Nostalgia, the LED clock and a question.

Coupefan

Coupefan

True Classic
A colleague of mine at work just purchased a working vintage Texas Instruments scientific LED calculator, I believe the first use of LEDs in a calculator available for purchase in the early 70s, just like the one he had in high school/college back in the day.

I was telling him the X1/9 came from the factory with a LED clock long before some people knew what LEDs were. What model year was the first use of that LED clock?
 
I was thinking it wouldn't have appeared until 79 when the dash changed. I don't think there was a clock location on the early cars. Was there? I could go look at the 78, but it's way at the other end of the house and I an tired. :)
 
Jim is correct for sure. First appeared in the printed 9/78 brochure for the 1979 model changes with the new dash.

LED quartz crystal digital clock for Comfort & convenience.:D

978.PNG
 
I was racking my brain thinking of where I had seen an analog clock in an X...
I agree 79 and the dash rework brought the LED but I had a '75 I was certain had a clock... Nope!
ebay148651517057542.jpg
'76 Scorpion and I believe my newer Zagato had an analog clock as well.
Regards
 
I've opened my '82's digital clock, and the 7-segment display LEDs are from HP, back from a time when David Packard was still chairman of the board at HP.

I bought the eBay module that Bob Brown has recommended as a modern, low-current replacement, but did not like the fact that the display could not be easily dimmed during nighttime driving, like the original. I'm sure it could be modified, with the car's clock dimming control wire switching in a resistor to the shared anode or cathode line of the Chinese display module. I had plans to make that modification, but my new Pioneer stereo displays the time whenever the car is on, and even has a small clock on its display while it's playing music, so I've removed the digital clock, and put in a blanking plate. My '85 Bertone X did not have the digital clock option -- it always had a blanking plate instead.
 
My 76 X has a digital veglia LED clock from the factory. It is non functioning so if anyone knows of a repair please feel free to advise. I would like to get it working.
 

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Nuvojoe said:
My 76 X has a digital veglia LED clock from the factory. It is non functioning so if anyone knows of a repair please feel free to advise. I would like to get it working.
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Are you sure that is factory? I've never seen one like that. Looks like someone mounted a clock on the speaker cover.
 
raillard said:
I've opened my '82's digital clock, and the 7-segment display LEDs are from HP, back from a time when David Packard was still chairman of the board at HP.

I bought the eBay module that Bob Brown has recommended as a modern, low-current replacement, but did not like the fact that the display could not be easily dimmed during nighttime driving, like the original. I'm sure it could be modified, with the car's clock dimming control wire switching in a resistor to the shared anode or cathode line of the Chinese display module. I had plans to make that modification, but my new Pioneer stereo displays the time whenever the car is on, and even has a small clock on its display while it's playing music, so I've removed the digital clock, and put in a blanking plate. My '85 Bertone X did not have the digital clock option -- it always had a blanking plate instead.
Click to expand...
I worked at HP in the same building that they were making those 7 segment displays in. The biggest customer for those 7 segment displays in cars was GM. They were designed into just about all of the Delco radios. Back in the 70s, we used to joke about making LEDs bright enough someday that they could be used as tail lights. They were so dim back then that the thought of using them as headlights had not occured to anyone just yet. The first automotive high volume exterior use of LEDs ramped up when CHMSLs (center high mount stop lights) became a requirement in 1986. Red LEDs had become bright enough for the application and size, cost, and reliability requirements aligned well with LEDs.
 
dllubin said:
I worked at HP in the same building that they were making those 7 segment displays in. The biggest customer for those 7 segment displays in cars was GM. They were designed into just about all of the Delco radios. Back in the 70s, we used to joke about making LEDs bright enough someday that they could be used as tail lights. They were so dim back then that the thought of using them as headlights had not occured to anyone just yet. The first automotive high volume exterior use of LEDs ramped up when CHMSLs (center high mount stop lights) became a requirement in 1986. Red LEDs had become bright enough for the application and size, cost, and reliability requirements aligned well with LEDs.
Click to expand...
For those curious about hp's LED:

Bob Steward, Mr. LED story...

Remembering

www.hpmemoryproject.org


Bernice

​

 
hp dot matrix display LED from "that" era on the hp 8662A.
Conventional seven segment LED display on the Wiltron 6647A
hp8662A & Wiltron 6647A-40.jpg


Those hp dot matrix displays were used on a variety of hp test gear from that era.

