Most Reliable Clock™ - GC-1006
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It's About Time.
Again.
Forty years ago, our clock kit was a small part of history. Heathkit® clocks have been among our most popular kits of all time. The venerable Heathkit® GC-1005 clock was our first digital clock kit. We designed it around the Mostek 5017, the first integrated circuit ever made that contained a complete clock-on-a-chip. That clock is much-loved to this day. But its old Mostek clock chip and display components are no longer available.
Things are getting better all the time. This Heathkit® GC-1006 Most Reliable Clock TM is modeled on our historic clock designs, but better. It's safe and simple for beginners to assemble and understand. It offers big improvements over the old clocks, and most modern ones too. And now that the Heathkit® clocks are back, you can build one yourself.
The Most Reliable Clock. TM
Called that for a reason.
Will your alarm clock wake you up tomorrow if the power fails in the middle of the night? The Most Reliable ClockTM will. Even if the power fails for weeks. Your clock at home probably resets and starts counting from 12:00 every time the power fails or someone trips over the power cord. Then it loses track of time, and also wakes you up at a completely random time. Like tomorrow afternoon. Who thought that was a good idea?
Not so for the Most Reliable Clock.TM We designed it to sense power mains failure and go into a power-efficient mode. So the time stays accurate and the alarm stays active with no line power--for weeks. (Bet your cell phone doesn't do that.) Great if you want a reliable clock in a kid's bedroom, summer camp, ski lodge, second home, kitchen, student dorm, or remote location, or if you live in an area where weather could knock out the power occasionally, or if you simply have to get up on time. In other words, great for everyone.
Great timekeeping is a beautiful thing to behold. As you probably know by now, we at Heathkit® believe beautiful home appliances should integrate modern materials tastefully with natural or historic design materials like metal and wood. Your Most Reliable ClockTM is no exception. The top is smooth resilient matte black acrylic, because you always need a clear spot reserved next to your bed to set your eyeglasses or cell phone when you go to sleep. It's designed to stay looking good for decades. The hardwood side panels are Afro-Asian Padauk, hand-milled and rubbed with a special sealing finish at our factory in California before we ship it to help preserve its beauty for decades.
Useful things can look beautiful--including things you build. People have loved our clocks for 40 years. We want you, or the person you give this to as a gift, to enjoy this clock for another 40 years.
Time for an appliance you can understand. And rely on.
Clear simple configuration. Everything you need for normal day-to-day use is right there in the single front panel button, which always seems ready to do the right thing at the right time. Four buttons on the back let you change the setup. When you use them, their meaning displays on the clock front in words as a guide. You can customize the clock to your liking. (Prefer blinking colons? OK. No colons? OK. Solid-on colons? OK.) Want the time precisely correct to the second? Easy. When you set the time, instead of chasing a moving target, you set the Most Reliable ClockTM for when the time will be in a moment, then freeze it, and then just resume with a button-press. The clock uses Heathkit's universal icons for PM and alarm mode, easy to understand in case you have visitors from out of town, or the other side of the planet, or beyond. Its peaceful alarm warbles pleasantly, just the right amount to wake or alert you. It may be the first clock you use that will make you feel like the designers thought about you.Does anybody really know what time it is? The Most Reliable ClockTM does. It displays hours, minutes, and seconds. Live in an unusually cold or warm environment that could cause electronics to drift? Just run the simple pushbutton calibration procedure built into your Most Reliable ClockTM to adapt it to your special environment and make it even more reliable. After all, there's not a millisecond to waste.
Great for portable use. Take it car camping. Take it on the road in your RV. Use it as a ham station clock. (Or build two--one each for 12-hour local time and 24-hour UTC time. They stack perfectly. Set the alarm to your net or sked time, and use the perpetual 10-minute one-touch timer as an ID reminder or to measure your contest QSO rate. In fact, take it to Field Day--just use it in battery mode.) Want the alarm as a reminder but need to change rooms? Just unplug it, take it to the new room, and plug it back in. There's no need to reset the time: It remembers the alarm and never stops keeping time. Why should a clock lose its mind just because it's moved? This one doesn't.
