Trying to FIX: 1980s BUSH Alarm Clock Radio
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 11 ก.ย. 2024
- Hi, this 'trying to fix' video shows me attempting to repair a faulty 1980s Alarm Clock Radio made by Bush.
Remember that this is just for entertainment and I am not an expert in these repairs. The processes in the video may not be the best way, the correct way or the safest way to fix these things.
I do love fault finding and trying to fix broken things so I hope that comes across in this 'Trying to FIX' series.
Many thanks, Vince.
I recently fixed an alarm clock radio for my grandmother, it was stuck at whatever time it was set to and it turns out the alarm time was being displayed so I had to fix a switch and the radio also didn't work so I had to replace a button. It was fun. I enjoyed your video Vince thanks for sharing, Cheers!!!
"What a horrible buzzer" that's fantastic! Nicely done Vince.
I'd use it.
Satisfying fix even though it’s to something hated and worthless. Lamps and clock radios are the most common electronic donations to charity shops. They have to scrap so many perfectly working ones since they just don’t sell fast or high enough to justify the shelf space. The flip clocks still have some value, especially if you can find the exact model from Groundhog Day.
I bet they are, shame really but not really needed with phones nowadays. I would like to see the inside of a flip clock, I think it would make a good vid.... I might see if I can find a cheap faulty one :-)
@@Mymatevince I have a faulty Bush flip alarm clock radio (the moden version rather than a classic 70s one), if you want it for a vid let me know where to send it and I will post it across to you.
Found this really satisfying to watch. I have clock radio from 1980 means lot to me want to fix.
I want this clock radio. Unfortunately, the first time it woke me up like that i'd smash it to bits lol
I had one similar when i was younger, and it's sound was previously my most annoying sound.
Congratulations Vince, this alarm clock just won my new most annoying sound award.
Very good fix! Excellent troubleshooting, and a very inventive solution. Most importantly, no repair parts cost. Good job.
Nobody: ...
Vince: Gets excited over repairing a now-Argos brand/subsidiary item from the 20th Century that isn't worth much.
Vince's child-like glee over successful repairs, regardless of its worthiness, is the reason why I keep coming for more, hehehehe.
And the Oscar for best waking up performance goes to ... lol! Great video Vince!
Nice fix! I am also working on a clock-radio, a Philps 90AS893 from the 80's. I notice the scale light on yours and it might be one light on the right side is faulty. Mine had the same problem however no light at all. The bulbs are not easy to find and replaced the bulb with a resistor (1K) and a warm-white LED from a 40 LED christmas light. The resistor is required to limit current and to operate at 14VDC. Result is awesome!
If you ever run out conductive pads for buttons, score some cheapy non-clicking keyboards from the 90's, these are full of conductive pads.
I have some old keyboards in the attic, thanks for the tip. I didn't check the lights on it. I will look closely at it. Thank you :-)
I want to fix something myself and every time I see you make it look easy. It motivates me. One of these days I'll try to fix it
Right when you were taking the alarm clock apart, I was thinking: "Oh, maybe a little pin on the buttons broke off so that they no longer push on the little contacts on the pcb." Because my friend and I lately fixed an alarm clock where that was the fault and we fixed it using a little piece cut off of a paper clip to replace the broke of pin. So I was already shouting: "Vince, just use a paper clip, that's the way to go!" But that clearly was not the problem with your alarm clock. :-) Great little fix Vince, I would have given up on this one I think, but you are more creative than me, that's for sure!
Hi Vince nice little fix there. That terrible buzzing brought back horrible memories of being woke up during my military recruit training. The large fluorescent lights in the dorms used to make this horrible buzzing sound when they were switched on by our Over Zealous instructor's at 05.30 hrs in the morning's. Good memories lol. Mick 👍🍻
Great job Vince! It's a hell of a coincidence that the spacing of that D-Pad silicone was exacly correct for the pairs of 2 buttons - makes me wonder if that D-Pad was destined by fate to end up fixing that radio =D
Strange how they be doin’ that. One trash becomes another trash’s treasure, I suppose...
Thanks Chris, so lucky with the spacing, the 'fix it' Gods were smiling down on me :-)
It is raining trying to fix videos this days.. enjoying every bit of it.
