Pulsar / Omega / Hamilton new SASM-modules

[SASM]

Hi,

I didn´t know where to post it and I think it´s a good idea to use this forum. We are the manufactor of the Pulsar / Omega and Hamilton replacement modules with the original displays and we´ve just developped the new SASM-13 / -23 series for the early Pulsar / Omega / Hamilton watches.

Some of the older versions of our SASM -20 / -22 modules have a bug with the data-feature which is solved now. Moreover the newer module has an extended lifetime of the batteries (about twice the time of the original Pulsar module) which is also a big improvement compared to the -10/-12/-20/-22 series.

I would like to offer everybody, who has bought one of our former modules to exchange them against the latest version for free. The new manual is also online:
http://www.strikesandspares.de/Bilderpdf/module.pdf

The next module which will be released in early summer 2009 is the P4 module with and without a reed switch setting.

Moreover I am interested in producing a replacement module for the Ragen Synchronar. So if anybody would like to sell his non-working Synchronar or irrepairable Pulsar/Hamilton/Omega modules, please let me know.

All modules are hand-assembeled (by me) and cannot be produced in hugh quantities :) I don´t know if collectors would buy them but I think they are more than a good replacement for hobbyists like me who wear their watches every day.

I´ve taken some pics of our new module from the front and back side as well as from a running original and a SASM-module (P2 has a SASM type):

Yours, Hanno

[azimuth_pl]

well, I haven't been on either forum for some 6 months now and I see some good stuff.
congratulations with the idea!

however 2 weeks have passed and no comments to your brilliant invention!!! strange.

so far I have been fiddling with Frontier modules to get the original dot-matrix display.

btw. I would leave the trimmer on the back for that original look.

[funkyguy]

hello hanno

i must say first off i dont collect the pulsar range...
my interest in led deisgn is elswhere..
yer ..i know i am odd ..lol

but i must say from my limited knowledge
you have a excellent product there.
well done..iam sure it took some work..
may i ask . do you have replacement modules for other leds..?

cheers
geoff

[bucko170]

How much do the modules cost?

[azimuth_pl]

109-189euros depending on a P2 or P3 and if you send the old guts.
http://www.strikesandspares.de/ledsam.htm

Hanno,
I would suggest to post this invention in the Repair section of the forum. Many newbies would be interested in a durable module for everyday use.

[bucko170]

A very reasonable price - it makes those watches being sold as untested on eBay a more attractive proposition.

[SASM]

btw. I would leave the trimmer on the back for that original look.

This is a good idea. The trimmer won´t be removed from now on!

but i must say from my limited knowledge
you have a excellent product there.
well done..iam sure it took some work..
may i ask . do you have replacement modules for other leds..?

Thank you! It took me over 2 years, maybe even longer until this final stage. The program code is the one thing, fixing and improvement the other. And the improvement was a real callenge...

Shure, why not? A user from Australia has just sent a Synchronar module. I don´t want to waste time with €20 modules which are still available through ebay, but if you have something interesting just let me know. There should be a larger quantity of watches which were equipped with that module or such a famous watch like the GP Casquette. Moreover the display type is important. The display has to be a separate component.

Hanno,
I would suggest to post this invention in the Repair section of the forum. Many newbies would be interested in a durable module for everyday use.

Am I blind? Where is it? Moreover I don´t want to spam this group with my advertising



NEWS - NEWS - NEWS - NEWS - NEWS - NEWS

The SASM 14 module is ready. This is nothing for our extreme collectors but maybe for everyday LED watch use:

The SASM 14 looks like a SASM 13 but has a date feature! So if you have a one-pusher-watch like the P2 or the Omega TC1 it is now possible to view the date..

From my experience it is a drawback to wear a Pulsar without a date. It is so handy to have it f.e. at work, that I´ve thrown my original module out of my TC1. (although I´ll keep it for future use )

Here´s a link to the manual:
http://www.strikesandspares.de/Bilderpdf/sams14e.pdf

How it works: Use the right push-button f.e. of a P2 once shows the time, push twice shows date, hold the push-botton for seconds...

Hanno.

[azimuth_pl]

The "Digital Workbench" has changed it's name and it also took me a while to find my old posts:
http://www.dwf.nu/viewtopic.php?t=2548

your ad wouldn't be treated as spam because your modules will help many newbies to get a working and durable "Pulsar".
we collectors value the original version but many beginners just want any Pulsar for daily use. I have been wearing my original P2 SS everyday for the last 2 years but I won't dispair if it gets busted.... however many beginners with just one or two LED watches would probably jump from a roof if their beloved and only Pulsar would suddenly die.
so give them a helping hand Hanno :)

[retroleds]

A nice product Hanno. But I am curious, how are you getting around the wide variances in button magnet strength? Or are you selling them strictly on an installed basis?

[SASM]

I´ve written some words about the fact above on both my website and the manuals.. I was wondering that this is said to be a "big problem". Actually I have found out, that a module can be build in 90% of the cases and only 10% need a later adjustment.

However to avoid my customers to do these adjustments, I always return the same modules, which have been sent. If a customer bought a new module, I recommend to send the whole watch because adjustment work is always free of charge.

