I got it: Pulsar P3 (Resurrected!)

[vpn]

EDIT: woohoo! I knew I would've catched another one, after I've been forced to drop that Date II. Just payed it right now, a nice P3 Date Command. The watch works, just needs new batteries. I'll take pictures of the watch (along with pics that show it working) as soon as I'll get it!

[bucko170]

Good luck with the watch, hopefully it will work for you.
It not so much what you can see, even clean ones often do not work and who knows what is happening on the other side of the module The first thing I would do is clean off those contacts, try it with some new batteries and keep my fingers crossed.

[vpn]

Edited!

[dutchsiberia]

Nice catch :) The green corrosion on the speed adjustment trimmer worries me a bit, but you might get lucky :) My untested P3 I bought in a watch lot fired up immediately :)

[vpn]

EDIT: at the end, me and the seller agreed to re-list the watch. The shipping costs were too high for my budget, and I've preferred to drop my offer. He kindly accepted, and I'm not disappointed. I'll keep searching for another Pulsar, as I'm optimistic, I'm sure I'll find another P2 Date II or maybe a P3 soon...

[vpn]

UPDATE: as promised, I've updated this thread with my newest catch, a nice P3, got on Ebay for a good price, 150$. The former owner of the watch says it works, and just needs a new pair of batteries. The watch doesn't have the old batteries inside, so no risk of leaking acid this time. I wasn't looking for a NOS model, but something good enough to be a daily wear. Can't wait to get it in my hands and make it "rise and shine"!

[vpn]

I just got the P3 this morning, it has good cosmetical conditions, but unfortunately the watch shows the "dreaded single digit of death", only a "0" which lights up by itself and changes position everytime I put the batteries. Sometimes it happens to have little accidents like this one. So now, it's time to save money to make a SASM module for it, and the P3 will be resurrected.

[bucko170]

I just got the P3 this morning, it has good cosmetical conditions, but unfortunately the watch shows the "dreaded single digit of death", only a "0" which lights up by itself and changes position everytime I put the batteries. Sometimes it happens to have little accidents like this one. So now, it's time to save money to make a SASM module for it, and the P3 will be resurrected.

I would explore the possibility that the QC is faulty as the single digit display is an indicator that it has gone bad, it could have other issues but it is cheap to replace the QC so well worth a try.

[vpn]

Indeed, after all the reason of the "single digit of death" could be the oscillator or the QC, but since I'm not an expert in electronics (I can't even handle a soldering iron, my hand shakes too much ) I'll send it to Hanno, so he can find out if it's just a quartz issue or it needs a SASM. I just have to save the money now, so it can be sent to the LED Hospital and resurrected by the Doctor, with a new quartz or a new SASM heart.

[SASM]

Bucko is right. You could check a few things before converting a module:

1st: Try what Phasar66 did over here:
http://www.newdwf.com/viewtopic.php?f=79&t=5809

2nd: If the watch works with the new quartz or oscillator measure the current flow with a DMM. THe module will die soon if you get anyting above 12uA (7-9uA and below is good).

Be careful and do not ruin the module with the wrong tools.

Good luck, Hanno.

[SASM]

I posted before I read your last comment. If you don´t have the right tools it might be just good to let somebody check it. If your module can be repaired I will do that since I do not convert 100% working modules in general.

Hanno

[vpn]

Hi Hanno, thank you very much for your useful post, but I am not an expert in these things, nor I have the proper tools to do them, so I prefer to not risk by doing those attempts by myself, I'd fry the module immediately! Better to send it to you, since you know how to fix the module.

I've stored the watch so when I'll have enough money I will send it to you, so you can check it out, in case it's a quartz issue (or something else), you can replace it with a new one and fix it, or in case it can't be fixed, a new SASM module can be made out from the old one. Now it's time to start saving bucks, so I can send it to your LED hospital. I'd love to see it working again!

[Phasar66]

I have two SASM25 modules ond on my Omega TC2 and my P3 and work great. they can be adjusted with software to keep very good time and
I like the bright display. He revise the software and add new features to his new modules.

[vpn]

I just got the P3 this morning from Hanno, and it works perfectly. I can't stop thanking Hanno for his amazing work. Without his passion for LED watches and his intensive work to resurrect them, I would never be able to wear it working. Thank you very much Hanno! Here are the pictures of my P3, which is now alive!

[Phasar66]

Don't you love that bright display. You did the right thing. congrats on your new working Pulsar.

[SASM]

Hello vpn and phasar66,

thanks for the nice comments on my work. Anyway you are paying big bucks so you should also expect something in return! What I do like most is that my customers (you!) are satisfied and can proudly wear their watches again.

Hanno

[vpn]

Don't you love that bright display. You did the right thing. congrats on your new working Pulsar.

Ohh I love it so much! Especially because it behaves exactly like the original module. Some minutes ago I've just bought a package of 10 Renata batteries, so I have a good stock of batteries for my baby. It's gorgeous!

Hello vpn and phasar66,

thanks for the nice comments on my work. Anyway you are paying big bucks so you should also expect something in return! What I do like most is that my customers (you!) are satisfied and can proudly wear their watches again.

Hanno

It's you who I should thank Hanno. If it wasn't for your passion and committment to vintage LED watches and vintage electronics, today we wouldn't know what to do in order to fix them, and we'd be forced to frankenstein the modules or we'd have to hunt for spare ones, hoping that our case would be compatible with the module. But the SASM is the Deus Ex Machina that allowed us to resurrect our watches. You're our savior!

The only "issue" (which technically isn't an issue, I'd be too much nit-picking ) at the moment is that sometimes there's a little delay before the time or date is showed, after the button is pushed: sometimes it lights up immediately, while some other times I have to keep the button pressed a bit more to display the time or the date.
I wonder if a good clean with some isopropyl dripped inside the buttons could fix this little issue, just like how Ed suggested in an old thread, otherwise I can live with it, waiting to get used to that.