I've had the machine for a while now, but have never seen it do this.(See picture) I tried the machine on another unit and it is working fine.
This 12s Elgin is freshly put together after a COA. It is running a little slow but the machine won't pick it up. The pattern resembles a snow storm!
Any body got any ideas?

Patrick, That could be a LOT of things, but I would demagnetize it first.

There could be a problem with the escapement, but it also looks like there might be a problem with the hairspring. Check it to see if it might be rubbing on the balance cock.

I'm sure others here can give you a much better explanation.

Regards,
Larry

Does it have instructions?

Rubbing hairspring?

Regards

Peter

If you listen to the watch you will hear it, something’s rubbing, hairspring, rollers, to much endshake and rattling around did you change the mainspring is so maybe knocking.

Patrick,

I have the same unit. The pickup is 'hearing' noise from someplace and is unable to get a clear pickup of the pallet jewels striking the escape wheel. As suggested it could be the hairspring, but other sources are possible as well.

While on the subject of this unit, it is made in China and the instructions are not the best and that's being generous. The unit does work very well and is reasonably priced. It is supposed to automatically adjust for different beats, but I have found that it sometimes fails to pick up the correct beat and I've had to set it manually for slow train movements.

David, The instructions are in Chinglish and really more on the Ching side (Worthless)
EVERYBODY ELSE
I don't know where it would be hearing noise from as it is dead quiet in the shop but that is a good suggestion and just gave me the idea to place the pick-up on a soft rubber Matt to try to keep the surrounding vibration and noise to a minimum. My original thought was that everything inside is loose.
First thing I will try is to pass it through the tunnel a few times and see if that don't clean it up, even just a little.
Both Peter & Chris are probably correct. Something is rubbing as it is a tad bit slow.
It's not a complicated unit, it's a Elgin, 12s, 7j. Everything looked good as I reassembled it or I would not have bothered to put it together.
Roger, Once in a great while my machine will recycle itself for no apparent reason however it always picks up the correct beat again. I think I will pull the escape system and the balance out, check for kick back and work my way out from there.
Thanks all for the help. I'll not close this post until I find the problem and let you all know what it was.
Patrick

On a separate note, I have an idea............
Anyone owning or using one of these machines can relay their findings to other members so we can all learn what the others are finding.
I'll start a post in watch repair, Questions & answers for this subject.

Patrick,

To clarify my other post...the pickup is 'hearing' something in the watch, not externally.

Roger

Roger,
Aw, yes, could be like a hospital setting I left a screwdriver rattling around in there or maybe thats where the forceps I lost will turn up.
What it really looks like to me is exactly as you say something is loose or everything is wore out. I can't imagine why. My Grandfathers 1926 ford was still running in 1966.

Why that car was only 40 years old in 1966! My 1950 Packard is 63.

Nice Packard, Roger.

I bought an enormous 1948 Packard limousine (complete with built-in siren) in 1980. It was only 32 years old then. I was only 32 then. I was still green around the ears, but the Packard definitely was old. It usually did the return leg of any trip on a flat bed truck. It was a beautiful car, but I had so many issues with it -- e.g., it was 3 feet longer than my garage -- that I sold it after six miserable months. It was my last old car. Like yachts, I find it infinitely better for my friends to own them.

When we were kids, (Early 20's) we used to tool around town in a 48 Packard Limo that had the tops of the doors cut out so you could get in and out with a hat on. It had curtains and the glass wall between the driver and the rear compartment and a huge gas guzzling V-8 that would empty all our wallets in one night. Glad I don't have to feed it today....

Patrick,
I've seen the same thing on mine. Once I was able to demagnetize the watch and it improved. Another time I was never able to get a clean line(s), but the watch kept decent time (maybe it was banking?).

Evan