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American Time Blog

How to Standardize your Building's Clock & Bell Systems

Posted by American Time on Dec 2, 2021 9:21:10 AM

 

A student races to class as the hallway countdown timer nears zero and the bell rings. An employee meeting starts promptly because everyone is on time. Shift changes are in sync and disruptions are minimized.

Things that seem insignificant to the casual observer – like clocks, bells, and buzzers – have an outsized impact on the productivity of a building or campus. Maintenance teams, building managers, IT directors, teachers and leaders know this.

A single, go-to resource for clocks, bells, buzzers, parts, repairs and upgrades – “standardizing” your clock and bell systems – is an important way to improve the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of your operations.

Let’s look at the key considerations and factors to think about in order to standardize your systems…

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Topics: School Clock Systems, Synchronized Clock Systems, Wireless Clock Systems, Timekeeping, Master Clocks, System Controllers

Protecting Your Valuable Equipment and Investments with Guards

Posted by American Time on Nov 10, 2021 7:15:00 AM

Is your internet router in a place that can be bumped by people in the office? Do you see students jump up to slap that exit sign above the door?

Guards for clocks and other pieces of vital equipment protect your investment from damage, vandalism, and theft. After all, it's not just the equipment you have to think about, but the environment that surrounds it.

  • In schools, clocks, exit signs and other assets are magnets for students goofing around or the errant gym ball.
  • On shop floors, debris, sprays and dust can coat your equipment and impact their ability to operate. Lots of moving people and equipment can also easily damage an asset.
  • Theft or accidental damage is possible in any building. Guards keep your assets protected, clean, and optimized.

There are even more environments where protective guards can save time, money and headaches. Here’s a look at the types of equipment guards available, why they're important, and the best environments for them.

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Topics: Clock Maintenance and Repairs, Protective Wire Guards, School Clock Systems, Synchronized Clock Systems, Wi-Fi Clock Systems, PoE Clock Systems, Digital Clocks, Master Clocks

Everything you Need to Know about Synchronized Time: 4 Best Clock Technologies Explained

Posted by American Time on Jun 14, 2021 8:00:45 AM


Accurate, synchronized clocks in your building, school or facility are more than a convenience. When clocks display the wrong time or different times from each other, major disruptions and even risks can happen, such as….

  • Meetings, classes or shifts start and end at different times, causing confusion and inefficiency
  • Wages or compensation are disputed
  • Critical tasks like surgeries, food prep or manufacturing processes aren’t tracked or reported accurately
  • Maintenance staff spend too much time on clock repairs and adjustments

“Employees didn’t have reliable clocks for calculating shift changes or break times. There were lots of debates about whether an employee was really tardy or not, whether some people were abusing their break times by leaving early and returning late, and whether meetings were starting and ending on time.”

DMR Electronics

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Topics: Daylight Saving Time, School Clock Systems, Synchronized Clock Systems, Wired Clock Systems, Hybrid Clock Systems, Wireless Clock Systems, PoE Clock Systems, EverAlert, Digital Clocks, Master Clocks

Advantages and Considerations of an Analog Clock System

Posted by American Time on Jun 7, 2021 8:26:00 AM

The decision arises in all sorts of consumer scenarios: classic versus modern. Maybe you're remodeling your home and you have to choose between dark trim or something light and airy. Perhaps you're trying to decide where to eat dinner, and it comes down to the steakhouse that's been there forever or the trendy new restaurant you've been itching to try.

Or, maybe you were shopping for a watch and had to ponder the benefits of analog versus digital. Your evaluation process of analog versus digital when selecting a new watch probably isn't all that different from picking what kind of clocks to install in your facility. It's just that when it comes to selecting a clock, you've got the needs of potentially thousands of people to consider.

To help you make the call, we'll lay out the advantages and some considerations to make when choosing analog clocks.

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Topics: School Clock Systems, Wireless Clock Systems

Solution Provider Spotlight: T.E.S.T. Creates Safe, Secure, Smart Learning Environments Across Montana

Posted by American Time on May 5, 2021 10:16:04 AM

When you’re searching for new technology to help students learn better or for a school to run more efficiently, there are countless options. Which technology will live up to its promises? How does a school evaluate differences?

