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Wed Jun 26, 2019 10:56 pm

So I finally decided to replace my long deceased digital clock with a shiny new gowesty unit... to my unpleasant surprise the clock remains stubbornly dead. I tested it by connecting it to a 12v source directly and it lights right up. I am getting continuity to pins 5 (clock) and pin 3 (ground) on the 14 pin connector any ideas in where to look next?

Thu Jun 27, 2019 11:51 am

Follow the "wire" in the blue foil, it might be damaged somewhere.

Thu Jun 27, 2019 12:20 pm

I am not sure about the connector of the GW clock. The OEM on mine works perfectly out of the cluster, connected directly to a battery. Once on the cluster it's not working...

so.. it turns out that the 2 tiny push-in pins (in the white plastic case) are not connecting.. I took the pins out, squeeze them to make then tighter and they are working...

Thu Jun 27, 2019 12:44 pm

I had to troubleshoot one recently, I never figured out if the chip is good or not.

New screen got installed with a GW printed circuit by the owner, I thought it had been done incorrectly, I redid it. Nothing. I saw a partial screen real quick, that was it...

Following up, as I never saw one go bad besides the screen.

Some of them do run faster somehow, I wonder how to adjust the screw..

Wed May 01, 2024 2:52 pm

seems like the right place for this. Took the cluster off and dug out the clock screen and replaced with a new one from GoWesty. Followed the instructions in the video exactly.

Works great except the very bottom right of the screen. Somehow the cell is half lit always. I'm starting to get over how annoyed I am that I'm going to have to tear everything apart again on the cluster (my switches have almost no slack on the wires, so they're pretty hard to get out). Might just leave it, but my OCD is going have a problem with that answer.

I also replace my blue foil a few years back with the awesome kit from vanagon.org and it has been functioning perfectly from the day I installed it, so I doubt this is it.

Any tips? I'm getting letter vibes when I check the time and it's kind of driving me crazy.

Thu May 02, 2024 10:05 am

I know you're all riveted to this thread, but just for future seekers, I think I've identified the problem and maybe learned something about some antique technology along the way.

FWIW, these clocks appear to have been phased out prior to the popularity of fixing things on the internet, because there is very little info on how they work that I could find. But, I watched a video of a guy fixing the screen on his multimeter, which seems similar enough. He took it apart and cleaned the copper contacts on the circuit board with alcohol. (This would definitely explain why you should wear gloves when coming in contact with these parts with your hand.. for the record, I did wear gloves) So i'm going to give that a shot.

This is a still from the install video just after the circuit board is removed. It is flipped over. I circled the contacts and the squares are around the new rubber? pieces that came with the kit. I believe this is the part that rests on the contacts. Still unsure how these work. Unfortunately this all means pulling the cluster and digging out the clock face again. Oh well. I'll report back if it works.

*Edit* aparently the "rubber" things are actually "Zebra Elastomeric Connectors" and the LCD panel has Indium Tin Oxide or ITO which creates clear electrical connectors on it that drive the LCD. who knew? Given the elastomeric connectors are new from GW, my guess is still that the 40 year old circuit board is the culprit.

Thu May 02, 2024 12:27 pm

use the OG elastos. remove the new ones from the equation.

Thu May 02, 2024 12:43 pm

dabaron wrote: use the OG elastos. remove the new ones from the equation.

I may have discarded those already. :oops:

Thu May 02, 2024 1:20 pm

elastomeric connectors rely on a fairly firm pressure to make conductive contact. make sure the clamping frame isn't warped, screws stripped, or something preventing the proper squeeze.

and there is an electrolytic capacitor on the board that should be changed when servicing the clock.

Thu May 02, 2024 3:25 pm

My clock works, display is nice and readable, but the two buttons used to set the time no longer work, I press them with a ball point pen, and no change. Is there a known fix for this failure?

As it is, I set it by disconnecting and then reconnecting my battery at noon, and that is the time the clock restarts at.

So how does one fix the time setting buttons?

Thu May 02, 2024 4:11 pm

zerotofifty wrote:
So how does one fix the time setting buttons?

take the clock apart. there are two tabs that when pushed make contact with the board. the plastic wears down and the tabs bend out of alignment. take the clock out of the cluster and you'll see how the tabs align to the board.

it really does take a gentle pressure to make the contact and too much pressure deforms the plastic.

Thu May 02, 2024 6:31 pm

mine works perfectly....

but loses time...like hours :lol: no rhyme or reason...it can be dead accurate for a month then poof, it's 2 hours off

haven't dug into it, but suspect it's a contact issue in the clock (i have the foil replacement box thing, so I don't think thats the issue)

Fri May 03, 2024 6:57 am

dabaron wrote: zerotofifty wrote:
So how does one fix the time setting buttons?

take the clock apart. there are two tabs that when pushed make contact with the board. the plastic wears down and the tabs bend out of alignment. take the clock out of the cluster and you'll see how the tabs align to the board.

it really does take a gentle pressure to make the contact and too much pressure deforms the plastic.

Could definitely be this, but I also noticed there are the black buttons on the inside of the cluster housing that can get misaligned with the white tabs. Might be worth checking those as well.

Fri May 03, 2024 10:34 pm

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=624391&view=previous

Sat May 04, 2024 3:13 am

zerotofifty wrote:
So how does one fix the time setting buttons?

My new GW clock setting button was dead/broken the day I got it.
I'll buy another one, once I get the time and energy to pull my instrument panel again.

Sat May 04, 2024 4:59 am

skills@eurocarsplus wrote: mine works perfectly....

but loses time...like hours :lol: no rhyme or reason...it can be dead accurate for a month then poof, it's 2 hours off

haven't dug into it, but suspect it's a contact issue in the clock (i have the foil replacement box thing, so I don't think thats the issue)

Exact same symptoms on mine.

Mon Jun 17, 2024 8:55 am

DanHoug wrote: and there is an electrolytic capacitor on the board that should be changed when servicing the clock.

Any info on what this capacitor is so I can get another one? Thinking this may be why my time changes quite frequently and randomly.

Sat Nov 16, 2024 11:04 am

In the last couple weeks these dots appeared on my digital clock. Is this a known issue? I couldn't find other examples of this happening. Maybe a sign that the clock is going bad soon?

Sat Nov 16, 2024 12:01 pm

RGS Paul wrote: skills@eurocarsplus wrote: mine works perfectly....

but loses time...like hours :lol: no rhyme or reason...it can be dead accurate for a month then poof, it's 2 hours off

haven't dug into it, but suspect it's a contact issue in the clock (i have the foil replacement box thing, so I don't think thats the issue)

Exact same symptoms on mine.

My clock started doing this about a year ago. I thought my aux. battery was shutting off for some reason but since then I've set the time and watched it lose minutes while driving over an afternoon so it's losing time w/out visibly losing power (not that I watched it 100% of the time).This is near the bottom of the to-do list for now. I'm just reporting a similar symptom.

Sat Nov 16, 2024 1:38 pm

^^^^

I've been pretty busy and haven't gotten back to this. Seems to happen more in cooler weather so I think it's a contact issue more than anything.

I've seen some updated clocks you can put in but meh....the look is too 'cheap' to me