Clock Troubleshooting

Even though the animation is tested and working before it leaves our facility, the transit period can produce a variety of conditions, this being one of them. Yet it is one of the easiest conditions to fix.

The clock animation is driven by a low powered magnetic field located opposite the magnet at the bottom of the clock lever. (The lever is the part to which the eyes connect at the top, and the tail at the bottom.) The magnetic field must move both the tail and the eyes in tandem without producing to wide a tail swing or too fast. Achieving this requires the proper weighting of the lever, correctly powered magnetic field coil impulses, and nearly friction free turning eyes.

When the requirement for nearly friction free turning eyes is not met, the animation will not work. Since the magnetic field is very low powered, any foreign material stuck in the eye socket pivots can stop a clock newly removed from its box. Also, a clock that has hung on a wall for a long period of time can collect a settlement of dust and grime in the eye sockets, causing this animation problem. The ‘dirt’ on the clock inside may not be visible.

SOLUTION: Three steps performed in the following order:

• 1. Make sure the batteries are fully charged and correctly oriented. There may be enough energy left in the batteries to keep the time, but not enough to power the animation. Also, the batteries must be gripped tightly by the contacts. If the contacts seem loose, go to FAQ-31. The motion of the clock takes a lot of energy.  If you have tried new “C” batteries in your clock, you can also try “AA” batteries as a check.  The AA batteries are about the same length as the C batteries, and fresh AA batteries will animate the clock for several weeks.  Sometimes C batteries, although new in the package, tend to sit on the store shelves longer due to their unique size and may not be fully-charged.
• 2.  Make sure the tail is pulled all the way down into the slot at the bottom of the lever.  In new clocks, the hook on the tail may be tight and not fully engage at first.  You can make sure it is fully engaged by, with the tail hooked in the slot, putting one finger on the top of the tail and with your thumb on the bottom of the lever, giving a gentle pinch.
• 3. Locate the white plastic J-shaped clip found where the bottom eye ball pin fits into the clock case. (Note: If you have the small KC-1, it has no j-clips; however, all other information and procedures still apply.) The J-clip is one-half inch long, wide on the bottom, and short on top. It is frontally attached to the short platform that emerges from inside the case that holds the bottom eye ball pin. There must be a J-clip at the base of each eyeball. If not, that is the likely source of the animation problem.

(The design function of the J-clip is to lift the eyeball up off the short platform, hence eliminating friction.)

If both J-clips are attached, then pull these clips off and reinstall the clip by pushing it fully into the notch, making sure it is flush with the front edge of the short platform, and aligning it straight forward. Then try the clock again on the wall.

If the problem persists, the eyes need to be removed from the clock and cleaning performed for dirt, dust, plastic flecks, or rough spots that could cause friction as the eye turns.

To remove the eyes perform the following:

• a. Pull the J-shaped clips off, and set them aside.
• b. Next, the long stems that come out of the center of each eye must be removed from the slots at the top of the lever. Remove them from the slots by bending the slots material back till the stems fall out. Put the stems to each side out of the way of the lever.
• c. From inside the clock, place a couple of fingers on the top of the eyeball, and apply downward pressure to compress the eye enough to get the top eye pin out of the case hole, and the eye will come out the back of the clock.
• d. With the eye out, blow in the case holes which held the eye to remove any dust, dirt, etc.. Examine the top and bottom eyeball pins making sure there is no plastic burr – if so remove with a nail file.
• e. Reinstall the eye Note that the bottom pin of the eyeball is fully rounded and the top pin half-rounded, so put the bottom pin in the case hole first, and then compress the eyeball getting clearance to place the top pin back in its case hole.
• f. Remove and install the second eyeball according to the above instructions.
• g. Install the J-shaped white plastic clips pushing them fully into the notch, and aligning straight forward.
• h. Put the long eye stems back into the inside slots, the ones nearest the centerline.
• i. Try the clock again on your wall to see if it now wags its tail and rolls the eyes.
• j. Should the clock still not animate, then go to FAQ-2, and perform condition 1.

FURTHER TROUBLE SHOOTING TECHNIQUES AND TIPS:

• 1. Power flow is very important, and the nature of using batteries will cause small deposits on the clock contacts over time, inhibiting power flow.  If you have a clock that is even only a few years old, the contacts look a little darker because of oxidation and deposits.  You can use a little sandpaper or emery board lightly on each clock contact, making a small shiny spot where the contact touches the battery.  Also, loose contacts will not allow power to flow freely from the batteries.  In older clocks, instead of bending contacts, you can use a rubber band to “snug” up the contacts to the battery by placing the rubber band below the bottom contact, around the sides of the battery, and above the top contact.
• 2. Prove there is magnetic field power by disconnecting the eyestems from the lever slots, and try the clock with the tail attached only. If no wag, then make sure the blue packing tape is removed from between the batteries. Make sure the lever can move freely. Make sure the battery contacts are not corroded and tightly grip the batteries. Make sure the clock keeps time.
• 3. When the tail wags by itself, troubleshoot by connecting up one eye at a time to determine if one eye has more drag then the other. This can be determined by observing the width of the tail swing. Remove and clean the eye having more drag.
• 4. It helps the clock perform better if there is a slight forward tilt to the clock; do this by leaving about 3/8 to 1/2 inch space between the wall and the head of the clock.
• 5. If it stops when up on the wall, it may mean the wall is not straight. You may need to move it to a straighter wall.
• 6. When hanging the clock on a nail or screw, be careful not to insert it too far into the back of the clock or it will interfere with the lever and stop the movement of the eyes and tail.
• 7. Be sure the tail is straight and tight so it’s not throwing the clock off balance (a loose tail requires more power). If the tail isn’t tight and setting exactly flat or square in the lever the animation will not work. Start the animation by pushing very lightly on the top of the tail. Pushing on the lower part of the tail the tail can cause it to unseated in the lever. The tail and the lever must act as a complete unit. Any movement where the tail and the lever come together will cause the animation to stop.
• 8. Make sure the round disk opposite the magnet in the lever is flush with the surface of the battery tray. If the little disk is loose, apply a small piece of tape to each side to hold it firmly in place. When hanging the tail, try not to put pressure on the disk.
• 9. If the tail and eyes are still not swinging correctly, release the eye stems from the lever slots. The tail should swing by itself. If the tail swings without the eyes being engaged, the eyes need the adjustment.
• 10. Occasionally you may need to clean the eye pegs and clips with a lint-free cloth to remove any build-up of dust. (The principle: the eyes have to pivot on a smooth surface for least resistance, thus they need to be as lightweight as possible.)
• 11. If all else has failed to make the clock animate, move the eye stems to the outside slots instead of the two inside slots.

