Chris,
For a few different Zendos, Roshis, and other practice centers, as well as for
some practitioners, and for myself, I have built and sold flashing timers.
These are nice for use in the zendo by the Jiki because they are silent, and
one does not have to look at a time indication, but a flasher indicates the end
of the timed period.
The length of the period is retained in the timer, and one need not reset it
again after the time reaches zero, in order to sit repeated sits of the same
length, as on sesshin, or at home, but one can simply "re-use" the pre-set
interval length by pressing "Start" again. Jikijitsus love it!
The timers are based on a ten-button count-down/count-up timer that I converted
from beeping to flashing. These timers were/are a Radio Shack product. I
added (attached) a small "project-box" which contains a battery holder for two
"AA" cells.
And I added a green LED, which has a turn-on voltage greater than 1.5 V. I
removed the flat piezoelectric buzzer (beeper) element, and connected its
output to the LED, *IN SERIES* with ONE of the AA cells. Thus, I use one 1.5
Volt cell to forward-bias the green LED, but the LED will not conduct yet at
that voltage. But the beeper-output -- about 0.2 V pulsed DC sq.-wave -- in
series with the bias voltage turns on the green LED when the timer count
reaches zero, and produces groups of four rapid flashes, for one minute. I
added a current-limiting resistor in series with the anode of the LED to give a
brightness that I like, and to protect the LED from over-current.
The other cell runs the timer.
The plastic project box contains the added wiring and the batteries.
The Radio Shack timer I base my flashing timers on is RadioShack® 10-Key
Count-Up and Count-Down Timer Model: 6300661, Catalog #: 63-661. About $15 US.
I bought them in bulk a while ago and was making a lot of the flashing timers.
The AA cells last for about the shelf-life of the cell, even in daily use: five
to eight YEARS.
If you've done electronic fabrication, this will be an easy and FUN project. A
relief, too, to be rid of that annoying "Alarm Clock Wakeup Time" beeper noise!
;-)
I'll post a pic of the timer, as modified, here at the Forum in the "Photos"
area where I have posted some 155 pics so far; it will be on the last page of
photos in that collection.
All best,
--Joe
PS In a previous life, I used to "play" a 45-minute cassette tape with no
sound on it at home, but for three gongs at the start of it, silence for 45
minutes, and a gong at the end of it to signal the end of the sit. Quite
beautiful! Just like having a Jikijitsu, and not having to BE one. I used to
make them for friends: all I asked from them was a blank tape! (and a
hand-shake; or, a kiss or a hug if she was female). ;-)
> Chris Austin-Lane <chris@...> wrote:
>
> What do people use to time their sitting at home? I must confess.I have
> started using a phone app specifically for meditation. I have used sticks
> of incense and kitchen timers as well. I haven't hooked the app up to tweet
> my sitting, but I do see a lot of such tweeks.
>
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