I used to have a Silver Bush clock radio with the cassette player.. probably the same one you had :) ..Lasted ages , but i wish i still had it :(
Nice fix. There are a few hacks I would do. 1st change out that transformer for a switching power supply, (hack open an old wall plug type) that way you save on electric and any humming noise you might be able to here. 2nd I would change the 9v battery for a cheap coin cell with a step up dc to dc converter, and last but not least on the PCB you just fixed I would hack in a switch on the ground side so you can't accidentally change the time by accidentally hitting the button. nice job ...
those 9v pp3 batteries only give a few hours battery backup on these old clock radios and they don't even make the display light up, just keep the time going in the chip, a coin cell stepped up is going to give a few minutes battery backup I reckon.
Yeh ok, but there plenty of room for an 18650 in there.
Great fix!! My dad had one of the flip clock radios with a buzzer kind of like that but a deeper pitch. I always found it scary when I was little. Now I use my iPhone with a gentle melody!
Would you do a Q&A video at 500k subscribers?
Have been watching you for such a long time, it's amazing to see how far this channel has come and your skills evolve over time. I've also learnt a lot, as I am a retail manager at a store that sells consoles, games, technology and other stuff and the many how tos have come to mind when I get asked questions at work.
Thankyou again Vince you're a mad lad! I'd buy you a pint if I could. Cheers from Australia.
That is actually a really nice looking alarm clock despite being a cheap brand. I kinda like it. It's got a nice vintage look to it and I would definitely use it.
I thought the green bits came off the motherboard, I was like rip to you 😂😂 luckily it was just the buttons
The transformer is isolated from mains, no need to do black magic to stay away from it :D you did a great job, you did not have to even glue pads they would stay in the slots when you screw the board back. You should put around 0.1A to 0.2A fuse if you want the fuse to do something reasonable there, not just act like jumper. I believe in whole Europe, the mains frequency is 50Hz. I've touched the mains hundreds of times, it is very unpleasant alternating shock but it won't kill you like in movies, in fact you will feel refreshed, actually your muscles will contract and shrink instantly, even before your brain is able to realise and react to circumstances. The mains can be live dangerous if you GRAB metal bar or something similar that can shrink your hand finger muscles and grip strong, otherwise your whole arm will react lightning fast and absolutely no damage will be done to you. That is why if you have to touch mains for any drastically reason you make sure you touch it whit outer side of your hand, if you need to unhook someone from mains YOU ALWAYS JUMP AND KICK HIM HARD, better broke him/her a rib instead he/she loose live. And yes you kick in the Ribs ALWAYS because they heal perfect and the human can survive without one or two, but if you broke other important bone, you can make things a lot worse than electricity could do.
I love that kind of vintage alarm clock, lucky you got one in that good shape, nice fix Vince
Because the battery fluid is alkaline, it is recommended to use vinegar to clean the board. This will neutralise the leakage. You can use IPA afterwards.
What about capacitor fluid?
I suspect the clock chip in this is a Sanyo LM8560. Most 80s LED clock radios used the same device.
Nice fix and use of retained 'salvage' Vince. My garage is full of bits that 'might come in handy' which seems to provide a sense of amusement to my wife. She tends to forget the things I've manage to fix using these "useless bits" ... until she wants me to repair something :-) Whilst caution is very important, you do not need to be quite so worried about transformers. You will always be able to see where the mains input connects with the transformer (the Primary side) and just make sure your fingers are kept well away from those connections (whilst the item is plugged in). On low voltage devices like this, the output on the 'Secondary' side of the transformer is harmless as it will only carry low voltage (probably between 6 - 15V AC)
Thanks mate, I got a nasty shock in an upcoming video from a big cap in a PS4 so I am more wary than usual now!!! The git was unplugged for over half an hour and still got me :-) Then after it got me it still had 200V left in it for a 2nd try :-)
@@Mymatevince Haha, yep, those big capacitors can give you quite a buzz (I got a nasy surprise once when working on a AC/DC converter . So, I made a simple tool to discharge all higher voltage capacitors (i.e those rated at 63V and above). It only involves attaching a 470 Ohm, 5W (or greater) resistor to a simple probe connected across the capacitor terminals. There are plenty of videos youtube for a cheap DIY tool; just search 'capacitor discharge tool'. Transformers however do not present a threat as long as you keep well away from the 'Primary' (mains) side. Hope you don't have any more shocking experiences :-)
@@standishgeezer Cheers, I used a light bulb and holder to discharge it but I have bought some big resistors to make a lead up. I think they were 1M but only 2 watts though. I wonder can I connect up 2 in series to up that wattage or would it be parallel ????or does it not work like that?
