Disconnect the Clock

BrianMac123

Active Member
2200TC garaged for winter project. I don't want to disconnect the battery,, can the Smiths Clock be disconnected? Bloody hell it doesn't half tick. Sorry if already posted, I tried a search first.
 
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Why don't you want to disconnect the battery? You'll just flatten it if you leave it connected..
 
Why would you not want to disconnect the battery? It's a basic safety precaution for any car that is stored. The battery should be stored charged and that'll prevent any possibility of it being discharged.

But sure, you can pull and isolate the (I think purple) cable any time. It's a simple electrically wound mechanical clock. It'll start again when the power is restored.
 
Who said anything about being stored? It's being worked on every day. Inside, outside, underenath and under the bonnet. So the consensus is to disconnect/reconnect the battery constantly, rather than disconnect an annoying clock? And what if I don't want the clock whilst driving? I don't care for loud ticking Clocks at all in fact. I'll figure it out meself! Cheers :hmm:
 
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the clock is wound electrically but operates mechanically. amount of power it consumes is very small and would take quite some time to flatten a battery. easy option is to swap clock for a fully electric one of same diameter polarity maybe. noise then not an issue. we can also install oen of those battery switches that simply disconnect/connect battery with simple turn or 2 .
 
Who said anything about being stored? It's being worked on every day. Inside, outside, underenath and under the bonnet. So the consensus is to disconnect/reconnect the battery constantly, rather than disconnect an annoying clock? And what if I don't want the clock whilst driving? I don't care for loud ticking Clocks at all in fact. I'll figure it out meself! Cheers :hmm:

Because no one mentions disconnecting the battery in any context and then plans to go for a drive. Just a very strangely phrased question. As I said, pull the purple wire off the back and tape any exposed part of the connector because this circuit is always live.
 
I would suggest that the clock needs a service if its that loud.
Another point is that these clocks can draw much more current when they are in need of a service.

Graeme
 
"AT 50 mph, the loudest noise is the clock ticking"
Wasn't that a Rolls Royce boas in the 30's?

Yes; RR actually said 60mph in their ads, which were for the Silver Cloud in the late 50s but there is a view that the ad people were 'influenced' (they wouldn't pinch somebody else's idea, would they) by a 1930's advert for Pierce Arrow, although that didn't mention a particular speed.

Always a useful snippet of info. for breaking the ice when first meeting a member of the opposite sex :LOL::LOL:
 
Yes; RR actually said 60mph in their ads, which were for the Silver Cloud in the late 50s but there is a view that the ad people were 'influenced' (they wouldn't pinch somebody else's idea, would they) by a 1930's advert for Pierce Arrow, although that didn't mention a particular speed.

Always a useful snippet of info. for breaking the ice when first meeting a member of the opposite sex :LOL::LOL:

Yes indeed! tell us how that works out for you.
 
From memory, the Rover clock does not 'tick' in the normal way; but the noise we hear is the escapement weight being lifted, so that as it runs down the clock works. One loud 'clunk' instead of a series of 'ticks' that a normal clock sounds. it is a mechanical clock that is would electrically, and we hear the winding noise.
Electrically, it takes a single very short pulse of power from the battery. Somebody measure it as 200mAmp for a fraction of a second, maybe once every 10 seconds. A 50AH battery would supply this power for ever, or until it self discharged..

"AT 50 mph the loudest noise is the clock ticking," was the Autocar/Motor road test. RR response was "We must do something about that clock."
 
From memory, the Rover clock does not 'tick' in the normal way; but the noise we hear is the escapement weight being lifted, so that as it runs down the clock works. One loud 'clunk' instead of a series of 'ticks' that a normal clock sounds. it is a mechanical clock that is would electrically, and we hear the winding noise.
Electrically, it takes a single very short pulse of power from the battery. Somebody measure it as 200mAmp for a fraction of a second, maybe once every 10 seconds. A 50AH battery would supply this power for ever, or until it self discharged..

"AT 50 mph the loudest noise is the clock ticking," was the Autocar/Motor road test. RR response was "We must do something about that clock."

I think the pulse time is more like a minute between resets, as the mechanism gets worn ( unserviced) the time may become shorter, also the solenoid contacts become pitted causing other problems of their own.
I had mine serviced a few years ago, made a big difference, the draw current pulse was about 50 mA, I didn't bother to measure the pulse length but before I serviced the clock I did make some measurements ( which led me to service it) and the current draw was sufficient for me to install a battery line isolation switch to ensure the battery didn't go flat too quickly when the car was laid up.

Graeme



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