Love them or hate them, alarm clocks are a necessary part of life if you have to get to work at a certain time in the morning.

Personally, I hate them. Even the most gentle ones intrude into a great night's sleep and are the first indication that it's time to head for the office again. The most raucous can frighten you to death and leave you lying in bed, a quivering wreck.

There are many different alarm clocks on the market and your first decision will be how you want your alarm clock powered.

Mechanical - You can still get these although many people consider them to be rather old-fashioned in this digital age. They are analogue (have hands) and need to be wound manually each day, either with a key or integral handle on the back. The spring, when wound up completely, will run for between 24 and 36 hours. These clocks will make a ticking sound which in some cases, can be very loud.

Battery or Quartz - These two terms are the same thing. The clock has a battery operated quartz movement. These come in all shapes, sizes and colours, both analogue and digital and will make a ticking sound of varying loudness.

Electric - As one would imagine, these

clocks need to be plugged into the mains. Many have a battery backup which will save the time and alarm settings during a power cut. The low voltage of the battery will mean that not all clock functions will continue to operate for the duration of the power failure.

Atomic - These are the most technologically advanced and reliable alarm clocks in one way, in that they are corrected regularly by a signal from a central point. However, that point will be specific to a region, for example Europe or the USA so an atomic clock purchased in the US won't work in Europe and vice versa. They will also need batteries to power the display.

In our next article, we'll look at the various types of alarm.

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