Binary Clock
Your device's time as a binary clock, updated every second. Switch between the classic BCD layout, one column per digit, and pure binary, one row each for hours, minutes and seconds.
Binary clock
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How to read a binary clock
- 01
Find the columns
In BCD mode there are six columns: two each for hours, minutes and seconds. Each column is one digit of the time.
- 02
Add the lit squares
From the bottom up, the squares are worth 1, 2, 4 and 8. Add the values of the lit squares in a column to get its digit.
- 03
Read the time
Read the digits in pairs: hours, minutes, seconds. A column with the 2 and the 1 lit is 3.
Example: 13:45:09
The hour columns show 1 (only the 1 lit) and 3 (the 2 and the 1). The minute columns show 4 (the 4) and 5 (the 4 and the 1). The second columns show 0 (nothing lit) and 9 (the 8 and the 1).
In pure binary mode the same time is three rows: 13 is 001101, 45 is 101101 and 9 is 001001.
BCD or pure binary?
BCD (binary-coded decimal) keeps each decimal digit separate, so you can read the time digit by digit. Pure binary writes each whole number in 6 bits, the way a computer stores it, and needs fewer squares.
The time comes from your device. Nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently asked questions
How do you read a binary clock?
Read each column from the bottom: the squares are worth 1, 2, 4 and 8. Add the lit ones to get one digit. The six columns are the two digits of the hours, the minutes and the seconds.
What time is it in binary?
The clock above shows your device's time right now. Noon, 12:00:00, lights the 1 in the first column and the 2 in the second, with every other column dark. In pure binary mode the hour row reads 001100.
Why does a binary clock have six columns?
One column per digit of HH:MM:SS. The first column only needs the 2 and 1 squares, because hours never start with more than 2. The tens of minutes and seconds need three squares, for digits up to 5.