10 ms·

More Casio Watch Mods

413 points by susam 5y ago

toastal 5y ago
I was so happy to see him being back to posting this morning, even if he noted that he doesn't plan to do it as often and considered quitting the content creation. This content always exemplifies the DIY hacker.
KingOfCoders 5y ago
My GW-M5610-1ER is the perfect watch for me. Solar, Gshock robustness, water proof, radio controlled, cheap and looks 80s.
- gadders 5y ago
  I feel the same about by GW-6900. I have other watches, but I wear that one 90% of the time. No worrying about batteries, no worrying about me being a clumsy git, and it's always accurate.
- MegaDeKay 5y ago
  I have the GW-M5610BC! Got it vs the standard 5610 for the negative display that makes it look like Darth Vader's watch. This is indeed the perfect watch. I love it.
- tricky 5y ago
  Same. Out of my entire collection, the 5610 gets the most wear because for me it is the perfect watch. It is so rugged, I can keep it on while wrenching on cars and it still looks fine after several years.
DizzyDoo 5y ago
I got a Casio watch from Amazon about five years ago, there was a deal on and it was about CAD$20. A budgetary driven decision, for sure! But it's been fascinating to see, over the years, how many times I've been approached (in a coffee shop or some other public place) by serious Casio enthusiasts, keen to ask about my watch and to show theirs. There's so many variations, colours, limited-runs editions... I seem to have accidentally stumbled into a niche with lots of passionate hobbyists - I'm sort of glad I had to replace the awful strap, which snapped, so I actually have something to contribute to the conversation. I had no idea Casio watches were such a big thing, but now I'm not at all surprised there are modding projects like this.
- tokai 5y ago
  I got a couple of casio watches from Amazon years back. Then I brought one in a physical watch store and realized that all the watches purchased through Amazon were fakes. Especially the strap is so much better on the real thing.
  - DizzyDoo 5y ago
    I wouldn't have been surprised to find out my F-91W was counterfeit! But I just went and watched a "30 ways to tell if your Casio watch is fake" video on YouTube and it looks like my watch is legitimate. I probably wasn't careful enough with the strap, it just disintegrated at one of the connections to the face.
    - crhutchins 5y ago
      Is there any way you can link up the exact video? I'd like to examine my Casio.
      - DizzyDoo 5y ago
        Yes, it was this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNnkDyGgvGk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNnkDyGgvGk
      - creeble 5y ago
        I don't have a video link handy, but this British mod dude has a very brief summary: Guide.Zenn22.Shop (redirects to a steam site I think). He has many modded F91W's on eBay. I have one "fake" F91W, it's actally SKMEI branded and keeps fine time. Not sure I believe his claim that the fakes are so inaccurate, but maybe.
        yyx 5y ago
        How do you like SKMEI? Backlight must be way better than F91W.
stoolpigeon 5y ago
when I was in high school in the 80s we'd do the flipping the polarizer thing a lot. Never went beyond that though.
luke2m 5y ago
Love my AQS800W, does anyone have recommendations for a nato strap for it?
salamandersauce 5y ago
Not quite related but I recently got into the world of Game Boy modding. Kind of amazing to see all the things like people figuring out how to reuse high resolution IPS displays with old DMG Game Boys, Bi-inverter mods to improve the original displays, 3rd party shells galore too. All for stuff 20-30 years old.
- cafemachiavelli 5y ago
  The hardware does have its charm, I remember implementing DMG on an FPGA some years ago to learn HDL coding and it was a lot of fun.
- lapetitejort 5y ago
  At this point, all you need is the back motherboard from a beaten up Game Boy and you can get a fully function unit for about $100. The front daughterboard, screen, power board, sound board, membranes, buttons, case, stickers, and lens can be bought second hand, and in good quality. Then you can add on USB C rechargeable batteries, sound amplifies, AV out (for GBA and above, for now)... Every few months a radical new mod comes out. My only concern is that modders might be tempted to pull out old mods to install slightly upgraded versions. We're talking about 30+ year old devices, and yet the mods are going out of date.
ngd 5y ago
I've been wearing a Casio F-91W for a number of years now and it really is a joy. It's always there, and it always works. I've gone down the rabbit hole with expensive time pieces but they become a burden / obligation rather than a tool - especially as the prices of certain pieces in the secondary market have gone so high - so over time I've reverted back to much cheaper watches and find myself getting more joy out of the cheaper & much better value for money brands. Very occasionally I'll take it off in favour of a dress watch for a special event but otherwise I just wear it all the time, knowing that if it finally fails I'm looking at $10 to replace.
- EamonnMR 5y ago
  Luckily Casio makes a gold-colored version for special occasions.
  - cunidev 5y ago
    In all honesty, the gold Casio doesn't look bad at all with a dress
    - spicybright 5y ago
      You're definitely right! Although when I get mildy dressed up I'll still rock the black strap lol https://www.ebay.com/itm/274335788294 https://www.ebay.com/itm/274335788294 Rose gold looks awesome here.
  - _tik_ 5y ago
    I am wearing one. Switched from smartwatch. A silver colored version is nice looking too
- MegaDeKay 5y ago
  I got an F-91W in April for those times when I am banging around and don't want to risk messing up my beloved Casio 6510BC. I set the time on the F-91W when I got it and it has only drifted off 21 seconds in that time. That is impressively accurate for a $20 CAD watch.
easton 5y ago
What’s the microSD card for?
- ct0 5y ago
  " This addon allows you to attach a micro SD card socket to the back of your F-91W for carrying around data. You will need a small cross-head screwdriver to install the addon. Also be aware that you will need to bend the 2 contacts up so they still touch the inside of the metal backplate in order to have the alarm beeping sound still present. Check this video out for more info. "
  - t00ny 5y ago
    Piggybacking on this comment, more info here: https://n-o-d-e.net/datarunner.html https://n-o-d-e.net/datarunner.html.
- fimdomeio 5y ago
  just a place for storing an sd card. Does not interact with the watch.
- Loughla 5y ago
  Just for carrying around an extra microSD from what I can tell. I genuinely don't see that being handy, but more of a feel good, maybe nerd cred point?
  - globular-toast 5y ago
    It would be cool if there was a micro-USB port on the other side to read the SD card. Maybe that's a bit optimistic in this form factor, though.
  - kayge 5y ago
    Made me think of the scene in Snowden where he snuck out a microSD card by hiding it in a Rubik's Cube
hulitu 5y ago
Are there any digital (not smart ) watches besides Casio ?
- twobitshifter 5y ago
  Timex and Armitron are the two others that come to mind.
  - petepete 5y ago
    Also Braun. Beautiful but pricey. https://braun-clocks.com/collections/digital-watches https://braun-clocks.com/collections/digital-watches
    - drivers99 5y ago
      Weird. It briefly shows a watch but changes to "No products were found matching your selection." But if I inspect the network tab, I do see the file: https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0278/8851/7235/collections/digital-watches_399x399_crop_center@2x.jpg?v=1594989947 https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0278/8851/7235/collections...
      - petepete 5y ago
        Yep that's the one, although for me the listing works and is in black. https://i.imgur.com/FpZoLif.jpg https://i.imgur.com/FpZoLif.jpg
