See the Hand in Hand clock type [link]. It has one hand (usually the hour hand) mounted to swivel at the center of the clock, like a normal clock, but
then the second hand (usually the minute hand) is mounted at the end of the first hand, and swivels about that point. Sometimes there may even be
a
third hand (the second hand) mounted in turn at the end of the second hand (the minute hand), swiveling about that point.
This is adaptable to work as a record player; it only needs two hands. Normally, it just behaves as a normal Hand in Hand clock, but it can also be
used to play records.
To do so, pull the first hand (hour hand) off of the clock's base. Then unscrew the wide finger nut. (It's similar to nuts used to hold the impeller and
back grille half in place on fans. [link]) Place a record over the spindle; screw the nut back on. Then stick the first hand (hour hand) on again. It's
indexed so that it can't be misaligned. Now the clock has stopped driving its hands to indicate the time, so you can move them with your hands so
that the tip of the second hand (minute hand) (which contains the needle) is at the start of the record's track.
The two hands now comprise the tonearm (which is of a SCARA configuration [link], centered on the center of the record, neither component of
which I've seen in a record player before. Wikipedia says SCARA is "rigid in the Z-axis and pliable in the XY-axes", which sounds appropriate for
record-playing). The record stays stationary, held by the nut against the clock/turntable's body, while the tonearm is driven at the appropriate speed
(set with a switch on the clock body, normally hidden behind the nut) by the clock motor.
The arm, being rigid in the Z axis, does not provide tracking force for the needle on its own. For that, there is an adjustable flip-down spring
mechanism hidden inside the second hand (minute hand), which is backed by the arm's aforementioned Z-axis rigidity. To support the back of the
record, there are fold-out spiral arms that stow wrapped around and visually integrated into the clock body; they can be folded out different
amounts for different disc sizes.
When you take the record off, the machine detects that and goes back to clock operation, having kept time internally in the meantime.
Of course, it can operate in both clock and record player modes in both wall-mounted and tabletop orientations.
N/A [2019-09-29]