[Nowhere Man]

There is no equipment in the hospital that uses the cycle from the socket to dispense medication. Nor will your appliances have to work harder creating more heat.

All the hospital equipment is keeping time internally using individual crystals. Using the cycle from the socket is ancient technology that barely exists today. Chances are good that you haven't seen a clock that runs directly off of unconverted AC power in 30 years or more. Likewise the medi-pumps the hospitals use are also converting the AC from the socket to DC power.

True. I remember when I was in hospital when my left hand was infected, the IV pump for my anti-biotics was plugged in but it had an internal battery so I can move it on the tree to wherever I go. It is much like a laptop where you plug it into a battery eliminator that charges the battery. My grandmother on Mom's side passed away in 1997, she needed a kangaroo pump to feed her through a tube for the last part of her life. That was the same as well, you unplug it, the battery takes over.

Basically you have a quartz based clock that oscillates at 32,768 times a second (32.768 kilocycles) much like a quartz clock or watch. I know earlier watches used a tuning fork oscillator to keep time.

[cynwoody]

I know earlier watches used a tuning fork oscillator to keep time.

The Bulova Accutron used a 360-hz tuning fork as its time base. It had a one-transistor circuit that kept the tuning fork humming by sending pulses to the electromagnets imbedded in the fork's tines.

Four million units were sold between 1960 and 1977.