Making an automotive clock into a desk clock

[Ghoste]

I have a standard clock from a 68 Charger and I was thinking about turning it into a desk clock.  Is there an easy way to power it for this

[JB400]

I'd consider the 9 volt battery like what is used in a smoke detector.    I don't know how long it will hold up though.

[Cooter]

Hell, they don't work in the car with 12volts for me. If you figure out a way to get it to work on that desk, lemme know I'll put a 9 volt battery under dash.

[Ghoste]

Yeah, I was kind of thinkking there must be some kind of inverter so I can plug it into the wall?

[Bob T]

Just needs a small power pack from an electronics shop I expect.

I just made this the other week, it rocks too...

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,105815.msg1273529.html#msg1273529

[A383Wing]

Yeah, I was kind of thinkking there must be some kind of inverter so I can plug it into the wall?

yup...we have a "Radio Shack" down here...about $20 for 110v to 12v DC converter

or gut it and use one of them AAA battery clock guts you can get at a craft store for about $10

[Ghoste]

Can those be made to work in the 2nd gen clocks?  I thought that stuff only fit the 1st gen ones?

[Pete in NH]

Ghoste,

The standard original clocks had a little solenoid driven wind up spring arrangement in them. There were a set of contact points that closed when the spring wound down and gave the solenoid a shot of power to wind up the spring again. I suspect those solenoids took a few amps for a very short period of time. Eventually the contact points would wear down and melt together and the whole plastic clock mechanism would melt when the solenoid fried. when this happened the smart thing to do was convert the clock to an electronic quartz type. The electronic con versions could easily be powered from 8- AA cells or one of the 12VDC wall wart plug in power packs. I don't think it would be so easy to power up the original solenoid type clock as you would have to supply 12VDC at several amps but only for several seconds for whatever time interval it takes the spring to wind down.

[Tilar]

Those generally worked until the original battery went dead and caused the points to weld themselves together. I've actually had about a 50% success rate cleaning the points and hooking it back up. Or you could just go buy a battery operated clock, adapt it to the Charger face and adapt the original clock hands to it.

http://www.clockworks.com/clock-movement/quartz-clock-movements-time-only.html

[tan top]

Those generally worked until the original battery went dead and caused the points to weld themselves together. I've actually had about a 50% success rate cleaning the points and hooking it back up. Or you could just go buy a battery operated clock, adapt it to the Charger face and adapt the original clock hands to it.

http://www.clockworks.com/clock-movement/quartz-clock-movements-time-only.html

yeah ,    was just going to type that ,   

[Ghoste]

Oaky, thats the route then.  Thanks guys.

[Ghoste]

Now if you have suggestions on an enclosure for it I'll be all set.  I think that rather than a wood box, I'd like something that looks a little more automotive.

[JB400]

I'd think I'd see if I could find a tachometer cup mount that it would sit in, a used piston, or I'd find an old dash bezel and just cut out the two larger holes (one for the clock, one for a pic) and then use the other three holes as a photo display.  Just make a wood box or a metal box to enclose the back side.  Just a thought.

[A383Wing]

Now if you have suggestions on an enclosure for it I'll be all set.  I think that rather than a wood box, I'd like something that looks a little more automotive.

tach pod that you would screw to dash or clamp to steering column

[Ghoste]

Yeah, thats kind of what I'm envisioning too, I just need to find a cast off pod in that diameter.

[Dino]

Ghoste why not take a busted Charger bezel and cut it off straight between clock and speedometer?  With some metal foil tape and flat black paint you can make it look real nice and you can built sides and a back to it.  Heck you can use the entire cluster and stick some weather station crap in the other gauges!   

[Ghoste]

If I could come across a busted cluster that was next to free because of whatever, that is exactly what I would do.

[Tilar]

If Lilwendel were around he probably has one but Mike hasn't been on in a long time. 

[polywideblock]

Now if you have suggestions on an enclosure for it I'll be all set.  I think that rather than a wood box, I'd like something that looks a little more automotive.

tach pod that you would screw to dash or clamp to steering column

                                     what about a chrome B-E body  mirror housing   

[Ghoste]

Too eccentric for what I picture.  A good suggestion but I want it to look more like a dash accessory.

[Bob T]

Too eccentric for what I picture.  A good suggestion but I want it to look more like a dash accessory.

Those Pontiac/Judge Guys would be all over this with the hood mounted tach option 

[Ghoste]

We had the over the counter version, but I want to use a circular housing and I think that thing is more like a flattened oval chopped in half.

[Ghoste]

I'm still going to make the desk clock version but I see in the latest issue of MCG that a company is making wall clocks that look like Mopar dash clocks.