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Showing content with the highest reputation on 03/19/21 in Posts

  1. A greate thanks to ya all, and to HSL for helping out...sends you a befor and after pic.
    5 points
  2. Anyone see where that went
    2 points
  3. Well, I will dare to speak of the humble transistor. I put the images and audio files together with the clock from which I obtained the sound. Nothing else is needed. The circuit is made up of a transistor and a resistor. Plug directly into your computer's sound input and you're done. The recording is raw, it has no filter of any kind. And fluorescent light definitely makes too much noise. But this should be located at 50 or 60 Hz. The ones I have been able to hear in your recordings are from transformers or power supplies for computers. It could be that the fluorescent lights use an electronic ballast. Transistor.mp3 Audio Config.
    2 points
  4. I think you need to quantify what you mean by steady and fluctuating. Some pictures of the timegrapher traces and the pins would help. The short answer to your question is yes. The hairspring should oscillate between the pins identically DU and DD.
    2 points
  5. I can confirm Guido's results. I ran the audio files on PCTM. There is much low frequency noise, much too much for this elaborate amplifier. Waltham was loud (PW?) compared to the noise, with software filter 'on', noise disappeared totally. The other files showed a bit poor signal/noise ratio. Frank 2892 filter'on': SmallWatch... filter 'off': Waltham before..., filter 'off':
    2 points
  6. I doubt that they would sell an unhardenable steel, so no need to "inject carbon". If you want to harden steel, the typical alloys that a watchmaker might use would be oil hardenable or water hardenable. At watch size parts either will harden in oil just fine, so don't fret about knowing which type you may have. It needs to be heated to its critical temperature, which for practical purposes isn't a number but a color- you want to get it a dull orange color, then immediately drop into oil (about 0.5 liter is good). It can be pretty much any oil, but thinner is better than thicker. Now the steel is completely hard. To test if it did in fact harden you can try to cut it with a fine file (like a 5 or 6 cut). The file should slide and not bite. Obviously try this on a piece of your steel that hasn't been made into a part yet! Once it's hard, you need to clean off the scale and black color, then heat it in a pan of brass filings or fine sand, normally over an alcohol lamp, and bring it up to a blue color. Now it's tempered. If left in the full hard state it will be too fragile, tempering reduces the hardness, while increasing toughness. Once it's blue you can clean it up in your lathe, the blue comes right off with fine grinding or polishing paste.
    2 points
  7. Here is a Recording of a 2892 ETA inside its case. 2892.m4a
    2 points
  8. Im using a Vibrograph b-200A microphone. Here is a recording of a small watch still inside its heavy case. Recording in noisy but not loud room. SMALL WATCH HIGH BEAT IN LARGE CASE.m4a
    2 points
  9. It might look like a screw but far more likely it's the end of a split pin. Look from the other side ... is it smooth? Whilst you could push it out with a thin piece of metal (e.g. a paperclip) it's best to use a proper tool. They're pretty inexpensive; look on ebay for 'watch bracelet pin remover'.
    2 points
  10. My advice is to not use a balance tack. They have no practical advantage but can easily distort hairsprings, as you have found yourself. Post pictures of the hairspring here from top and side to see how much work is to correct it.
    2 points
  11. hi, recently i got Blundell - double fusee bracket clock. the case is in very bad shape needs lot of work/re-construction, whereas the movement requires thorough servicing - as no major/important parts missing. i would like to know the built of this clock...
    1 point
  12. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madman_Muntz
    1 point
  13. 1 point
  14. I would. This is not a 5G transceiver you are dealing with. Take a look at the Vibrograph unit...you are much smaller than that. Spreading out the components just makes later troubleshooting easier. Replacing a capacitor for a different value...etc.
    1 point
  15. I've found that tons of positional variations are HS dependent... meaning, a slight asymmetry may make the HS rub on the plate on certain positions, etc. Recall that the pins don't have effect on rate on the horizontal positions... only verticals. If HS is fine, then I would look at the pivot on the affected down side (DU) as it can be worn or even deformed. This is assuming the jewel is clean and well oiled and such. Just my 2 cents...
