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Who Repairs Battery Operated Clocks

Written By Sunday, April 24, 2022 Add Comment Edit

How to Fix a Quartz Clock That Won't Work

Eugene is a qualified command/instrumentation engineer Bsc (Eng) and has worked as a programmer of electronics & software for SCADA systems.

Typical battery quartz electronic wall clock.

Typical battery quartz electronic wall clock.

Cleaning Battery Clocks

In one case upon a time almost of our clocks were air current-up devices, then we transitioned to electric clocks that plugged into a mains outlet. Nowadays, many clocks are battery-powered past a single AA jail cell. The enemy of all clocks though is dust and grime that can hands seize up the cogs and stop the mechanism from working. In this guide, I prove you which parts you can endeavour cleaning to get your clock working again.

Analog and Digital Clocks

The clock I'm fixing here has an analog display. Nonetheless the electronics that drives the display is digital and uses an oscillator and counter chip for frequency division. To empathize the somewhat confusing departure between analog and digital which are words that can mean different things depending on context, run across my commodity "Analog vs Digital Signals and Displays — What'due south the Divergence".

How Does a Quartz Clock Work?

The mechanism (too called the movement) or working parts in a quartz battery clock is a bit simpler than in a traditional air current-upwards clock.

At the middle of the clock is a quartz oscillator, which generates a pulse every second. An oscillator is a device that does something regularly, like a pendulum that swings dorsum and forth, a tuning fork vibrating, a string on a guitar or the air in an organ pipe. All these are mechanical oscillators, but there are also electronic oscillators.

An electronic oscillator generates a voltage signal that repeats itself at a gear up frequency. In the case of the oscillator in a clock, this runs at several g hertz or cycles per second. An electronic component called a quartz crystal sets the frequency of the oscillator to about 32768 Hz with a high degree of accuracy. The frequency is divided down and reduced so that it somewhen becomes 1Hz or 1 bicycle per second. The output of the oscillator drives an electromagnet that acts on a tiny magnetic rotor, flipping it one-half a turn every 2nd. The rotor has gear teeth that mesh with a railroad train of other gear wheels and this somewhen turns the easily of the clock.

The good thing about electronic quartz oscillators is that their frequency is very stable and unlike mechanical clockwork, doesn't alter much with temperature, humidity or other ambient atmospheric condition. This means that battery clocks keep good time and don't gain or lose minutes similar a wind-upwards clock every bit the leap unwinds or temperature changes.

Why Practise Clocks Stop?

  • Loose or dirty battery connections
  • Low battery
  • Battery pips not long enough
  • Grime accumulating in the mechanism causing excessive friction

First Steps: What to Try if a Clock Doesn't Work

  • Modify the bombardment. Information technology may just be flat. You tin check battery status with a universal bombardment tester like this ane suitable for 1.5 volt AA, AAA, C and D cells and also small, square 9 volt "PP3" (MN1604) style batteries
  • Make clean the connections and bombardment terminals with rubbing alcohol (which is either isopropyl alcohol (IPA) or ethanol) on a cotton bud. The springy electrical strips tin can as well become oxidised every bit tin can the ends of the batteries. This oxidisation sometimes appears every bit a gray or green blanket. You can use fine wire wool to remove information technology. If the battery has leaked and left a white deposit (potassium hydroxide from alkaline batteries), you can neutralise this first past rubbing with vinegar.
  • Check the battery terminals: Sometimes the terminal pips on batteries can be a petty short. Try slightly bending the positive terminal strip in the clock slightly. Caution! These can snap if y'all bend too much.
  • Check the hands: Make the certain the clock hands aren't rubbing against the articulate comprehend over the confront of the clock.
Universal battery checker suitable for AA, AAA, C, D and MN1604 (PP3) batteries.

Universal bombardment checker suitable for AA, AAA, C, D and MN1604 (PP3) batteries.

Battery connections can be cleaned with isopropyl alcohol (IPA), also called rubbing alcohol.

Battery connections tin can be cleaned with isopropyl alcohol (IPA), also called rubbing alcohol.

Clean contacts with IPA.

Clean contacts with IPA.

Sometimes batteries can have short positive terminal pips.

Sometimes batteries can take short positive final pips.

Try slightly bending the springy terminals if they don't make contact. Don't overbend.

Try slightly angle the springy terminals if they don't make contact. Don't overbend.

Side by side Steps: If the Clock Still Won't Run

If the clock nonetheless won't run, the cogs inside may have crud on the teeth or axles. Even though there's a cover on the machinery compartment, in humid, dirty weather condition (e.thou., in a bathroom) dust and mildew can manage to make it. Then you need to do some cleaning. The solenoid in the clock just produces a tiny amount of torque or twisting strength to turn the piddling rotor. Whatever grime on the pins of this rotor tin produce plenty friction to stop information technology from turning.

