Debug Hints

Hi,

This is my first post and my first clock build:https://youtube.com/shorts/0S7IOCwYK3c?si=sIRYi_Ioy__q2pka

First of all, it was amazing to get it working. The ticking sound is fantastic. It’s been running for about 5 days now. It’s hard to measure precision exactly yet, but it’s definitely within single digit seconds per day.

A couple of things I did slightly differently from the manual:

1. I printed the frame back standoff in ABS, just to remove any concerns about sagging and PLA brittleness.

2. I also discovered “super-bearings.” They’re slightly more expensive, but given how many hours we spend on these projects, an extra $20 doesn’t seem excessive:

3. These seem superior in every way to standard 623 bearings (even after cleaning and lubing):https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FS15BBB6

4. Same idea, but for 608 bearings:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F1TH69G2

And here is my question / possible suggestion: below is a picture of the moonphase dial. It shows some endshake.

1. I’m not sure the moonphase actually moves. I replaced the spring with a stronger one, but I still can’t reliably detect movement. If it’s not moving, how should I start debugging it? 2. The fact that the moonphase dial is just loosely sitting between the main dial and gear_6_54_6 bothers me. Would it make sense to add a thin washer-style disk—say, outer diameter 20 mm and inner diameter matching gear_6_54_6 (~11.5 mm)? That way the moonphase would be kept straighter, but it still wouldn’t pinch the gears or the main dial.

On a funny note: page 37 talks about “323 bearings” (and I noticed other manuals mention 323 bearings in different places too). That sent me on a wild 15-minute sanity check before I realized it’s a typo and they meant 623 bearings. Thank you for reading! Slava