    1 point
  16. BTW @CWRNH, I suggest adding extra ground pads to your layout as well as V- and V+. This is for test only. You may want to attach scope probe ground and need a good test point to connect it to.
    1 point
  17. Enclose it in a metal box (as someone suggested), and ground the box to earth ground. I have mine in open air sitting on a metal desk. If the metal desk is not grounded, I have problems with ac hum.
    1 point
  18. I would have to see where I actually soldered the wires to steal the power. I'm not actually plugged into the USB port I'm using a USB microphone headphone adapter. This way I'm using that as the microphone input and swiping the power for my circuit.
    1 point
  19. It depends upon the choice of your op amp. For instance the circuit I have I'm powering it off the USB port because I don't like batteries.
    1 point
  20. I don't think the kind of capacitors matter for the coupling capacitors. (Everyone seems to use ceramic for bypass capacitors, though.) I investigated microphonics in my circuit and I don't think I found anything. Don't really remember. Higher voltage definitely works. It's a weak 9 V battery that causes trouble. And based on praezis's comment, I think I will use a 12 V battery from now on (A23 batteries are readily available). I am using RG174/U coax as my shielded cable. The local electronics store calls it "instrument cable." The most important thing is to put the board in a metal box. Shielding the microphone itself makes a difference to the noise spectrum, but I don't know if this affects actual operation any. I don't know about the ground planes, but a problem with my layout is that there are no good places to put the bypass capacitors. I think for an analog circuit like this with no high-current switching going on, this is probably not that critical. (I wonder if the rail-splitter has any switching circuitry.)
    1 point
  21. I was trying not to buy myself a, watch, then this one came up, oddly enough I couldn't belive that I was the only person bidding on it, so I ended up buying it. I still can't believe that no one else did. So the watch is yes and omega calibre 26.5t3, for those who will want to know the exact model. OK so the back looked like a 10 year old had been trying to open it with a pen knife. The crown is awful, not original and so beaten around I'm surprised it even would up,so it needs a bit of TLC. Its going to need a good service, mainspring as looking at the old one some one has repaired it during its long life, the stem has been cut r too short to be of any use, and I've got to get another crown, when I get the time. It's just a nice untouched piece, and I'm going to leave the dial as it is.
    1 point
  22. I am quite sure. I already did to some extent ?. However I do not use WOS or its amplifier. Maybe its developer can contribute a bit more here, as he is reading, too. Frank
    1 point
  23. Print your pcb to scale and paste it on thin cardboard or foam and insert the components you are going to use and make sure you are happy with the spacing and congestion.
    1 point
  24. I would look around for an old pair of wired headphones that are no longer in use, cut the cable off, and use that. Typically they are shielded and very flexible. I doubt you would be able to measure a difference with or without the copper pour. If I were making the pcb myself, I always use copper pour to make my etchant last longer!
    1 point
  25. 1 point
  26. I have a couple questions. Should I have used ceramic capacitors for instead of film capacitors? (I used the film type because they were what I had on hand, I had to combine 2 C1s and 3 C7s to get the correct values). I read that sometimes the ceramic capacitors can act like mics so I thought the film type may be better. Would I 9.6v power source be okay to use with this circuit? I want to use a rechargeable higher capacity battery. What would be the best shielded cable and connectors to use? Would ground planes for the grounds and v- lessen or worsen the noise? Here is my idea for the new board so far. Bottom copper.. Top copper...
    1 point
  27. Listening to the recording, I notice a lot of noise. After analyzing it with Spectra, it becomes evident that below 3kH there is a lot of noisy signal. Review these options: 1.- Make sure that the sensor inside the pick up of the vibrograph microphone is in good condition. 2.- Use good quality shielded cable to prevent electromagnetic waves traveling in all directions in the room from contaminating. Produced by battery chargers, energy saving lamps, led bulbs, etc. 3.- Noise in itself is not a problem. If the signal exceeds the noise by about 40 dB, good results can be obtained. 4. On the e_timer screen, the signal may be clean. But it is because the program applies a VERY EFFICIENT filter. I prefer to use the WOS screen. The waveform display. AND WITHOUT APPLYING ANY FILTER IN WOS. In the last Waltham sound, I don't understand what the adjustment was made but it improved the sound noticeably. Enough already to be analyzed by timing machine. Finally I have the idea that the cable that carries the signal from the microphone to the preamplifier needs a better shield. And I'm sure that if the whole circuit is inside a metallic enclosure, the signal will be clean. Noise is present, but the signal strength is much higher.
