Iowa Scaled fast clock - 2
it really was, and they began struggling with the temptation to
operate unprototypically fast in order to get things done. They
also told me it was just nice to know the scale time of day as
it adds to the realism of the job they’re doing. They may have
just eaten dinner before they arrived, but if a fast clock tells
them it’s now 6:15 a.m., that helps to transport them into the
illusion I’m trying to create.
So, I began shopping for a fast clock system. I was quickly
reminded of the need to string wire for them. Wiring might
be my least favorite part of the hobby. The idea of a clumsy
guy like me wiring fast clocks near finished layout scenes just
seemed like asking for trouble. With all the wireless devices
available today, I was wishing that someone had applied that
technology to fast clocks.
Fortunately, someone has. Michael Petersen of Iowa Scaled
Engineering (ISE) saw my pleas for help on the Yahoo
2
2. Master clock in Hold mode, also showing my chosen fast
clock ratio of 4.2/1.
Proto-Layouts list. He and ISE co-owner Nathan Holmes con-
tacted me regarding a wireless fast clock system they were
developing, the only such system on the market. They later
provided a beta system for me to try out and asked me for
objective feedback.
From the outset, I was extremely impressed. The ISE Fast Clock
system is exactly what I hoped for, but easier to configure and
use than I ever would have imagined. I especially enjoyed the
ease of installation. I went from taking the system out of the
box to having it configured and running in around 20 minutes.
The master unit plugs into a wall outlet and each secondary
display has a simple two-wire power connection to either a
DCC bus or DC power supply. I run DCC, so I wired mine to my
bus through an adapter.
3. Here’s the master clock with the three start times I have
configured.
3
MRH-Nov 2014
