Zenith Futur with flakey display?

[rewolf]

Item # 140451377474
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140451377474&fromMakeTrack=true

Very nice condition, but IMO there's something wrong with the right digit of the LED display. Maybe it's just the photo. I asked the seller about it 4 days ago, but no reaction.
Half of the Zenith's out there have display problems.
What do you think?

[Old Tom]

Definitely down on brightness- I saw this when originally listed and I'm sure the listing said there was a slight lack of brightness in this digit- have a look at the listing, seems to have been altered! Flakey digits in these are a pain, especially this one with the display on a daughterboard.

PS Does anyone know how you open a 473 Zenith (like this one but without the screws on the back and has the wrap round face plate).

[rewolf]

PS Does anyone know how you open a 473 Zenith (like this one but without the screws on the back and has the wrap round face plate).

I don't know, but IIRC it has been described earlier in this forum (maybe on dwf.cc).

Edit: didn't find anthing here. Was it azimuth_pl who posted it? Or asked the same question? Somehow I associate his name with this.

Edit 2: I remembered this: http://www.dwf.cc/viewtopic.php?f=45&t=256&hilit=zenith

[retroleds]

The one's without the screws the module drops out by removing the four screws along the edge of the module - each screw holds a little "toe-clip". One case style uses a spring clip (accessible by removing the band) - much like many Seiko LCDs, press in the clip, pop off back. Guy in Mexico had me look at 20+ off them a year so back...I was really unimpressed by the quality, the analog clock in particular seemed really cheaply made and completely unprotected from any assault by leaking batteries. I'm almost positive I ran some kind of a public service warning about "untested" Zenith's flooding the market.

Mexican dudes were rotted to hell, batteries left in all of them.

[rewolf]

The auction ended with £515.00 (617€).
I got a reply from the seller saying all digits and segments are perfectly ok and the darker right digit is because of the uneven lighting, also to be seen on the case. Well...

[Old Tom]

@Ed- thanks, but tried that a few months back, this horror does not open like that, the plastic carrier has a ridge on it that prevents removal through the back (there seems to be about 6 different case schemes for these). Interestingly, while the phosphor bronze contacts and battery feedthroughs are prone to go brittle/corrode away the circuit boards are very hardy and to date every one I have been able to get at (about 35 in total over the last twenty years) has worked after cleaning. However the LED bonds are another matter!

[retroleds]

I'd be curious to see this monster case.