    - twobitshifter 5y ago
      So that’s where the Apple Watch came from! https://image.sportsmansguide.com/adimgs/l/6/609716_ts.jpg https://image.sportsmansguide.com/adimgs/l/6/609716_ts.jpg
- foxfluff 5y ago
  Seiko.
- bserge 5y ago
isolli 5y ago
Vostok also has a very active modding community: https://modstok.com/ https://modstok.com/
- stevekemp 5y ago
  My watch collection is 50% vintage soviet, and modern Vostok pieces, and 50% high-end Swiss. Along with a single Casio F-91W. The Vostok pieces are what I'd recommend to anybody interested in mechanical watches, they're cheap, cheerful, and come in so many varieties and designs. (Today I'm wearing a Vostok Amphibian 120813.)
lancesells 5y ago
This site is really nice. Videos aren't Youtube embeds, zero tracking scripts, RSS feed, and quite fast. Subscribed.
themodelplumber 5y ago
Not really a mod, but I use the alarms on my Casios to store data, like calories consumed, protein, hydration, distances, progress, etc. I started with the databank models because you can use text labels in the phone number display, but ended up wearing some five-alarm models around so I adapted to those. Even without the text it's kinda cool to think of what you can track.
falcolas 5y ago
This particular video is not from 2017, it was posted yesterday. You can confirm this by looking at the video on Youtube, or via their RSS feed.
- susam 5y ago
  Indeed! Also, see this comment thread: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28605766 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28605766
99_00 5y ago
I have a Casio F-105W. The resin strap broke after 2 years of wearing it inconsistently. I would not buy it again. I also have a Casio MQ24 (analog). It has a resin strap, which so far hasn't broken. When it does I will upgrade to an analog watch without a better strap. I prefer analog because the hands act as a visualization of them time. They make a pie chart. I am somewhat "time blind" so this helps me.
- lucideer 5y ago
  > I would not buy it again. Seems likely bad luck I've a few Casio F-91Ws and wear them everyday. The strap on the most recently-purchased one broke after a few weeks of infrequent use. The rest I've had for many years, never had any issues.
  - 99_00 5y ago
    Thanks for the feedback. They have great reviews, so I suspect you are right.
- jerry1979 5y ago
  The resin straps also don't feel very nice on my wrist. I highly recommend a nato strap: https://natostrapco.com/collections/all-watch-straps/18mm https://natostrapco.com/collections/all-watch-straps/18mm I believe any of the 18mm straps should work on the F-105w, but make sure to do your own due diligence. edit: Make sure to check out this site for other kinds of nato-style straps: https://www.cheapestnatostraps.com/collections/paratrooper-straps https://www.cheapestnatostraps.com/collections/paratrooper-s...
ChrisMarshallNY 5y ago
I have 3 Oceanus (Casio boutique brand) watches. The two that I got in Japan actually have “Casio” under the “Oceanus” label. They are great watches. Not especially cheap, but they are far better than my kilobuck Junghans. I wear none of them, though. I have been wearing my Apple Watch (cheaper than the Oceanus watches) for the last couple of years.
- batman-farts 5y ago
  Nick Shabazz on YouTube has good reviews of one of the limited-edition top-end Oceanus models, OCW-S5000C-1AJF: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTXFG27NNhI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTXFG27NNhI and the entry-level OCW-T200: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELn3ubqjVWU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELn3ubqjVWU There's a few good sites offering export of Japan-only models from the various Japanese manufacturers: https://www.shoppinginjapan.net/ https://www.shoppinginjapan.net/ https://www.sakurawatches.com/ https://www.sakurawatches.com/ I'm trying to find enough room in my meager budget for a T200, as it seems they may be discontinuing the model with the light blue dial. Slightly more expensive than the most basic Apple watch. Assuming you're in the US, have you had to deal with Casio USA for service at all? Since the Oceanus models are Japan-only, I am wondering if they would even bother offering any repairs.
  - ChrisMarshallNY 5y ago
    No, thankfully. Only one of the watches was purchased in the US. I did try to get the Junghans watch fixed, and that did not end particularly well (it did get fixed, but I didn't make any friends). I brought it in the US, but there are a lot of places that sell them, but don't fix them. I have a OCW-10DA-7A (Wife's watch)[0], OCW-S100-7AJF[2], and a OCW-T410TD-3A[2]. The last two, I got in Tokyo. G-Shocks are a big deal over there. They have G-Shocks that are a lot more expensive than these were. [0] http://oceanus-watch.blogspot.com/2009/03/oceanus-watch-ocw10da-7av.html http://oceanus-watch.blogspot.com/2009/03/oceanus-watch-ocw1... [1] https://lv.bramo.jp/products/detail.php?product_id=885793 https://lv.bramo.jp/products/detail.php?product_id=885793 [2] https://www.javys.biz/casio/new_web/watch/new_watch.php?id=OCW-T410TD-3A https://www.javys.biz/casio/new_web/watch/new_watch.php?id=O...
danielg0 5y ago
Why is this post marked as being from 2017? Wasn't it released yesterday (20th according to https://n-o-d-e.net/rss/rss.xml https://n-o-d-e.net/rss/rss.xml)
- susam 5y ago
  I have no idea! I had set the following title while submitting this story: More Casio Watch Mods (LCD Colors, Transparent Display, Micro SD, Strap Remover) It appears that a moderator has edited the title and added the year 2017 to it while updating it. But it is a mystery where they picked "2017" from. It occurs nowhere on the page.
  - apgwoz 5y ago
    I'm not even sure n-o-d-e was even a thing in 2017!
  - susam 5y ago
    An update on this thread: Emailed the moderators today about the incorrect year in the title. After that, @dang fixed the title by removing " (2017)" from it.
- igneo676 5y ago
  I came here to say the same thing. This was definitely released recently according to the feed, youtube video, and personal experience
sharmin123 5y ago
The Best And Easiest Ways To Protect Yourself From Hackers: https://www.hackerslist.co/the-best-and-easiest-ways-to-protect-yourself-from-hackers/ https://www.hackerslist.co/the-best-and-easiest-ways-to-prot...
jdhawk 5y ago
Shocked someone has not posted the article about why its so popular among al-Qaida. Always a fun read. https://www.vice.com/en/article/pkebp8/casio-f91w-watch-terrorists-ied-trigger-cost-price https://www.vice.com/en/article/pkebp8/casio-f91w-watch-terr...
- philihp 5y ago
  They Americans will send you to Gitmo for wearing one of these.
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
- knodi123 5y ago
  amazing takeaway paragraph: > United States Intelligence quickly noticed the prevalence of F-91Ws on the wrists of Islamist fighters. Secret files about the Guantanamo military detention camp published by Wikileaks say Pakistani authorities discovered some 600 to 700 Casios in two workshops in Karachi, and that simply owning one could warrant an interrogation. One prisoner’s evaluation sheet confirms “about a third of inmates at JTF-GTMO [the unit in charge of Guantanamo] who were captured wearing one of these watches had a known correlation with explosives”.
peanut_worm 5y ago
I got one of these guys watches, it has an RFID chip but I can’t think of anything to do with it. It looks really cool though. The light is nice too since its bright enough to use as a flashlight when its dark enough.
- varikin 5y ago
  I use to work at a place that included parking in rfid activated ramp. I always wanted to clone my badge into something sewn into the wrist of my motorcycle jacket so I didn't have to fumble for my badge while entering and leaving the ramp. In a watch would be perfect.
  - peanut_worm 5y ago