@@Mymatevince Resistors in Parallel would dissipate the current between them (not necessarily equally but near enough). Do NOT connect in Series as that would not help in sharing the current. Indeed, that would increase the resistance to 2 Meg and 1 Meg is already much to high! The light bulb is often a decent alternative but if you want to make a discharge tool I suggest you buy a 5-10W resistor no greater than 1KOhm (preferably 470 Ohm - 680 Ohm which will drain most capacitors in 20-30 seconds) . A higher resistance value will take longer to drain the capacitor (1 Meg will probably take about 10-15 minutes) , whereas a value much lower than 470 Ohms will draw more current and drain the Capacitor quicker than is desirable. Something like this ( cpc.farnell.com/multicomp/mcknp05sj0471aa9/resistor-wirewound-470r-5-5ws/dp/RE07484?st=470%20Ohm%205w ) would be good. I hope this helps Vince.
@@standishgeezer Perfect, I have written down the item code. Next time I do an order I will add on a pack of 10 as they charge a £3.50 handling fee on smaller orders. I may experiment with 2 of the 2watt 1M in parallel just to see how long it takes to drain away. As always, thanks for the advice and help.👍
Always wise to be safe around electricity. In this case the 240v connection to the transformer primary will be well insulated so there is little risk of casually coming in contact with it. The transformer output is probably about 9v. Button failures were common. Yes it's a cheap thing and of little value, but I also repaired my own some years ago rather than throwing it away. It is still a useful thing to have, even if you never use the alarm.
Vince is addictive to the make offer button
Very interesting video.I like these kind of stuff. They are quite easy to fix.Besides,they perform quite well...
You're problem solving continues to amaze!!! Have been watching your vids for a long time now and you're truly coming into your own:) Keep up the great job and videos. Always look forward to your next dilemma:)
According to TH-cam subtitles your name is Vince Coleman 😂
Can't see Vince as a coal man, mad inventor type at a deranged electronics firm maybe but can't see him hauling around three sacks of best nutty slack missus...
Maybe organize a "mail-in" video where you unpack donations of old stuff? And fix some of the stuff in follow up videos?
Easy fixes are always welcomed
I knew this radio was going to have a horrible buzzer! They (the cheapo ones anyway) all did during this era - just fed through the AC mains (via the transformer) directly through to the speaker. Some of them had a weird phasing effect as the buzzer came on and off - starting off as a hum but becoming a buzz as the amplifier or speaker clipped the sine wave.
This one was a posh model with the carbon-rubber keys. I was expecting those metal dome efforts sellotaped onto the board - I went through four Murphy-branded clock-radio-cassettes before I got one where the metal-dome buttons worked correctly, and they failed after six months, at which point I took the bloody thing apart myself and reseated the tape. Worked fine after that, I still have it somewhere.
The ending had me rolling, puts it in second place with Andy Pandy. Personally, I prefer to awake to early warning nuclear strike alarms, but your alarm has a nice noise as well.
Shame to use the d pad, a strip cut from an old TV remote control would have been perfect, another great fix though Vince, well done
I always thought that it was a joke, when Mr. Bean wired the plug to his new television 😀
Great work My Mate VINCE
I had one of those when I was younger too. It seemed that no matter which station or what time I set the alarm to, it always was that annoying Pink Sunshine song that woke me up. I am terrified that if I ever use a clock radio again, that song will re-appear too!
Haha :-)
Wow Vince, that was a complete nostalgia overload for me because I had the very same one. Fantastic fix, I really enjoy watching how resourceful you are. I've done a few similar things with the vintage sound gear that I work on. Thanks for sharing. Kind regards. Paul.
Cheers Vince, quality entertainment. I'd like to see you add a Bluetooth module and some led party lights. Lol.
My ihome radio did that before the buttons stopped working. (The bluetooth and lights)
Storm trooper's clock. (Star Wars, that is). Resourceful fix. I really appreciate the way you think, I'm of a similar bent.
Think I would have tested for continuity to see if the membrane buttons worked while the radio was dead, good fix as usual man
I think he has a good methodology of fixing faults as he finds them, if all works the jobs a good 'un and not look for trouble down the road.
@@dodgydruid yeh either way, just abit safer I suppose
Thanks Reace M, yes that would have been worthwhile. I am pretty sure they are not in contact because I can feel them pop down when pressed, and the time/alarm/snooze is not constantly going crazy BUT I should have checked them to make sure :-)
@@Mymatevince yeh man I just meant when you were checking if the membrane button from the game controller worked on the radio, you could have tested for continuity while pressing the button onto the circuit board without turning the power on, just to save the risk of a shock, I'm just being overkill but it's habit as I'm an electrician, never seen yiu do anything dangerous tbf man, was just advice for less competent viewer's, love the videos Vince, and learned alot from them Keep up the good work!
