Views: 63,445

The Time Fountain Owner's Manual

All > Tech > Inventions > The Time Fountain Owner's Manual by natetrue

640 800 Full

Congratulations on purchasing your new second-generation Time Fountain! Only five of these have ever (and will ever) be made, so you're one of the lucky ones!

If you didn't get yours this time around, don't fret. You can buy a third-generation Time Fountain from the original Time Fountain page.

(And in case you missed it, the first-generation, original Time Fountain can be found here.)

As the Time Fountain may have settled during shipping, take a moment to make sure everything is intact.

---

---

640 800 Full

Make sure the splash guard is centered and level. The pump should be nearly flat on the bottom of the lower reservoir.

---

640 800 Full

Verify that the top reservoir is intact. Some fluid may be left from the testing process. This is normal.

---

640 800 Full

Using water, fill the bottom reservoir until it's almost spilling over.

---

640 800 Full

Plug in the fountain (using the included power adapter) and turn it on (using the included inline power switch, located on the power cord).

The pump will not work immediately because it still has air in it. Wait 15 seconds, then turn the pump off, then on again. Repeat until the pump quiets down and exhibits a healthy flow into the top reservoir.

---

640 800 Full

At this time, there should be an overflow stream coming down the back inside of the fountain. This is normal.

Drops should also be leaving the drip aperture in the center of the top reservoir. If they aren't, clean out the aperture from the top, using a needle or similar pointy thing. You might also try using a drinking straw to blow air into the aperture from above.

---

640 800 Full

Look at the drop stream and make sure the drip sensor is aligned correctly. The drops should just graze the two sensor prongs, like in this photograph.

---

640 800 Full

Now take the included highlighter and bite the white endcap off of the back.

---

640 800 Full

Extract the deliciously non-toxic ink sponge from the highlighter. You may want to use gloves here if you're squeamish about getting inky hands.

---

640 800 Full

Squeeze about 10 drops of the highlighter ink into the top reservoir. Try not to get mesmerized by the swirling colors, but don't try too hard!

---

640 800 Full

By now the pump should be going full swing. It should look similar to this pretty photo, except it will be moving.

---

640 800 Full

Turn out the lights and have a look. The drop stream should be freezing in time and be very difficult to take pictures of. If they are wobbly, make sure the drip sensor is properly aligned.

---

640 800 Full

Using the buttons on the back, you should be able to control the drops. The middle button switches between still, slow-motion, and backwards-motion modes. In still mode, the top and bottom buttons will move the drop stream up and down, respectively.

Now your Time Fountain is all set up and working. Try sticking things in the drop stream and see how they affect the droplets.

Caring for your Time Fountain

The Time Fountain should not need much care, besides the usual don't-drop-it and don't-spill-it warnings. Over time, the water may become mucousy or stinky and require changing. Here is how to do it:

---

640 800 Full

First, turn off the fountain and gather up the cord so it won't get caught on anything. Lift it up, tilting toward the back. You don't have to wait for the top reservoir to be empty.

---

640 800 Full

Still tilting toward the back, dump the top reservoir out into a receptacle of your choosing.

---

640 800 Full

The water from the bottom reservoir will flow along the back of the fountain and will also pour out the top. Continue pouring until most of the water is out.

---

640 800 Full

Then level the fountain out again and pour the last little bit from the bottom reservoir out of the front.

That's it for the Time Fountain Owner's Manual. If you have any questions, you know where to find me!

Sincerely,
Nate

---