Oxochronal Gauge
An oxochronal gauge, more commonly referred to as an oxochrone, a chronal gauge or simply a chrone, is a timekeeping device commonly used throughout the archipelago of Ai Kalin, based upon standard oxothermal principles . Originally invented for use in Copperhull travel, in which astronomical timekeeping could not be used, the oxochrono gauge was widely adopted by Abrarian factories, for the ease of creating precisely synchronized alarms.
Mechanics & Inner Workings
As with most Abrarian technologies, oxochrones are a piece of oxothermal machinery, and rely upon oxidation-reduction chemical reactions (acid-base pairings) to function.
A typical oxochronal gauge consists of a piston made of a non-reactive material, such as brass, copper, or glass, filled with shavings of a reactive metal, most commonly zinc. A small valve at the top of the piston allows a drip of purified seawater into the piston's chamber at a constant rate, which then reacts with the metal shavings to produce hydrogen gas. As the gaseous pressure builds the piston expands, eventually opening up to a hole in the inner wall of the piston. As the hydrogen gass passes through the small opening it creates a whistling noise, letting one know that a certain amount of time has passed since the drip began.
In factories it is common that a single water drip feeds multiple oxochrones; this allows easy synchronization in large factory warehouses.
Significance
Attention to time in labour depends in large degree upon the need for the synchronization of labour. But in so far as manufacturing industry remained conducted upon a domestic or small workshop scale, without intricate subdivision of processes, the degree of synchronization demanded was slight.
A factory much like a machine... must have each cog turning together, all in step.
Item type
Mechanical
Rarity
Ubiquitous
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