Resetting MSF radio-controlled clock after refitting hands.

[David Chapman]

Hi,

Can anyone tell me the secret of how to reset a ZEON TECH MSF radio-
controlled clock after removing the hands to lubricate a sticky
mechanism and then replacing them?

The clock mechanism is marked UTS MSF Radio Control and runs on a
single AA cell. When first purchased, the fitting of the AA battery
caused the clock to motor round until it eventually displayed the
correct time, but when I now power it up it does that again but the
final time displayed is inaccurate. This is obviously because I don't
know what time the mechanism thinks it is and therefore cannot put the
hands back in the correct places.

If a small label in the top left hand corner of the mechanism is
removed, two pins are visible so I guess that after manufacture the
setting of the time must involve fitting the hands to a known time
(EXACTLY mid-day maybe ?) and then doing something involving linking the
pins but, so far, I have been unable to find the correct way to set, and
maintain, an accurate time display.

Any ideas anyone?

TIA - Dave

David C.Chapman - Chartered Engineer. FIEE. (dcchapman@minda.co.uk)
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[MetalHead]

David Chapman wrote:

Can anyone tell me the secret of how to reset a ZEON TECH MSF radio-
controlled clock after removing the hands to lubricate a sticky
mechanism and then replacing them?

If you can get a handeld GPS unit, the time displayed is within a few
microseconds on a cheap one. As the other reply offered, let your
mechanical clock run a few days so that it should be synced up with it's
own idea of the time and the remove the hands and replace them so that
they agree with the GPS unit's time.

Good Luck,
Bob

 

[David Chapman]

Thanks to this who have replied for their suggestions.

Maybe Zeon can? http://www.zeonltd.co.uk

I tried e-mailing them - they haven't replied.

Power it up and let it run for a few days so you're sure it has acquired
the radio signal. Then, look at another radio-controlled clock, take
the hands off of the Zeon, and reposition them at the correct time.

I have two of these clocks so I tried to do that - a number of times.
The main problem is that if you try to put the hands back on while the
clock is running, your finger pressure stops the delicate clock
mechanism from moving for long enough for it to be inaccurate when the
hands do start moving again. Trying to anticipate the amount of delay
hasn't worked for me either. I just don't like having a Radio-Controlled
clock that displays an inaccurate time - even by half a minute or so.

There MUST be a procedure used in the factory when the hands are
initially fitted. Maybe they are positioned to display a certain time
and then the simple electronics are 're-set' or 'zeroed' to start the
clock from that point, but I've tried a number of ideas without success.

It's probably simpler just to buy a new clock and retire the
inaccurate one but I'm sure that the start-up procedure CAN'T be that
hard to discover - or can it?

ATB - Dave

David C.Chapman - Chartered Engineer. FIEE. (dcchapman@minda.co.uk)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
CHAPMAN ASSOCIATES is a Consultancy offering practical expertise and
design skills in the fields of counter-surveillance, electronic protection
and security. Visit our Web site at http://www.minda.co.uk
--------------------------------------------------------------------------