In message , Andrew Gabriel
writes
In article .com,
"oaknet" writes:

Thanks everyone - yes, replacement sounded likely but you nver know,
even with prehistoric kit. I particularly liked the thread and pendulum
possibility, but I guess I'll just get a replacement. Thanks again

Although the motor in mechanical timeswitches may seem very low
powered, by the time it's been geared down to 1 rev per day, the
forces available are very large, and plenty capable of stripping
the teeth from metal or plastic gear wheels if something gets
stuck. Once that's happened, any kind of repair is unlikely.

The gears on a diamond are brass and relatively robust. What happens
more on this timer are that the bearings wear and the extra resistance
of the cam pushes the bearing out of line

--
geoff