Digital Clock
03-24-2005, 08:46 PM
#16
Race Car
Thread Starter
Originally Posted by gsenn
Dan, if the strip around the clock is not grounded to the frame or some other grounding source, the clock would not be grounded and current would not flow to the clock. Just a thought. Was the strip you removed made out of metal? If the new strip is made out of plastic, you way not have a ground. The easiest way to determine if you have power to the clock is to use a volt meter--touch one side of the volt metermeasure to the wire that attaches to the clock and the other side to a reliable ground, then you will be sure if it is a grounding problem. It could be a myriad of things, but who knows--good luck
gs
1984 944 Guards Red
gs
1984 944 Guards Red
03-24-2005, 09:40 PM
#17
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The power to the clock comes from the connector that runs into the clock at the back; the connector has the ground in it, so there is no grounding to the dash strip or anything like that.
The power to the bulb comes off the clock circuit board -- the bulb "twist base" connector actually twists directly into the circuit board. There is no seperate power supplying the clock light. If the clock is getting power, the bulb should be too.
So that leaves you with three possibilities. The first, and most likely, is that you have a blown bulb. You can test the bulbs directly by applying a battery to the bulb once it has been removed (6v will do -- a bit dim but you can see it works). The second (less likely) is that there is an internal fault with the clock so that no power is available at the circuit board where the bulb mounts. You could test for this easily enough with a multimeter, though. With the bulb removed, just place the probes on the two solder lumps at each end of the hole in the circuit board the bulb base screws into.
A third possibility is that your bulb is OK, there is juice at the circuit board, but the the bulb is not mounted properly. A bit of twisting and jiggling should sort this out.
Good luck. You can buy replacement bulbs as genuine Porsche parts through your dealer. Or, you could probably source them directly -- my guess is this would be cheaper, if you were willing to spend a bit of time tracking them down. Mine says "Osram 12/12" on the plastic base.
-Mark
The power to the bulb comes off the clock circuit board -- the bulb "twist base" connector actually twists directly into the circuit board. There is no seperate power supplying the clock light. If the clock is getting power, the bulb should be too.
So that leaves you with three possibilities. The first, and most likely, is that you have a blown bulb. You can test the bulbs directly by applying a battery to the bulb once it has been removed (6v will do -- a bit dim but you can see it works). The second (less likely) is that there is an internal fault with the clock so that no power is available at the circuit board where the bulb mounts. You could test for this easily enough with a multimeter, though. With the bulb removed, just place the probes on the two solder lumps at each end of the hole in the circuit board the bulb base screws into.
A third possibility is that your bulb is OK, there is juice at the circuit board, but the the bulb is not mounted properly. A bit of twisting and jiggling should sort this out.
Good luck. You can buy replacement bulbs as genuine Porsche parts through your dealer. Or, you could probably source them directly -- my guess is this would be cheaper, if you were willing to spend a bit of time tracking them down. Mine says "Osram 12/12" on the plastic base.
-Mark
03-24-2005, 09:52 PM
#18
Race Car
Thread Starter
Originally Posted by Mark944na86
The power to the clock comes from the connector that runs into the clock at the back; the connector has the ground in it, so there is no grounding to the dash strip or anything like that.
The power to the bulb comes off the clock circuit board -- the bulb "twist base" connector actually twists directly into the circuit board. There is no seperate power supplying the clock light. If the clock is getting power, the bulb should be too.
So that leaves you with three possibilities. The first, and most likely, is that you have a blown bulb. You can test the bulbs directly by applying a battery to the bulb once it has been removed (6v will do -- a bit dim but you can see it works). The second (less likely) is that there is an internal fault with the clock so that no power is available at the circuit board where the bulb mounts. You could test for this easily enough with a multimeter, though. With the bulb removed, just place the probes on the two solder lumps at each end of the hole in the circuit board the bulb base screws into.
A third possibility is that your bulb is OK, there is juice at the circuit board, but the the bulb is not mounted properly. A bit of twisting and jiggling should sort this out.
Good luck. You can buy replacement bulbs as genuine Porsche parts through your dealer. Or, you could probably source them directly -- my guess is this would be cheaper, if you were willing to spend a bit of time tracking them down. Mine says "Osram 12/12" on the plastic base.
-Mark
The power to the bulb comes off the clock circuit board -- the bulb "twist base" connector actually twists directly into the circuit board. There is no seperate power supplying the clock light. If the clock is getting power, the bulb should be too.
So that leaves you with three possibilities. The first, and most likely, is that you have a blown bulb. You can test the bulbs directly by applying a battery to the bulb once it has been removed (6v will do -- a bit dim but you can see it works). The second (less likely) is that there is an internal fault with the clock so that no power is available at the circuit board where the bulb mounts. You could test for this easily enough with a multimeter, though. With the bulb removed, just place the probes on the two solder lumps at each end of the hole in the circuit board the bulb base screws into.
A third possibility is that your bulb is OK, there is juice at the circuit board, but the the bulb is not mounted properly. A bit of twisting and jiggling should sort this out.
Good luck. You can buy replacement bulbs as genuine Porsche parts through your dealer. Or, you could probably source them directly -- my guess is this would be cheaper, if you were willing to spend a bit of time tracking them down. Mine says "Osram 12/12" on the plastic base.
-Mark
03-24-2005, 09:56 PM
#19
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But do you know for sure that any of the bulbs are good? Or are you assuming "well, these _all_ can't be bad..."?
-Mark
-Mark
Last edited by Mark944na86; 03-24-2005 at 10:17 PM.
03-24-2005, 10:07 PM
#20
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Thread Starter
Originally Posted by Mark944na86
But do you know for sure that any of the bulbs are good? Or are you assuming "well, these _all_ can be bad..."?
-Mark
-Mark
03-24-2005, 10:15 PM
#21
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Do you have a multimeter? Even a $10 cheapie from Radio Shack or wherever can be be a very useful tool for situations like these.
-Mark
-Mark
03-24-2005, 11:12 PM
#22
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As a last resort here is what I did, I tried everyway to get my clock light to work and could not, finally I gave up on the stock bulb and socket. My solution was to go to Radio Shack and buy a small bulb and bulb socket. I ran a couple of wires off the socket to another light that best I remember was close by. I put the bulb into the clock and put a little silcone to hold it in. Have not had a problem since and the light works great.
I went out to the garage and the found the bulb package , the bulb is Radio Shack Part #272-1143 Midget Screw-Base Lamp 12 volts 75 mA. Buy the socket for this bulb and you should be ready to go. In using the silicone I used just enough to hold the bulb but should not be a problem in pulling the bulb out in case I need to change it.
I also think I used shrink wrap to cover any exposed connections. I did this about a year ago so I don't remember all the details, it seems as if I hooked this light up to the wires that go to the cigarette lighter light.
I went out to the garage and the found the bulb package , the bulb is Radio Shack Part #272-1143 Midget Screw-Base Lamp 12 volts 75 mA. Buy the socket for this bulb and you should be ready to go. In using the silicone I used just enough to hold the bulb but should not be a problem in pulling the bulb out in case I need to change it.
I also think I used shrink wrap to cover any exposed connections. I did this about a year ago so I don't remember all the details, it seems as if I hooked this light up to the wires that go to the cigarette lighter light.
03-24-2005, 11:43 PM
#23
When my clock light goes out, I tap it and it comes back on. That's good for a few months and then it goes off and I need to tap it again. So something can get intermittent in there somewhere.