A display you can actually read. One thing we all have in common: We get older. Can you read a clock as well today as twenty years ago? Will you be able to in 30 years? The Most Reliable ClockTM has bright orange LEDs you can see from all the way across the room, probably even with your glasses off.
Sleep well. Your clock won't mind. The display dims itself when the room light dims or the lights go off at night. Which means, a clock that's bright enough to see in bright sunlight, yet peaceful enough to let you sleep at night. No glaring bright light next to your bed. Nothing to adjust. It just does the right thing. Shouldn't we all?
Legendary Heathkit manual and build experience. It's a Heathkit®. So you know the manual explains the electronics & operation. It's clearly written and easy to understand. Soon you—or your eight-year-old—will be an expert.
You can build it.
(Or ask your grandkids to build it for you. They'll love it.)
You build all the electronics. We'll be with you every step of the way. Our world-famous Heathkit® manual provides a gentle introduction to soldering. Everything is highly organized. The manual takes you through every step.
Designed for everyone, from 8 to 88 years of age. All parts are large enough to see, find, handle, and assemble. We designed this special kit for easy solder assembly. It can be your introduction to electronics and the joy of building something useful and beautiful.
Build something worth keeping. "Maker" fans will recognize the custom-programmed Atmel microprocessor we use in this clock; it's the same kind of chip used in the popular Arduino experimenter boards. What's different is, when you're done building your Heathkit®, you'll have a beautiful commercial-quality appliance. You can say you built it yourself, and use it for a lifetime.
More matching kits are on their way. Start here and build your collection.
Time to order one. Or two. Just go to the top of the page, click Add To Cart, and let the adventure begin.
Technical specs
Mode: 12-hour or 24-hour, user selectable.Reliability: 4 weeks continuous operation in power-fail mode using Duracell® Quantum AA cells. 3 weeks continuous operation in power-fail mode using Duracell® Copper Top AA cells.
Stability: Negligible drift (line-dependent) in normal power mode, 0.5sec/day typical.
Front panel: LED time/status, Alarm & AM/PM indicators; multifunction Alarm button with snooze function.
Rear panel: Power jack, 4 clearly labeled controls, annunciator.
Timer function: One-touch perpetual 10-minute timer. Integrated with alarm snooze function.
Size: Approx. 2.2" high x 5.5" wide x 4.75" deep (6 x 14 x 12cm).
Weight: 1 lb (0.5 kg) nominal with batteries
Batteries: 6 AA cells required (not included). Duracell® Quantum recommended.
Included: All kit parts, assembly hex wrenches, AC adapter, silver solder.
Compliance/legal: RoHS. UL power adapter. Patent pending.
Line voltage: 90-130 VAC 60 Hz pure sine wave (North American standard), approx. 4 watts. 6ft (1.9m) power cord. (UK, Europe: Clock is 50 Hz compatible, but requires a different power adapter.*) Note: Your GC-1006 is a precision instrument that requires clean power meeting commercial standards. Extreme electric utility frequency variations or severe high-voltage line noise from poorly-regulated appliances on the same circuit can force your clock time to drift. Approximately 99.9% of customers worldwide report clean power conditions and no drift.
Tools required: Low-wattage soldering iron.
For techno-connoisseurs: No switching power supply brick, and no mains line voltage (no 120VAC or 230VAC) in the box.
* NOTE TO INTERNATIONAL CUSTOMERS:
The Heathkit® GC-1006 Most Reliable ClockTM will work around the world. However, it needs an AC power adapter suitable to connect to your local electrical mains, and each country's electrical mains service is different. We have UK- and Europe-compatible adapters qualified for 200-240VAC 50Hz service, serving most of the world outside North America, and we include the adapter for your locale in your kit when it ships. If you try to order a clock and see "No shipping method available," contact us about availability for your region: We may still be qualifying the electrical adapter for your country.