Timegraphing on the cheap!

[ColinC]

I have been using Tg - the open source time grapher program  while resting the watch on the keyboard - it has proved to be OK for some watches but the readings can be all over the place or it just simply doesn't register anything.  Not satisfied with the results (or lack of) I looked at buying a dedicated timegrapher but instead decided to tryout a microphone for use with Tg (or other apps).  $35 including shipping and tax I got myself this
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005004647148661.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.order_list_main.11.510d1802vsNtDv

Here is a screenshot after I cleaned, lubricated, demagnetised and regulated a Soviet watch I bought on eBay for £4.08 

Other things I learned from this

I think my ultrasonic cleaner magnetised the watch parts... So I had to buy a demagnetiser

The shock setting springs on Soviet watches are VERY hard to get back in place!
 

[Endeavor]

47 minutes ago, ColinC said:

The shock setting springs on Soviet watches are VERY hard to get back in place!

Not the "tripod-spring", if you use this DIY device;

 

[ColinC]

I think it was something different - here is my parts tray after disassembly.  The shock setting looks like an incabloc but does not hold in place on one side

[Endeavor]

Those aren't difficult either with the proper technique. Put the back-side of the spring in first with the aid of a small piece of Rodico and keep it in place (pull the back of the spring firm into its seat) with a sharp pointed peg-wood and while holding, close the legs, one-by-one with fine-pointed tweezers. Sometimes these spring do already have a slight curve and if they do, make sure that the curve is at the bottom, that helps with closing the legs.

Bit hard to explain, but I do hope that you understand

 

Edited April 11, 2023 by Endeavor

[JohnR725]

On 4/11/2023 at 8:53 AM, ColinC said:

I have been using Tg - the open source time grapher program  while resting the watch on the keyboard - it has proved to be OK for some watches but the readings can be all over the place or it just simply doesn't register anything.

somewhere in the group recently we had a discussion about that and basically you cannot rely on the graphics display of this program if you're running the PC version because basically it looks like crap.

then there are alternatives that you work with your microphone. The first program runs in the full mode for a certain number of days and it reverts to the free version. So if you like the enhanced features it doesn't cost that much to purchase the program. The second program the link is for the free version but if you read through the literature you'll see what the enhancements are of the enhanced version.

http://www.watchoscope.com/

https://c.web.de/@337134913998293880/YuEh_TobSjaCfyBDix_1gg
 

On 4/11/2023 at 8:53 AM, ColinC said:

I think my ultrasonic cleaner magnetised the watch parts... So I had to buy a demagnetiser

then you should have a demagnetizer anyway because you never know where the watches going to get magnetized.

 

[xyzzy]

On 4/16/2023 at 3:21 AM, JohnR725 said:

somewhere in the group recently we had a discussion about that and basically you cannot rely on the graphics display of this program if you're running the PC version because basically it looks like crap.

It was here, 

I think the best comparison is the when you showed the same watch on both tg 0.5.0 and watch-o-scope, with both programs zoomed in about the same range, 24 ms.  It seemed like the graph was not that different.  It would be interesting to see what the filtering I have added to newer tg versions could have done to improve it.