I purchased this Sony 8FC-25 as it's been on my want list for a while. I love the simplicity of it design-wise and feature-wise. No frills, just your clock, alarm, and AM radio. Before I purchased it, I messaged the seller and asked if all functions and clock lights were working. The seller said yes. The clock landed on my doorstep a few days later and I noticed it came in a rather large box. The box was almost open as the tape had separated from the cardboard. Upon opening the box, I found a few pieces of scrunched-up paper, a smaller box, and the clock wrapped in bubble wrap. The seller had put another box inside to occupy some of the room instead of using a smaller box. This clock radio is one of Sony's smallest offerings so they really could have got away with a smaller box.
Upon initial inspection, the clock looked dirty but otherwise in good nick. I plugged it in and found the volume to be scratchy and the clock to not be spinning. The seller had told me the clock was fully functional.
I unplugged the clock and got down to some initial cleaning and disassembly. I was even more pleased with the simplicity of the clock as all it took was 4 screws to open the clock and 2 screws to get the clock mechanism free. While I was taking off the knob, I realized the outer alarm knob was cracked and broken. This also wasn't advertised in the listing but I would assume the seller didn't notice it as the knob was still functional and the broken part couldn't be seen unless it was removed. Bummed, I was fortunate to find the missing piece inside the clock.
Another great design of the clock was how the clock face comes apart in two pieces from the body. This makes it super easy to clean and polish the plastic face. I wish more clocks were like this!
After lots of cleaning, I tackled the motor which was frozen. I combined some electronic cleaner with clock oil and got it spinning. One thing I've noticed it that an electronic contact cleaner is really good for freeing up a stuck motor. Even better than clock oil. Sometimes, if I just oil the motor and don't use spray cleaner, the motor won't spin on its own when unplugged and plugged back in. Strange. I also watched Mackey's video when he had one of these and noticed that the alarm bulb is different from mine. I was worried that if the bulb were burnt out, it'd be hard to find a replacement. But, this one looks like a grain of wheat bulb vs the larger one in Mackey's old clock.
After epoxying and reinforcing the alarm knob, I was able to put it all back together. I'm very happy with the results of the clock. It's so stinking cute!
Love the illuminated radio and alarm dials.
Upon initial inspection, the clock looked dirty but otherwise in good nick. I plugged it in and found the volume to be scratchy and the clock to not be spinning. The seller had told me the clock was fully functional.
I unplugged the clock and got down to some initial cleaning and disassembly. I was even more pleased with the simplicity of the clock as all it took was 4 screws to open the clock and 2 screws to get the clock mechanism free. While I was taking off the knob, I realized the outer alarm knob was cracked and broken. This also wasn't advertised in the listing but I would assume the seller didn't notice it as the knob was still functional and the broken part couldn't be seen unless it was removed. Bummed, I was fortunate to find the missing piece inside the clock.
Another great design of the clock was how the clock face comes apart in two pieces from the body. This makes it super easy to clean and polish the plastic face. I wish more clocks were like this!
After lots of cleaning, I tackled the motor which was frozen. I combined some electronic cleaner with clock oil and got it spinning. One thing I've noticed it that an electronic contact cleaner is really good for freeing up a stuck motor. Even better than clock oil. Sometimes, if I just oil the motor and don't use spray cleaner, the motor won't spin on its own when unplugged and plugged back in. Strange. I also watched Mackey's video when he had one of these and noticed that the alarm bulb is different from mine. I was worried that if the bulb were burnt out, it'd be hard to find a replacement. But, this one looks like a grain of wheat bulb vs the larger one in Mackey's old clock.
After epoxying and reinforcing the alarm knob, I was able to put it all back together. I'm very happy with the results of the clock. It's so stinking cute!
Love the illuminated radio and alarm dials.
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