© Mark Ollig
Alexander Bain was born Oct. 12, 1810, in Wick, Scotland, and was known for his contributions to telegraphy technology.
He also invented the electric magnet clock, the focus of today’s column.
Bain, a self-taught engineer with limited formal education, started working as a clockmaker in London in 1837.
He furthered his knowledge of electricity and electromagnetism at the Polytechnic Institution for Science and Technology.
Bain regularly visited the London Adelaide Gallery, which displayed modern inventions.
“It was in the year 1837 that it occurred to me (while viewing the beautiful electromagnetic apparatus in motion at the Adelaide Gallery) that the same power might be used, with advantage, in working clocks,” Bain wrote in his 1852 book, “A Short History of the Electric Clocks.”
In 1840, Bain’s interest in merging horology, the art and science of timekeeping, with electromagnetism led him to develop the first clock using electric magnets.
Bain replaced the traditional weights and springs of a clock with an electromagnet to power the pendulum.
As the pendulum swung, it completed an electrical circuit, powering the electromagnet and establishing a continuous cycle that enhanced the clock’s time accuracy by eliminating the necessity for winding.
The elimination of weights and springs also lessened friction and wear, thereby extending the clock’s lifespan.
Bain’s electric magnet clock was powered by wet-cell batteries, a common type of battery in the 19th century that used liquid electrolytes (typically solutions of acids or salts) to enable the chemical reactions that produce electricity.
One example of a wet-cell battery is the Daniell cell, invented by British chemist John Frederic Daniell in 1836.
Daniell cells consisted of a copper container (cathode) with a copper sulfate solution and a porous pot containing a zinc rod (anode) in sulfuric acid or zinc sulfate solution.
The porous pot, a key component, allows ions to pass between the two half-cells, maintaining electrical neutrality and enabling a continuous flow of current.
The chemical reaction within the Daniell battery, housed in glass or ceramic cells, produced a stable 1.1-volt direct current, generating electromagnetic pulses that drove the pendulum’s swinging motion and regulated the clock’s timekeeping.
This battery technology was a significant advancement, demonstrating the potential of electricity to power a wide range of 19th-century devices, including Bain’s clock and telegraphs.
Bain initially favored wet-cell batteries for their power, but the high current they produced could corrode the metallic contact points in his clock, leading to interruptions in the electrical circuit.
To reduce corrosion and extend battery life, Bain augmented his clock with permanent magnets and coils, significantly reducing the required current and minimizing interruptions caused by damaged contact points.
Having overcome the battery challenge, Bain focused his efforts on further refining and developing his electric clock.
By July 1840, Bain had created preliminary models of electric magnet clocks and was actively seeking guidance on how to proceed forward with them.
After contacting William Baddeley, assistant editor of the Mechanics’ Magazine, a journal reporting on inventions and technical advances, Bain was advised to meet with Charles Wheatstone, a physics professor at King’s College, London.
They were introduced at the college Aug. 1, 1840, and met again Aug. 18 at Wheatstone’s home, where Bain brought his clock models.
When Bain demonstrated his electric magnet clock models, Wheatstone reportedly dismissed their potential.
In November 1840, Wheatstone exhibited a model of an electric clock before the Royal Society of London, claiming it was his invention – when it was actually Bain’s.
However, unbeknownst to Wheatstone, on Oct. 10, 1840, Bain had already applied for the first United Kingdom patent for an electric clock.
Alexander Bain received British Patent No. 8783 Jan. 11, 1841, for his innovative electric clock, which used electromagnetic impulses to power a pendulum.
The patent also noted collaborator John Barwise, a chronometer maker, who reportedly provided financial support for the invention.
To further improve his clock design, Bain proposed an “earth battery” that utilized the earth’s natural electrical potential by burying zinc and copper plates to produce a small electric current.
“I discovered that consistent currents could be drawn from the earth, eliminating the need for batteries entirely. This method has since been my preferred solution in all accessible locations,” Bain wrote in 1852.
He used the term “consistent currents” to describe the steady flow of electricity generated by running wires from the buried plates into his clocks, tapping into the earth’s natural power source.
“Telluric current” is the earth’s natural electrical flow, which Bain hoped to tap into.
He felt outdoor electric clocks were particularly well-suited for being powered by wires, zinc, and copper plates in the ground.
However, its usage was limited due to the soil’s unreliable electrical potential and geographical constraints, making widespread earth-battery use impractical.
Alexander Bain, the clockmaker who electrified time, died Jan. 2, 1877, and is buried in the Auld Aisle Cemetery in Kirkintilloch, Scotland.
The municipal council of Kirkintilloch added the following epitaph to his tombstone April 10, 1959: “He thought above himself and also helped to secure a great and better world.”
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An 1845 model of Alexander Bain’s electric magnet clock. This clock used electromagnets to power the pendulum. |