the correct rate is supposed to be. You must
know what the correct rate for this watch is. If MicroSet has guessed correctly,
press the BEGIN key again.
If MicroSet did not guess correctly, you can manually set the correct “Target” rate.
To do this, press the MINUS key. MicroSet will now display the last reading that
it made on the watch. Use the PLUS and MINUS keys to adjust the proposed
value until it is the correct rate for this watch. Then press BEGIN.
MicroSet now measures the rate of the watch and shows you how many seconds
per day it is fast or slow.
Blanking Window
MicroSet uses an important technique to reduce interference and make more accurate
readings. This is called the “Blanking Window”. It causes MicroSet to stop listening to
the watch for a short while after each tick. By not listening until the next tick is due,
MicroSet can ignore noise that’s not a real tick. But if MicroSet waits too long, it can
miss a real tick. So the Blanking Window should be set to a correct value for the watch
you’re using. If you’re measuring a fast beat watch (28,800 or 36,000 BPH) and MicroSet
reads the rate as near 14,400 or 18,000 BPH, the Blanking Window is too long. Refer
to the section titled “Conguration - Blanking Window” for more details on setting the
Blanking Window.
Running Average
There is a very useful feature built into MicroSet. It will keep a running average of all
readings. This reduces the uctuation between individual readings and gives you a more
accurate average rate for the watch. To turn on the running average display, press the
BEGIN button while MicroSet is measuring the rate. The LCD screen will say:
Show error/day?
We don’t care about this now, so press BEGIN again. The LCD screen will say:
Average: Off
To turn on the Average function, press the PLUS key. The LCD screen will say:
Average: On
Press MODE to begin measuring the watch again.
Now the watch rate will be displayed as the accumulated average. The number at the

Page 6
left edge of the display indicates how many readings have been incorporated in the
current average. The rate readings will be much more stable because small variations
will be a small fraction of the total.

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Using MicroSet
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The following instructions document the operations of the MicroSet timer in greater
detail. We strongly encourage you to read these descriptions to learn the details of
each function.
The keypad
In general, you use the MODE button to select the various functions of MicroSet. If you
press the MODE button over and over, MicroSet will cycle through the functions that
are available in your timer. If you go past the function you want, keep pressing MODE
and you’ll come back to it.
When the mode you want is displayed on the LCD screen, press the BEGIN button to
enter that mode. After you enter a mode you can usually press the MODE button again
to get out of it.
The PLUS and MINUS keys are used to enter numbers and make other choices. One
press will advance the count by one. If you hold down the PLUS or MINUS buttons they
will “repeat” after a short while and make entries very quickly. In places where there are
“Yes/No” questions, use PLUS for “Yes” and MINUS for “No”.
A ow chart of the MicroSet functions can be found on the back cover of this instruction
book.
Power source
MicroSet will operate on a 9 volt battery or an AC wall adaptor. The battery is contained
inside a door on the bottom of the unit. The AC adaptor plugs into a jack on the top end.
AC operation is recommended when you have easy access to it. You can leave the
battery in when the unit is plugged in to the AC adaptor and, if the AC goes off, MicroSet
will keep running on the battery. If you lose your AC adaptor you can use any one that
provides 7 to 15 volts DC at 1000 milliamps. The plug is a 2.1 mm coaxial barrel plug,
with center positive polarity.
Turning it on
The round knob in the center of the keypad is the power switch and sensitivity control.
Turn it clockwise to turn it on. MicroSet should beep twice to indicate it is waking up. It
will then display “MicroSet Watch Timer on the LCD screen. If this does not happen as
expected (or any time you want to re-initialize MicroSet) press the red RESET button.
Sensor In
jack
AC adaptor
jack
Computer interface jack

