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Other Vintage Household Electrical or Electromechanical Items For discussions about other vintage (over 25 years old) electrical and electromechanical household items. See the sticky thread for details.

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Old 4th Nov 2019, 6:14 pm   #41
G6Tanuki
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Default Re: BHS Branded Metamec Battery Clock

Quote:
Originally Posted by Paul Stenning View Post
The battery contacts just fixed with screws into plastic and pressing onto the PCB tracks does look like an area that could become loose and suffer with corrosion over the years. If you can bypass that with soldered connections to existing contacts or new battery holder they may well help.
Yes - poor electrical contact in such low-current situations is a real problem: I've got a 15-year-old "Radio-controlled" (DCF77) shack clock here which started playing up - the sprung battery-contacts were attached to the PCB by small tubular rivets. Clearly the contact between spring-and-rivet or rivet-and-PCB had become flaky because a gentle tap with a punch-and-toffee-hammer(!) on each rivet solved the problem.

[Soldering wasn't really an option, the springy contacts being that kind of plated-steel which never takes solder well]
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Old 12th Nov 2020, 2:47 pm   #42
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Default Re: BHS Branded Metamec Battery Clock

Thread reopened by request.
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Old 24th Nov 2020, 11:37 am   #43
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Default Re: BHS Branded Metamec Battery Clock

Well, after many times looking at this movement and trying to repair it (the fault wasn’t the battery connectors). I was hoping to post how I permanently fixed this clock....But, unfortunately my repair yet again didn’t work.

I’ve had this thing off the wall too many times to count, and the last time it went back up it must not have sat right on the screw it was hanging from.

The clock subsequently managed fall off the wall (suicide perhaps?). The plastic casing seemed to have gone very brittle with age, and shattered into many small pieces making a decent repair impossible. The icing on the cake was the glass on the face also cracked in the process....

Very reluctantly, the remains of the clock have now gone in the bin, RIP

My other half however is delighted, because I will not be pouring hours more of my time into a cheap plastic clock that was never intended to last anything near the 42 years that it has. I don’t like giving up on old things, but sometimes you have to know when to throw the towel in!

Adam
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Old 24th Nov 2020, 11:59 am   #44
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Default Re: BHS Branded Metamec Battery Clock

Very sad after all that effort, but as you say, sometimes you just have to walk away.
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Old 24th Nov 2020, 12:16 pm   #45
McMurdo
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Default Re: BHS Branded Metamec Battery Clock

that's a shame. At least it had a good innings and wasn't chucked on a fashion whim.
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Old 24th Nov 2020, 6:19 pm   #46
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Default Re: BHS Branded Metamec Battery Clock

I wonder if the replacement will last 40 years plus....
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Old 25th Nov 2020, 10:52 am   #47
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Default Re: BHS Branded Metamec Battery Clock

Indeed, well I doubt it, Not the movement anyway! 42 years for a plastic quartz movement that ran dry in a kitchen environment is impressive stuff.

This is what I bought to replace it:

https://www.rexlondon.com/1950s-ivor...BoC4dwQAvD_BwE

I dont have high hopes of quality, but it has a nice sweeping second hand, and apparently silent movement. If the movement claps out, assuming the rest is decent enough, I'll stick another movement in. I like old clocks but thought I'd try something new and "practical" for kitchen

I have other old clocks around the house that are better deserving of attention - including a family heirloom victorian dual fusee clock

Adam
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