Belated - new in the house.. >>

Posted By: Ricky Lee McBroom
Date: Wednesday, 25 January 2006, at 9:12 p.m.

I'll try for a better shot soon as I get a Round Tuit...

Though I received it as a Christmas present it wasn't until a few weeks afterward that I actually tried it out, since the battery (a CR2025) was stone-dead right out of the box. When I finally got around to replacing it, I found that it was quite a chore. The four screws holding the case back on were no problem. But the battery holder is held in place with two tiny screws.. which each had a big glob of silicone-like sealer on them! Whilst I was digging that out I broke the solder connection on one of the (two) tiny wires which lead from the movement to the speaker sandwiched in the hollow case back.  Ah well, that's why I've got a micro-mini soldering rig! 

But, hold on, it gets worse. I removed the strap in order to gain better access for the soldering job. The strap came off easily, and the soldering was no big deal - the battery replacement was straightforward from that point on. But when it came time to reattach the strap.. Whoa Nelly! One hole in the lugs had been drilled oversize, and they used a custom-modified springbar from the factory! Even after I figured that out, there was much fussin' and cussin' before I was able to get the springbars seated. I will never remove that strap again! This watch was not designed with serviceability in mind, that's for sure.. but then what is, these days? When the battery goes flat, you're expected to discard it.. 

2006-10-27 update: Finally got a Round Tuit.
The first photo was taken with flash, this one with
ambient indoor lighting. The latter photo is more
representative of the watches' actual color...

) and plays music (8 different tunes: Romeo and Juliet, Prelude, Tchaikovsky, Doll's Dream, El Condor Pasa (my fav!), Love Story, Fur Elise, and Silence). The music sounds like MIDI, and is quite clear and pleasant. The sounds are much louder than I expected, too. The alarms, for instance, are a lot louder than my Casio.

This is my first pure digital watch since I got infected with the WIS bug back in '04. Heck, the first in more than a decade, I reckon. In any case, I was initially surprised that there was no backlight function. Then it hit me.. the watch talks! No need for a backlight. "Doh!" 

All in all, a very neat toy! 

Messages In This Thread

 Belated - new in the house.. >> (views: 86)
Ricky Lee McBroom -- Wednesday, 25 January 2006, at 9:12 p.m.

 Very cool Rick, they're great for blind people. (views: 4)
Adam in NYC -- Thursday, 26 January 2006, at 1:32 a.m.

 That occurred to me also. Hey, .. >> (views: 6)
Ricky Lee McBroom -- Thursday, 26 January 2006, at 2:16 a.m.
In Response To: Very cool Rick, they're great for blind people.   (Adam in NYC)
..my eyes ain't what they used to be! I wear Tri focals, so I'm thinkin' I should
qualify!  -Ricky 

 The ones without lines look fine. (views: 1)
Adam in NYC -- Thursday, 26 January 2006, at 4:13 a.m.

 Nice big Looks cool! (views: 3)
Mike D -- Wednesday, 25 January 2006, at 11:36 p.m.

  , Ricky! (views: 4)
John N -- Wednesday, 25 January 2006, at 11:26 p.m.

 And it occurs to me.. >> (views: 10)
Ricky Lee McBroom -- Wednesday, 25 January 2006, at 10:31p.m.
In Response To: Belated  - new  in the house..  >> (Ricky Lee McBroom)
..that this is not a pure digital watch, after all.
Sure, the sounds are obviously chip-generated, and are stored digitally inside the
watch. But the last step of the interface, from the tiny speaker sandwiched in the
rear cover, then to the ears, is most definitely analog. So 'tis really an Ana-Digi
after all! -Ricky 

 Congratulations. (views: 4)
Danbyers -- Wednesday, 25 January 2006, at 9:37 p.m.

 Pretty cool, I like the rooster crowing alarm! (views: 5)
Alvin Liau -- Wednesday, 25 January 2006, at 9:22 p.m.

 That's kinda cool! (views: 5)
Mike Lipphardt -- Wednesday, 25 January 2006, at 9:20 p.m.

Guilty Pleasures part 2  >>

Posted By: Ricky Lee
Date: Wednesday, 04 February 2009, at 2:42 p.m.

One rather obvious reason I haven't been wearing this one is that the battery was dead. I've been putting off changing it 'cause it is without a doubt the biggest pain-in-the-butt of any watch I've ever seen when it comes to battery changes, rivalled only by my MP3 Watch. Well, my guilt trip of yesterday plus the fact that I had to make a Wal-Mart stop anyway conspired in such a way to put me right in front of the Battery Center, eyeballing the CR2025 cells. I just had to see to it.

Part of the battery-change problem with this watch is that the strap has to be removed before you can pull the back cover. And this strap is a Royal pain to R & R. The only reason it requires removal is that it has a "flange" that extends 1.5mm over the edges of the case back. I looked it over, decided this was a design flaw..

..then grabbed the X-acto and trimmed the offending millimeter-and-a-half off. The flange still does its job, no problem. Now for the real nitty gritty. The caseback comes right off after the 4 screws are removed..

..but note the two wires leading to the caseback. The speaker for the "talking complication" is in there, and these wires are permanently soldered in place. And that's the main reason a battery swap is such a pain - there's not much slack in the wires, and juggling the caseback while pulling the screw that holds the battery clip down requires three hands. Last time I changed batteries I broke the connection on the yellow wire and had to re-solder it. Here's a photo of my oh-so-neat solder job..

No such problems this time, luckily! Maybe practice does make perfect?

In any case, I'm a-wearin' her today. I know 'tis a cheesy piece, but I love it partly for that reason. And, hey, "El Condor Pasa" is in it's repertoire of songs, so how could I pass that up?

-Ricky

I don't know Ricky, I think I would have donated it to the local thrift store. BTW, I need to know where to find you when the big one hits. You're my ticket to survival!  (n/t) (views: 8)
JohnnyT -- February 04, 2009 05:14PM

Couldn't do it, Johnny. This one.. (views: 11)
Ricky Lee -- February 04, 2009 06:07PM
..was also a gift, and has quite a bit of sentimental value. And, again, I do enjoy the "schlock factor".  It's like an old B movie, you know? So bad that it's good.  You don't really want to watch, but you just can't help yourself. 

    Quote
    JohnnyT
    I need to know where to find you when the big one hits. You're my ticket to survival! 

I-55 to MS-310. When you get to Longtown, ask anyone where the crazy white  who rides the red Honda lives. They'll all know... 

-Ricky

  (n/t) (views: 6)
JohnnyT -- February 04, 2009 10:03PM