Calling all Bruces, calling all Bruces! (Wegmann) I have a Hamilton dot display that needs attention. It appears that it has the original factory module inside as far as I can tell and it runs a bit fast, it gains about 3-4 minutes a day. I reset it with the magnet about 2 or 3 minutes behind the actual time and by the same time the next night it shows between 3 and 4 minutes fast. Is there any way to slow it down to normal speed - (trimmer) or do I need to invest in a "new module"? I would like to retain the dot display in this one if at all possible. I don't want to mess around with it because I don't know what I'm doing and I don't want to screw anything up. I'd like to wait for someone more knowledgeable and more authorized to work on this. Anyone have any ideas? I'm actually trying to get in touch with Bruce Wegmann because he had fixed up another similar Hamilton one time before for me. This isn't the same Hamilton although they look identical......ok, I guess I will just have to wait until I hear back. Thanks. Looks like this one will be sent out to have it checked, thats ok...I have all the time in the world.
If it's running and keeping time (at all), you certainly DON"T need a new module. There are two possible remedies for this condition. First, the coarse trimmer (the flat, octagon-shaped part with the square socket in the center). It may have enough range to bring the timekeeping error back to zero. Unfortunately, it's impossible to tell (except by experimentation) which way it has to turn to reduce the frequency of the quartz crystal. If the error is too great to correct that way, you will need a new quartz crystal. The change-out is simple, but you need to find a crystal that will oscillate at a frequency that can be adjusted to the correct value in your module (it actually does vary, due to slight differences in the values of the other components in the circuit). You may need to try several crystals before you find one of usable frequency.
This is a situation where a quartz monitor is an absolute necessity. With one, this repair might take only an hour...otherwise, you're looking at days of trial and error.