Roberts Automatic Clock Radio CR2001

Do you have any other MSF radio-controlled clocks in your house, and are they receiving a signal? Mine have been a bit intermittent over the last few days. I just checked the NPL website (NPL transmits the time signals that these clocks use).

https://www.npl.co.uk/msf-signal

They are carrying out annual maintenance at the moment so the signal is likely to be switched off at times. There may not actually be anything wrong with your clock!

I've a CR2001 here which has never been able to receive MSF time since I acquired it three or four years ago: I've yet to investigate why. Also here is a cheap Accurist mini-Millennium Clock replica (well, it set me back £3.99 a year or two into the new millennium: the shop selling them claimed as I recall an original retail price of £70 which seemed a tad fanciful), and that was useless until the 2007 transmitter move from Rugby to Anthorn in Cumbria, rather nearer to here, since which it has functioned perfectly. So, yes, possibly Cumbria to Basildon is undoing your CR2001, though my own has no such excuse...

Paul

Epoxy COB (chip on board). Yuch.

You can tell it's not the "real" Roberts anymore I presume this produced in China since Glen Dimplex took over?

Posted by: @hamid_1

I just checked the NPL website (NPL transmits the time signals that these clocks use).

They are carrying out annual maintenance at the moment so the signal is likely to be switched off at times. There may not actually be anything wrong with your clock!

Brilliant so there may not be a fault with the clock, lets wait till 1800 tonight to see. They must be claiming a good bit of overtime to be working over Easter.

I hope it does start working, my 50p purchase would be a good bargain then. 

I put it all back together with the original 4.7uf electrolytics and left it to see what happened. it started to work some time around 22:30. Excellent, I just have to put it all back in the radio.

All back together now and waiting for the clock to pickup the signal again when they decide to turn it on. Rather silly system if it can only be received occasionally. 

It's got a quartz referenced oscillator. Unlike a mains "clock" (which technically isn't a clock and only a slave display*) it's a real clock that is synchronised to an external reference. I suspect putting the aerial in the attic etc suitably orientated may work better some locations and that some people have them on a wall just the right angle so the transmitter is on the null of the ferrite rod aerial!

A more attractive design concept than the LED models that only use PP3 and RC oscillator if mains fails, also most now have no LW. Pity about the fake metal effect rather than native plastic colour.

[*The well known slave "clocks" are driven by 1 second pulses from a real central clock in the same building (often electro-pendulum), a mains "clock" is simply using 50Hz over longer wires to a central clock]

The knobs have a very cheap feel to them, but the radio is functional. I believe the real wood cabinet is Ash, which makes a change from Teak. You cant do anything with the clock functions until it has set itself to the MSF signal, not even set the alarm time. It is a shame you cannot manually set a time on the clock and then just leave it to synchronise with the MSF clock when available, at least you could then use the alarm functions. The clock unit is a generic type which would fix behind the face of a stand alone wall clock.

They have soldered the power connections, from the radio printed circuit to the clock, onto the original single AA battery terminals in the clock. I guess I will have to wait and see if it starts working again at 10:30 tonight.

Hooray its all working again, came on at some time just before 6.

Ah, that's good! As I recall mine just chugs forward by four hours whenever it's plugged in, to 12 or 4 or 8, then stays put. I'd have more incentive to investigate if it were potentially a more agreeable item to use, but as you say the controls don't exactly foster an impression of high quality, and its sound isn't wonderful: an RCM1 beats it in just about every regard.

Paul

Hi Paul
Yes "chugging" round the dial by 4 hours each time it is powered up with no batteries is a function it does before it sets itself to the MSF signal. I set the alarm yesterday, but forgot, and went to bed very early before it went off. Today Gill says it went of but the radio was intermittent, going on and off. That maybe the relay on the power supply board which I think is operated by a signal from the clock. There maybe some more caps which have gone leaky.

I was worried the clock alarm may not work, because I had dismantled it all and there was what looked like an infra red tx and rx. I was not aware of what these did when I had it all apart but after thinking about it, they must have operated on a hole/cutout on the cog driving the alarm indicator. I want to hear what happens for myself when it goes off at 8;40 today.

I can't help feeling Roberts must have had a lot of returns with this product. This is not a Radio that I will keep and use, I agree with you the sound is very thin and reminiscent of a poor early 70s pocket radio. They should have used a clock module which worked and could be set independently regardless of receiving a MSF signal.

Well would you believe it, I am still fiddling around with this dam radio. The radio clock & alarm functions work, but when the alarm turns on the radio it does actually pulse on and off in an annoying way.
There is what looks like an over complicated circuit board,

I am assuming this is the control board of some sorts. I have gone round blindly testing and replacing some caps but to no avail. I am now wondering if it is actually supposed to do this. Please could anyone who has ever used one of these radios confirm if the radio should come on when the alarm goes off or if it should pulse on and off.

Just a thought, does it pulse on and off because it is in 'Snooze ' mode to keep waking you up?

Chip on board means never repairable but at least it is not all surface mount. Sad that these things are made to be imminently disposable.

Boater Sam.

SMD in general is easier than through hole to replace parts. It's BGA and other parts with pads under the package that are difficult. An 80 pin leaded SMD IC can be simply cut along all four sides of pack and then remains of leads removed with braid. A 3mm chisel tip can be used to reflow on a new IC after tinning PCB. Start with two opposing corners.

You need a magnifying lamp, several pairs of tweezers and ordinary bit & iron. Generally only transistors, diodes and resistors though can be removed non-destructively. So only parts that you have replacements for and are suspect are removed. The parts are now a lot cheaper too than the through hole types and can often be used on under side of PCB to replace an unavailable transistor etc.

SMD in general is easier than through hole to replace parts. It's BGA and other parts with pads under the package that are difficult. An 80 pin leaded SMD IC can be simply cut along all four sides of pack and then remains of leads removed with braid.

A method I am yet to see done successfully - i.e. without at least one of the pads getting lifted by the lever action of cutting through the legs with a knife, or the slight twist imparted by even fine cutters...

Been doing it for nearly 30 years. Maybe it's practice. I should make some videos then? Sharp fresh snap off blade on small knife, cut close to body. You can't use cutters at all. Though mostly fibreglass "professional" equipment. Perhaps the consumer boards need more practice.

The user guide is available to download from the current Roberts Radio website but the salient bit is reproduced below:

1. Setting the alarm to wake to radio
2. Set the alarm time as previously described.
3. Set the function switch to the 'Radio' position.
4. The radio alarm will sound for 30 minutes every 12 hours at the preset alarm time.
5. To switch off the alarm for 12 hours, press the Alarm button.
6. To switch the alarm off permanently, set the Function switch to the 'Off' position.

So I'd say "No, it shouldn't pulse on and off."

Hi Mike

I called Roberts tec support and explained the problem, he was surprised to know there were still some of these radios in existence. He confirmed it should come ON solidly at the alarm time. He said they would have thrown all the circuits out for this type of radio as they are obsolete.

I have had another look at the radio today and checked a few more caps, and found one that had been fitted in the circuit board the wrong way round. I have corrected this and going to test the alarm function again when the clock decides to work again.

Anyway thanks for checking that out and pasting the extract.

It's Glen-Dimplex. (the Electric Fire, blow heater and Electric Radiator people) Roberts don't exist any more. GD also own Morphy-Richards.