    How would you go about doing something like that? Are RFID chips that insecure?
    - jsmith45 5y ago
      RFID and NFC are complicated. At the high end of NFC communication you have the basically the same chips used in smartcards (like payment cards/sim cards/etc) running with limited power, but theoretically able to run all the same apps. These can be cryptographically secure. At the other end, a lot of rfid tags are very easy to just read and clone, including many involved in access control systems. These often just work based on the uid number that is freely readable, and most of the protocols have chips available where the user can write this "globally unique" id that would normally be written by the factory.
trts 5y ago
It's fun to be a Casio fan. I rediscovered the classic 5600E (https://gshock.com/watches/digital/dw5600e-1v https://gshock.com/watches/digital/dw5600e-1v) a few years ago and was thrilled to be in a position to afford what I only got to admire behind the jewelry cases as a kid. Then I discovered the community of G-Shock modders and collectors. There is something very special about Casio watches that is hard to describe. In some sense I feel they take on the platonic form of a digital timepiece. And they're cheap (although they have special ed. titanium models that resell for >$2K). It's true that they are conversation starters among other fans. The original G-Shock watch released in 1984 was designed with an aim at the "triple 10" concept. That is, the battery should last 10 years, be able to survive a 10-meter drop and be water resistant to 10 bars.
beebeepka 5y ago
I've always liked watches and some of the stuff Casio has always been incredibly appealing to me. They look so cool and functional. Wearable electronics at its peak! But as much as I want to buy a lightly rugged unit, I just have no actual use for a watch... unless I manage to get my hands on a unit with at least reliable compass, if not a satellite positioning solution. That might work for me even though I go hiking to get away from humans and technology
- foxfluff 5y ago
  Oh I'd love a chronograph with a compass and slide rule. Btw, there are small compasses that you can attach to a strap, including many watch bands. https://www.varusteleka.com/en/product/suunto-clipper-l-b-nh/56201 https://www.varusteleka.com/en/product/suunto-clipper-l-b-nh... Of course you an also use an analog watch + sun to orient yourself. https://www.gearpatrol.com/watches/a386344/how-to-use-a-watch-as-a-compass/ https://www.gearpatrol.com/watches/a386344/how-to-use-a-watc...
jenny91 5y ago
As an engineer I like these watches because they keep time extremely accurately. The drift on mine is something like 1-2 seconds per month.
- jrockway 5y ago
  What oscillator are they using? Things like the DS3231 (which are temperature-compensated crystal oscillators) only do about +/- 2ppm, which is about +/- 1 seconds per week. You can tune them to do better (mine has been running at about -0.007ppm for a while), but on the tin, they appear to be worse than what you reported. (And they go to great lengths to be that accurate.) My main conclusion is that I want a watch with one of these in it: https://www.microsemi.com/product-directory/embedded-clocks-frequency-references/5570-miniature-atomic-clock-mac-sa5x https://www.microsemi.com/product-directory/embedded-clocks-...
  - jenny91 5y ago
    I imagine the actual drift rate is normally distributed around 0 with 2 std deviations within 2 ppm or similar. Maybe I'm wrong. But I recall having not adjusted the clock for longer than a year and it only being about half a minute off. I just like to tell myself I got an accurate one out of the batch :P
    - jrockway 5y ago
      > I just like to tell myself I got an accurate one out of the batch :P Quite possible. Also possible that they are just doing a good job!
yason 5y ago
Can the ROM be read and flashed back on Casio watches? I once bought a solar G-shock but the watch UI is horrible: it does not display the battery charge anywhere on the watch. Instead, it wants you to install a Casio app that connects to the watch via BT. However, even the app doesn't show the battery charge with more than a few scrambled pixels in a small icon. So, useless. I still don't know how much battery I had left at the time: I eventually got a low battery warning during the winter with no good sunlight to charge it and so I forgot about the watch. You would think a solar watch would want to boast with a highly visible battery level indicator on the screen, and also because it would be a very useful thing. If the ROMs are hackable I'd be interested in looking at the assembly if for nothing else but to fix that battery level indicator.
- thenanyu 5y ago
  Regarding the battery meter — Casio just updated much of the classic g-shock line with the 5xxxU versions. They have many much requested features including a battery indicator. Example: https://www.otto.de/p/casio-g-shock-funk-multifunktionsuhr-gw-m5610u-1er-C895781477/ https://www.otto.de/p/casio-g-shock-funk-multifunktionsuhr-g...
  - yason 5y ago
    Nice, thank you! I might actually consider upgrading, I have no other complaints about G-shock. It is somewhat bizarre though that a watch in the 2020's lists a battery indicator as a feature... I had an analog solar watch before. While it was beautiful it couldn't take the beating I seemed to give it time after time, and gradually the hour dots were broken loose and one of the indicator hands also got dislocated. Thus, I decided to try the digital G-shock with no moving parts and it was great. No matter where it hit, nothing broke. Got dirty? Wash it while showering. No problem. Now if it comes with the battery indicator then I must simply choose another thing whose ROM to dump and disassemble :)
    - SamReidHughes 5y ago
      Practically all solar powered G-Shocks have a battery indicator (lo/med/hi) that's visible all the time, this isn't a new feature.
BuildTheRobots 5y ago
There's something quite pleasing about simple watches. I think the think I liked primarily was only having to worry about changing/charging the battery every couple of years. I've still got a beat up Casio VDB-200 which was a 90's touchscreen + databank watch. The last time I put a battery in it, it still had my school timetable programmed in. I'll throw another battery in it tonight and see if it's still working. If I'm expecting to get stuck in a public waiting room then the CMD-40 is great. IRDA TV remote built in, so a TV-be-Gone a decade earlier. The TV-be-gone is a lot quicker and more ranged about it, but this was baffling to teachers in the 90s. Having had to google both of them (I can't read the numbers off the back), I'm amazed at the sort of prices they're both commanding. I thought they were cool and rare as a kid; it still seems to be the case :)
joeberon 5y ago
I have this watch. My wife spent weeks trying to sell it on Facebook marketplace but they kept insisting it was an inappropriate item even after human intervention. I know it has connections with IEDs and terrorism, so I wonder if it is related to that.
- adolph 5y ago
  Thats weird. Amazon even sells bulk packs: https://www.amazon.com/Casio-Special-Package-Classic-Chronograph/dp/B0014LNIRQ/ https://www.amazon.com/Casio-Special-Package-Classic-Chronog...
germinalphrase 5y ago
Anyone have a recommendation for a digital watch with high quality pushers? I prefer a digital day-to-day, but I use the pushers extensively and they always seem to go mushy/lose responsiveness very quickly. It’s hard to go back after experiencing modern buttons on (eg) phones. Tactile, long lasting, responsive.
Severian 5y ago
Hmm, a MicroSD card is handy, but how about a MicroSD card to USB reader in the watch strap?
- trevcanhuman 5y ago
  Clever, I suppose a strong metal backplate could be made for the usb to rest below the watch itself, but maybe it’d take too much space. I think a microcontroller for the microSD to usb is needed.
