A piece of hardware from the flying atomic-clock experiments is back on the bench. In a video published on 15 October 2026, CuriousMarc opens up an HP K02-5060 standby power supply and begins working through its restoration. The unit, he says, powered Hewlett-Packard clocks used in airborne tests of relativity.
The appeal here is the supporting equipment, not just the famous clock. A standby supply had to keep a precision instrument running when the normal source of power was interrupted. Marc’s close look at the chassis and its components shows the practical engineering behind that requirement. The episode also documents an electrical mishap during the work, so this is the start of a repair, not a claim that the supply is already restored.
For readers who enjoy vintage test gear and repair, it is a useful reminder that landmark experiments depended on dependable, serviceable hardware around the headline instrument. Watch CuriousMarc’s 28-minute restoration video for the teardown and the first round of troubleshooting.
