So my TC II starts acting up, flashing away and then....

[767Geoff]

starts displaying random digits with every push. Changed the batteries and no joy. Applied some hairdryer heat to the movement, not to much but obviously the right amount because now it works perfectly.

My question is; what does the heat do to the movement to fix the problem. Did it alter the quartz crystal or the medium it is suspended in or did it affect the Circuit board, or did it cause a bad connection to expand and reconnect.

Just what does the heat trick do?

Cheers, Geoff

PS. I am still waiting to here from Omega about their personal stock of bad crystals with the disappearing logo. I will be dropping by the Omega/Swatch head office in Toronto next month with watch in hand, the missing logo crystal and the original for their comparison, will fill you in then.

[digibloke]

I don't think that there's any one answer to this but you seem to have most of the possibilities covered there. It could be a bad solder joint, a break in the printed circuit or a faulty X-tal.

I've got two P3's which show a "0" with 357 batteries yet run perfectly with 386's. They're a law unto themselves...

There's also the issue with the "heat compensation" gizmo under the IC which Phil B pointed out a while back...

http://www.dwf.nu/viewtopic.php?t=1837

Incidently the hairdryer trick is kind of risky as you're heating up a lot of very tiny 30 year old solder joints.

[767Geoff]

Thanks,

So really it comes down to majic .

I have had two pulsar II's die in the last year. Tired to resurect both with heat and new crystals and no joy. When the Omega went I thought what is left to try.

Fortunately it worked! We will see for how long though. And now of course there is the whole tin whisker thing.

Cheers, geoff

[notonly1]

[quote="767Geoff"] Did it alter the quartz crystal or the medium it is suspended in

Geoff. Just a point of interest. The quartz crystal in mounted in a vacuum.