- cpu 5y ago
  On an earlier page[1] the author mentions that they at one point "designed a more complex backplate which included […] a built in micro SD card reader, that you could read directly by plugging in a micro USB cable", among other things. Unfortunately, they go on to lament that this made the watch comically thick. As you say, the strap might be a good place to cram a USB interface without bulking up the watch body. [1]: https://n-o-d-e.net/datarunner.html https://n-o-d-e.net/datarunner.html
trevcanhuman 5y ago
Great, he’s back!!
approxim8ion 5y ago
The F-91W is a remarkable little watch, and I wear it a lot. I did replace the resin strap with the thinnest (because the lugs only allow for an extremely thin strap) and cheapest NATO strap I could find on AliExpress. Whether it is my skin or the climate, I found the stock strap very irritating. NATO straps are made of nylon and are pretty much indestructible.
bcopa 5y ago
I bought F-91W for my SATs in senior year of high school... I've been an acolyte ever since. It's hands-down the most comfortable and versatile watch I've ever worn. My dream is a partnership between Apple and Casio that ads some of the smart watch features & biometric measurements to a classic F-91W design...
- bradleysmith 5y ago
  I share this dream. light fitness tracking in a forever battery w simple subtle design would win me. Something like the MQ24-7B2 mechanical with similar features would be the bees knees.
  - bcopa 5y ago
    Hope Tim sees this!!!
luxpir 5y ago
Also a Casio fan, having picked up a GWM5600BC Radio Controlled/Solar model in 2010. I'm wearing it to this day, having never changed the battery, taken out through all manner of wet and cold situations. I did sometimes have the problem of the battery running low in winter but switched off the wrist-flick light feature which constantly misfired under-sleeve and haven't had it since. Atomic clock updates daily are the cherry on top. Here's to the next decade!
- bjarneh 5y ago
  Can't go wrong with a square, timeless design.
- iszomer 5y ago
  Also a Casio fan. I have the GW1701D from 2006 as my daily driver and have not had to replaced it's battery. Some of the newer models that sport MIP displays are beautiful but is hard to compromise in not having at least a solar element and atomic timekeeping as the standard minimum of features.
nemetroid 5y ago
I bought a F-84W off eBay a few years ago, and can highly recommend it. Same innards as the F-91W and very similar look, but with slightly muted colours and a sleeker design.
tipoftheiceberg 5y ago
I’ve been looking at the Garmin Tactix Delta Solar watch, hoping it goes on sale this season. Anyone own this watch?
jamesbvaughan 5y ago
I love the F-91W and wore one for years before switching to an Apple Watch. I don't see myself switching back to the Casio, but I do miss it sometimes and wanted to bring as much of it over to the Apple Watch as possible, so I put the Casio band on it [0], but I haven't been able to put together an Apple Watch face that resembles the Casio. Has anyone else tried this and had any luck? [0] https://jamesbvaughan.com/casio-f91w-apple-watch/ https://jamesbvaughan.com/casio-f91w-apple-watch/
- raju 5y ago
  Yes, please! I wore the Casio F105W for over a decade, and really want someone to create this. Your strap looks really nice. I might have to see if I can do that with my watch—I have at least 3 F105W lying around right now.
- wyre 5y ago
  What home screen is that on your Apple Watch?
  - jamesbvaughan 5y ago
    It’s called “California”, the circle variant in cyprus green.
gbrown_ 5y ago
This is one of the cleanest blog designs I've seen in a while, will certainly be taking some inspiration from it.
betwixthewires 5y ago
I used to follow this guy and his hardware designs, particularly I am interested in small simple meshnet related things. He is really good at design.
lifeisstillgood 5y ago
The crazy part is the colour fixes are not just "hey that's great" but "hey had we done this in 1980 we would have made millions more". If you have to have a corporate engineering strategy, drop Agile and Lean and try just letting good people try stuff and see what happens. Once it's working then figure out how to production use and market it. Not figure out what you think the market needs and then crash develop it. (I may be over egging my pudding)
golemiprague 5y ago
Just wonder, why people need watch? you can see the time everywhere, on the phone, laptop whatever. I have never had a situation where I don't have the time available for me that I have to carry a specific device on my hand just to tell me the time
gorgoiler 5y ago
I dug out my Casio MD-502 recently. It is now my daily timepiece — half diver, half vintage, 100% field watch. Get one. That is all.
stevewillows 5y ago
there are a handful of neat mods. For color and better waterproofing, you can tint mineral oil with an oil based dye [1] and have any color you want. With my own, I 'turned off' the beeping by applying a little electrical tape to the rear cover. I also have a NATO strap, but there isn't anything fancy there. [1] https://youtu.be/W3K27gfgdKU?t=385 https://youtu.be/W3K27gfgdKU?t=385
batman-farts 5y ago
As a burgeoning watch nerd, solar-powered atomic clock radio-sync models are currently the only thing I collect, and Casio consistently has the best implementation of the concept. There's a purity of purpose that smartwatches can only aspire to... I don't need to worry about charging it, I don't need to worry about setting it, I can just throw it on and go. It does exactly what it's supposed to do, no more, no less. Right now, I'm putting a lot of wrist time on a G-Shock GWX-5600-1JF, a Japan import G-Shock square that also features moon and tide graphs at the top of the display. Primarily meant for surfers, I gather, though my intended application is surf fishing. I also picked up a JaysAndKays NATO strap conversion kit: https://www.ebay.com/str/jaysandkays https://www.ebay.com/str/jaysandkays as I did manage to bend one of the stock link pins by snagging the edge of the watch case while doing yard work. A full-length NATO strap through both link pins and across the back of the case means I'm not at risk of losing the watch if something similar happens again. In my cursory research, it seems like Citizen and Seiko solar atomic models don't automatically set daylight-savings time when using the WWVB clock signal? If that's consistently true, it's kind of a bummer... not having to worry about resetting for DST is a big advantage. When the time change comes around, I usually end up resetting all the other clocks and watches in the house off one of my Casios, right down to the second. Fun party trick. :)
jsmo 5y ago
Well done lad!
barbs 5y ago
I once found a Casio F-91W at an opshop but then lost it at a festival. Didn't realise it had such a following online. I then bought a DW-5600E on special, it's great. Hoping to hold onto it for a bit longer!
j7ake 5y ago
Just want to plug that I am super happy with my Casio W-735H. Is there even a watch with a vibration alarm with battery that lasts more than a few days? (Mine advertises a 10 year battery life). I find all gshocks only have sound alarm, no vibration.
- hauget 5y ago
  I loved my W-735H! Wore it for a long time as it's great for Pomodoro. Gave it to a friend after I replaced my trusty Polar m430 for a Garmin Instinct as it has a vibrating function AND the ability to program multiple countdown timers. After a few months though, I started missing the dedicated vibrating function and bought a used GD-350 off Ebay. It has basically the same features, BUT looks way better, is a G-SHOCK and has a dedicated timer starter button. Still prefer the Instinct as I can have multiple countdown timers already programmed, but the GD-350 is still a gem of a watch.
  - j7ake 5y ago
    Thanks for the tip that G shock has still vibration alarm watches!

