Timex watch alarm quits after battery change

[Stephen]

I have two Timex watches whose alarms have quit working after I changed the
battery. Both are plain, cheap digital units, both with the "Expedition"
name. One is only about 3 years old (an "iControl" model), the other perhaps
8-10 years old. The watches seem to function fine except there is no longer
an audible alarm when the alarm or timer "goes off". I had no trouble
changing the battery in either case so I can't see how I could have caused
abnormal pressure anywhere nor did I bump anything. And, yes, I pressed the
reset button, more than once.

Has anyone run into this issue? Any ideas?

Thanks,
Stephen

 

[Jonathan Kamens]

I believe there's a metal contact from the circuit board of
the watch that needs to touch the back of the watch for the
beep to work. If that contact fell out when you replaced the
battery, or you bent it so it's no longer making solid
contact with the back of the watch, the beeping won't work.

(Added misc.consumers back to the Newsgroups line, since I
read misc.consumers but not sci.electronics.repair.)

 

[T o d d P a t t i s t]

I have two Timex watches whose alarms have quit working after I changed the
battery.
Has anyone run into this issue?

I've run into it several times with my Data-Link by Timex.
I know you said you pushed the reset button. I presume you
mean you pressed the reset contact inside the case before
closing it up, not the button on the outside. Even if you
pressed the reset contact, correctly, you have to go back
and do it again. This time, press it longer. Eventually it
will take and the alarm will come back. I've had it fail
several times after a battery change, and I've always
pressed the reset carefully, but it still fails half the
time. Longer seems to be better. Just keep trying.

 

[Dean B.]

Stephen...
the "Alarm Buzzer" in digital watches is a piezo disk. A VERY
thin gold/brass looking disk with a circle of Piezo electric crystal that
looks like a circle of white paint. This disk is mounted in the back of the
watch.
The case of the watch is one connector to the "Alarm Buzzer", the other
connector is ususally a VERY VERY TINY little spring attatched to the
innards (Electronics) of the Watch.
When you put the back of the watch on, the little spring makes contact with
the "white" disk and completes the connection.

It's VERY easy to lose that spring!!! CAREFULLY take the back of the watch
off and look for it. If it's still sticking up out of the electronics then
the problem is related to something else. If not you'll have a problem on
your hands. Not only will you have to find or make a new spring, you'll have
to figure out where it connects on the circuit board.

One more thing...if everything else in the watch seems to work BUT the alarm
then RESET is NOT the problem!

Hope this helps.

Cheers....Dean.

 

[JANA]

When you changed the battery, make sure that the rear cover is put back
exactly how it was so that the contact to the back is in proper place. In
many models, the contact is a spring that sits in a round slot. Many people
loose this spring when they change the battery in their watch. The original
spring contact would have to be ordered from Timex, unless you have the
means to make one yourself.

--

JANA
_____


I have two Timex watches whose alarms have quit working after I changed the
battery. Both are plain, cheap digital units, both with the "Expedition"
name. One is only about 3 years old (an "iControl" model), the other perhaps
8-10 years old. The watches seem to function fine except there is no longer
an audible alarm when the alarm or timer "goes off". I had no trouble
changing the battery in either case so I can't see how I could have caused
abnormal pressure anywhere nor did I bump anything. And, yes, I pressed the
reset button, more than once.

Has anyone run into this issue? Any ideas?

Thanks,
Stephen

 

[AZ Nomad]

I have two Timex watches whose alarms have quit working after I changed the
battery. Both are plain, cheap digital units, both with the "Expedition"
name. One is only about 3 years old (an "iControl" model), the other perhaps
8-10 years old. The watches seem to function fine except there is no longer
an audible alarm when the alarm or timer "goes off". I had no trouble
changing the battery in either case so I can't see how I could have caused
abnormal pressure anywhere nor did I bump anything. And, yes, I pressed the
reset button, more than once.

Has anyone run into this issue? Any ideas?

The watchback contains the alarm piezo unit and connection to it is made
by the watch's ground and a little spring stuck in the watch module.

You've obviously lost that little spring.

 

[Jeff Jonas]

I believe there's a metal contact from the circuit board of

the watch that needs to touch the back of the watch for the
beep to work. If that contact fell out when you replaced the
battery, or you bent it so it's no longer making solid
contact with the back of the watch, the beeping won't work.

I've replaced several watch batteries and there's usually
a teeny coil spring that touches the piezo on the back of the watch.
It's really easy for that spring to drop out
since it's not attached to anything.

Yes, that thin thing that looks like it's painted inside
the watch back is the piezo beeper.

 

[T o d d P a t t i s t]

The watchback contains the alarm piezo unit and connection to it is made
by the watch's ground and a little spring stuck in the watch module.

You've obviously lost that little spring.

I read several comments here about the spring and the
contacts to the piezo buzzer. I agree that could be the
problem, but I've had this exact problem (no buzzer, but
watch otherwise works perfectly) with several Timex models
and I've always been extremely careful to assemble them
exactly the same way I took them apart, and be sure the
spring is correctly in place. Every time I've had the
problem, careful reassembly has not been enough, and I've
never lost the spring. As far as I can tell, resetting has
always been the solution, not reassembly. Now when I change
the battery, I squeeze the watch together and test the
alarm. If it fails, I reset, squeeze it together again and
retest until it works, then do a final reassembly. Once I
get the watch alarm working, it always seems to work after
the final reassembly.

 

[Puckdropper]

I read several comments here about the spring and the
contacts to the piezo buzzer. I agree that could be the
problem, but I've had this exact problem (no buzzer, but
watch otherwise works perfectly) with several Timex models
and I've always been extremely careful to assemble them
exactly the same way I took them apart, and be sure the
spring is correctly in place.

I changed my watch battery yesterday, and was wondering about why the
alarm started working when I put the cover back on. That explains a
lot.

Every time I've had the

problem, careful reassembly has not been enough, and I've
never lost the spring. As far as I can tell, resetting has
always been the solution, not reassembly. Now when I change
the battery, I squeeze the watch together and test the
alarm. If it fails, I reset, squeeze it together again and
retest until it works, then do a final reassembly. Once I
get the watch alarm working, it always seems to work after
the final reassembly.

My watch, a cheapie made by Advance has the spring soldered to the PC
board of the watch. You can't lose what isn't loose...

Puckdropper
--
www.uncreativelabs.net

Old computers are getting to be a lost art. Here at Uncreative Labs, we
still enjoy using the old computers. Sometimes we want to see how far a
particular system can go, other times we use a stock system to remind
ourselves of what we once had.

To email me directly, send a message to puckdropper (at) fastmail.fm

 

[Stephen]

Thanks to all who answered. I've got both watches' alarms working again.

Watch 1, the ~10 year old one, has a metal contact soldered not far from the
reset contact (OK, not a button). It was pressed down and came off when I
pulled it back up. After a touch with the solder iron, preceded by a brief
hunt for the reading glasses, it works fine.

Watch 2, the ~3 year old one, has a little spring as everyone said. It was
still there but was caught on the lip of the hole in which it is seated. I
unstuck it and all is well on that one now. I had to replace the battery in
that one again despite having done so less than a year ago. I don't wear it
much so the light hasn't been on much. It just needs a lot of juice
apparently. I had never replaced the battery on watch 1 so it lasted about
10 years.

Stephen