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Topics: School Clock Systems, EverAlert

Clock system 101: What Type of Clock is Best for My Organization?

Posted by American Time on Mar 26, 2021 12:55:10 PM

If you're tasked with selecting a clock system for your organization, the idea might be easy at first: You just buy some clocks and hang them on the walls, right?

But synchronized clock technology offer many options, and the best decision for you depends on the needs of your organization. Here, we'll help determine which type of clock is best for you depending on your industry and the type of building you're responsible for keeping on time.

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Topics: School Clock Systems, Synchronized Clock Systems, Wired Clock Systems, News, Clocks for Healthcare, Higher Education, Wi-Fi Clock Systems, Wireless Clock Systems, PoE Clock Systems, Architecture, manufacturing, Healthcare Facilities, Facility Management

Help! My Mechanical Clock Is Dying

Posted by Scott DeSmith on Aug 3, 2020 10:00:00 AM

Sometimes life throws you a curveball and things break. It could be the radiator in your car or your cellphone falling on the floor and cracking the screen. Similarly, all mechanical clocks may eventually break down.

What makes a mechanical clock “mechanical” is the type of movement inside the clock. Mechanical clocks have a mechanical movement which means metal gears powered by a motor work together to advance the hands forward. These clocks are commonly found in schools as part of a legacy wired clock system.

Often, it’s the motor in these clocks that go bad. The most common call we get about broken mechanical clocks is about replacing the Synchron® motor in Simplex® clocks. There are over 400 Synchron motors found in various mechanical clocks. Not sure what type of Synchron motor your clocks have? We have a blog for that.

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Topics: School Clock Systems, Synchronized Clock Systems, AllSync

Wireless Clocks, Motors, EverAlert and More! Get our New On-Demand Webinar Series!

Posted by Aron Levandowski on Jun 26, 2019 10:53:00 AM

We know there are a lot of factors when it comes to choosing the right clocks or clock technology for your building. That’s why we created our
Clock School On-Demand Webinar Series.


  • Brief, helpful webinars that get you the most
    important information
  • Recommendations and resources for next steps
  • Real-world examples


Go here to get any of these webinars….


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Topics: Clock Maintenance and Repairs, School Clock Systems, Wireless Clock Systems, EverAlert

Clock system 101: What Type of Clock is Best for My Business?

Posted by American Time on Jan 31, 2019 9:18:48 AM

Anyone who's ever visited an ice cream shop, craft beer taproom, or the cereal aisle of a grocery store knows choices can be hard. Cheerios or Captain Crunch? Weird... somehow they both ended up my cart. But sometimes in business, you have to make just one choice and when making big decisions is part of your job, the stakes only rise.

If you're tasked with selecting a synchronized clock system for your facility, there are many options to choose from. If you don’t know much about synchronized time, your mission might seem easy at first, you just buy clocks and hang them on the walls right? But just like buying an ice cream cone or picking out your favorite cereal brand, there are a variety of options to choose from. We are, after all, talking about installing an entire network of electronic devices.

As you delve deeper into this mission, you might require some guidance. Here, we'll help you determine which type of clock is best for you, depending on your industry and the type of facility you're responsible for keeping on time.

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Topics: School Clock Systems, Synchronized Clock Systems, Clocks for Healthcare, Higher Education, Wi-Fi Clock Systems, Wireless Clock Systems

What Clock System is Best for My College Campus?

Posted by American Time on Jun 6, 2018 9:27:39 AM

When you think of choreography, you probably picture your favorite music video or your kid's dance recital, or anything with a lot of synchronized twists, steps, and spins.

But there are a lot of things that have to be choreographed, such as a typical day on a college campus. It can be a beautiful thing to watch the teeming masses scurry across a stately campus in the pursuit of knowledge, and like any graceful production, it requires an eye for detail.

When you think about the clock system that ties your campus schedule together, one detail you must consider is which type of clock you should install. Also, it's important to know that in the world of synchronized clocks, Wi-Fi and wireless mean two different things. Let's explore which type of clock works best for you, depending on the size of your campus.

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Topics: School Clock Systems, Higher Education

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