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Watch sensors
There are several different sensors you could
use with the MicroSet Watch Timer. The acoustic
sensor that’s included with MicroSet clock timers
will attach to a watch with an alligator clip. This
sensor may work on pocket watches (clip to the
bow), but it’s not the best choice for watches.
It’s not as sensitive as the other watch sensors,
and it might scratch the watch.
The “Simple Watch Sensor” we offer is more
sensitive than the clip-on. It’s a small box with a
brass tube sticking out of the top. Set the watch
on top of this tube. This sensor is able to hear the
component sounds of a tick for the Tick Mode
or Balance Wheel Amplitude measurements.
It’s very modestly priced and is an economical
watch sensor.
The “Clamping Watch
Sensor” is the best watch
sensor we make. Its spring-
loaded arm will hold the
watch in place against the
sensor insuring good contact
for tick transmission. Also, it
has six at sides so you can
take measurements of the
watch in different positions.
This sensor is the best choice
for serious watchmakers.
The watch sensor made by
Witschi in Switzerland is very
good, and has the advantage
that you can rotate the watch
to various positions without
picking it up. It has the
disadvantage of being very expensive. If you wish to use the Witschi watch holder we
can probably get one for you and provide an interface to adapt it to MicroSet. Contact
Mumford Micro for more information.
You may have a watch sensor from an earlier watch timer, like Vibrograph or Tick-O-
Print. These sensors cannot be used with MicroSet. However, we may be able to update
your old sensor with a new cable and sensing element to be compatible with MicroSet.
Contact Mumford Micro for more information.
Simple Watch Sensor
Clamping Watch Sensor

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The Beat Error Mode
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The rst mode in MicroSet is the Beat Error Mode. It will measure, in milliseconds, the
difference between the even and odd beats of a watch. If the watch were perfectly in
beat, the beat error would be 0.0 milliseconds.
Plug your watch sensor into the jack labeled “Sensor In” at the top end of the timer. If
you have the clip-on sensor, clip the alligator clip onto the winding stem or bow of the
watch. If you have the Simple Watch Sensor, set your watch on top of the brass tube.
If you have the Clamping Watch Sensor, mount the watch between the sliding arm and
the metal tube.
Turn MicroSet on with the LEVEL control. The LCD screen will say:
MicroSet Watch Timer
Set the Level Control to the 9 o’clock position. Press the MODE button once. The screen
says
Beat Error...
If the LED on MicroSet is not blinking, turn the Level control up until the LED blinks once
on each beat. Then press the BEGIN button. The LED should now blink twice and then
pause, twice and pause, etc.
The LCD screen should now display the beat error of the watch. The readings should
be consistent, but they may not be identical every time. If the beat error varies wildly,
the Level control may not be set to the optimum level. Slowly turn the Level control up
to nd a setting where the beat error readings are the most stable.
The Beat Error Mode is the best way to set
the Level control to the optimum position.
Getting the Level control set correctly is
critical to getting accurate readings. The
graph here shows what a watch tick looks
like on an oscilloscope. The tick is made
up of several component sounds. To get
accurate readings with a watch timer, it
must trigger on the same component of
the watch tick on every beat. If it doesn’t,
the readings will jump around as the timer
measures different intervals on different
beats.
Another way to get the Level control set
properly is to use the MicroSet Windows
Interface Software. This computer program is a big asset in watch timing. Among other
things, it allows you to see changes in rate over time, and evaluate what those changes
mean. If you congure MicroSet to measure every single beat of a watch, the numbers
change too quickly on the built-in LCD screen to make sense of them. But if these
readings are plotted on a computer screen, you can quickly see when the readings are
measuring each beat accurately. Accurate readings will alternate between a tall one and
a short one. The differences will be very consistent.
The graph below shows a watch that’s measuring accurately. Notice how each reading
alternates consistently. This setup will produce accurate readings on the MicroSet LCD
screen.
A watch tick

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The Level control is set correctly
The next graph shows a watch with the Level control set too low. The readings are
irregular because some beats are measured at different parts of the tick sound. This
setup will produce jumpy, inaccurate readings in MicroSet.
The Level control is set too low
Even when the Level control is set correctly the Beat Error value may not be the same
every time. There will often be some variation. But the variation should be small if the
Level control is set properly. Of course aws in the watch will also produce erratic beat