413 points by susam 5y ago

I was so happy to see him being back to posting this morning, even if he noted that he doesn't plan to do it as often and considered quitting the content creation. This content always exemplifies the DIY hacker.

KingOfCoders 5y ago

My GW-M5610-1ER is the perfect watch for me. Solar, Gshock robustness, water proof, radio controlled, cheap and looks 80s.

gadders 5y ago
I feel the same about by GW-6900. I have other watches, but I wear that one 90% of the time. No worrying about batteries, no worrying about me being a clumsy git, and it's always accurate.
MegaDeKay 5y ago
I have the GW-M5610BC! Got it vs the standard 5610 for the negative display that makes it look like Darth Vader's watch. This is indeed the perfect watch. I love it.
tricky 5y ago
Same. Out of my entire collection, the 5610 gets the most wear because for me it is the perfect watch. It is so rugged, I can keep it on while wrenching on cars and it still looks fine after several years.

DizzyDoo 5y ago

I got a Casio watch from Amazon about five years ago, there was a deal on and it was about CAD$20. A budgetary driven decision, for sure! But it's been fascinating to see, over the years, how many times I've been approached (in a coffee shop or some other public place) by serious Casio enthusiasts, keen to ask about my watch and to show theirs. There's so many variations, colours, limited-runs editions... I seem to have accidentally stumbled into a niche with lots of passionate hobbyists - I'm sort of glad I had to replace the awful strap, which snapped, so I actually have something to contribute to the conversation. I had no idea Casio watches were such a big thing, but now I'm not at all surprised there are modding projects like this.

tokai 5y ago
I got a couple of casio watches from Amazon years back. Then I brought one in a physical watch store and realized that all the watches purchased through Amazon were fakes. Especially the strap is so much better on the real thing.
- DizzyDoo 5y ago
  I wouldn't have been surprised to find out my F-91W was counterfeit! But I just went and watched a "30 ways to tell if your Casio watch is fake" video on YouTube and it looks like my watch is legitimate. I probably wasn't careful enough with the strap, it just disintegrated at one of the connections to the face.
  - crhutchins 5y ago
    Is there any way you can link up the exact video? I'd like to examine my Casio.
    - DizzyDoo 5y ago
      Yes, it was this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNnkDyGgvGk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNnkDyGgvGk
    - creeble 5y ago
      I don't have a video link handy, but this British mod dude has a very brief summary: Guide.Zenn22.Shop (redirects to a steam site I think). He has many modded F91W's on eBay. I have one "fake" F91W, it's actally SKMEI branded and keeps fine time. Not sure I believe his claim that the fakes are so inaccurate, but maybe.
      - yyx 5y ago
        How do you like SKMEI? Backlight must be way better than F91W.

stoolpigeon 5y ago

when I was in high school in the 80s we'd do the flipping the polarizer thing a lot. Never went beyond that though.

luke2m 5y ago

Love my AQS800W, does anyone have recommendations for a nato strap for it?

salamandersauce 5y ago

Not quite related but I recently got into the world of Game Boy modding. Kind of amazing to see all the things like people figuring out how to reuse high resolution IPS displays with old DMG Game Boys, Bi-inverter mods to improve the original displays, 3rd party shells galore too. All for stuff 20-30 years old.

cafemachiavelli 5y ago
The hardware does have its charm, I remember implementing DMG on an FPGA some years ago to learn HDL coding and it was a lot of fun.
lapetitejort 5y ago
At this point, all you need is the back motherboard from a beaten up Game Boy and you can get a fully function unit for about $100. The front daughterboard, screen, power board, sound board, membranes, buttons, case, stickers, and lens can be bought second hand, and in good quality. Then you can add on USB C rechargeable batteries, sound amplifies, AV out (for GBA and above, for now)... Every few months a radical new mod comes out. My only concern is that modders might be tempted to pull out old mods to install slightly upgraded versions. We're talking about 30+ year old devices, and yet the mods are going out of date.

ngd 5y ago

I've been wearing a Casio F-91W for a number of years now and it really is a joy. It's always there, and it always works. I've gone down the rabbit hole with expensive time pieces but they become a burden / obligation rather than a tool - especially as the prices of certain pieces in the secondary market have gone so high - so over time I've reverted back to much cheaper watches and find myself getting more joy out of the cheaper & much better value for money brands. Very occasionally I'll take it off in favour of a dress watch for a special event but otherwise I just wear it all the time, knowing that if it finally fails I'm looking at $10 to replace.

EamonnMR 5y ago
Luckily Casio makes a gold-colored version for special occasions.
- cunidev 5y ago
  In all honesty, the gold Casio doesn't look bad at all with a dress
  - spicybright 5y ago
    You're definitely right! Although when I get mildy dressed up I'll still rock the black strap lol https://www.ebay.com/itm/274335788294 https://www.ebay.com/itm/274335788294 Rose gold looks awesome here.
- _tik_ 5y ago
  I am wearing one. Switched from smartwatch. A silver colored version is nice looking too
MegaDeKay 5y ago
I got an F-91W in April for those times when I am banging around and don't want to risk messing up my beloved Casio 6510BC. I set the time on the F-91W when I got it and it has only drifted off 21 seconds in that time. That is impressively accurate for a $20 CAD watch.

easton 5y ago

What’s the microSD card for?