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How to Make clean the Clock Mechanism

  1. Remove the cover over the mechanism. This differs from clock to clock. There may be lugs on the mechanism compartment that engage with the embrace. If this is the case, push them gently bated with the bract of a screwdriver. Alternatively there may exist pins that button into the cover similar in the photo below. I was able to push into the hairline gap between the compartment and comprehend with a small screwdriver and prise up the cover.
  2. Remove the rotor from between the jaws of the solenoid and the first couple of gears. These should only lift out without any difficulty. Friction affecting these gears is most likely to cease a clock because further downwards the gear railroad train, there'll be more torque to overcome it. Accept a photo before disassembling then you can put everything back together.
  3. I have found that furniture polish helps to clean and lubricate the tips of the shafts of the nylon gears where they sit down into the case and comprehend. Spray some polish on a tissue or cotton fiber bud and dab it onto shaft ends and teeth and wipe off the excess.
  4. Remove whatever obvious dust or fluff in the movement.
  5. If you lot remove some of the gears, the hands of the clock may fall off, and so you may need to remove the articulate faceplate to supervene upon them.
To get at the mechanism, you need to remove the cover on the compartment that holds the gears and electronics.

To go at the mechanism, you demand to remove the embrace on the compartment that holds the gears and electronics.

Inside the clock, an electromagnet moves the little blue magnetic rotor half a turn every second. This turns the other gears.

Inside the clock, an electromagnet moves the little blue magnetic rotor one-half a turn every second. This turns the other gears.

This tiny rotor magnet is about 3/8" or 10mm long. Clean the two ends of shaft pins to reduce friction.

This tiny rotor magnet is about 3/viii" or 10mm long. Clean the two ends of shaft pins to reduce friction.

You can clean and lubricate the tiny shafts of the gears with furniture polish.

You can clean and lubricate the tiny shafts of the gears with furniture polish.

You can detach the lugs of the front cover of some clocks by pushing down with your fingers and pulling out at the same time.

You lot tin can detach the lugs of the front encompass of some clocks by pushing down with your fingers and pulling out at the same time.

.....alternatively push sideways on the lugs and then push down to remove the faceplate of the clock if you need to replace the mechanism or hands.

.....alternatively push sideways on the lugs so push down to remove the faceplate of the clock if you need to replace the machinery or hands.

More Possible Fixes

  • Bank check the voltage on the electromagnet: This should alter polarity every second.
  • Reflow the solder: If you have a soldering iron, you can reflow the solder on the joints on the PCB. Sometimes a dry solder joint can prevent the circuit from working or brand it end working intermittently.
  • Bank check the metallic strips: On some clocks, the circuit lath presses against strips of metallic that supply power from the battery. These strips are springy and press on tinned pads on the PCB. In a bathroom, steam can cause corrosion at these points of contact. Remove the PCB and clean the pads and spring contacts with IPA and fine wire wool.
  • Check the magnetic rotor axle: The axle of the magnetic rotor can tarnish if it's made of contumely, making information technology crude and increasing friction, causing it to stick. More expensive clocks and watches accept jewelled bearings (e.grand., rubies) in which the tiny axles of the cogs rotate, however inexpensive quartz clock movements just have a nylon plate into which all the axles of the cogs fit. Yous tin can effort adding a tiny drop of oil, (less than the size of the head of a pivot) using the tip of a pin or a pointed awl to the point where the rotor axle fits into this plate.
Reflow solder on the joints.

Reflow solder on the joints.

Use the tip of an awl or pin to apply a tiny drop of oil to the bearing.

Use the tip of an awl or pivot to employ a tiny driblet of oil to the begetting.

If the Clock Still Won't Start, Supplant the Mechanism

It turned out that the electronics of my clock in the photos above was faulty. You can purchase a replacement movement similar this i on Amazon. This production has basic apparently hands.
Mechanisms are somewhat non-standard, so you'll demand to cheque that the easily are the correct size and will suit the way of your clock. Alternatively, if they are plain rectangular types, you need to cheque that they can be cutting and shortened. The threaded piece that fits into the pigsty in the face of the clock sometimes differ in bore and length. This should be long plenty that whatsoever rubber washers to end the mechanism turning and bracket hooks for fixing to a wall tin can be replaced with the piece projecting sufficiently to ready it in place with the retaining ring. Diameter isn't as critical, but it should be small enough so it fits through the hole. If it'due south too small-scale, it's a little more tricky to keep the mechanism centered properly.

You can buy replacement mechanisms for a few dollars.

You can buy replacement mechanisms for a few dollars.

how-to-fix-a-quartz-digital-clock-that-wont-work
Attach the retaining ring for the clock movement. Don't excessively tighten it as it can deform the insides of the movement.

Adhere the retaining ring for the clock movement. Don't excessively tighten it as it tin deform the insides of the motility.

You may need to shorten hands. You can probably use a sharp scissors.

Yous may need to shorten hands. You can probably utilize a sharp pair of scissors.

Replace both the hour, minute and second hand (if supplied) and point them all to 12 o'clock. Then set the time after replacing the battery.

Supersede both the hour, infinitesimal and 2nd hand (if supplied) and point them all to 12 o'clock. And then set the fourth dimension afterwards replacing the battery.

Using Apartment AA Batteries

When a gadget indicates that the batteries are apartment, this is oft because electronics or software detects that the voltage is below a threshold level sufficient to run the device. This happens with high-power devices that need a minimum voltage to operate. However the energy remaining is often adequate to run battery clocks for up to half-dozen months.

References

Wikipedia: Quartz Clock

This content is accurate and true to the all-time of the author's knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional person.

© 2022 Eugene Brennan

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Who Repairs Battery Operated Clocks,

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