ZMF-II LED Chess Clocks

I have read some reviews where people prefer the red LED displays. I think it's just a matter of personal preference.

red led is better on the eyes..

I really like my ZMF-II clock.  However, I ran a test with the clock running in count-up mode for several hours with the result that the clock lost nearly exactly one full minute per hour.  The time standard was the WWV shortwave atomic clock broadcast signal.

If you have a ZMF-II, try running the same test and post your result.

Yes, I personally like the red LED better than the other colors.

Mike,

I read somewhere that green is easier on the eyes. I'll have to do more research on that.

I have the green one and I find it very easy on my eyes.  I am thinking about getting one with red LED and black case only becuase I think it looks cooler. 

I want one with Roman Numerals.

Or one with 16th century English voice synthesis.

"Verily, thou hast but fifteen minutes on thy clock before yonder flag of doom descendeth."

"Count up" means the time on a clock will count up.

Okay, I would seriously pay a lot for a clock that said this!  I would be laughing so hard I would probably lose every game but it would be worth it.

Me too, and while we're at it, how about Mayan numbers as well, Should be easy to form dots and lines with LED's.

G/60 would be  "..."

G/15 would be " = "

G/60 = "Ye combatants each hath but three score minutes by which thou musteth completeth thy game or suffereth defeat by the expiration of thy time."

LOL  fuuny stuff Bannanaboatcaptain!

>> I ran a test with the clock running in count-up mode for several hours with the result that the clock lost nearly exactly one full minute per hour. <<

That's serious!  Did you try the test with countdown as well?

I have had some more time with the two ZMF-II's used for the chess class I teach, and I definitely prefer my Chronos, which I still find so much easier to program (maybe from experience?)   We did bring one to the King's Island tournament (Mason, OH) and indeed many people have them and they were for sale too.  In the mock tournament I ran for the kids, I spent way too much time trying to adjust these clocks (say to penalize an opponent), whereas my chronos was always easy to set as I needed.  Also, I found that the kids frequently hit the middle button and reset the clock to the starting time--that's also a problem.  Nonetheless, I still think it was a good purchase compared to the other clocks at comparable price.  Fortunately, neither has broken.

I'm pretty sure LED's consume more power than LCD's.  LED's emit light (energy).  LCD's do not.  When calculators switched from LED to LCD, I'm pretty sure the reason was to get more out of the battery.  Ever seen a solar LED calculator?

The regular countdown mode used to play chess works good, which is what I care about. I never use the count-up mode, but I will probably send an email to the manufacturer letting them know about the count-up mode.

I also prefer my Chronos, but you have to admit that they are a lot more difficult to set than the ZMF. Setting the ZMF is a breeze.

Setting the Cronos is actually quite easy...there are just a LOT of steps.

Whitegs, how are you going to have multiple time controls without a move counter? Counting the moves is what tells you when to go to the next time control. I don't understand your point.

Thank you whitegs. So, in the Chronos how do you know what time control are you in? Let's say your 1st hour of your 1st time control is up, then the timer goes to zero and a second time control is added. Using a Chronos, how do you know you are in the 2nd time control?

there are plenty of chess clock apps out there now for mobiles. I dont know why anyone would need a chess clock anymore....

I didn't read the whole thread or anything...

But IMO I dont like the ZmartFun clocks AT ALL!

The LED's are just distracting. I played with one once, and I couldn't focus on my game because of the bright LED shining from the corner. Because of this, I've asked to use my clock whenever someone has one of those. I reccomend if you're looking for a clock, get a DGT North american, or a Chronos. 

I'm goona go read the thread now :P