What is a Real Time Clock with Seconds- A Complete Guide

time management software January 10, 2023

Sanchari Chatterjee

Writer

What is a real time clock?

A real time clock is an automated device that measures time. Real time clocks are present in every electronic device that needs to keep accurate current time. Real time clock or RTC is usually in the form of an integrated circuit built solely for keeping time and it counts seconds, minutes, hours, days, months and even years. A real time clock is able to function even when the computer is powered down as it runs independently from the system's main power. Real time clocks are used in many different applications such as digital cameras, portable GPS devices, DVD recorders TVs, medical equipment, utility meters and point-of-sale equipment like a scheduling app.

What are the benefits of a real time clock?

As discussed previously a real time clock is used in industrial equipment like the point of sale systems or a scheduling app like ZipSchedules. A time clock in a scheduling app can reduce the hassle of dealing with manual employee time and attendance. Here are the benefits of using a real time clock for employee scheduling-
1. Better accuracy- Manual timekeeping has workers punching a Time Card or reporting their hours worked per pay period which can lead to faulty time tracking or even fraud. Using a scheduling app or software like ZipSchedules can reduce inaccuracies and time theft.
2. Increase in productivity- Using software with an inbuilt time clock automates the process of Time Tracking and collecting attendance records and transferring it to payroll. This reduces the time spent on processing attendance and ensures the accuracy of the data, which leads to an increase in productivity.
3. Satisfied employees- As software with a real time clock automates the time clock and attendance system and reduces errors, it guarantees timely and accurate pay, thus leading to happier employees. It also gives employees secure access to their personal data, making them feel empowered and leading to increased satisfaction.
4. Flexible work management- In the new normal, there are employees who are working at home, office, or at a remote location. Automated software with a real time clock is able to calculate the hours worked by an employee by time tracking the progress of the task via the system. Thus, employees and managers are able to track the employees work hours no matter where they are.
5. No hassle scheduling- Software with a real time keeping system makes it easy to develop and manage employee schedules, assign deadlines for tasks and keep track of shift swaps. The software also allows you to determine how much work has been done and the resources and budget used for a particular project.

If you’re looking for a real time clock with seconds, you’ve probably been reading about them and are confused about what they are.

What is a Real Time Clock with Seconds:- A Complete Guide as suggested by Zipschedules will help you understand what a real time clock with seconds is and why it’s important.

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How does a real time clock work?

As discussed, a real time clock is an Integrated Chip electronic device powered by an internal lithium battery that provides accurate time and date for various applications. The Time Clock keeps running even when the main system is powered off. A real time clock counts the oscillator's cycles and are not reliant on the clock signals like hardware clocks.
The oscillator used in time clock is 32.768kHz external crystal oscillator circuit or an oscillator using internal capacitor, or an embedded quartz crystal. The real time clock also ensures that all processes of the main system are appropriately synchronized.
The basic function of a real time keeping system is to produce intervals of one second and maintain a continuous count. A basic real time clock has a seconds counter of 32 bits or more and some real time clocks have specialized counters to track time of day and date. A real time keeping system has an almost negligible chance of error, uses very little memory space in the main system, and has low program complexity and high efficiency.

Is a real time clock accurate?

There are 24 time zones around the world that are 15-degree longitude apart from each other. You add one hour for every time zone when moving right and take away one hour for every time zone when you move to the left. Though this time may be difficult to calculate or understand, having a real time clock makes it easier to adjust to the local time. We have already discussed the working of a time clock. Now let us look at how accurate a real time clock is.
The accuracy of a ream time clock depends on the accuracy of the crystal used and its temperature characteristics. When you combine an integrated chip temperature sensor with a real time clock, you are able to set the time clock correction value according to the temperature change, which enables accurate correction if the time clock becomes fast or slow.
A crystal real time clock has accuracy of 100 to 20 parts per million (8.6 to 1.7 seconds per day), but temperature compensated real time clocks give accuracy of less than 5 parts per million.

What is the difference between real time and system clocks?

If there is a real Time Clock and a system clock in the main system, then you might wonder what is the difference. In a nutshell, a system clock controls the timing of all operations of the main system like a computer while a real time clock keep track of the current time.
System clock- It is small quartz crystal circuit used by the processor of the main system to control the timing of all computer operations. The system time clock sends out regular electronic pulses, like heartbeats, that set the operating pace of all the components. The pace of the system clock is called clock speed and it is measured by the number of ticks per second. Clock speeds of personal computer processors are calculated in gigahertz. One gigahertz (GHz) is one billion ticks of time clock per second. The faster the system time clock speed, the more instructions the processor can execute per second.
Real time clock- It is an integrated circuit used to keep tracks of current time which is used in servers, personal computers and embedded systems like POS system or scheduling app. A real time clock provides real time information of year, month, day, hour, minute, second and week. The real time keeping system is powered by a backup battery. The real time keeping system can be compared to a wall clock that keeps on running with its own tiny battery even when the main system is turned off.

There are many different types of clocks, but what is a real time clock with seconds?

Zipschedules says a real time clock with seconds can be found in many different settings, including factories, warehouses, and schools.

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What is the purpose of a real time clock?

A real Time Clock is used to give precise time and date for various applications. It is important in the real time systems like digital clock or attendance system or in applications where time stamp is needed. A real time clock is the basis of computers' software timing chains it is used as a timer switch tasks in an operating system.
Apart from time keeping, a real time clock can also be used for independent time-of-day alarms, accurate temperature sensing to advise on thermal environmental conditions and user configurable memory for storing system information.
A real time clock can also be used to records start and end times for employees. Using an automated time clock can help reduce human errors while calculating work hours and pay for employees. A real time keeping system also helps reduce fraud as the system can track when a person is working on the system and how much time is spent on each task.

What is a world time clock and date?

A world time system is a clock which displays the time and date for various cities around the world. A world clock time is displayed via multiple analog time clocks or digital time clocks, with each time clock being labelled with the name of a major city or time zone in the world.
The standard for calculating time for any time zone in the world is based on universal time. The time standard that reflects the average speed of the Earth's rotation is known as universal time which is measured by looking at the stars. The universal time uses the prime meridian to show the actual length of an average solar day the time from one solar noon to the next.

Sanchari Chatterjee Jan 10, 2023

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I access World Clock?

World Clock is a digital clock app that displays the time for over 180,000 cities from across the globe. The app is available for both Android and iOS devices, and it can help you keep track of time around the world wherever you are. The World Clock app allows users to see the time in different cities around the world at any given moment, without the need for an internet connection. You will not find a similar app in the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store; it is an original creation by a third-party developer. The app's content is updated frequently, and it also features a World Clock widget that you can place on your home screen to quickly check the time in any location.

Where is the world clock set?

The world clock shows the current time in different cities all over the world. You can find an accurate time in almost every city because the world clock is based on the most accurate atomic clocks in each country. These clocks keep time with incredible precision, so the world clock is usually pretty accurate, too. The world clock is set to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). This is the time that is the same all over the world, regardless of what time zone an area is in. You can find out what time it is in your city by using this tool.