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You'll appreciate
the absolute accuracy and the convenient features of
the 00789 atomic projection clock with thermometer. The time is displayed
on the clock and can be projected on the wall or ceiling in 12-hour or 24-hour
mode. Your choice of seconds or a weekday abbreviation can be displayed
on the clock along with hour and minutes. Because this clock is atomic,
it sets itself automatically and adjusts automatically twice a year for
Daylight Saving Time (DST). If you live in a location that does not
observe DST (Arizona and parts of Indiana), you can easily disable the
DST time change function. Also, you can disable automatic setting of
time and date and set the clock manually if you wish. The 00789 has a
single daily alarm with an available 8-minute snooze function.
At 5-7/8 inches wide by
4-5/16 inches tall by 2 inches deep, the 00789 should fit comfortably on almost any nightstand.
The clock's LCD panel
is about 2-1/2 inches wide by 1-/8 inches high and has a 2-line
display. In the upper line, hour and minutes appear in bold digits 5/8 inch
tall, with seconds digits or weekday characters about half that size.
In the lower line, indoor and outdoor temperatures appear in digits 3/8
inch tall, with tenths of a degree and °C or °F about half that size. The LCD panel has a
soft green LED backlight with 5-second auto-off for nighttime
viewing. Additional
information in the upper line of the display includes a time zone icon (U.S. map) and a
time-signal search and reception icon (radio tower and waves).
Additional information in the lower line includes a DST-on icon (sun
face) and an alarm-on icon (speaker and sound waves). Besides
simultaneously indicating the time and indoor
and outdoor temperatures on its LCD
panel, the 00789 projects the time and temperatures in
bright red numbers on the wall or ceiling. As you might guess, time
and temperatures are not projected simultaneously. Instead, you use the
SNOOZE / LIGHT / PROJECTION bar on the top of the clock to alternately
select time, outdoor temperature, and indoor temperature in that order. When
the clock is battery powered, the projected display and the soft green
LCD panel backlight turn off automatically after 5 seconds unless you
hold the bar depressed. When the
clock is powered from the included ac adapter, projection is continuous
and the backlight auto-off function still operates. A switch on the
projection unit lets you rotate the image 180°,
and another switch on the other end of the clock lets you disable the
projection entirely if desired. The
00789's projected time and temperature display is among the brightest we have
seen. And while the size of the display is about average for this type
of clock, the display is one of the easiest to read. This is not only
because of the brightness but also because the digits are quite bold (not skinny like those of some
projection clocks). Also, the projector
focus works well. We took the clock into our low-light
environmental test lab (the windowless restroom in our warehouse
area) and tried the projector. With the clock about 6 feet from
the ceiling (the maximum distance specified for many projection
clocks), we estimate the height of the digits at about 4 to 5 inches. We
used the projector FOCUS knob to bring them into sharp
focus. Just for kicks, we then put the clock on the floor and
pressed the SNOOZE
/ LIGHT / PROJECTION bar again. At 10 feet, the projected display
on the ceiling was still bright and sharp enough to read easily
(and, naturally, even larger at about 6 to 7 inches, we'd say). This
is excellent performance. During
normal operation, you can change a number of display selections at the
push of a button without having to go into setup mode. You use the
MODE button to display seconds, weekday, or alarm time (for viewing or
setting). You use the UP (12/24) button to select 12-hour or 24-hour
time format. And you use the DOWN (C/F) button to select °C or °F as
the temperature unit. By the way, in 12-hour time format, AM or PM is
displayed to the left of the time.
The included wireless
remote temperature sensor is styled similarly to the clock, although its
color is a little darker. This wall-mount remote has its own temperature display
for local viewing (selectable for °C or °F) and comes with a
detachable probe on a 10-foot (3-meter) cord. Without the probe, the
operating temperature range of the remote and also of the clock is 32°F
to 140°F (0°C to 60°C).
Like the clock, the
temperature remote requires two AA (1.5V) batteries. While alkaline
batteries are fine for use in the remote under moderate temperature
conditions, the manufacturer recommends that lithium AA batteries be
used instead if the remote will be used in temperatures below 32°F
(0°C). Batteries for the remote and the clock are not included and must
be obtained separately.
Note: If there
are batteries in the clock and the adapter is connected to the clock
before it is plugged into the ac outlet, battery power is disconnected
and the clock ceases operation until the adapter is plugged into the
outlet.
Under extremely cold or
hot conditions, the remote should be brought inside and the probe
attached and used outside. The probe's operating temperature range is
-58°F to +158°F (-50°C to +70°C). The instructions tell you that the
probe should always be used in temperature ranges of -58°F to +32°F
(-50°C to 0°C) and +122 °F to +158°F (+50°C to +70°C).
The Acu-Rite 00789 atomic
projection clock with thermometer looks good, has lots of features and
functionality (including a bright and bold projected display), and is priced
very reasonably. We think you'll really like this product.
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