And finally, when all of the above has failed, one can do this. This procedure was submitted by a customer and worked to solve a stubborn animation problem: use an old-fashioned “cardboard” fingernail file to file the lower pin of each eyeball into a sharp point. But do not remove plastic that would SHORTEN these pins, just put a very sharp little point on them.

Condition 1.

Are you hanging the clock flush to the wall? If so, try this. Hang the clock on a nail about 3/4 inch long, and pull the clock head out from the wall some 3/8 inch – 1/2 inch.
This produces a slight forward lean with the clock and often makes a sluggish clock animate correctly. Mechanically, this lean moves the magnet inside the clock closer to the coil to maximize the magnetic field force. Try this solution first before moving to conditions 2 & 3.

Condition 2.

A clock may slow and stop because the small Philips head screw securing the lever, or pendulum, is over tightened.
Back the screw off 1/2 turn, and usually the clock then animates correctly.
This screw is found immediately to the left of the pendulum pivot point, which is above the batteries in the middle of the clock.

Condition 3.

A clock may stop after a few hours or days if on a wall with electrical wires behind it. By changing to a different wall the clock should work OK. Another simple solution is a sheet of tin foil inside the clock’s backing. If your wall is free of wires, solve the problem by following the procedures in answer to FAQ-1.

This is not the proper way to determine the workability of the clock. The clock is very sensitive to the vertical position and needs a stable platform, therefore, this can only be controlled by hanging the clock on the wall.

One or both eye stems have come out of the slots at the top of the lever due to rough handling. Reinstall the eye stems by first taking the back off the clock. Note the long stem out of the center of each eyeball, and the opposing 4 black plastic slots at the top of the lever. Bend the slot material backwards to place the stems into the two inside slots, the ones nearest the centerline of the clock.

One or both eye stems have come out of the slots at the top of the lever due to rough handling. Reinstall the eye stems by first taking the back off the clock. Note the long stem out of the center of each eyeball, and the opposing 4 black plastic slots at the top of the lever. Bend the slot material backwards to place the stems into the two inside slots, the ones nearest the centerline of the clock.

Most likely either the top or bottom eyeball pin that hold the eye securely in the case has been broken off due to rough transit. If so, contact the manufacture for new eyes. If not, reinstall eyeball. Note that the bottom pin of the eyeball is fully rounded and the top pin half-rounded. Place the bottom pin in the case hole first, and then compress the eyeball getting clearance to place the top pin back in its case hole.

The timepiece works independent of the animation. When the animation has stopped, troubleshoot the clock according toFAQ-1 andFAQ-2.

First check the battery terminals for corrosion. Second replace the batteries with new. Next, with the good batteries installed, set the time at 12 o’clock and five minutes later, observe that the time has moved 5 minutes. If so the clock is not dead.

Continue by disconnecting the eye stems from the lever, attach the tail, and hang your clock on the wall. Give the tail a push and see if the tail will swing without the eyes connected. If so the clock is not dead, and troubleshoot the clock according to FAQ-1.

The magnetic field that powers the animation is very low powered, and requires friction free eyes to operate. The level of operability cannot be determined by rotating the eyes using human power. Troubleshoot according to FAQ-1.

Grip the clock shaft coming out of the clock with the fingers. Does it wobble or move in and out?
If so, the timepiece has come loose from inside the clock due to rough handling in transit. The clock needs to be replaced.
If solid, then restore the clock hands to the shaft, Do this by pressing the minute hand on first. Rotate the minute hand to point to 12. Then gently pull the minute hand off, and press the hour hand onto the shaft pointing it to 12. Finally, press the minute hand on once again. Both hands should point to 12.

The timepiece has come loose from inside the clock due to rough handling in transit. The clock needs to be replaced.

Using the long hand, the minute hand, rotate the time through a full 24 hours. This cycles all the gears inside the timepiece and may dislodge some foreign material binding the gears. Set hands at 12 o’clock and observe if hands move. If not, repeat rotation procedure at least three times. Caution: DO NOT SET THE TIME USING THE HOUR HAND, THIS CAN DAMAGE THE TIMEPIECE.

The hour hand needs to be lifted up slightly on the clock shaft to clear the jewel. Gently pry it up.

Using the long hand the minute hand, rotate the time through a full 24 hours. Then see if the clock keeps time. By rotating the hands all the gears inside the clock are turned at least once. This might dislodge any foreign material jamming the gears. Try 2 or 3 times before giving up.

Excessively rough transit can cracked the lever. The crack usually occurs on the clear plastic part above the battery. Contact the manufacture for a new lever.