sport 3502

[davefinic]

ive just added a Pulsar sport 3502 to my collection :D (my first LED Pulsar) and i want to adjust the strap as i cant get enough adjustment on the clasp it looks to have tiny screws in the last 4 links on each side of the strap so small i need a magnifying glass to see them can anybody let me know if these unsrew to remove the pins or do i just punch them out, this may seem like a silly question but i thought better to ask than to damage my watch.

[fronzelneekburm]

You better unscrew these. When you punch them just out they will be broken and no longer hold the band together in a stable way. General hint: Unscrew screws, only punch out pins (be sure to check BOTH sides!) :wink:

[Higgie]

[davefinic]

thanks for the tips its just the screws are so small i dont think i will find a screwdriver small enough to fit and i have small jewellers screwdrivers and a watch repair kit with very small screwdrivers in it. the screws similar to these in my novus watch are much larger.

[bruce wegmann]

I just looked at both my 3502s, and I can tell you that the assembly of the bracelets is not as shown or described. Except for the attachment to the case [there are no threaded pins to access], they are absolutely identical to the P2 bracelet, using spring-loaded pins to attach or separate the expansion links. These were acquired years ago under circumstances that make it certain they are vintage, 28-year-old watches, and in totally original condition. The pin I see in the picture looks like it came out of a solid-link P3 or P4 band. They look like screws from the end because they are actually a length of half-circular shape folded over on itself to form a full cylinder, and the small gap does appear like a screw slot. On the calculators, both solid, friction-fitted pins [also used on the Big Time bracelet], and the more conventional P2-style springpins are used for the expansion links. The only Pulsar I have that uses threaded pins to attach links is an 18K Euro Calculator, and since only two of those are known to exist, it would seem this was not a preferred method of bracelet construction.
I suppose what you have here could be of more recent manufacture, or it might simply be the result of an attempt to do a repair with the wrong part.

[Planet-LED]

My band does not have screws. It is a pin that is folded over-- similar to a cotter pin. It is pressed into the hole. You want to use a watch pin remover to remove this type of pin so that you don't damage the pin or the link. They are inexpensive and can be purchased on Ebay. Simply type in: Watch Pin Remover. The rest should be self explanitory.

[bruce wegmann]

You should still bear in mind that this is certainly not the proper pin to use in this bracelet, and you do run the risk of it jamming in place permanantly. It's quite possible that a collector on this forum might have a spare of the correct pin, and you might thus save yourself a lot of frustration and aggravation. Can anyone help him out here...? I will look through my box of odd parts and pieces; might even have one myself...

[Diginut]

Bruce ? I have a pulsar question for you...

I own two 3502 sports. One real, one not quite so real ! However, the real one is in very good condition and I do wear it quite often. Its been 100% reliable etc, for years.

However, its recently developed an odd problem. I quite often place the watch on a table or my desk, and have noticed it randomly turning on for no apparent reason as if I have touched one of the sensor buttons. This can happen whether I am near it or 20 ft away, moving or not. Sometimes it does it for a day or two and stops, other times its fine for weeks. Sure enough its flattened a few batteries recently.

But, its got no reeds to adjust etc, just the touch sensors, and I can only imagine the electronics are marginally hovering at the on/off point. However this behaviour can happen even with a new set of prime batteries so I doubt its borderline voltage. Most weird.

Have you seen this before ? any ideas ?

[bruce wegmann]

I've only ever had two 3502s, so I can't say I've had a lot of experience with them, but in general, they seem quite reliable and well-made; after all, they were the product of over four years of R&D by Time Computer [though I'm not sure I agree with Mike's acessment of them as "bullet-proof"; still, overall, it's a good design, even if I don't particularly care for the bubble-lensed digits].
Anyway, I've never seen a 3502 behave the way you're describing, but I have seen it in a DateII. I prefer to keep all my watches working, and I periodically go through them and check for function [checked once a month for functioning and otherwise left alone, a set of batteries will last nearly two years]. This one was kept in a storage box with nine other watches, and while I was looking at one of the others, the DateII suddenly flashed me the time. I wasn't even positive what had happened, but I set it aside and kept a closer eye on it, and sure enough, about ten minutes later, it happened again. I tried the usual remedies [cleaning contacts, new batteries], but nothing helped. Eventually, I realized I had purchased this watch the previous April, and the blinking happened in January [couldn't have been happening long when I noticed it, or the batteries would have been gone, but the display was still bright, so I was lucky enough to have caught it almost immediately after it started]. Nov., Dec., and Jan. are the rainiest, and thus the most humid, months in San Diego. Here is the treatment I tried:
Removed module and placed complete watch [with case back off], case back, and o-ring seal in toaster oven at 250 degrees F. [about 120 degrees C.] for thirty minutes. It's low enough to not damage epoxy, solder, or rubber, but high enough to drive off absolutely every molecule of H2O, as it is well above the boiling point of water. Allow to cool to 130F. and re-assemble [new batteries, of course, and 130F. will not harm the module; the electronics are subjected to much higher temperatures during the manufacturing process]. You'll know the case temperature is right when you can just barely touch it without it seeming uncomfortably warm [a surface temperature of 140F. renders an object "too hot to handle"].
Result; it is now two years and counting, and the problem has not recurred. I would still be guessing to tell which component on the board is the one that is humidity-sensitive, but I would have to regard this as an abberation, rather than a design flaw, considering how infrequently this syndrome presents itself. Part of the problem is deteriorating case seals; after thirty years, they are either turning as brittle as glass, or into a tarry goo. Either way, the watertight integrity of the seal is compromised, and they are no longer functioning as effective moisture barriers, a situation that can also promote or accelerate corrosion, a far more serious condition.
If you're inclined, give the "heat soak" a try, and let us know if it cures the problem.