    1 point
  28. WOW, So I replaced the capacitors as you indicated and it made quite a difference. Here is a screenshot without digital filtering. AND With filtering All of this noise is gone, you can see where the averages were before. Here it is without anything on the mic And for comparison here it is with the Amp turned off. And also attached is a recording of the watch. 2021-03-18 22.08.35.mp4 Waltham recording after replacing Capacitors.m4a
    1 point
  29. Here are some shots with the Waltham on the mic
    1 point
  30. Apply heat for a while & dip in oil will harden it. Another option is to place the metal on a piece of brass & apply heat slowly & watch for it to turn blue.
    1 point
  31. Thank you very much for the information I am analyzing it.
    1 point
  32. I did add a diode and a switch which
    1 point
  33. I still have to change the buffer op amp and replace a couple capacitors, maybe doing so will clean it up even more
    1 point
  34. And one more, An 18 size Waltham 18s Waltham.m4a
    1 point
  35. Years ago the big three auto companies once had huge vats of Freon that they would dip parts in before plating. Long ago I was given a couple of cans of it. It was like magic how well it cleaned.
    1 point
  36. Spring should be located like I've tried to illustrate against one of your photos below (the long end of the spring going in the 'U' of the click).
    1 point
  37. If its friction from your seat, lightly spray it with water. Earth yourself on a radiator or tap before using the oiler. If you are wearing shoes with rubber soles they prevent you earthing to the ground. You could sit with your feet in a bucket of water ?
    1 point
  38. Precisely. I started to go down this path in an earlier post but deleted it. I suspect that @svorkoetterimplemented some digital filtering in his software algorithm (he wrote the tool, right?). Apart from ambient noise (60Hz, etc) overloading the early stages, you could do without filtering at the analog level and do it all digitally. What I found with my little circuit was that without some LP filtering (I have added some since the schematic was published) the second stage can get overloaded with some random switch-mode power supply filling the ether. Regarding the "listening" aspect. I do not have the trained ear to ferret out some malfunction by listening. What I see on my oscilloscope shows a lot going on. I cannot interpret all of what I see, but I believe the visual display is a treasure trove of useful information. While I do not get printed metrics, I really like seeing the pattern. The software you guys are using gives the same visual display plus the useful metrics--which is very nice.
    1 point
  39. I would tend to leave well enough alone. Putting a cylinder balance wheel in a truing caliper you going to have issues. If you break the cylinder it's going to be really fun to try to replace that and fun really isn't quite the right word. That's a cast balance wheel it wasn't machined. It probably had some machining but? I was trying to avoid this this is not a real high quality watch if the hands move and keeps time within minutes per day you should be happy.
    1 point
  40. First of all, thanking all the work of the forum members. I have learned a lot in the last few days. I agree with what @JohnR725 think about where we eliminate the noise. It is better to pay attention to bring a clean signal to the preamplifier. Because everything that comes from there will be amplified, signal or noise.
    1 point
  41. Most of the noise is from the resistors, not the op amps. The buffer stage op amp contributes nothing (measurable) to the noise seen at the preamp output. I suspect the noise is not too important if our only concern is to measure the oscillation frequency. But listening to the output may be useful (to an experienced ear) and the noise definitely makes a difference in this case. And maybe future software may tell us more about what is wrong with a watch by listening to it. As far as how much gain we need, this depends on the microphone. As I stated previously, I hope people continue to investigate improvements in this area. Picking up sounds in the room really does not seem like a good thing. If you think the passband shape is important, and it may be, why not consider a digital filter? I like your comment on the 741 op amp. How much difference has decades of progress made?
