#Sony alarm clock photo frame full
#Sony alarm clock photo frame tv

Consequently there was a very limited range of makes and models (as stocked by the small number of local retailers). I first saw it when I was running a domestic electronics repair center in a small regional area where there we very few retailers. I remember this trend starting in the mid 90’s. Posted in clock hacks, Repair Hacks Tagged clock radio, sony Post navigation But this isn’t really about clock radios, and with that out of the way we’ve certainly featured a few Sony hacks. Over the years we’ve featured a lot of clocks, and even the odd clock radio. Both of which are now becoming historical curiosities, even though this device is not much more than six years old. The Apple Dock connector for instance, or the full-size SD card. It’s interesting to look at the Dream Machine from another perspective, to compare what was hot in 2009 with what you might see now. So has a new alarm clock, and presumably now always wakes up on time. Instead it tells us that even Sony with a legendary attention to quality control can be caught out by unexpected component failures, and that as engineers we should always expect the unexpected.

#Sony alarm clock photo frame tv

It is highly unlikely that the Sony engineers chose their crystal glue in the knowledge it would break down, after all the company is likely to make far more money selling a new TV or phone to a satisfied alarm clock owner than it is by selling them a new alarm clock.

#Sony alarm clock photo frame full

Sony have spent a very long time building a reputation for quality manufacture, and it is likely the Dream Machine was built with their full attention to detail. This was a very simple repair when the problem was diagnosed, but it tells us something about electronic product design, and about quality control. A simple fix involving a bit of glue removal and a touch of resoldering, and the clock was back with us. The glue Sony had used to secure the timing crystal in 2009 had become conductive with age, causing the oscillator to stop oscillating. But rather than throw it on the “Hack later” pile, decided to investigate, and turned up a surprising culprit. In the case of this Dream Machine, it would not keep time - something pretty important in a clock. Of course, with something cheap there is so often a catch. Back then it was just too expensive, but in 2016 spotted one on an auction site for pennies, and so snapped it up. It’s an alarm clock radio, albeit a very fancy one featuring an iPod dock, SD card slot, and an electronic photo frame. Have you ever fancied a gadget but been put off by what seems like an excessive price? did just that back in 2009, in his case the gadget in question was a Sony Dream Machine ICF-CL75iP.