Put your pulsar led in a toaster oven for thirty minutes....lol.... Bruce - are you on some sort of medication by any chance:?:

[Diginut]

Opps. I couldnt get the pulsar into the Toaster as its only thick enough for one piece of bread, so I put it in a microwave instead.

Thing is all these blue sparks came off it, but as I was looking through the glass the watch started making a high pitched noise that increased in frequency until the dog was jumping up and down in pain behind me. Then it exploded and all these red bits stuck to the inside of the glass, and slowly dripped down. I think I killed it by mistake.

Then I woke up and realised it was all a horrible dream and its ok really :)

Seriously though (!!) I am going to try and get to the bottom of this. I want to experiment with it and make the fault repeatable, so that I have a test to for whether or not any other things I do have fixed it. Thanks for update.

[LiquidLed]

Opps. I couldnt get the pulsar into the Toaster as its only thick enough for one piece of bread, so I put it in a microwave instead.

Thing is all these blue sparks came off it, but as I was looking through the glass the watch started making a high pitched noise that increased in frequency until the dog was jumping up and down in pain behind me. Then it exploded and all these red bits stuck to the inside of the glass, and slowly dripped down. I think I killed it by mistake.

doh - you should have pieced with a fork first and then place on a Microwavable plate, say's that on the side of my minute meal packaging!

...and if any of you are thinking of doing this then - DON'T

[Diginut]

Ah yes, I didnt think of that. Maybe I should have poked it with a fork, just like those digital sausages you can get.

Maybe this is how Heuer came up with the name for their LED +LCD chronograph. IE, they must have cooked it and it burst, so they called it a Chronosplit.




(ok, I'll get me coat ...!)

[bruce wegmann]

Gentlemen, I choose here to ignore my detractors and state again for the record; yes, I did do this, and yes, it cured a very serious problem with the watch [and remember, I am only heating the case, not the module]. I just looked at it again, and it is working fine. I think it is worth bearing in mind that we as collectors are now experiencing problems that Time Computer never saw, because they lasted only five years, and the watches simply hadn't aged enough for these problems to surface, just as modern doctors now see diseases of age that were unknown in the 19th century, because virtually nobody lived long enough then to develop them. So now, we become practicioners of horological geriatrics, and some of the cures we employ may seem unconventional; I am just glad that they work. It will be interesting to see what new modes of failure future years will reveal, and what remedies for them are found, because it depends on what we do, now, that determines whether or not there will be working specimens of Pulsars in the next century.

[Diginut]

I agree with your sentiments entirely. There should be nothing wrong with subjecting a stripped metal watch body/case to the temperatures you suggest. It not like they will melt for another 1000 centigrade!

But modules should not be heated up beyond 70/80?c I guess, else you can expect terminal problems for sure.

One of my other major hobbies is to do with repairing / restoring classic arcade games to perfection, mainly all the original Atari Arcade games from the late 70s into early 80s, and I have seen/learnt/developed some very unconventional techniques for fixing and cleaning the electronics in them ?

EG, a friend, who is a rare specialist in fixing 25 year XY vector monitors as well as normal CRT based TV?s, showed me how to clean off 25yrs worth of dust crap grime grease and other stuff that?s normally found in TVs that old. He basically Hot Jet washes the whole electronics area and rinses with cold clean water then immediately puts the whole chassis into a super hot greenhouse where it dries in minutes. I just would never have thought that all that high voltage electronics would handle it ? but it definitely works a treat ! He also puts all the large filthy circuit boards into a hot dishwasher ? same trick.

As for circuits lasting another 100 yrs. Hmmm. I have regularly seen 25/30 yr chips just crumble away on a circuit board. Probably due to the fact they have been active and running warm to hot for the majority of those 30 yrs. I sometimes get a dud ROM or processor etc, and no matter how delicately you try and remove one from a chip socket, the chip body can just literally crumbles back into sand, or the chip ?leg? drops off with little force. Or there?s been an electrolytic reaction between the metals of the chips legs and the metal contact on the surface of the socket aided by corrosion and so on. Even worse if the chip is directly soldered into a PCB.

My strongest basic advice to any watch collector intending to keep watches for the long term is ? do NOT leave batteries inside watches for years on end. Remove them if watch is to be stored. Until you?ve seen the bizarre effects of tiny amounts of battery acids and chemicals you wont believe the harm they can do.

[azimuth_pl]

Going back to the toaster idea, I'd just like to ask what is the best solution to remove a sandwich Pulsar crystal (the late ones) and not damage the red glue? what method, what temperature? thanx in advance for a hint.