211 - Auto clock??

[jberks]

I can't find anything in the manuals about it, but when I went to reset the clock yesterday morning I found it was already right. So, either senility is creeping up, or the clock reset itself. I guess it could take the time off the RDS signal but I hadn't read anything about that feature. It might explain why its always right. My 210 clock lost 1 minute a week but I haven't ever had to touch this one.
Anyone know ?

 

[andy from embsay]

My Saab 9-3 used to do that, but two cars since haven't. Never understood why they didn't, actually...

 

[Rory]

Has it got COMAND? I think they're supposed to pick the time up from the GPS transmission, although I had to reset mine (but I didn't leave it for long).

 

[television]

Auto updating clocks are cheap these days, you can pick up the Rugby MFS 60khz signal, or the DCF77 signal from Frankfurt, Both long wave, all over Europe.

RDS has no time info or external connection, it is purely a ID system.

Never given much thought about their use in car's.

Radio and TV stations use them, they have 1 master clock that drives all of the studio slaves all within 1 sec of accurately.

They can be bought from £15.00.

Malcolm

 

[jberks]

No it hasn't got command.
On the RDS issue - I rarely disagree with you Malcolm but I have a denon hifi that uses RDS for time. I just pop it on radio 2, wait a minute or so and press the ct button on the remote. Hey presto the clock resets to the correct time. Oddly it only seems to work reliably with Radio2 and the car was probably on R2 at the time too.
Found this
http://www.bbc.co.uk/reception/factsheets/text/rds_factsheet.html

I definately didn't set it myself so I can only assume that it must have been automatic. Allegedly the Audi used to have this ability, but it never seemed to work - there was a symbol on the clock but it never lit up. MB don't seem to advertise the fact but I guess they do use it.

I too can't understand why all clocks aren't that way these days. My dad has a Kitchen clock that works off the the rugby signal - cost him £8! - worth every penny.

 

[television]

Re RDS and Jberks, this then is something that's been added. The BBC and Swedish Radio worked together in the first concept. though there is still no way of taking this info out for car clock.

Very sorry JB

Malcolm

 

[Blobcat]

RDS does contain clock time and date information on the RDS subcarrier.
Vauxhalls were one of the first to utilise this option, which is why the Saab mentioned above had the option. Incidentally although quite a few radios have the option of RDS time information it has to be enabled which involves lots of button pressing which is not listed in the manuals. Dealers can do it if they can work out how to. The problem you have is that you do not know if that option was available.
I have checked an MB 'E' brochure and no mention of the clock at all. Check the manual it may hold the key.

 

[pb33]

I had to manually reset my clock (2004 211 E320 estate). In fact, it was one hour out when I bought it in February...

 

[s999sws]

This has nothing to do with Rugby. You have to set the date with this clock and the computer then knows when the clocks go forward or back and adjusts itself accordingly.

 

[Blobcat]

As per my post above RDS does contain clock time and date information. Quote from BBC RDS facts;
"Time and date (CT or Clock Time)
Some, but not all, RDS receivers will display the time and the date. This is automatically adjusted as you move through time zones, leap years and summer/wintertime changes and so it should never need adjusting."
CT information is in the RDS Subcarrier which is placed in the stereo difference signal on a 57Khz sub-carrier using QPSK (Quadrature Phase Shift Keying) for all the non RF-Engineers out there.

 

[gary350]

My 04 slk350 has auto clock.

gary

 

[jberks]

Re RDS and Jberks, this then is something that's been added. The BBC and Swedish Radio worked together in the first concept. though there is still no way of taking this info out for car clock.

Very sorry JB

Malcolm

We all live and learn - certainly no need to apologise, You're spot on 99.999r%of the time!

As the clock is electronic I assumed the data is passed over the can bus from the radio to the dash cluster. Anyway, I've mailed MB to ask them whether i an indeed going senile or they have sneaked in an extra feature without telling us. Odd, as the radio is an older model without the aux input so if mine does it, others should too. Maybe I sleep walked into the garage, reset the clock and went back to bed!

 

[Rory]

There is an rds.org website where you can look at this stuff to your heart's content. http://www.rds.org.uk

 

[television]

Doing some more thinking I cant see it being possible to take any signal from the radio. It cant come via any audio path as there is a sharp high pass filter to kill the 19khz pilot tone generator. apart from that when the radio is off, no signal is being received, also all amps are dead.. the only cable spare is the memory back up that draws 2 m/a max. In any case when the radio off the aerial is often down and any amps turned off along with the tuner section, so no signal to adjust the clock over night.

Malcolm

 

[jberks]

Malcolm,
I take your point, but my assumption was that the clock would run itself in the normal way and auto adjust if and when an updated signal is received. There must be data passed between the radio and cluster in order to maintain the central display with radio station, CD, IPOD and telephone info and pass control instructions back from the wheel controls, although this is more your area of expertise than mine. I just figured that if this info is going across, it wouldn't be too hard for the radio to pick up the rds time signal and pass that along too.
The confusion here is that I would have assumed there would be a way to switch this on and off as for example someone on the coast listening to a French station wouldn't want CE time. I have to specifically instruct my house radio to update. I also doubt it knows from a perpetual calendar as whilst it does know the date and time, it doesn't know its geographic location. I can't find anything in the menus or manuals so its all rather confusing. But I didn't adjust it myself and no one else in my family would know how.
So, it either does or Gary350 and I are going mad!
I'm still waiting for a response from MB customer services and will post either a smug response or my new room/cell number in the home shortly.

 

[television]

What started me thinking JB, was that you went to the garage, and the clock had updated when it was turned off. I could accept it from the phone part, as the steering wheel only controls logic functions.
If you do not get an answer from MB, I will try and find the guy I worked with in Stockholm who thought up RDS. Malcolm

 

[jberks]

Ah - my fault - I didn't actually notice when it changed. I completely forgot about resetting it until monday morning and when I looked, it was already right.
I assume it must have reset some time during my travels on Sunday. As you rightly say, with everything switched off it is rather unlikely.

 

[gary350]

Mine switched over in the garage, queer it did the same last year, never touched anything honest govenor.

Just checked the manual it talks about setting automatic changeover (summer/winter) must have been done by the dealer when I bought it, as I have not touched it.

gary

 

[Rory]

Mine switched over in the garage, queer it did the same last year, never touched anything honest govenor.

Just checked the manual it talks about setting automatic changeover (summer/winter) must have been done by the dealer when I bought it, as I have not touched it.

gary

So maybe it simply has the summer/winter changeover points programmed into it, in the same way as Windows does.

Although mine (W203) didn't change itself, but I did reset manually within a couple of minutes of getting into the car. I'm sure I've read that vehicles with COMAND pick up the time from GPS, but that may well take a few mins to sort itself out, so perhpas I didn't give it time (no pun intended).

 

[television]

So maybe it simply has the summer/winter changeover points programmed into it, in the same way as Windows does.

Although mine (W203) didn't change itself, but I did reset manually within a couple of minutes of getting into the car. I'm sure I've read that vehicles with COMAND pick up the time from GPS, but that may well take a few mins to sort itself out, so perhpas I didn't give it time (no pun intended).

Perhaps as Rory say's it come from the Comand, then the problem is that these things are US Satelites, how do they cope with other countries and the time differences,also they pick any from 3-15 satelites.Sat NaV does use latitude and longtitude,Time bands also use that, so maybe the info is taken from the current last veiwed setting.Maybe someone has driven from the UK to finland with a 2 hour time difference to the UK, and knows the answer.
If we are going to have this 1k mile run, why not to Helsinki and back, then we can see if the clock changes.

Malcolm