Most of us LED collectors are already quite familiar with the great Pulsar watch programm, but there are some as well collectible and cool items from their environment. One basic equipment a Pulsar agent  was provided with is the Analyzer Link to aganalyz.jpg Picture. A high precision instrument for the readjustment of the watches to the guaranteed timekeeping range of 5 seconds per month. Pulsar recommended to perform this adjustment once a year. To the right below the measuring instrument which indicates the deviation in seconds per month is a contact for battery testing. To the left the sensor plate where you can put on a watch or a module installed in a service case to check the timekeeping performance. This sensor plate can be described as a highly sensitive microphone which picks up the oscillation of the quartz. How can that be? Lets have a look at how an LED watch works:
 


Yes, even the solid state LED watch contains a mechanically moving part: the quartz crystal. In Pulsar watches like in most of the others it is vibrating at a frequency of 32768hz, a multiple of two. A number of logical circuits prepare its signal: First it is divided by two down to one pulse per second, then its counted up to minutes, hours and the date. A multiplex signal for the display is generated that makes each digit light up one after another in such rapid successions that it appears as if they would light up all at once.



Several service tools were also provided, for example case wrenches which allow to tighten the screw ring of the case back properly, very important to make the case waterproof. Totally four sizes were available for all models in two versions, a big robust one for the workplaces Link to agwren.jpg Picture and a handy metal sheet versions for customers who want to do battery replacement themselves Link to agwren2.jpg Picture. The service cases Link to agsercas.jpg Picture already mentioned above consist of two plastic parts: the upper clear red, the back without colour. A "bow tie" battery contact is also equipped in the back like in the watch cases. A module can be put in and run and it allows easy acces to the frequency adjustmjent trimmers when testing it on the analyzer. Possibly also new spare modules were shipped in these cases by the factory. (wish I could order a dozen right now) On the picture you can also see the handy P - shaped setting magnet used in the shop. For checking the Pulsars on the Analyzer special casebacks were made with cut outs for access to the adjustment trimmer by using special adjustment screwdrivers Link to agscrew.jpg Picture.

A large quantity of advertisement material was also produced, surely worth collecting too Link to agcatal.jpg Picture. For example this Link to agscrew.jpg Picture from a Pulsar brochure shows views of the production.

Link to agdisp.jpg

Last not least they also made nice displays for shop windows, for example presentation trays or the display stand shown above. A Pulsar can be mounted in it, its case back is replaced by a special adaptor which supplys current to the watch. So it can be run on mains supply, for example in the shop window. It has two operational modes, one automatic for the shop window which makes the watch light up in intervals while its display changes showing date, time and seconds. The manual mode allows the interested customers to press the demand buttons themselves to make it light up in case the display stand is exhibited inside the shop.

Author: Juergen Hofstaedter
 



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