Delay clock question- what should I have done?

[T-Braunlich]

@Crume

@wilecoyote

If I remember correctly (since I don’t have the manual with me at the moment), the instructions actually say that the LCD digits fading is a sign that the batteries need to be replaced.

Very high tech

The digits on that clock had indeed faded, and had looked faded for the last couple of games I used it, but I foolishly ignored that. Now I know that faded digits on a Chronos is like the needle reaching “E” on your car’s fuel gauge… you have some time left, but need to get to the nearest gas station quickly.

[Ron_Suarez]

Moderator Mode: Off

Well, I have 3 Chronos Clocks and each has its own purpose.

After reading this thread, today I just went ahead and replaced the batteries on the 2 I use the most. I know that each one had gone at least 2 years on the current batteries.

It really isn’t that difficult to replace the batteries and it’s not expensive. The Chronos clock takes 3 AA batteries. I changed the batteries in both clocks in less than 10 minutes, while watching a movie.

[kevin_bachler]

@Smythe Dakota

@kbachler

… I thought that there was a button combination at turn-on that would provide battery hi/lo indication.

That was on the older model (the one I have). I bought mine around 1994. It was the last model with a switch on the bottom.

Bill Smythe

I had an old version like that. I had never changed the batteries on my newer model (which was probably 8-ish years old) until I played in Evanston recently. Wasn’t sure they needed to change, just thought it wise.

[wilecoyote]

@Ron Suarez

It really isn’t that difficult to replace the batteries and it’s not expensive. The Chronos clock takes 3 AA batteries. I changed the batteries in both clocks in less than 10 minutes, while watching a movie.

While replacing the batteries is not difficult, the Chronos must be unique among chess clocks in that one needs a screwdriver to do so.

[KeithAmmann]

The Chronos was clearly designed by and for people who own soldering irons.

[Smythe_Dakota]

You don’t need a soldering iron to replace the batteries on any Chronos I’ve ever seen. You do, however, need fingers capable of untaping the batteries and retaping the new ones.

Bill Smythe

[Ron_Suarez]

Moderator Mode: Off

The newer Chronos clocks don’t need tape to hold the batteries in. My newest one which is a little under a year old has a small s-c-r-e-w holding the plastic cover on the battery case. My next older one just has the battery case and cover without the s-c-r-e-w. That one clicks into place and doesn’t come off easily when put together.

Of course the s-c-r-e-w in the battery case cover makes one use their little Phillips screwdriver on 5 screws now to change the batteries, 4 s-c-r-e-w-s at each corner to remove the cover with LCD windows attached and the 1 s-c-r-e-w for the battery case cover.

Edit: Darn auto-censor…

[Smythe_Dakota]

@Ron Suarez

… Edit: Darn auto-censor…

One poster used a cent ¢ sign in place of the letter c. That way you should be able to deal with all five s¢rews.

To type a cent sign, turn NumLock on, then hold down the Alt key, then on the numeric keypad press and release first 1, then 5, then 5 (I guess this means the ASCII code for the cent sign is 155), then release Alt. The digits won’t appear while you are typing them, but when you release Alt, the ¢ sign will appear.

Or I guess you could just use the letter k in place of c.

Bill Smythe