ct0 5y ago
" This addon allows you to attach a micro SD card socket to the back of your F-91W for carrying around data. You will need a small cross-head screwdriver to install the addon. Also be aware that you will need to bend the 2 contacts up so they still touch the inside of the metal backplate in order to have the alarm beeping sound still present. Check this video out for more info. "
- t00ny 5y ago
  Piggybacking on this comment, more info here: https://n-o-d-e.net/datarunner.html https://n-o-d-e.net/datarunner.html.
fimdomeio 5y ago
just a place for storing an sd card. Does not interact with the watch.
Loughla 5y ago
Just for carrying around an extra microSD from what I can tell. I genuinely don't see that being handy, but more of a feel good, maybe nerd cred point?
- globular-toast 5y ago
  It would be cool if there was a micro-USB port on the other side to read the SD card. Maybe that's a bit optimistic in this form factor, though.
- kayge 5y ago
  Made me think of the scene in Snowden where he snuck out a microSD card by hiding it in a Rubik's Cube

hulitu 5y ago

Are there any digital (not smart ) watches besides Casio ?

twobitshifter 5y ago
Timex and Armitron are the two others that come to mind.
- petepete 5y ago
  Also Braun. Beautiful but pricey. https://braun-clocks.com/collections/digital-watches https://braun-clocks.com/collections/digital-watches
  - drivers99 5y ago
    Weird. It briefly shows a watch but changes to "No products were found matching your selection." But if I inspect the network tab, I do see the file: https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0278/8851/7235/collections/digital-watches_399x399_crop_center@2x.jpg?v=1594989947 https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0278/8851/7235/collections...
    - petepete 5y ago
      Yep that's the one, although for me the listing works and is in black. https://i.imgur.com/FpZoLif.jpg https://i.imgur.com/FpZoLif.jpg
  - twobitshifter 5y ago
    So that’s where the Apple Watch came from! https://image.sportsmansguide.com/adimgs/l/6/609716_ts.jpg https://image.sportsmansguide.com/adimgs/l/6/609716_ts.jpg
foxfluff 5y ago
Seiko.
bserge 5y ago

isolli 5y ago

Vostok also has a very active modding community: https://modstok.com/ https://modstok.com/

stevekemp 5y ago
My watch collection is 50% vintage soviet, and modern Vostok pieces, and 50% high-end Swiss. Along with a single Casio F-91W. The Vostok pieces are what I'd recommend to anybody interested in mechanical watches, they're cheap, cheerful, and come in so many varieties and designs. (Today I'm wearing a Vostok Amphibian 120813.)

lancesells 5y ago

This site is really nice. Videos aren't Youtube embeds, zero tracking scripts, RSS feed, and quite fast. Subscribed.

themodelplumber 5y ago

Not really a mod, but I use the alarms on my Casios to store data, like calories consumed, protein, hydration, distances, progress, etc. I started with the databank models because you can use text labels in the phone number display, but ended up wearing some five-alarm models around so I adapted to those. Even without the text it's kinda cool to think of what you can track.

falcolas 5y ago

This particular video is not from 2017, it was posted yesterday. You can confirm this by looking at the video on Youtube, or via their RSS feed.

susam 5y ago
Indeed! Also, see this comment thread: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28605766 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28605766

99_00 5y ago

I have a Casio F-105W. The resin strap broke after 2 years of wearing it inconsistently. I would not buy it again. I also have a Casio MQ24 (analog). It has a resin strap, which so far hasn't broken. When it does I will upgrade to an analog watch without a better strap. I prefer analog because the hands act as a visualization of them time. They make a pie chart. I am somewhat "time blind" so this helps me.

lucideer 5y ago
> I would not buy it again. Seems likely bad luck I've a few Casio F-91Ws and wear them everyday. The strap on the most recently-purchased one broke after a few weeks of infrequent use. The rest I've had for many years, never had any issues.
- 99_00 5y ago
  Thanks for the feedback. They have great reviews, so I suspect you are right.
jerry1979 5y ago
The resin straps also don't feel very nice on my wrist. I highly recommend a nato strap: https://natostrapco.com/collections/all-watch-straps/18mm https://natostrapco.com/collections/all-watch-straps/18mm I believe any of the 18mm straps should work on the F-105w, but make sure to do your own due diligence. edit: Make sure to check out this site for other kinds of nato-style straps: https://www.cheapestnatostraps.com/collections/paratrooper-straps https://www.cheapestnatostraps.com/collections/paratrooper-s...

ChrisMarshallNY 5y ago

I have 3 Oceanus (Casio boutique brand) watches. The two that I got in Japan actually have “Casio” under the “Oceanus” label. They are great watches. Not especially cheap, but they are far better than my kilobuck Junghans. I wear none of them, though. I have been wearing my Apple Watch (cheaper than the Oceanus watches) for the last couple of years.

batman-farts 5y ago
Nick Shabazz on YouTube has good reviews of one of the limited-edition top-end Oceanus models, OCW-S5000C-1AJF: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTXFG27NNhI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTXFG27NNhI and the entry-level OCW-T200: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELn3ubqjVWU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELn3ubqjVWU There's a few good sites offering export of Japan-only models from the various Japanese manufacturers: https://www.shoppinginjapan.net/ https://www.shoppinginjapan.net/ https://www.sakurawatches.com/ https://www.sakurawatches.com/ I'm trying to find enough room in my meager budget for a T200, as it seems they may be discontinuing the model with the light blue dial. Slightly more expensive than the most basic Apple watch. Assuming you're in the US, have you had to deal with Casio USA for service at all? Since the Oceanus models are Japan-only, I am wondering if they would even bother offering any repairs.
- ChrisMarshallNY 5y ago
  No, thankfully. Only one of the watches was purchased in the US. I did try to get the Junghans watch fixed, and that did not end particularly well (it did get fixed, but I didn't make any friends). I brought it in the US, but there are a lot of places that sell them, but don't fix them. I have a OCW-10DA-7A (Wife's watch)[0], OCW-S100-7AJF[2], and a OCW-T410TD-3A[2]. The last two, I got in Tokyo. G-Shocks are a big deal over there. They have G-Shocks that are a lot more expensive than these were. [0] http://oceanus-watch.blogspot.com/2009/03/oceanus-watch-ocw10da-7av.html http://oceanus-watch.blogspot.com/2009/03/oceanus-watch-ocw1... [1] https://lv.bramo.jp/products/detail.php?product_id=885793 https://lv.bramo.jp/products/detail.php?product_id=885793 [2] https://www.javys.biz/casio/new_web/watch/new_watch.php?id=OCW-T410TD-3A https://www.javys.biz/casio/new_web/watch/new_watch.php?id=O...

danielg0 5y ago

Why is this post marked as being from 2017? Wasn't it released yesterday (20th according to https://n-o-d-e.net/rss/rss.xml https://n-o-d-e.net/rss/rss.xml)

susam 5y ago
I have no idea! I had set the following title while submitting this story: More Casio Watch Mods (LCD Colors, Transparent Display, Micro SD, Strap Remover) It appears that a moderator has edited the title and added the year 2017 to it while updating it. But it is a mystery where they picked "2017" from. It occurs nowhere on the page.
- apgwoz 5y ago
  I'm not even sure n-o-d-e was even a thing in 2017!
- susam 5y ago
  An update on this thread: Emailed the moderators today about the incorrect year in the title. After that, @dang fixed the title by removing " (2017)" from it.
igneo676 5y ago
I came here to say the same thing. This was definitely released recently according to the feed, youtube video, and personal experience

sharmin123 5y ago

The Best And Easiest Ways To Protect Yourself From Hackers: https://www.hackerslist.co/the-best-and-easiest-ways-to-protect-yourself-from-hackers/ https://www.hackerslist.co/the-best-and-easiest-ways-to-prot...

