A tiny fix to make a working clock/Radio like new again

Hello, and welcome to my blog. Today I am spending some time on a hobby of mine. Repair, and maintenance of electronics. I went and walked to my near by thrift store and looked around for something interesting to fix up and keep my mind busy during the break in schooling.

When looking through the electronics I found this, Spartus AM/FM Digital Clock and Radio.

It was in surprisingly good condition when I found it. It has no breaks or scratches, the only thing that appeared broken on first inspection was the top buttons seamed to have problems moving like it was stuck with grime or something like that.

It called out to me, it reminded me of my childhood home and the fake wood walls on the second floor. With this in mind I bought it for $4 dollars on the spot. Then I walked home with it and started taking it apart almost immediately .

Surprisingly it was hard to take apart, I attribute that to one of the screws being striped. The internals of the clock and radio is split into three boards. The Radio, the Clock, and the button pad. After a more thorough inspection all its functions seamed to be working and nothing was blown out or broken.

The only problem is the buttons on the board. Like many game controllers the buttons are set on top of a silicon pad that gives it its spring, with a conductive carbon connector that connects to traces on a board underneath them. These buttons have been used or exposed to the elements so much that they have shattered into a bunch of parts and needs replacements.

Unfortunately for me the internet does not know anything about the clock I have at all. It is like it does not exist from my initial searches. So I am going to have to jury rig some buttons with a more generic solution. I ordered a pack of thirty silicon pads with carbon contacts to fix the functionality on this clock. So in total I have spent around $10 to restore this little piece of simulated wood grain history. If you know anything more about this Item please comment. I will be working on more refurbishing and repairing more things in the near future. Until then I hope you have a good day.