SATURN ARMITRON LED 1974
This cool looking Saturn is a yet another LED with the akward looking module encapsuled tightly in translucent resin. This model is usually found with the Armitron Corp. branding but I doubt that there is any relation between Saturn and Armitron however I might be wrong. The earlier 1972/73 concept utilized the huge 355 batteries and also had a light-sensor but otherwise the construction is fairly identical in both of them. The build is simple and smart and almost bullet-proof. The module consists of two separate layers - a top ceramic substrate with 7 individual pins soldered firmly to a bottom pertinax board. The circuitry sealed with a blob of epoxy is unrepairable but most of these modules are virtually immortal. The bottom board can be desoldered with some effort in order to check the traces or change the quartz tube.
Hint: It is far easier to remove the quartz by force without disassembling the layers and simply apply a new quartz. The strange this about this particular module is that it never had a button contact at 8 o'clock and neither was there a button on the case. But when I soldered this additional contact the circuitry suddenly displayed the date. In those days every additional function cost heaps of money so adding anything extra and not using it is a waste in engineerial and financial terms. In comparison - Pulsar P2 and P3 modules are also identical but a P2 will never display the date even if you short the module in the spots where the reed-switch is located on a P3.
Keywords: saturn, armitron led
Market value: 25-150$ (condition, box)