I'm a watch guy who needs some help. I acquired a 1960's Seth Thomas cottage shelf clock which is powered by an electro-mechanical motor, which is powered by a c-size battery. Of course, when I put in a battery, the motor did not start. First question--is there something special to do to start the motor that I am missing? Second question--if I must disassemble the motor assembly, what are some problem areas to look for?

Tom

Tom,

Is this the type that the motor winds up a mainspring? If so, look for a set of contacts that close when the spring winds down. These may need filing to restore the surfaces. Try jumping the leads to the motor directly from the battery to see if it still works. Most electrical problems can be traced to a bad connection somewhere.

A short story: I had a 1979 GTO manual trans. One day I backed up in front of the garage and the engine would not shut off. Everything else died but not the engine. I pulled the gear shift out of reverse and the engine quit. After 2 weeks of tracing connections I found the tailight harness ground in the trunk was bad. Backup lights are power fed and ground actuated. The power was feeding back along the accessory circuit through the ignition switch to the engine. Check your connections carefully.

Bruce

HIBruce, Thanks for the input. This clock motor is actually one with an electrically driven balance wheel. I haven't torn it down yet. I'm sure it is something with a connection.

Thanks, Tom

I had time today so I tore the clock down, or shoud I say, just the motor. The motor is similar to one you would find in an electro-mechanical wristwatch of the 1960's era, only a little bigger. I checked the electrical circuitry and I had power going through. The movement was clean, but decided to touch each pivot with watch oil. Still no action. I decided to place a touch of oil on each of the pin lever palates. I shook the motor and it took off. Ran a little rough at first, but the longer it has run, the better it has run. Now to regulate it.

I've enclosed a pic of the clock. THe motor will be in next post.

A peek in the back of the clock at the motor.

Tom