Taking a chance on a P3

[J Thomas]

[LEDluvr]

Well, I'm no technician but I know that replacing the quartz crystal is usually the first step to take in trying to remedy this problem. In the past I bought a Hamilton QED and a Pulsar Date II with this problem.
The Hamilton problem was fixed by a new q.c., the Date II no. I ended up shipping it to Strikes n' Spares for repair. I'm sure the crew here will supply a list of things a technically savvy person like you can try before getting to that point.....

[clockace]

jeff, i don't know about diagnosis but some have had success by warming the thing up. is it always the same digit when you insert and remove the cells? ed suggested to me on one i have to use a battery pack and hook up the clips to the tab on one side and repeatedly tap the other tab. it would light random digits. this was after i changed the qc. then as i tapped the contact when the next tap left the screen blank, i hooked the clip to the tab and left it sit that way for an hr or so. that worked and the thing is still working. i have some posts on that effort on the pulsar site about march or april of last year. regards, peter

[azimuth_pl]

first step before any soldering....mentioned already in another thread:
immerse the module in warm vinegar for 10 minutes and rinse twice in demineralized water. dry for a couple of hours in a warm environment.

this has helped me twice already still with the old quartz attached.

[J Thomas]

first step before any soldering....mentioned already in another thread:
immerse the module in warm vinegar for 10 minutes and rinse twice in demineralized water. dry for a couple of hours in a warm environment.

this has helped me twice already still with the old quartz attached.

and if that doesent work get your self to the chippy for a pok o chips and dip in vinegar for two seconds then eat nothing better no waist

[azimuth_pl]

I'd use the leftovers to make some vinaigrette sauce for a dinner salad

[retroleds]

The Pulsar jeweler's manual suggests rinsing in clean water, but I'd worry about the vinegar dissolving the last remnants of the wire bonds, if they are already mineralized. But I guess as a last try it can;t hurt. Traces I can see enduring it, but wire bonds that are crusty seem to be pretty much gone, in my experience.

That would be one nasty salad dressing - copper,lead and possibly some mercury and/or cadmium. Turn you into the Incredible Hulk or something.

[azimuth_pl]

turning into Hulk would be a nice experience :)

vinegar (or lemon juice) is a light acid that does not harm any traces or wirebonds unless you leave it for a few days. it dissolves leftovers from battery leakage such as potassium and copper hydroxides by turning them into salt (chemistry basics). hydroxide residues dissolve copper and other metal particles and spread them on the substrate which in turn short the circuits. using acid helps remove the residues without any mechanical interference such as brushes and the liquid enters every possible cavity.
the immersing idea is not suggested on some silicone covered circuits if you can't remove the silicone completely (early P2 for instance) as the liquid will probably not dry out properly if it enters sealed cavities.

sometimes changing the quartz proves to be unnecessary after this process.

[J Thomas]

[bucko170]

Keep the case and sell the module

[Sully008]

Jeff,

If you do decide to sell just the module, I'd be interested in it. I was going to send a pair to strikes and spares, as I need one for my early SS Hamilton QED. Let me know.

Mike

[J Thomas]

[Sully008]

Darn, missed it by a day. Oh well. I do have a plan for the SS, we'll see.

I'm actually working on a hybrid right now, hopefully I'll finish it in the next day or two. But it's not in a Pulsar P3 case.

Hi Mike, Thanks for the offer! I wish I could have helped you out.
I received a PM yesterday from another member and decided to swap the complete watch for all the parts to build an OLED MIB for my son

And really it is for my son.

Regards, Jeff

[LEDluvr]

I received a PM yesterday from another member and decided to swap the complete watch for all the parts to build an OLED MIB for my son

Glad to hear things worked out! With a perfectly functioning P3 in hand - that's plenty to bargain with in a trade. Next time I bid on a non-running LED watch I'm going to ask you to buy it for me by proxy. Maybe some of your good luck will rub off on me.