Dead Chronos Clock

Well. I've had my Chronos GX clock for a month and with light use -- mostly timing chess exercises -- I found it dead this morning. I replaced the batteries and it worked a few times but then stopped working entirely.

This strikes me as a dry solder joint causing intermittent failures before failing completely. Two other chess.com members, Markle and whitegs, reported similar failures of their Chronos clocks.

Perhaps there's a problem with the last runs of Chronos. Something is wrong with that business.

So I'll see what the USCF Store, which sold it, will do for me. They probably don't have any more Chronos clocks. At this point I'm leery of getting a replacement anyway. Maybe I will switch to a Zmart or something else.

Too bad. I did like the Chronos. In the meantime I've still got my old analog BHB.

USCF sent me to DCI.

So I'm in the same position as whitegs who sent his clock back to them multiple times with no happy ending as I recall.

Surprised to hear that! Its supposed to be the best clock on the market. Maybe they are cutting corners in production. I was even thinking of getting one. If USCF sales drops them there is indeed a problem with them. There are only a handful of decent ones on the market. BHB used to be the best clock for the money at one time. My Bohemian made " Torpedo " clock still keeps good time.

USCF hasn't dropped Chronos. They are out of stock and, like everybody else, can't get more.

Chronos, from what I can tell, stopped making new clocks sometime last year. Since then the pipeline has run dry and the few remaining clocks are being sold for as much as $222. Even the SamTimer (the scrabble clock on which Chronos is based) is only available in limtied versions.

There is something wrong with the Chronos / SamTimer company. They don't answer phone calls or emails. It takes 4-18 weeks to turn around clock repairs.

My guess is that Sam K. has health problems and/or the family is fighting over the business.

It's a shame. The market for chess clocks isn't huge but it's healthy and Chronos has had a hammerlock on the top position for at least ten years. It's an extremely enviable position for any small business. And they are blowing it.

Thank you for that information!

Yep... shipping is costly. I have been looking at the ZMF 2 myself.

It seems to me that non of those chess clocks are any good. I have an old net book computer that runs xp and I downloaded a free chess clock program and thats what I use now. 

Ouch! Did it look like it had been opened?

I myself have invested in a ZMF II clock and I really like it.  It feels solid and the touch sensors work very well.  It is also a breeze to set for any time needed.

Maybe you could talk to the td in advance and ask that your device be approved. If its a small tournament the td might be willing to go along.

The Civil War's over, grandpa.

Ah, an advertisement from a new unpaid member with 3 posts this year attempting to deflect sales to a yet unnamed competitor.  I don't really mind since my Chronos works great, but don't try to sell something that doesn't exist yet, and which has no customer service history.  Let the product speak for itself, please.

And this is why I bought a DGT.

Are you saying they threatened to call the police on you (for trespassing, presumably)?? Or were they going to call your mother and tell on you?!

Even the vaunted Chronos can have its "fails" but it sure sucks to pay Chronos prices and get a lemon!  It DOES happen, and not just recently.  The design is sound, though.  I'd try to get a replacement, at least once.  In the meantime, you still have your BHB.

Crappov: I bought a Zmart which is cheaper, bulkier and uglier (to my eye) but much easier to program and holds up fine so far.

I bought the Chronos because of its features and its reputation for long-term reliability. It was quite a disappointment that it died in a couple of weeks before I even played a single chess game with it.

I'd be curious to know what's going on behind the scenes at Chronos but don't expect to find out. There's probably an interesting story.

My best to chessmn17 and Zmart. The Chronos company deserves to lose its market.

For those willing to play Chronos roulette, here's one currently for sale at The Chess Store for $149 w/ free shipping in honor of Father's Day.

http://app.thechessstore.com/#!product/CHRONOS/Chronos%20Chess%20Clock%20-%20Ivory

I'm just speculating but the impression I got was that Sam Kantimathi (the owner) just doesn't care all that much about chess clocks. Chronos seems mostly an afterthought to his real interest, namely servicing scrabble players w/ scrabble timers and various other accessories. Offering some of his older scrabble timer models to chess players under the chronos brand at best always seems to have been a neglected side venture for them.

I'll pass.  I've grown fond of the DGT North American.

Maybe you guys have been sending your clocks to the wrong place?

I sent my dead chronos clock directly to the P.O. Box listed in the back of the Chronos User's Guide - DCI P.O. Box 390741 Mountain View, CA 94039. The clock has been repaired and has been operating flawlessly for the last several months.

The guys at DCI seem to have located the issue and are addressing it. They wrote a note to me with my repaired clock asking me to let other members who are experiencing this same issue to turn in their clocks for repair at no cost. No paper work is required and they said there must be no user damage.

It seems like they are getting their act together. Spread the word to anyone who has experienced a dead chronos clock so they can have their clocks fixed!