Mechanical troubleshooting, analysis and repair, while slipping in a mention of current limiting circuits for the neon bulbs...heaven! Thanks Fran, your lectures are always "enlightening"! Can't wait for the next tear down.
I like Fran’s "specialized multi tool". She said it in such a convincing serious tone. I actually have a variety of those same multi tools hanging handily by my work bench.
Your specialized custom tool reminded me of the exotic reset tools we used to use back in my day. I once told a guy I'd sell him one for $20. Good times. Good times.
I love these, think I still have mine sitting at my parents house somewhere I got it from a church fair as a kid in the 90's but didnt use it much because it was so loud, I had no idea then that it was a mechanical display. thanks for the video Fran =)
Just like a neglected Hammond organ.. oil and wait. Oil and wait. Oil and wait some more. Eventually somewhere down the line everything rotates freely and the clutches catch.
Very interesting to see how this one works! I bought a clock with a Telechron DigiTel mechanism, that also works with cams and shutters, but in a drastically different way. The Lumitime C31 has a certain elegance to it, but I love that these mechanical variants could in theory, I think, be modified to work with springs and sunlight instead of electricity.
That soft plastic little gear on the motor was typical of motor-driven gears of that era. Their main purpose was to decouple mechanical motor noise from all the rest of the mechanism by using a more rubbery plastic. My friend used to buy this pseudo-digital clocks . Some were pure fascination when the digits changed and the 0y did a little back and forth shuffle like a magician’s hands. Others were lame as they had rotary flap vanes like a miniature old Rollodesk that broke at their hinged tops. They tried to use a grease that wouldn’t attack all the plastic gears, but as you’ve seen, it congeals. Alas, silicone and teflon grease and oils wouldn’ t be perfected until the real digital clocks emerged (and they didn’t require lubrication). Still, for only 4 Watts, a pretty efficient, AC -line synchronized clock.
better hurry up and catch it b4 it runs away! heh :) had to say it, my dad would always say stuff like that... so, yup. or, its running good, until it doesn't again!. maybe if you continue with this issue, try super fine sand paper / polish on that shaft to make it smooth/ever so slightly smaller, I'm wondering if its so close, that temp changes are enough to cause occasional lockup... also, my mom used to have one of these, not that specific name/model, i think hers was maybe a panasonic from the 40s-50s, but it died years ago, b4 i had the skills to be able to fix it. i may still have the plastic housing it was in around here.... so, this brought back memories! thx!
Fran, I collect old Telechron clocks that use an electric motor to move a set of tumblers with numbers. They were built in the early 30's and are considered one of the earliest electric digital clocks.
I got a fake mechanical digital clock AM FM radio for Christmas at age 12 in 1975. The (electronic) DCR had just been released a year prior. It was all the rage at the time. So I would guess the mechanical clock makers wanted in on the action too. The clock used a set of horizontal rolling cylinders that would rotate at hour to minute functions giving the number indicator an alternating flickering look when changing to a different number and was backlit by a pair of small incandescent lights giving it a green look. I don't think that fake digital clock lasted for more than 3 years before it malfunctioned. I'm sure it was a failed concept, even back then. I never saw another mechanical digital clock after that.
Inspiring. Stuff like this inspires me to do stuff like this. Such a pretty "dial", completely understand why you needed to zero time it. So glad I found your channel before the algorithm changed everything...Peace from Ireland.
The force needed I think isn't actually as much as you might expect on the transitions. First, (and maybe this isn't true), I would think it has to work harder when it's working *against* the springs, so to turn a segment off. Second, if you look at the 12h stream, at for example 10:59 to 11:00, the segments don't all change at once. There's a ripple effect over the course of a few seconds to even out the effects of having to change so much. Going from 6->7 and 0->1 I think are the worst transitions, but you aren't changing any further digits in those cases.
You can actually feel the tension needed when manually adjusting the clock, so the difference in leverage is I'd say an order of magnitude in high transitions.
Mechanical troubleshooting, analysis and repair, while slipping in a mention of current limiting circuits for the neon bulbs...heaven! Thanks Fran, your lectures are always "enlightening"! Can't wait for the next tear down.
I like Fran’s "specialized multi tool". She said it in such a convincing serious tone. I actually have a variety of those same multi tools hanging handily by my work bench.
Your specialized custom tool reminded me of the exotic reset tools we used to use back in my day. I once told a guy I'd sell him one for $20. Good times. Good times.
Beautiful clock Fran!
Such a fascinating bit of machinery!
You killed Clippy!!!
