AY-5-1202A clock IC 2020 - continued 2023 - continued 2025 - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

DayAndNight · 25th Sep 2025, 9:02 pm

Hello and greetings from Munich, Bavaria, Germany!

I'm overwhelmed by the history of these threads ...

Starting thread 2020 - AY-5-1202A clock IC

AY-5-1202A clock IC (continued)

and don't want to miss the opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to i4cy.

As a boy, maybe 15, 16, or 17 years old (= ~1973, 1974, 1975), I found instructions for building digital clocks in a craft magazine. What technology was that in the 1970s? The magazine also offered the option to order all the necessary parts for this clock, including the case and PCB.

It must have taken weeks back then for the ordered kit to arrive at my home.

Time passes... months, years, decades...

And now, in 2025, this clock has reappeared in a long-forgotten box in a corner of my attic.

First, all the electrolytic capacitors were replaced as a precaution. Then the exciting moment. Plug in the power cord! And! The clock is running!

What a feeling! Fifty years! I can walk on water! …

Buuuuuut after an hour …

The clock is running, but somehow it's out of sync, flickering, wobbling – not really a joy!

Research! Try!

And then I found this forum!

I couldn't find the original heart, an AY-5-1202A, in 2025 either! But there was an AY-5-1200A without a blinking "colon" on eBay, as described here. But without this thread, I wouldn't have been able to continue restoring the clock.

Three days later, the IC was in my mailbox…

What can I say…

Thanks! Thanks! Thanks!

Ewald

__i4cy__ · 6th Oct 2025, 1:27 pm

Good to hear my post helped, and pleased that you got your treasured clock working again.

Best wishes,
Guy (i4cy)

Quote:

Originally Posted by DayAndNight

Hello and greetings from Munich, Bavaria, Germany!

I'm overwhelmed by the history of these threads ...

Starting thread 2020 - AY-5-1202A clock IC

AY-5-1202A clock IC (continued)

and don't want to miss the opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to i4cy.

As a boy, maybe 15, 16, or 17 years old (= ~1973, 1974, 1975), I found instructions for building digital clocks in a craft magazine. What technology was that in the 1970s? The magazine also offered the option to order all the necessary parts for this clock, including the case and PCB.

It must have taken weeks back then for the ordered kit to arrive at my home.

Time passes... months, years, decades...

And now, in 2025, this clock has reappeared in a long-forgotten box in a corner of my attic.

First, all the electrolytic capacitors were replaced as a precaution. Then the exciting moment. Plug in the power cord! And! The clock is running!

What a feeling! Fifty years! I can walk on water! …

Buuuuuut after an hour …

The clock is running, but somehow it's out of sync, flickering, wobbling – not really a joy!

Research! Try!

And then I found this forum!

I couldn't find the original heart, an AY-5-1202A, in 2025 either! But there was an AY-5-1200A without a blinking "colon" on eBay, as described here. But without this thread, I wouldn't have been able to continue restoring the clock.

Three days later, the IC was in my mailbox…

What can I say…

Thanks! Thanks! Thanks!

Ewald

Nickthedentist · 6th Oct 2025, 2:59 pm

That's a happy ending, well done.

25th Sep 2025, 9:02 pm	#1
DayAndNight Diode Join Date: Sep 2025 Location: Munich, Germany. Posts: 1	AY-5-1202A clock IC 2020 - continued 2023 - continued 2025 Hello and greetings from Munich, Bavaria, Germany! I'm overwhelmed by the history of these threads ... Starting thread 2020 - AY-5-1202A clock IC AY-5-1202A clock IC (continued) and don't want to miss the opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to i4cy. As a boy, maybe 15, 16, or 17 years old (= ~1973, 1974, 1975), I found instructions for building digital clocks in a craft magazine. What technology was that in the 1970s? The magazine also offered the option to order all the necessary parts for this clock, including the case and PCB. It must have taken weeks back then for the ordered kit to arrive at my home. Time passes... months, years, decades... And now, in 2025, this clock has reappeared in a long-forgotten box in a corner of my attic. First, all the electrolytic capacitors were replaced as a precaution. Then the exciting moment. Plug in the power cord! And! The clock is running! What a feeling! Fifty years! I can walk on water! … Buuuuuut after an hour … The clock is running, but somehow it's out of sync, flickering, wobbling – not really a joy! Research! Try! And then I found this forum! I couldn't find the original heart, an AY-5-1202A, in 2025 either! But there was an AY-5-1200A without a blinking "colon" on eBay, as described here. But without this thread, I wouldn't have been able to continue restoring the clock. Three days later, the IC was in my mailbox… What can I say… Thanks! Thanks! Thanks! Ewald Attached Thumbnails

6th Oct 2025, 2:59 pm	#3
Nickthedentist Dekatron Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Oxford, UK. Posts: 19,112	Re: AY-5-1202A clock IC 2020 - continued 2023 - continued 2025 That's a happy ending, well done.