Fixing that broken clock.

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BushwackerBob

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 25, 2016
Messages
49
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22
Location
Colorado
My Car
73 Mustang Mach 1, Q code.
Today I'm taking that broken factory clock and making it a nice quartz clock. Total cost of this project was less than $30.

After I got started on this, I thought I should do a little how to while I was at it. Sorry, I thought of this after I got started. The only thing you missed was the disassembly of the clock and taking out the old guts. To dissemble gently pry the four tabs that hold in the clock lens and start lifting out the parts. Take off the hands and set then aside. The clock motor you won't be needing anymore and can discard. Take the little chrome button off the center hand. It's just glued on. Also save the time set stem. Set everything aside and pick where I am.

I purchased this tiny clock from Ronell Clock Company. Here's the link to this quartz movement. When ordering be sure to get the hands and a second hand. I used hands H-110 and second hand sweep S-100 $.20 extra. It's best to call your order in, because there is no way to add the second hand sweep when ordering on line. Their phone number is (800) 334-0135 and they are very nice. All together with shipping it came to about $17.50.
https://www.ronellclock.com/product/micro-mini-clock-movement/
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This clock uses a 1.5 type N battery. Since we don't want to have to disassemble the clock every couple years, I built a battery eliminator for the clock. I cut a piece of 3/8" wooden dowel 1" long. I drilled pilot holes in the center of each end. I attached wires to each end using #4 3/8" flat head screws with small red terminal eyes. There are slots in the bottom of the case that I routed the wires through and put the battery cover back on.
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I used the thinnest double sided tape I had laying around. I wanted the shaft to be able to extend as far as possible so there wouldn't be a problem putting the hands on. I attached the clock with the battery box instead of being at the bottom, I faced it to the left. This allows everything to fit in back in the clock case with no problem.

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Next I trimmed the hands with scissors using the old hands for size. Then used a small file to round the end of the hands. There is a thin film on these hands. Make sure you remove it before painting. I masked the hands to keep the centers clean so they wouldn't bind. My kids had some small cans of green and orange fluorescent (hobby lobby), or better yet if you have something like hipro needle paint would work too. The little chrome button from the original second sweep was attached with a drop of super glue.
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I pushed the old time setting stem all the way in and put a drop of glue from the inside of the lens to keep it there (it's just for looks now). Install the hands and reassemble the clock case. Route the wires out through the grommet where the electrical connector used to be. Crimp a AA battery holder to the wires and your done. Use double sided tape or Velcro to attach your battery case where you like.

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Pro's and Con's

Pro... It looks original, because it is original. Just upgraded. These old clocks really didn't keep accurate time anyway. It doesn't cost $200 like the repoductions.

Con... The only way to set the time is to set an alarm on your phone for what time the clock says and when it goes off. Pop the batter in. I had thought about drilling a hole in the back of the case and using a pencil eraser to try to turn the set wheel on the clock... but this will work just fine this way. Batteries in these quartz movements can last a couple years.
 
Neat idea. As an idea, you can add a voltage divider made out of two resistors to reduce from 12v to 1.5v. You can solder this together and wrap it in electrical tape. It will occupy less space than the battery pack.

Use this formula to determine the values of the resistors: Vout = Vin * (R2/(R1 + R2)), where Vout=1.5v and Vin=12 to 13v. Since the Vin varies a little bit the Vout will be near 1.5v. It should still work with a little more or lest than 1.5v.
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voltage_divider
 
Neat idea. As an idea, you can add a voltage divider made out of two resistors to reduce from 12v to 1.5v. You can solder this together and wrap it in electrical tape. It will occupy less space than the battery pack.

Use this formula to determine the values of the resistors: Vout = Vin * (R2/(R1 + R2)), where Vout=1.5v and Vin=12 to 13v. Since the Vin varies a little bit the Vout will be near 1.5v. It should still work with a little more or lest than 1.5v.
View attachment 62155
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voltage_divider
I bought a $1 buck converter to drop the voltage to 1.5v. I decided against using it at this time because of daylight savings time. I'll still have the inconvenience of pulling the battery for an hour, or waiting to set the time and putting the battery back in. So for the time being this will work. The biggest thing for me was being able to keep the original clock. Also I'm a victim of public schools and electronics theory and the math escapes me. :)
 
Love it. My next project. :)
I did have to remove the new clock bezel and hands, and I think I also removed the mech from its case, so I could get it to fit into the stock metal tray. I think I affixed it to the tray with epoxy putty. The neat thing is that now it has that," chok........ chok........ chok........ chok........" sound of a vintage clock.
 
I like this!!!
definitely on my list of to-do things for the 'stang
 
Still on my todo too, got a quartz 12v mechanism from a 12v car clock ( https://www.ebay.com/itm/173075731721 ) , but I'd love to keep the winding functional. Thinking of 3D printing a few gears to reach the new location of that new mechanism gear. I have atm one of the first electronic clock for cars you could buy in the 80's and as you set it in your cons, I need pop the batt at noon or midnight (0-12digits, not 24) to reset it to the right time. No biggy indeed, but practice is that I never have the right time on the clock :D
So this winter (or the next one) project will be about connecting the winding gear to the new location with 2 plastic printed gears. They don't have to be ratio correct, only allow to move the pointers and set the correct time.
 
I did have to remove the new clock bezel and hands, and I think I also removed the mech from its case, so I could get it to fit into the stock metal tray. I think I affixed it to the tray with epoxy putty. The neat thing is that now it has that," chok........ chok........ chok........ chok........" sound of a vintage clock.
I was wondering if it would fit in the original clock case. The clock movement I used just fit snugly in the factory clock case. Yours is still a good idea.
 
Still on my todo too, got a quartz 12v mechanism from a 12v car clock ( https://www.ebay.com/itm/173075731721 ) , but I'd love to keep the winding functional. Thinking of 3D printing a few gears to reach the new location of that new mechanism gear. I have atm one of the first electronic clock for cars you could buy in the 80's and as you set it in your cons, I need pop the batt at noon or midnight (0-12digits, not 24) to reset it to the right time. No biggy indeed, but practice is that I never have the right time on the clock :D
So this winter (or the next one) project will be about connecting the winding gear to the new location with 2 plastic printed gears. They don't have to be ratio correct, only allow to move the pointers and set the correct time.
Let me know how it came out. BTW I picked up some LED headlights like your on eBay. They look fantastic and the best part I can really see well now at night. I orignaly was going to go with HID, but these were super simple and give it a very nice custom look. I haven't been on in a while. I hope to be more regular. :)
 
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