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Radio controlled clock runs an hour fast

A few years ago we bought a radio controlled analogue clock for my elderly mother-in-law which sets itself automatically from the MSF Rugby time signal. It seems to be this one: http://www.argos.co.uk/product/2552790

It successfully reset itself to Summer Time when the clocks went forward, but is now showing the time plus an additional hour. There's a "REC" button on the back which causes it to re-sync with Rugby, and when I pressed that it did indeed resync, but again, to an hour fast.

I haven't tried taking it apart, and wonder if anyone else has done so and can explain the behaviour. I suspect that behind the clock face it must have a series of circular tracks with contacts which allow it to detect where the hands are, or just 2 contacts which are closed when the minute and hour hands respectively reach 12 o'clock. Maybe the minute hand contact is dirty and isn't always detected. Can anyone, having taken one of these apart, throw any light on this?

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Have you tried leaving it unplugged for like 10 minutes?

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I have the same problem; same “REC” button, same exactly one hour too fast. Simple solution was to remove the front cover, which was clipped on so just required a bit of a tweak to remove, and then remove the hands and re-position them to the correct time. It works! :-)

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But then does the Rec button still initially set it to midnight, or to 11:00?

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Since I posted the original question around 18 months ago I'm struggling to remember the details, and my wife can't remember either, but I've disassembled at least one other radio controlled clock. From my recollection, it wasn't quite as easy as taking the hands off and putting them back in the right position, I think maybe because it isn't easy to put them back without moving the spindle away from the reference position (12:00).

Disassembling a couple I found that the way these clocks find their reference position is by holes or spokes in the hour and minute cogs which line up with an infra-red LED and detector at the reference position. I saw two different designs. If you remove the cogs you then have to position them correctly on reassembly. This led me to wonder how they're manufactured in the first place. In fact I found the critical cogs had pinholes in them. Putting pins through them enabled me to fit the hour and minute hands correctly whilst holding the cogs in position.

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See my comment on @chr15williams answer. This photo, which I took at the time, shows how I held the cogs in their reference position while refitting the hands. The pins pass through holes in the cogs lined up with holes in the case. I did eventually fix my mother-in-law’s alarm clock and it’s still going.

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Try replacing the one AA battery.

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Obviously the first thing to try, and these clocks do need good quality alkaline batteries, not zinc or rechargeable. But mine's batteries were good.

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Sometimes we overlook the obvious as to simplistic, I know I have ;-)

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I have same problem BUT my clock is digital ( lcd display ) with alarm and 3 separate face displays on 3 sides. each has its own alarm - model W734.06

When you first install the battery, for Germany you do NOT have to hold down any button - for England hold down the + plus button - for France you hold down the - minus button, it takes approx 2-3 mins then alters the time and date, the date is correct. I have tried all three and get the same result = one hour fast !!! Anyone have any ideas, it was purchased in 1999 !!!! but has been running fine until I just installed a new battery - it was the original VARTA battery ( 20 years plus is not bad is it ) I have tried re-setting many times for days so am now running out of ideas - it would be a shame to bin it ! Sort that one out if you can :)

Any help really appreciated

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All I can suggest is leave it overnight on a windowsill, on theside of the house facing the transmitter. My mother-in-law’s clock is still working correctly, and reset itself properly last week on the end of Summer Time.

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Philip Le Riche sera éternellement reconnaissant.
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