In time, hp made a seven segment LED display for their calculators initially the famed hp-35 (named by Bill Hewlett for the calculator having 35 keys).. https://www.hpmemoryproject.org/wb_pages/j_minck_01.htm


Bernice
 
Rupunzell said:
For those curious about hp's LED:

Bob Steward, Mr. LED story...

Remembering

www.hpmemoryproject.org


Bernice

​

Click to expand...
Up until recently, Bob was the organizer for the HP Optoelectronic Division retiree lunches that are held several times a year. He was also one of the authors of the HP Optoelectronics Handbook.
 
Nuvojoe said:
My 76 X has a digital veglia LED clock from the factory. It is non functioning so if anyone knows of a repair please feel free to advise. I would like to get it working.
Click to expand...
I suspect that clock was added by a prior owner, as Don stated.

But the repair should be the same as Bob Brown detailed (see earlier post).

I missed this old thread before.....
Coupefan said:
A colleague of mine at work just purchased a working vintage Texas Instruments scientific LED calculator, I believe the first use of LEDs in a calculator available for purchase in the early 70s, just like the one he had in high school/college back in the day.
Click to expand...
I still have one of those calculators from back then...I was in college by that time.
 
Dr.Jeff said:
I suspect that clock was added by a prior owner, as Don stated.

But the repair should be the same as Bob Brown detailed (see earlier post).

I missed this old thread before.....

I still have one of those calculators from back then...I was in college by that time.
Click to expand...
Another option would be to just get another clock and stick it on the speaker cover.

I almost added a clock to the instrument panel of my car. The plan was to remove the low fuel light and stick a monolithic 7 segment display in there driven by a clock chip (real popular in the 70s). I procrastinated so long that I ended up buying a radio with a clock built in.
 
Yes I was thinking the same thing but I also have a 83 spidereuropa with it’s factory veglia digital clock which is a different style that the one in the X. I don’t want to replace the clock in the X with one of the later versions of clock so I will try to repair this one. I will search out the bob brown thread
See if it’s repairable. It seems in the same vintage as the 76 X could be possibly from 79 as someone has stated.
With these X1/9 fiat has been known to do some crazy things.
I.e. I was told by Fiat Centro Storico that it does not have any records from fiat on any x1/9 prior to 1980.
They said that no files where available to them or given to them for my 1976
x1/9
Go figure
 
I am comfortable with the ideas of no clock, no radio in my X. Driving an X is about driving. On calculators - my brother-inlaw and I studied together. We both had HP11C [LCD, mine was an upgrade from my fathers hand me down LED 34C] and he runs an app emulation these days. Still have the calculators - mine has small dents in the aluminium trim from being carried in a backpack along with some hand tools as I cycled to the wreckers to get parts for my R100...
 
Nuvojoe said:
Yes I was thinking the same thing but I also have a 83 spidereuropa with it’s factory veglia digital clock which is a different style that the one in the X. I don’t want to replace the clock in the X with one of the later versions of clock so I will try to repair this one. I will search out the bob brown thread
See if it’s repairable. It seems in the same vintage as the 76 X could be possibly from 79 as someone has stated.
With these X1/9 fiat has been known to do some crazy things.
I.e. I was told by Fiat Centro Storico that it does not have any records from fiat on any x1/9 prior to 1980.
They said that no files where available to them or given to them for my 1976
x1/9
Go figure
Click to expand...
Joe, I just noticed you are a newer member....welcome. :)

I wasn't very informative earlier so I'll try to add a little more info. Personally I do not know how to repair a clock. But in post #7 of this thread member "raillard" said something about repairing his; "I bought the eBay module that Bob Brown has recommended as a modern, low-current replacement". However keep in mind that was back in 2017. Therefore things may have changed. For one thing I don't know what Bob Brown posted about the fix in the first place. And it appears "raillard" has not posted anything since 2018, so I doubt he is still around to help. Member @bbrown is still a member but not as active as he used to be. I just tagged his username so hopefully he will chime in. Furthermore I wonder if the component he used to upgrade the clock is still available. I'm sure someone else can be more helpful here soon.
 
Thank you. Happy to be learning and sharing with you all. I can simply replace the clock but I thought that it might be factory so I’m looking to repair if possible. Bob Brown does say in one of his earlier post that he believe the first clock was possibly done in 1976. Who knows. Still Great driving car clock or no clock.
 
Does the display not light up, or is it acting erratically? I would start by removing the speaker panel the clock is mounted to and checking the wiring back there. Post pictures and show us what you find.
 
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