Back to the Future - a 1985 science fiction film staring Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover, and Thomas F. Wilson.
Set in 1985, the story follows Marty McFly, a teenager accidentally sent back to 1955 in a time-traveling DeLorean automobile built by his eccentric scientist friend Doctor Emmett "Doc" Brown.
Trapped in the past, Marty inadvertently prevents his future parents' meeting — threatening his existence — and is forced to reconcile the pair and somehow get back to the future.
Perhaps you already knew that. And, very likely, you've heard of the "Back to the Future Flip Clock."
The clock appeared on the shelf on the headboard of Marty McFly's bed.
This is a well known flip clock in the world of flip clocks and usually goes for high dollar on the internet due to the interest of both flip clock fans and fans of the movie.
It's the Panasonic RC-6015. A flip clock radio that was actually one of Panasonic's bargain flip clocks. Collectors and restorers of flip clocks know this clock radio to have electronically stood up well to the passage of time. But unfortunately, the clock is also known for having a brittle case. So you know all that. But did you know that this was not the first flip clock to appear in the movie?
We know that the famous flip clock belonged to Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox).
But the opening scene of the first in the "Back to the Future" Trilogy shows a vast array of clocks at the home of Doc Brown.
And there it is. It is clearly a Copal flip clock and is commonly believed to be the Copal 801.
It is a very to find flip clock, much harder than Marty McFly's clock, and is often quite expensive.
I did finally get one of these clocks in the recent past directly from Japan, and I'd like to go through it with you.
First, well, I whitened it. It needed it to some degree. It's not actually a white clock - more of an off-white or cream color, I suppose. But you could see the yellowing. And, since I've been in whitening mode, and there was plenty of hydrogen peroxide available in 40 Volume Developer at the time, I went ahead and brightened up the case.
There aren't that many parts and pieces to come off the get the clock open. The first thing you'll notice is that the flip clock mechanism is huge.
- The advancement gears are unique to this clock - I've never seen this arrangement of gears in a flip clock.
- The mechanism's knob connects to a rod with its position controlled by springs.
- When pulled down the rod engages a face gear system to allow the clock to be advanced.
- The very large file tiles have a plastic banding system in place, it seems to keep the tiles in proper position to facilitate flipping.
Surprisingly, the motor is just a simple, normal sized Copal II flip clock motor. I was a bit surprised by this, but I suppose I shouldn't have been. These are great little synchronous motors and have lasted 50 some years. Another surprise was finding this motor to be rated for 60 Hertz 120 volts, with no mechanism for changing from 50 to 60 Hertz operation as would be expected in Japan. This would be accomplished through a lever that would change the gear train.
Japan is unique in the world for it's electric grids. Firstly, the country runs on 100 volts. Most of the rest of the world uses 220 volts and the United states and some other places uses 110 to 120 volts. But more strangely, half of the country uses electricity at a frequency of 60 Hertz, like in the United States. This would be the western portion of the country, including the major city of Osaka. Eastern areas, which includes Tokyo, use the European standard of 50 Hertz.
I have seen it written that in the 19th century, the Osaka controlled areas in the West went with US made generators, which produced electricity at 60 Hertz. Maybe to just be in opposition to the East, lead by Toyko, who acquired their generators from German sources, running at 50 Hertz. For whatever reason, the two incompatible grids have created a huge problem because the two halves of the country cannot easily share electricity.
Stations dedicated to changing the frequency one way or the other are few, and inefficient.
This has lead to many electronics to this day having the ability to be run using 50 or 60 Hertz - as this clock case seemed to indicate.
As I mentioned, the clock setting knob connects to a rod with its position controlled by springs. When the knob is pulled down the rod engages the clock with what can best be described as a face gear system. What's interesting is that when the knob is turned clockwise, the clock advances. If you turn it the wrong way, counterclockwise, a kind of ratcheting slip clutch prevents any damage at all from occurring - it just makes this clicking sound.
Nice.
The Copal 801 flip clock - Doc Brown's flip clock from the first Back to the Future movie of the mid-1980s. Clearly it stands above all the other Copals in my collection. It has appeal to any collector of Copals and to fans of the movie, "Back to the Future".
Sure, it's great to own a clock like the cool, time traveling kid, Marty. But how about owning a clock like the one owned by the man who invented time travel.
While this clock is the 24 hour version, and the movie version can be seen to be the AM/PM style, it remains a centerpiece of my Copal collection.
Hope this has been an interesting review of this clock for you.
Thanks for taking the time.
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