| teridon | Posted: 3 Nov 2021, 10:46 PM |
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 Member Posts: 3 Joined: 3-November 21 |
I just built the precision clock from the a kit I bought on your site. Not all the digits worked the first time but reflowing the joints resolved all problems except one -- to make a long story short: The "G" segment of the day-of-month digit does not light. I tried reflowing the joints on the digit (more than once) and it seemed to start working for a little while -- until I picked up the clock -- at which point it stopped working again (as far as I can tell, permanently!) I tested all the segments of the digit by using the continuity tone function on my multimeter. All segments of the digit work except for G segment. My meter reports 1.8V for the segments that work, and 2V for the G segment. So, I've either damaged it with heat or.. it died an early natural death? What are my options here? ------------- |
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| mit | Posted: 4 Nov 2021, 11:29 AM |
 yeah whatever Admin Posts: 566 Joined: 4-May 16 |
It does sound like that digit is damaged. The best bet is probably to replace the digit. Irritating that it's the G segment - if it were any other segment, you could just swap that digit with one of the hyphens in the date. If you send me an email, I can post another digit to you. That way it will come from the same batch. Otherwise, if you buy another one from a random seller, the colour won't quite match (which may or may not bother you). ------------- |
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| teridon | Posted: 15 Nov 2021, 12:35 AM |
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Member Posts: 3 Joined: 3-November 21 |
Received the replacement digit and successfully replaced it. Everything is now working, I think. Thank you! ------------- |
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| jdamewood | Posted: 18 Jan 2022, 02:53 AM |
 Member Posts: 1 Joined: 18-January 22 |
I have an issue with 10's hour 'B' segment going in & out. Checked for cold solder joints and did continuity diode check. No obvious cause, but looked for hairline cracks in PCB. When working the segment is bright as the others. Might just be a defective LED display when it heats up. ------------- |
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| mit | Posted: 18 Jan 2022, 02:16 PM |
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yeah whatever Admin Posts: 566 Joined: 4-May 16 |
It's possible it's a hairline crack in the PCB, but the PCB needs to have been bent quite significantly for that to happen, and it's usually obvious. Sometimes if a solder joint is just barely making contact, when you touch it with the multimeter leads to check continuity, that will affect the result. I recommend resoldering each of the joints with plenty of flux and then cleaning with flux cleaner, if there's any hint that the solder joints are the problem. Other than that, as this thread shows, it's possible the digit is damaged. I haven't changed supplier for the digits, but I do notice that recently they have less epoxy fill than they used to. I wonder if that makes them less tolerant to overheating. As always, the offer is there, if you want a replacement digit from the same batch, just drop me an email. ------------- |
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