@@reacey Oh yeah of course, that makes sense, just check for a short. Cheers mate👍
Another great fix Vince!
There are 2 channels on the tube that I think are brilliant and that I watch pretty much every vid and look forward to the next!
Yours and Alec Steele! 👍👍
Nice easy fix, Vince! I had something similar when I was younger but with a built in reading light
Nice fix. I think it looks cool too, I would totally use that.
Great video Vince.
Well worth the effort, another usable item saved from land fill :-D
People waste so much in this era, often it's just something simple.
The transformer does not care which way the power goes in, and they are very reliable.
That pcb likely only gets 9-12 volts d.c, very unlikely you could get a shock.
Enjoyed great video working on something so retro
Please be careful with the Hot Snot. I have a couple of large blisters on both thumbs cause of that stuff.
Oweee😲
I was about to comment that you forgot the broken red wire and as i was typing, you suddently said you almost forgot the red wire 😂 GOOD JOB ✌
Yet another nice fix Vince, horrible buzzer though I remember mine doing that lol
The buttons don't work on my ihome radio clock, do you think it will be similar to fix? it acts like all the buttons are pressed at the same time. I'd really like to fix it, as it has a really nice wake-up light.
Vince, you should start a GoFundMe to buy a a work bench. You gotta stop working on the floor. I'll chip in.
Good luck with that. I have been trying to get him to get/use a box cutter instead of a split pair of scissors to open boxes to no avail.
Haha, I loved that Hobby addict :-) Still laughing now :-)
Great fix... Now tear it down completely so we can all see how it works! haha
Near the end of your video you mention that you were going to secure the loose label with some double sided sticky tape. I would consider investing in a glue stick. It's like ChapStick, except with glue instead of lip balm.
Might Pay to invest in a " Conductive Keypad Repair Kit " They're really cheap so most kits have a considerable assortment of size options some are with around 100, as usual I dropped a LIKE Vince..
Thanks Koala, never knew you could buy these. Whilst looking on eBay I also seen they do the conductive pads for loads of different PlayStation and other controllers. Useful to know. Nice one :-)
Nice fix (as usual). Was it worth it? monetary no but we all learnt something. You learned how to salvage a controller to fix an alarm clock and we all learnt how bad QC is in BUSH
Haha :-)
Not sure which one is worse...... the buzzer or your snoring!
I’d say they’re one and the same. 😄
Nice quick fix re-using parts which would have ended up in land fill. Great stuff!
Great Video... Thanks...
someone give vince a award for his amazing acting skills lol
Great to see the old megajoy again, I have 2 of those that still work and tbh you ain't missing much they run old nes roms , I remember the vid when you tried to fix that and you were wondering what the transmitter thing was on the top of the board, the answer to that was a version called the super gun joy that had a built in light gun to play duck hunt , I meant to tell you back then but I forgot, they probably used the same board for the non gun versions, so now you know 😀
I never expected the Mega-Joy from that one video way back would be used in a new video.
02:17 I had one of these and if I remember correctly, that'll be the alarm sound.
Another awesome fix on video as always 👍🏻❤️
well done. love the buzzer. lol
well done on the improv membrane fix.
i do like that _McGyvery
Vince is releasing video after video i feel like it's chrismas day!
Can't someone in UK buy this poor man a table?
You know!
That's been commented on a few times. I think he just likes working on the floor.
Great video to watch hopefully i can repair my top end cd minidisc player that i paid only £12:00 for that retailed at £1000 in 2000
Whilst the 13 amp fuse is over rated, understand that it's there to protect the cable not the product. That's why there is a fuse in the plug for all UK appliances...
@@Unchained_Alice In the UK the electrical wiring is ring mains - this allows for less copper required to deliver high amps - usually ~40Amps. This means that the wires going to an individual appliance are far too small for the main breaker, so each appliance gets a fuse in the plug.
Ring circuits have serious drawbacks, but they helped during a time when there was a copper shortage.
As a rule of thumb a 3A fuse should be used for devices drawing 700W or less and a 13A fuse for devices over that. The fuse is there to act as the weakest link in the ring mains, it's not to protect the appliance.
Vince! Great video! Didnt know that Guy Martin had a book. Is it good? I discover him recently on youtube and seems like such a nice dude and so positive. Pls let me know if it’s good. Keep on mate!
