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hughes module

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clockace

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hughes module

Post26 Nov 2009, 02:11

i picked up a ygf s/s back led with a hughes aircraft module in it. with new 303's it lit right up. it has dot display, hr., min., on pusher at 1 o'clock, date on pusher at 7 o'clock. seconds if both are simultaneously pushed. no month afaict. it has a date inside the s/s back of 12/74. is this module the one with 700,000+/sec freq?peter :-)
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: hughes module

Post26 Nov 2009, 11:22

From a previous thread.........

Hughes Aircraft not only used 3 wired (or pinned) quartz crystals but they also do not run at 32,768Hz. They are 786,432Hz. Now the last production Hughes QC's actually had two pins, which are rare but they still run on Hughes exclusive frequency.
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: hughes module

Post30 Nov 2009, 08:26

Peter,

Yes, that does indeed sound like the Hughes module used in the Bulova Big Block, the Wittnaur Polara, and many others:
http://crazywatches.w.interia.pl/photo/ ... lock2.html

I was wondering if anyone might have some insight into a problem that I'm having with one of these modules. It keeps nearly perfect time, but it has a problem displaying the digits correctly.

It usually displays the last digit of the minutes in base 4 instead of base 10. So, the last digit counts up to 3 and then starts over counting at 0 again. So it will display:
8:31, 8:32, 8:33, 8:30, 8:31, 8:32, 8:33, 8:30, 8:31, 8:40...

When displaying the seconds, it usually displays the digits correctly, but occasionally starts to display them incorrectly and sometimes skips integers.

It's still sort of functional as long as you didn't have to be anywhere within an accuracy of closer than about 5 minutes!

I have another later DOW Hughes module that has segment digits instead of dot digits, so I'm tempted to try Ed's famous "Pimp My Block" module conversion as described in the link below. The problem is that I'm not sure how difficult it is to remove the traces. He suggests "sandblasting" them away rather than scraping them away, but I'm not sure of a way to do that:
http://www.dwf.nu/viewtopic.php?t=3287& ... df691ead23

If this conversion is easy, then I'll give it a go, but it looks a little intimidating.

Ideally, I'd rather keep the original module because I like the dot digits better, but don't have a clue at a fix and I suspect that the IC is probably toast. Any suggestions are appreciated.

-abe.
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Re: : hughes module

Post30 Nov 2009, 17:41

abem wrote: The problem is that I'm not sure how difficult it is to remove the traces. He suggests "sandblasting" them away rather than scraping them away, but I'm not sure of a way to do that:
-abe.

The circuit board is ceramic, so the problem is some traces of the aluminum "traces" are hard to remove. If you go with a "scrub or scrape" method, I would suggest you pick up a small bottle of "Aluminum Jelly", for removing oxidation from aluminum and use some of that on a cotton swab to go over your scraped area to hopefully dissolve and then rinse(dip clean swab in mild solution of baking soda and water to neutrilize acid) any of the aluminum that is clinging. The effect of metal salts spread thinly across a circuit board, shorting things out to some degree is often underappreciated, IMO - I have brought back many a Hughes modules that is fairly stained and acting weird by swabbing the entire backside and the front(not removing the cover over the wirebonds obviously), and removing the fine layer of aluminum and copper that is deposited there from leaking batery acid. For that I just use common CLR(stands for Calcium, Lime, Rust) or a simular product that is made for removign hard water stains from sinks and toilets. And clean the plastic battery holder and the rubber ring the front of the module sits on...those can have a fine layer of metal salts deposted on them as well, making contact with all or some of the buttons contacts simultaneously or intermittently. :x
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Re: : hughes module

Post30 Nov 2009, 19:40

abem wrote:It usually displays the last digit of the minutes in base 4 instead of base 10. So, the last digit counts up to 3 and then starts over counting at 0 again. So it will display:
8:31, 8:32, 8:33, 8:30, 8:31, 8:32, 8:33, 8:30, 8:31, 8:40
.......
I suspect that the IC is probably toast.
Your suspicion is correct IMHO.
It looks like the bits 2 and 3 (value of 4 and 8) of either the BCD to 7 segment decoder or the minutes counter are defective. There is no way to fix a defect on the chip. In some cases it can be improved a by raising the supply voltage (to force half-dead transistors to switch), but this is no serious fix. Forget this IC - my 2c.
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: hughes module

Post30 Nov 2009, 20:41

I totally agree Rewolf, doesn't sound like a problem that is being induced by simple bad connections( or lack thereof), inside or out of the IC....just a nicely scrambled brain.

The poster took it a little off the original topic of the thread and I went along behind him :oops: . Sort of like conversation, you have to wander a little to keep it lively and connected. :lol:
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: hughes module

Post01 Dec 2009, 00:49

that rubber spacer between the module and metal screen is broken and brittle on mine. anyone been using something else as a substitute? peter
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: hughes module

Post01 Dec 2009, 17:23

anyone been using something else as a substitute?


An elastic band works well............

As far as I know it is just there to provide a bit of cushioning for the module and to prevent any unwanted electrical contacts being made.

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