I love these, think I still have mine sitting at my parents house somewhere
I got it from a church fair as a kid in the 90's but didnt use it much because it was so loud, I had no idea then that it was a mechanical display.
thanks for the video Fran =)
Just like a neglected Hammond organ.. oil and wait. Oil and wait. Oil and wait some more. Eventually somewhere down the line everything rotates freely and the clutches catch.
And no I'm not a bot. Commented early on as I've seen the last video on the clock. Trying to help Fran's engagement move
@@Drmcclungyou ain't foolin me, guy! 😋
@@1SqueakyWheel 😆
I am a bot, and I will testify that @Drmcclung is not a bot, we have our standards...
Very interesting to see how this one works! I bought a clock with a Telechron DigiTel mechanism, that also works with cams and shutters, but in a drastically different way. The Lumitime C31 has a certain elegance to it, but I love that these mechanical variants could in theory, I think, be modified to work with springs and sunlight instead of electricity.
I could easily fall asleep watching this beauty spin..
That soft plastic little gear on the motor was typical of motor-driven gears of that era. Their main purpose was to decouple mechanical motor noise from all the rest of the mechanism by using a more rubbery plastic. My friend used to buy this pseudo-digital clocks . Some were pure fascination when the digits changed and the 0y did a little back and forth shuffle like a magician’s hands. Others were lame as they had rotary flap vanes like a miniature old Rollodesk that broke at their hinged tops. They tried to use a grease that wouldn’t attack all the plastic gears, but as you’ve seen, it congeals. Alas, silicone and teflon grease and oils wouldn’ t be perfected until the real digital clocks emerged (and they didn’t require lubrication). Still, for only 4 Watts, a pretty efficient, AC -line synchronized clock.
better hurry up and catch it b4 it runs away! heh :) had to say it, my dad would always say stuff like that... so, yup. or, its running good, until it doesn't again!. maybe if you continue with this issue, try super fine sand paper / polish on that shaft to make it smooth/ever so slightly smaller, I'm wondering if its so close, that temp changes are enough to cause occasional lockup...
also, my mom used to have one of these, not that specific name/model, i think hers was maybe a panasonic from the 40s-50s, but it died years ago, b4 i had the skills to be able to fix it. i may still have the plastic housing it was in around here.... so, this brought back memories! thx!
There is a version of that specialized tool that does not have the insulating layer that is sometimes easier to squeeze through tight spaces.
Crazy!
I've seen those in the wild! Very rare.
Fran, I collect old Telechron clocks that use an electric motor to move a set of tumblers with numbers. They were built in the early 30's and are considered one of the earliest electric digital clocks.
I've covered telechron motor 'digital' clocks here in the past too.
Live stream was awesome last night.👍
Enjoyed too! 😎👍
Wow, all that plastic shrinking over the years really makes repair hard doesn't it? I am shocked you dont have split gears all over the place!
I got a fake mechanical digital clock AM FM radio for Christmas at age 12 in 1975. The (electronic) DCR had just been released a year prior. It was all the rage at the time. So I would guess the mechanical clock makers wanted in on the action too. The clock used a set of horizontal rolling cylinders that would rotate at hour to minute functions giving the number indicator an alternating flickering look when changing to a different number and was backlit by a pair of small incandescent lights giving it a green look. I don't think that fake digital clock lasted for more than 3 years before it malfunctioned. I'm sure it was a failed concept, even back then. I never saw another mechanical digital clock after that.
24:50 You mean US Customary. Imperial is a slightly different system
Lithium grease dries out, Vaseline
so you put the doohickey back into the thingamabob backwards...it's always something simple..
Okey-dokey
Inspiring. Stuff like this inspires me to do stuff like this. Such a pretty "dial", completely understand why you needed to zero time it. So glad I found your channel before the algorithm changed everything...Peace from Ireland.
Comes apart many ways only goes back together one way to get to work properly
The force needed I think isn't actually as much as you might expect on the transitions. First, (and maybe this isn't true), I would think it has to work harder when it's working *against* the springs, so to turn a segment off. Second, if you look at the 12h stream, at for example 10:59 to 11:00, the segments don't all change at once. There's a ripple effect over the course of a few seconds to even out the effects of having to change so much. Going from 6->7 and 0->1 I think are the worst transitions, but you aren't changing any further digits in those cases.
You can actually feel the tension needed when manually adjusting the clock, so the difference in leverage is I'd say an order of magnitude in high transitions.
Nice Job !!
Wonder if it is a Starrett or a Brown & Sharp tool. Hard to read the label... 😂
Luer lock - syringe/needle connection 😊
Pozdrawiam z Polski
👋🇵🇱👋👍
❤️🔥FRAN❤️🔥
Clock and pinball machine repair service.
❤️🤍💙
It's goozey = gooey + oozy. Thank you for sharing this amazing device!