    1 point
  42. Agree...that is essentially my point. The noise performance of the electronics is kinda moot for this application.
    1 point
  43. Hi It’s quite probable that the clothes we wear contain man made fibres like nylon rayon etc and the atmospheric conditions were intensified leading you to charged to a degree it has affected the oil. Not knowing te composition of the oil I suspect It is synthetic which would likely make it worse. Tho only way of stopping it is use a grounding strap and mat, that way both you and the watch will be at the same potential and hopefully sort the problem. When I was at work servicing Mainframe computers, as the machine was running tests I walked across to replace a side panel and killed the machine had to replace the whole cabinet. Found out later from the factory it had blown some components on the base board. Static can be deadly in more ways than one.
    1 point
  44. Perhaps what we're seeing is a confusion of where exactly do we need the low noise? I think of more importance than the op amps would be the pick up. Only picking up the noise the watches making not any extra low noise found nearby. As far as the electronics how quiet is that really have to be? For instance I'm looking at two separate older witschi machines and that both using the tlc274 found at the first link. Then The Chinese like the tlc074 found the second link. Than currently the op amp I'm using is the tlc2272 found at the third link. https://www.ti.com/product/TLC274 https://www.ti.com/product/TLC074 https://www.ti.com/product/TLC2272
    1 point
  45. If coned shaped now, sorting out that hairspring will be painstaking. Dr ranfft lists five variants to AS1187, hairsprings interchange between them, so a scrap balance complete be a donor.
    1 point
  46. That was really uncomfortable to watch. My techniques is faster though, don't have to work about all of the fiddly disassembly: take the movement out, hose it down with brake cleaner, let it dry, hose it down with WD-40, give it a shake, boom! You're done!
    1 point
  47. Hi Danizz, On the 2836 ... there is an intermediate wheel which sits under the barrel... for these movements I usually install the barel/barrel bridge first as I find the intermediate wheel tends to tumble away. Once the intermediate wheel is in place..you are left with the escape, third and second wheel.. to be installed in the pivots in that order. I find it helpful to bring the movement up to eye level so I can view the wheels edge on but you need to be sure you don't drop the thing. Put the bridge on top and while applying light pressure on the bridge (very light...just rest your finger on the bridge..don't press!) get the intermediate wheel followed by the third wheel in the proper holes. The second wheel usually presents no problem as well. You will be left with all the wheels in place except the escape wheel and the train bridge will still be at a slight angle with a small gap visible between bridge and mainplate.. While still applying light pressure on the train bridge, apply light downward pressure on the highest edge of the escape wheel... basically what you are trying to do is bring the wheel upright. I start by pushing the top of the wheel away so that the highest edge is facing me.. I then apply light pressure on the higher edge and the pivot should drop into place. Test by applying some pressure on the barrel side (there is usually a gap on the side of the barrel bridge where the barrel side is exposed) and if all the wheels spin then success! Don't get too excited... if you lift you're finger of the bridge you may find the bridge will lift a little and undo all your hard work.... even if using finger cots (you are, right?).. try to expose the screw hole (roll your finger away) and get a screw started but not fully home...then roll your finger to expose the other screw..similarly don't tighten down. check the wheels still spin... tighten the 1st screw a bit more followed by the second...repeat until all are fairly tight and there are no gaps around the joint between train bridge and main plate.. final check to make sure everything is spinning wheel then tighten the screws fully. Whenever tightening on pivots make sure that you constantly check... I got caught out a few months back while fitting a pallet lever.. that 'tick' sound when a pivot goes is soooooo sickening. Finally... if you have been battling this for some time..put it away, clear your desk, leaving only what parts and tools you need on the desk. Get a good nights sleep, wake up fresh in the morning and start with a clean work bench and clear mind. You'll find it goes so much easier. All the best. Anil
    1 point
  48. Please do not advertise on here.
    0 points
  49. Nice balance tack. Don't be disheartened. You'll get better with practice. A photo of your balance and hairspring would be useful.
    0 points
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