And because this work is free of charge and because all customers are free to send their watches I thínk it´s on them if a module MIGHT not work properly. Up to now I´ve never had a complaint..

Hanno.


By the way the P4 circuit board is in production...

[Led-Time]

By the way the P4 circuit board is in production...

I'd be interested in one of those...

[charger105]

I've just received a SASM23 module and put it into a SS P2 I've had lying around. I think it's a good option as a daily wearer.
I ordered the 2 reed switch version so that I can put it into a P2 or a P3, as my mood changes

I had to adjust the time command reed switch, as it was an old module I had of unknown origin. No big problem. Since there's no button cutaway on the P2 case, I also had to adjust the date-command reed-switch so that it didn't short to the P2 case (the SASM23 isn't intended for a P2, so no complaints in this regard).

As Piotr suggested, Hanno has left the rear fine trimmer in place, so that from the rear, the module can't be differentiated from original.

Anyway, I'd like to say I'm very happy with the product. Operation and setting seems the same as original.

Suggestion for future improvement:
1) Incorporate a trimmer for speed adjustment
2) Put the light sensor in place, even if only for show

Rgds,
Andrew.

[retroleds]

As Piotr suggested, Hanno has left the rear fine trimmer in place, so that from the rear, the module can't be differentiated from original.

2) Put the light sensor in place, even if only for show
Andrew.

Both of these are very bad ideas - the trimmer gives a false sense of originality and the light sensor makes it doubly so. Many discussions regarding the originality of a Pulsar for sale on ebay, for example, has revolved around the position or lack of the light sensor being visible through the glass. I'm all for rebuilds, but not at the cost of deceiving and turning off collectors who expected and possibly paid for an all original item. We need as much honesty as possible to keep people interested in the digital watch market....it is susceptible to a high enough rate of mix and match parts as it is. Particularly on higher end items.

Why not mark the modules on the battery side- proudly rebuilt by Hanno? It would be a sad day when sellers to have to dis-assemble and photograph both sides of the module in order to get decent bucks for a Pulsar.

[LEDluvr]

Hanno.


By the way the P4 circuit board is in production...

Hi Nicole, Gald to hear it! I have a P4 with DOW that needs rebuilding. I'll be looking forward to when rebuilding P4 module is avaiable.

[Led-Time]

It would be a sad day when sellers to have to dis-assemble and photograph both sides of the module in order to get decent bucks for a Pulsar.

Ed you comment is only too true, before christmas I bought a Date II (for not a bad price I admit) which had a Hamilton module inside although identical function wise it was not an original Pulsar module. Again recently I bought a dead Omega TC2 and christ knows what the module inside it was originally, luck of the draw really. I'll be ordering one of Hanno's modules for the Omega soon I'am looking forward to getting this stunning watch ready to wear...

While on the subject of Pulsar modules what is the size of those little retaining screws is there anywhere I can get some.

[SASM]

(...) We need as much honesty as possible to keep people interested in the digital watch market....it is susceptible to a high enough rate of mix and match parts as it is. Particularly on higher end items.

I agree! I´ve developped the movements not to fool people with hybrid modules but to keep these watches alive, which are not repairable with a high quality replacement. I don´t sell them as original. People start to buy the super great (and cheap) China "LEDs" in the past because working Pulsar have become so pricey. Is that our interest? Collectors use Pulsars in avarage condition for parts only or are parting out Hamiltons for their module. Does that make a Pulsar or Omega more original?

(...) It would be a sad day when sellers to have to dis-assemble and photograph both sides of the module in order to get decent bucks for a Pulsar.

Well, I can understand your apprehension and agree again, but from my point of view it largely depends on the seller to be honest or not. In times of photoshop and ebay auctions everybody should know that. F.e. all my SASM-type modules light up with 'SAS for 400ms once you have placed batteries in the watch to show it as a replacement module (..and to show that the module is in 100%working order). So why don´t place light sensors on the module if my customers prefer that?

And last but not least I am not sure, if a watch with a SASM- module will be less expensive in the future. They are so close to the original that people MIGHT not care. Extreme collectors do not represent the market...

Hanno.

[retroleds]

.... F.e. all my SASM-type modules light up with 'SAS for 400ms once you have placed batteries in the watch to show it as a replacement module (..and to show that the module is in 100%working order). So why don´t place light sensors on the module if my customers prefer that?

And last but not least I am not sure, if a watch with a SASM- module will be less expensive in the future. They are so close to the original that people MIGHT not care. Extreme collectors do not represent the market...
Hanno.

Hanno: I like hearing about the "SAS" display - that is an excellent feature! My apprehension to the light sensor is whether it is actually functional, and where it is placed - the post suggesting it(not yours) made it sound like it should be done for appearance sake alone . If you put in a functional light sensor, in a position where no Pulsar ever had one, then it would, IMO, satisfy all reasonable anticipations of honesty for all but the most uninformed.

I would agree that extreme collectors do not represent the market. My guess is that those who come to all digital watch forums combined, might represent 10-15% of the owners and collectors. I have a number of repeat purchase customers who tell me they want nothing of the forums and user groups, they just want a watch. The extreme collectors and historians turn them off....essentially we are an intelligent but boring group to them.

