Fixing the Portobello Police Station Clock (pointinthecloud.com)

Article summary

The author and a friend fixed the clock in the old Portobello Police Station, which had been recently purchased by the community. They climbed the dusty clock tower, figured out the clock mechanism, and set the time. The clock's chime was also fixed, but later disabled to avoid disturbing local residents. The experience was enjoyable and sparked ideas for further enhancements to the clock and the police station building.

Main themes

• clock repair
• security screening
• Morse code
• binary decoding
• community restoration
• security theater
• circuit analysis
• date formats

What commenters say

• Some security screening methods, such as those using ion mobility spectrometry, are prone to false positives and may require repeated scanning to rule out false alarms.
• The use of Morse code in the clock's status LED is a plausible explanation for the flashing pattern, and may be used to advance the time or commit changes.
• The battery in the clock's circuit may be nearing the end of its design life, and its replacement date may be indicated by a Sharpie marking on the side.
• Decoding binary codes may be more challenging for non-experts than decoding Morse code, which can be looked up using a chart.
• The date format on the battery may be YYMMDD, which is a standard format in some contexts, but not universally used.
• The project of fixing the clock was a fun and rewarding experience, and may inspire further community-led restoration projects.
• The clock's mechanism and circuitry may be complex and require specialized knowledge to understand and repair.
• The decision to disable the clock's chime may have been made to avoid disturbing local residents, but some commenters suggest that it could be reinstated with more control over the chime times.
• The use of security theater in airport screening may be intended to detect and prevent threats, but can also be seen as overly cautious or ineffective.