Best Clock?

"Jay Honeck" writes:

I have that in my Aircoupe. The LCD display is splotchy, the buttons
are unreliable, a real piece of junk. It has less functions than a
$10 Westbend timer and costs 10 times as much.

That's odd. The one in my Warrior was beautiful, easy to read, and the
buttons worked really well.

I stand corrected. I have an Astrotech, truly a mediocre product
grossly overpriced at $112 from Chief.

Jay Honeck wrote:
The old wind-up clock in my Pathfinder has become
sporadic at best. When it
was below zero here, it didn't work at all.

Any recommendations on a replacement?


Get it cleaned. My Swiss Wittnauer just stopped working last
week. Its a classic, top quality windup that has been in my
C-170 for 50? years. I thought about replacing it with one
of the more accurate, cheaper, more reliable, less
susceptible to heat and cold but otherwise tasteless
electronic varieties...I just couldn't do it.

I removed it and took it to my local (somewhat crusty) local
Czech watchmaker who immediately berated me since it hadn't
been cleaned since 1983. I got the lecture about how even
top quality watch oils will evaporate over time and gum
things up.

When I went to pick it up, he hesitated giving it to me
after I had paid for it. More lecture...did I know how bad
heat and cold were on such a precision instrument, etc, etc.
He wanted me to promise to remove it if I wasn't going to
be flying for more than a week. I said I'd see what I could do.

In any case, it sure looks better than some cheesy
electronic thing even if it has its drawbacks. If it works
for another 20 years before needing another cleaning, I will
be happy.

Pete
Anchorage








--

Peter D. Brown
http://home.gci.net/~pdb/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/akmtnsoaring/

Jay Masino wrote:
I think the clock that is most complained about on the group (over the
past 10 years, atleast) is the AstroTech LC2. I don't think the Davtron
is as problematic. That said, I've had the Astrotech for atleast 8 or 9
years and it's been OK.

My airplane had one of these when I bought it. The buttons worked
intermittently, and the display was weak and would fade away if the humidity was
high. Occasionally the oscillator would stop and the date/time would fall
behind by several days. Replacing the battery didn't help. I thought I'd junk
it, but decided to try and fix it first.

Originally, it ran off a single AAA battery (1.5v) I tried adding a second AAA
in series... Wow! The increased voltage (3v) totally transformed the thing.
The display was now crisp and sharp, it now kept good time, and the buttons now
worked reliably.

I think if I used it in IFR a lot, the buttons
may not hold up, but when I was flying IFR I used a stop watch.

I used mine a lot in IFR. The buttons themselves never had a problem, but I
ended up pushing the "start" button firmly so many times that the plastic
frontpiece finally cracked around a panel mount nut, so that the clock was only
held in the panel by one screw (the panel cutout was only drilled with two
mounting holes.) I replaced the nut and added a washer to distribute the
"button-pushing" stresses better; no problems since.

I probably wouldn't buy another, but if anyone has an Astro-tech clock with
problems (and doesn't mind some soldering and a bit of mechanical engineering),
adding a second battery helps.

Mark/C182L

In article ,
Mark Mallory wrote:

Originally, it ran off a single AAA battery (1.5v) I tried adding a second AAA
in series... Wow! The increased voltage (3v) totally transformed the thing.
The display was now crisp and sharp, it now kept good time, and the buttons now
worked reliably.

Maybe it was designed to run off of a ~3.2V lithium cell?

--
Ben Jackson

http://www.ben.com/

The clock in my Baron yoke is old, scratched, and otherwise doesn't match
the new interior. The only one available that might fit is a Davtron, which
is not approved by STC.

Therefore, it sounds like I need a 337 and a field approval to install this
clock. Has anyone had a similar experience? It seems like a lot of hassle
for just a clock, although it is a permanent installation, etc.

Any suggestions?

Viperdoc wrote:

The clock in my Baron yoke is old, scratched, and otherwise doesn't match
the new interior. The only one available that might fit is a Davtron, which
is not approved by STC.

Therefore, it sounds like I need a 337 and a field approval to install this
clock. Has anyone had a similar experience? It seems like a lot of hassle
for just a clock, although it is a permanent installation, etc.

I bought my aircraft without a clock and wound up installing one that was not
listed on the OEL. Since it ties into the aircraft power system, the local FSDO
wanted a statement of the voltage required and proof that it was manufactured
for use in an aircraft. I had to call the manufacturer to get the voltage and
write up a statement myself describing the conversation. The box in which the
clock came, the receipt, and a page from the Chief Aircraft catalog was accepted
as proof that it was, in fact, aviation equipment. I installed the clock under
supervision and my IA took care of the 337 and arranged for a field inspection
to be performed. The installation, paperwork, and inspection was all done at
annual inspection time.

Teterboro FSDO.

George Patterson
A diplomat is a person who can tell you to go to hell in such a way that
you look forward to the trip.

"G.R. Patterson III" writes:

Viperdoc wrote:

The clock in my Baron yoke is old, scratched, and otherwise doesn't match
the new interior. The only one available that might fit is a Davtron, which
is not approved by STC.

Therefore, it sounds like I need a 337 and a field approval to install this
clock. Has anyone had a similar experience? It seems like a lot of hassle
for just a clock, although it is a permanent installation, etc.

I bought my aircraft without a clock and wound up installing one that was not
listed on the OEL. Since it ties into the aircraft power system, the local FSDO
wanted a statement of the voltage required and proof that it was manufactured
for use in an aircraft. I had to call the manufacturer to get the voltage and
write up a statement myself describing the conversation. The box in which the
clock came, the receipt, and a page from the Chief Aircraft catalog was accepted
as proof that it was, in fact, aviation equipment. I installed the clock under
supervision and my IA took care of the 337 and arranged for a field inspection
to be performed. The installation, paperwork, and inspection was all done at
annual inspection time.

A 337? For a friggin' clock?

Oh never mind, these people love paperwork. Carry on, private, carry on.

-jav