# Alarm clock electronics problems **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 26, 2004, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alarm-clock-electronics-problems/276719 "2004-11-26T06:27:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![chinbender](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c77e96/32.png) [@chinbender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chinbender)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2004, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alarm-clock-electronics-problems/276719/1 "2004-11-26T06:27:07Z")
I have had this problem with many different alarm clocks, across a wide variety of manufacturers. These are the type with four buttons to set the time or alarm time: A “Time Set” button, an “Alarm Set” button, an “Hour” button, and a “Minute” button. To set the time, you hold down the “Time Set” button and press the minute or hour buttons to move foreward. Well, after holding down the alarm button and setting it to the time I want to wake up, the time has changed. It seems that as I take my finger off the alarm set button and am still holding down the hour button, the clock forewards the time by an hour. But I have not pushed the time set button. I swear. I don’t know much about electronics (taking apart a telephone when I was 12 was my last serious study of the subject. I saw all the green boards with silver lines and black rectangles and couldn’t even begin to figure out how it worked). But logicly it should work like this: If I do not press the time set button, the time will not change. Why don’t alarm clocks actually work as they should? ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2004, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alarm-clock-electronics-problems/276719/2 "2004-11-26T06:46:54Z")
Most alarm clocks do not behave this way. There are an almost infinte assortment of styles. Get a model where accidental button pushing is unlikely. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2004, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alarm-clock-electronics-problems/276719/3 "2004-11-26T15:01:51Z")
> [@](#): > > It seems that as I take my finger off the alarm set button and am still holding down the hour button, the clock forwards the time by an hour. I just tried this with my alarm clock, and it behaved in exactly the same manner as you described. So there’s probably nothing wrong with your clock; it’s just that the designers chose not to cover this particular logic state. I also noticed it was intermittent, which (probably) also means it’s a flaky/undefined state. When changing the alarm time, do **not** press the hour button unless the alarm button is also depressed. In others, when changing the alarm time do _ **not** _ do this: 1. Press hour button. Keep hour button pressed in. 2. Toggle alarm button on-and-off to select alarm time. End with alarm button released. 3. Release hour button. Also do _ **not** _ do this: 1. Press alarm button. Keep alarm button pressed in. 2. Toggle hour button on-and-off to select alarm time. End with hour button _pressed in_. 3. Release alarm button. 4. Release hour button. Instead do _ **this** _: 1. Press alarm button. Keep alarm button pressed in. 2. Toggle hour button on-and-off to select alarm time. End with hour button _released_. 3. Release alarm button. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2004, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alarm-clock-electronics-problems/276719/4 "2004-11-26T15:15:47Z")
I’m betting **Twilight Zone** type time warp. Soon the police will be around to charge you for the crimes you commited in the time that you “skipped”. That’s what happens if you try… to manipulate the hours… in the…Twilight Zone. ---
**Author:** ![chinbender](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c77e96/32.png) [@chinbender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chinbender)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2004, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alarm-clock-electronics-problems/276719/5 "2004-11-26T19:08:04Z")
Thanks for the experimental replication Crafter (in your face astro!), maybe I should have been a bit more specific re the info I’m curious about. I’m not going to buy a new alarm clock, and I can work around this reasonably well. I don’t understand \*\*why \*\* this happens. > [@](#): > > I also noticed it was intermittent, which (probably) also means it’s a flaky/undefined state. Can you briefly explain what this means? I thought that simple electronic devices would be entirely governed by If/then statements. _If time button is pressed, and hour button is pressed, then forward time one hour._ Is the problem a design oversight, are electrons jumping their tracks, what is physically going on here. Or is it like the telephone I took apart and I won’t really be able to get it? Can someone de-ignorize me?