jdhawk 5y ago

Shocked someone has not posted the article about why its so popular among al-Qaida. Always a fun read. https://www.vice.com/en/article/pkebp8/casio-f91w-watch-terrorists-ied-trigger-cost-price https://www.vice.com/en/article/pkebp8/casio-f91w-watch-terr...

philihp 5y ago
They Americans will send you to Gitmo for wearing one of these.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
knodi123 5y ago
amazing takeaway paragraph: > United States Intelligence quickly noticed the prevalence of F-91Ws on the wrists of Islamist fighters. Secret files about the Guantanamo military detention camp published by Wikileaks say Pakistani authorities discovered some 600 to 700 Casios in two workshops in Karachi, and that simply owning one could warrant an interrogation. One prisoner’s evaluation sheet confirms “about a third of inmates at JTF-GTMO [the unit in charge of Guantanamo] who were captured wearing one of these watches had a known correlation with explosives”.

peanut_worm 5y ago

I got one of these guys watches, it has an RFID chip but I can’t think of anything to do with it. It looks really cool though. The light is nice too since its bright enough to use as a flashlight when its dark enough.

varikin 5y ago
I use to work at a place that included parking in rfid activated ramp. I always wanted to clone my badge into something sewn into the wrist of my motorcycle jacket so I didn't have to fumble for my badge while entering and leaving the ramp. In a watch would be perfect.
- peanut_worm 5y ago
  How would you go about doing something like that? Are RFID chips that insecure?
  - jsmith45 5y ago
    RFID and NFC are complicated. At the high end of NFC communication you have the basically the same chips used in smartcards (like payment cards/sim cards/etc) running with limited power, but theoretically able to run all the same apps. These can be cryptographically secure. At the other end, a lot of rfid tags are very easy to just read and clone, including many involved in access control systems. These often just work based on the uid number that is freely readable, and most of the protocols have chips available where the user can write this "globally unique" id that would normally be written by the factory.

trts 5y ago

It's fun to be a Casio fan. I rediscovered the classic 5600E (https://gshock.com/watches/digital/dw5600e-1v https://gshock.com/watches/digital/dw5600e-1v) a few years ago and was thrilled to be in a position to afford what I only got to admire behind the jewelry cases as a kid. Then I discovered the community of G-Shock modders and collectors. There is something very special about Casio watches that is hard to describe. In some sense I feel they take on the platonic form of a digital timepiece. And they're cheap (although they have special ed. titanium models that resell for >$2K). It's true that they are conversation starters among other fans. The original G-Shock watch released in 1984 was designed with an aim at the "triple 10" concept. That is, the battery should last 10 years, be able to survive a 10-meter drop and be water resistant to 10 bars.

beebeepka 5y ago

I've always liked watches and some of the stuff Casio has always been incredibly appealing to me. They look so cool and functional. Wearable electronics at its peak! But as much as I want to buy a lightly rugged unit, I just have no actual use for a watch... unless I manage to get my hands on a unit with at least reliable compass, if not a satellite positioning solution. That might work for me even though I go hiking to get away from humans and technology

foxfluff 5y ago
Oh I'd love a chronograph with a compass and slide rule. Btw, there are small compasses that you can attach to a strap, including many watch bands. https://www.varusteleka.com/en/product/suunto-clipper-l-b-nh/56201 https://www.varusteleka.com/en/product/suunto-clipper-l-b-nh... Of course you an also use an analog watch + sun to orient yourself. https://www.gearpatrol.com/watches/a386344/how-to-use-a-watch-as-a-compass/ https://www.gearpatrol.com/watches/a386344/how-to-use-a-watc...

jenny91 5y ago

As an engineer I like these watches because they keep time extremely accurately. The drift on mine is something like 1-2 seconds per month.

jrockway 5y ago
What oscillator are they using? Things like the DS3231 (which are temperature-compensated crystal oscillators) only do about +/- 2ppm, which is about +/- 1 seconds per week. You can tune them to do better (mine has been running at about -0.007ppm for a while), but on the tin, they appear to be worse than what you reported. (And they go to great lengths to be that accurate.) My main conclusion is that I want a watch with one of these in it: https://www.microsemi.com/product-directory/embedded-clocks-frequency-references/5570-miniature-atomic-clock-mac-sa5x https://www.microsemi.com/product-directory/embedded-clocks-...
- jenny91 5y ago
  I imagine the actual drift rate is normally distributed around 0 with 2 std deviations within 2 ppm or similar. Maybe I'm wrong. But I recall having not adjusted the clock for longer than a year and it only being about half a minute off. I just like to tell myself I got an accurate one out of the batch :P
  - jrockway 5y ago
    > I just like to tell myself I got an accurate one out of the batch :P Quite possible. Also possible that they are just doing a good job!

yason 5y ago

Can the ROM be read and flashed back on Casio watches? I once bought a solar G-shock but the watch UI is horrible: it does not display the battery charge anywhere on the watch. Instead, it wants you to install a Casio app that connects to the watch via BT. However, even the app doesn't show the battery charge with more than a few scrambled pixels in a small icon. So, useless. I still don't know how much battery I had left at the time: I eventually got a low battery warning during the winter with no good sunlight to charge it and so I forgot about the watch. You would think a solar watch would want to boast with a highly visible battery level indicator on the screen, and also because it would be a very useful thing. If the ROMs are hackable I'd be interested in looking at the assembly if for nothing else but to fix that battery level indicator.

thenanyu 5y ago
Regarding the battery meter — Casio just updated much of the classic g-shock line with the 5xxxU versions. They have many much requested features including a battery indicator. Example: https://www.otto.de/p/casio-g-shock-funk-multifunktionsuhr-gw-m5610u-1er-C895781477/ https://www.otto.de/p/casio-g-shock-funk-multifunktionsuhr-g...
- yason 5y ago
  Nice, thank you! I might actually consider upgrading, I have no other complaints about G-shock. It is somewhat bizarre though that a watch in the 2020's lists a battery indicator as a feature... I had an analog solar watch before. While it was beautiful it couldn't take the beating I seemed to give it time after time, and gradually the hour dots were broken loose and one of the indicator hands also got dislocated. Thus, I decided to try the digital G-shock with no moving parts and it was great. No matter where it hit, nothing broke. Got dirty? Wash it while showering. No problem. Now if it comes with the battery indicator then I must simply choose another thing whose ROM to dump and disassemble :)
  - SamReidHughes 5y ago
    Practically all solar powered G-Shocks have a battery indicator (lo/med/hi) that's visible all the time, this isn't a new feature.