Thanks, only one third of the way though at the mo, but good so far. I love watching Guy Martin, he has done some great TV series over the years, especially 'Speed with Guy Martin' :-)
I had that exact alarm clock radio. I got it for free with Esso tiger tokens. It’s been in my cupboard for 30 years now, hope I took the battery out!
ha ha your acting .. its hilarious .. love it
I am pretty sure that buzzer uses 50/60Hz mains hum
Probably 30hz
3d print conductive rubber. I have made replacement pads that way.
You left the screws under the buttons loose to give the buttons extra space so they didn't get squished too much. Maybe if something like this situation occurs in the future, you could consider using some washers as spacers so you can have the extra space and tight screws at the same time.
Great Job mate.😊
You could probably salvage some carbon pads from an old calculator or remote control.
Alternately you could solder on some tactile switches...
Oh, that's what you did :D
That buzzer reminded me of the film BRAZIL
Can your next project replace the carbon membraine push pads with tact switches instead?
I had an old Bush clock radio, little thing bought it for a pound in the eighties at a boot fair and it was fairly spry by that time and it lasted til a couple years ago where the alarm went off but instead of making noise, it made a small fire but was OK as it set the fire alarm off but I was so gutted it exited in quite that way :( I won't retell the old joke about the Corsair radios... made out of recycled bush's... oh woops I did tell it O.o
Cheap things like this with a conventional transformer linear power supply. They actually have a thermal fuse embedded in the transformer, on the primary winding. So if it overheats, the thermal fuse blows and the primary becomes open circuit.
Even if you completely short circuited the power supply, it's unlikely to pass enough current to blow even a 3 amp plug fuse. Instead the transformer would overheat, and the thermal fuse would pop.
The mains cord just goes straight into the transformer. So should be no live mains parts exposed, even when the device is disassembled. Of course it's always best to be careful.
Thanks Michael :-)
That was indeed an easy and (mind you) McGyver-tier fix. Also, bonus point for a rather funny mock-up ending.
I guess it’s yours if you’re willing to take the blame when it wakes up your entire house. 🙄
I remember having one of those, back in the day
Hey my Mate vince , i wanted to ask you something , i have a ps4 pro i just moved in to this house its real humid house , seems like everysince i moved in here my console its been running slower you think this may be affecting it?
They are the same buttons that you have in your remote control but I would be inclined to solder tactile switches on the PCB because they would last longer that's if they could fit of course if not stick to rubber pads instead
The hot glue can be in the way when a button is being pressed and I suppose that is what happened with this third button. I would preferably have used super glue to fixate these rubber domes.
But super glue can melt plastic and would have probably ruined it
@@nathanmead140 And how unlikely would you think it is that the heat of the hot glue deforms the rubber? I think there is only a very low likelihood for both to damage the rubber.
Great good job 👍😀
Nice fix Vince, I have one similar myself. Just a thought, with the white casing yellowing a bit, would leaving it out in the sunshine for a day whiten it up? I remember you did something similar in the past with something and it whitened up quite well. Also you can buy those 9v battery connectors fairly cheaply off eBay or from the likes of CPC etc, it would save having to re correct the clock every time the mains power is disconnect.
You’ve been busy this last couple of weeks huh? Looks like it was where the battery leaked?
Keep up the good work fella!
@FRIENDLY JAPANESE BUSINESSMAN I think you wrote that in the wrong place ☺️
This clock-radio was in the Autumn/Winter 1983 Argos catalogue for £16.99 (about £55-£60 in 2019 money).
great video ☎
That music gives me flashbacks to playing Resident Evil and scaring myself silly!
You can connect those pads together with a piece of metal, like a screwdriver
The QC sticker on the bottom suggests that this clock radio is from 1976 (11/3/76).
Love the videos Vince. Quick question, when you show the listing what device is that you're using? I wouldn't mind looking into getting something similar.
It's a GPD Pocket; Vince did a review series th-cam.com/video/FkMLWtUK3gs/w-d-xo.html
One annoyance; GPD don't do localised keyboard layouts; they're US-English.
I'm cheering for the red wire in the middle.
Do you have a PO Box? So I can send you my Right Joy-con that the stick is faulty
Great video, and a nice fix. I think someone would pay over six quid for it.
Good plug for Guy Martin's book, My Autobiography, is it a good read?
Thanks Bob, I am only a third of the way through it but it is good so far :-)
@@Mymatevince thanks for your reply, I've just bought the kindle edition. Keep up the good work, and all the best to you and your family.