diff --git a/devices/timer.c b/devices/timer.c
index e9fcbcb..554a39c 100644
--- a/devices/timer.c
+++ b/devices/timer.c
@@ -17,8 +17,6 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
 {
   struct MsgPort *timer_port = NULL;
   struct timerequest *timer_io = NULL;
-  struct timeval time1;
-  ULONG mics, secs;
   BYTE error = 0;
 
   timer_port = CreatePort(NULL, 0);
@@ -33,24 +31,40 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
     DeletePort(timer_port);
     return 0;
   }
-  error = OpenDevice(TIMERNAME, UNIT_MICROHZ, (struct IORequest *) timer_io, 0);
+  error = OpenDevice(TIMERNAME, UNIT_MICROHZ,
+                     (struct IORequest *) timer_io, 0);
   if (error) {
     printf("could not open timer.device\n");
   } else {
+    ULONG secs, mins, hours, days;
+
     TimerBase = (struct Library *) timer_io->tr_node.io_Device;
     timer_io->tr_node.io_Command = TR_GETSYSTIME;
     DoIO((struct IORequest *) timer_io);
-    mics = timer_io->tr_time.tv_micro;
     secs = timer_io->tr_time.tv_secs;
-    
-    printf("micros: %lu secs: %lu\n", mics, secs);
+
+    mins = secs / 60;
+    hours = mins / 60;
+    days = hours / 24;
+    secs %= 60;
+    mins %= 60;
+    hours %= 24;
+
+    printf("%lu days, %02lu:%02lu:%02lu\n",
+           days, hours, mins, secs);
+
+    /*
+     * clean close of device, note that this sequence will
+     * either crash or hang indefinitely if no DoIO() was
+     * sent to the device
+     */
+    if (!CheckIO((struct IORequest *) timer_io)) {
+      AbortIO((struct IORequest *) timer_io);
+    }
+    WaitIO((struct IORequest *) timer_io);
+    TimerBase = NULL;
   }
   /* cleanup */
-  if (!CheckIO((struct IORequest *) timer_io)) {
-    AbortIO((struct IORequest *) timer_io);
-  }
-  WaitIO((struct IORequest *) timer_io);
-  TimerBase = NULL;
   CloseDevice((struct IORequest *) timer_io);
   if (timer_io) DeleteExtIO((struct IORequest *) timer_io);
   if (timer_port) DeletePort(timer_port);