[azimuth_pl]

I understand the issue with the false light sensor because it's the easiest way to differentiate an original. not many sellers show the movement at all. they just show a working display or sell a watch as nonworking.
as for the back of the module in my opinion the module would look slightly naked without the trimmer. but it's a good idea to stamp the module with Strikes&Spares or insert such stamped labels (+ and -) in the battery wells.

as for value - I'd say that Hanno's modules are worth the same money as the original ones will die within the next 15-30 years.

[retroleds]

I the original ones will die within the next 15-30 years.

I personally believe that sealing over the IC would save many of the P2s & P3s......the underside is nothing but exposed wire bonds, waiting to be eroded by the environment. And susceptible to dust and other contaminants during battery changes, via the various holes which pass through the module housing/chassis.

[azimuth_pl]

well, at least the IC is covered ;)


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[SASM]

I doubt, that sealing would have solved these problems. The cover is not close enough and remember these sealed Frontier circuits...

A propos Frontier: The first Frontier Module is ready and has passed the testing stage: It´s the new SASM 50 which is a replacement for the Frontier 2002, launched in 1975. Works great in an Omega Digital 1.

The new manual has been uploaded this evening and is available in german only. Here´s the link:

http://www.strikesandspares.de/Bilderpdf/sams50d.pdf

The SASM50 has Time, Seconds and a date function. The trimmer is fully functional and will be taken from old, original movements as well as the plastic carrier and the quartz (if still working).

Of course I will finish an english version by the end of this week (hopefully) and will also update the english website.

Hanno.

[retroleds]

I doubt, that sealing would have solved these problems. The cover is not close enough and remember these sealed Frontier circuits...

A propos Frontier: The first Frontier Module is ready and has passed the testing stage: It´s the new SASM 50 which is a replacement for the Frontier 2002, launched in 1975. Works great in an Omega Digital 1.

The new manual has been uploaded this evening and is available in german only. Here´s the link:

http://www.strikesandspares.de/Bilderpdf/sams50d.pdf

The SASM50 has Time, Seconds and a date function. The trimmer is fully functional and will be taken from old, original movements as well as the plastic carrier and the quartz (if still working).

Of course I will finish an english version by the end of this week (hopefully) and will also update the english website.

Hanno.

Hanno - why use the old quartz and trimmer? The trimmers get contaminated by age, corrosion and all sorts of dirt and dust. The quartz crystals of the '70s were natural crystal, prone to have flaws and imperfections that left them susceptible to failure at any moment. The new crystals are cheap($0.30-0.55 USA), lab-gown quartz with a small fraction of the failure rate of the old ones. Seems a shame to strap old parts to a new circuit.

I'm curious about the PIC(programmable IC) chip you are using - is it removable from the circuit for reprogramming(in the case of someone tinkering and wiping the code), strong magnetic field wiping the code or just for upgrading the code or chip? It hasn't been discussed, but the circuit for a digital watch using a PIC is very different from a digital watch circuit of the past. The old circuits were dedicated clock chips, made to do only one thing -keep time. A PIC chip(I've been programming some myself) runs code - it has a great flexibility but given bad code, it runs bad. A bug in the code, it runs buggy. Proper programming for date function going into the future would be the most worrisome.

Regarding the Frontier modules - the sealing was just a rubbery coating over the wire bonds to protect them during careful handling. A magnet set Pulsar module has a very sturdy cover over the IC, it's just those 32 holes around the edge that let crap in. If you are using the original plastic carrier on the Frontiers, please consider that a high percentage of the later Frontier circuits died due to the circuit board being flexed(or actually cracked) by the batteries direct contact against the circuit board. If you are gluing the original displays to your circuit board and like the Frontier engineers of old you are not considering the flexing issue, you may have the same failures. If your circuit boards are made thicker than the originals, then you will have to take the thickness of the plastic carriers down for most cases, which will decrease the depth of the battery holes. Which will then require thinner batteries or the batteries will actually put more stress on the circuit board than the originals due to the shallower holes........ The Pulsar magnet set rebuilds you made are much simpler, since the Pulsar circuit board was always free from direct contact between the batteries and the circuit board.

Don't miss the fact that the Frontier modules made for anything but an Omega or Hamilton(Vantage by Hamilton) have contacts that are set in slightly over 1 mm, from the side, more than what is required by an Omega or Hamilton. As many have found to their chagrin, you can't just drop a Frontier module into a later issue Hamilton/Omega case and have it work - the buttons won't make contact. You have to swap a Frontier board onto a Hamilton or Omega carrier and use it's contacts. Having done that maneuver many times, I really appreciate the subtle difference between those modules, despite their similarities. Finally, the contacts on a standard Frontier module terminate farther away from the FRONT face of the module, which also stops a Hamilton or Omega case from ever making contact with...the contacts. Oy Vay!

I appreciate what you are doing on a circuitry level, but I'm hoping you have full appreciation of how many of the failures were due to the physical stresses placed on a small circuit within their tightly confined environment.