The hands on the clock are a separate system from the chimes, but the two are wired together, said Art Askey, foreman for the Central Control System of OPP.

On Sunday, OPP detected a power bump, a slight dip in voltage sometimes caused by high winds, which could be related to the problems, Askey said.

But on Friday, workers were alerted when a computer failed to switch the chime tune from "Westminster Chimes" to "The Nittany Lion," which the chimes normally play on weekends.

Since 1993, two computers have controlled the chime system, which plays a digital recording of bells through speakers mounted on the tower, Askey said.

The computers have a history of occasional malfunctions, and the backup computer, known as "black box two," has been driving the chimes since Friday, Ruskin said.

The clanging bells are easy to tune out. At the Lion Ambassador office in Old Main yesterday morning, no one could remember whether the bells had stopped.

But the system may have had problems as early as the beginning of last week.

"I remember one day it not ringing because I was waiting to leave at 5 p.m.," said Bonnie Bartley, staff assistant for the Dean of the Commonwealth College, who works at Old Main.

Ray Greenland, a worker who has been helping with the construction at the entrance to the building since August, also couldn't recall whether the bells had been ringing.

"We've been here so long," he said. "You just become immune to it."