BuildTheRobots 5y ago

There's something quite pleasing about simple watches. I think the think I liked primarily was only having to worry about changing/charging the battery every couple of years. I've still got a beat up Casio VDB-200 which was a 90's touchscreen + databank watch. The last time I put a battery in it, it still had my school timetable programmed in. I'll throw another battery in it tonight and see if it's still working. If I'm expecting to get stuck in a public waiting room then the CMD-40 is great. IRDA TV remote built in, so a TV-be-Gone a decade earlier. The TV-be-gone is a lot quicker and more ranged about it, but this was baffling to teachers in the 90s. Having had to google both of them (I can't read the numbers off the back), I'm amazed at the sort of prices they're both commanding. I thought they were cool and rare as a kid; it still seems to be the case :)

joeberon 5y ago

I have this watch. My wife spent weeks trying to sell it on Facebook marketplace but they kept insisting it was an inappropriate item even after human intervention. I know it has connections with IEDs and terrorism, so I wonder if it is related to that.

adolph 5y ago
Thats weird. Amazon even sells bulk packs: https://www.amazon.com/Casio-Special-Package-Classic-Chronograph/dp/B0014LNIRQ/ https://www.amazon.com/Casio-Special-Package-Classic-Chronog...

germinalphrase 5y ago

Anyone have a recommendation for a digital watch with high quality pushers? I prefer a digital day-to-day, but I use the pushers extensively and they always seem to go mushy/lose responsiveness very quickly. It’s hard to go back after experiencing modern buttons on (eg) phones. Tactile, long lasting, responsive.

Severian 5y ago

Hmm, a MicroSD card is handy, but how about a MicroSD card to USB reader in the watch strap?

trevcanhuman 5y ago
Clever, I suppose a strong metal backplate could be made for the usb to rest below the watch itself, but maybe it’d take too much space. I think a microcontroller for the microSD to usb is needed.
cpu 5y ago
On an earlier page[1] the author mentions that they at one point "designed a more complex backplate which included […] a built in micro SD card reader, that you could read directly by plugging in a micro USB cable", among other things. Unfortunately, they go on to lament that this made the watch comically thick. As you say, the strap might be a good place to cram a USB interface without bulking up the watch body. [1]: https://n-o-d-e.net/datarunner.html https://n-o-d-e.net/datarunner.html

trevcanhuman 5y ago

Great, he’s back!!

approxim8ion 5y ago

The F-91W is a remarkable little watch, and I wear it a lot. I did replace the resin strap with the thinnest (because the lugs only allow for an extremely thin strap) and cheapest NATO strap I could find on AliExpress. Whether it is my skin or the climate, I found the stock strap very irritating. NATO straps are made of nylon and are pretty much indestructible.

bcopa 5y ago

I bought F-91W for my SATs in senior year of high school... I've been an acolyte ever since. It's hands-down the most comfortable and versatile watch I've ever worn. My dream is a partnership between Apple and Casio that ads some of the smart watch features & biometric measurements to a classic F-91W design...

bradleysmith 5y ago
I share this dream. light fitness tracking in a forever battery w simple subtle design would win me. Something like the MQ24-7B2 mechanical with similar features would be the bees knees.
- bcopa 5y ago
  Hope Tim sees this!!!

luxpir 5y ago

Also a Casio fan, having picked up a GWM5600BC Radio Controlled/Solar model in 2010. I'm wearing it to this day, having never changed the battery, taken out through all manner of wet and cold situations. I did sometimes have the problem of the battery running low in winter but switched off the wrist-flick light feature which constantly misfired under-sleeve and haven't had it since. Atomic clock updates daily are the cherry on top. Here's to the next decade!

bjarneh 5y ago
Can't go wrong with a square, timeless design.
iszomer 5y ago
Also a Casio fan. I have the GW1701D from 2006 as my daily driver and have not had to replaced it's battery. Some of the newer models that sport MIP displays are beautiful but is hard to compromise in not having at least a solar element and atomic timekeeping as the standard minimum of features.

nemetroid 5y ago

I bought a F-84W off eBay a few years ago, and can highly recommend it. Same innards as the F-91W and very similar look, but with slightly muted colours and a sleeker design.

tipoftheiceberg 5y ago

I’ve been looking at the Garmin Tactix Delta Solar watch, hoping it goes on sale this season. Anyone own this watch?

jamesbvaughan 5y ago

I love the F-91W and wore one for years before switching to an Apple Watch. I don't see myself switching back to the Casio, but I do miss it sometimes and wanted to bring as much of it over to the Apple Watch as possible, so I put the Casio band on it [0], but I haven't been able to put together an Apple Watch face that resembles the Casio. Has anyone else tried this and had any luck? [0] https://jamesbvaughan.com/casio-f91w-apple-watch/ https://jamesbvaughan.com/casio-f91w-apple-watch/

raju 5y ago
Yes, please! I wore the Casio F105W for over a decade, and really want someone to create this. Your strap looks really nice. I might have to see if I can do that with my watch—I have at least 3 F105W lying around right now.
wyre 5y ago
What home screen is that on your Apple Watch?
- jamesbvaughan 5y ago
  It’s called “California”, the circle variant in cyprus green.

gbrown_ 5y ago

This is one of the cleanest blog designs I've seen in a while, will certainly be taking some inspiration from it.

betwixthewires 5y ago

I used to follow this guy and his hardware designs, particularly I am interested in small simple meshnet related things. He is really good at design.

lifeisstillgood 5y ago

The crazy part is the colour fixes are not just "hey that's great" but "hey had we done this in 1980 we would have made millions more". If you have to have a corporate engineering strategy, drop Agile and Lean and try just letting good people try stuff and see what happens. Once it's working then figure out how to production use and market it. Not figure out what you think the market needs and then crash develop it. (I may be over egging my pudding)

golemiprague 5y ago

Just wonder, why people need watch? you can see the time everywhere, on the phone, laptop whatever. I have never had a situation where I don't have the time available for me that I have to carry a specific device on my hand just to tell me the time

gorgoiler 5y ago

I dug out my Casio MD-502 recently. It is now my daily timepiece — half diver, half vintage, 100% field watch. Get one. That is all.

stevewillows 5y ago

there are a handful of neat mods. For color and better waterproofing, you can tint mineral oil with an oil based dye [1] and have any color you want. With my own, I 'turned off' the beeping by applying a little electrical tape to the rear cover. I also have a NATO strap, but there isn't anything fancy there. [1] https://youtu.be/W3K27gfgdKU?t=385 https://youtu.be/W3K27gfgdKU?t=385

batman-farts 5y ago

As a burgeoning watch nerd, solar-powered atomic clock radio-sync models are currently the only thing I collect, and Casio consistently has the best implementation of the concept. There's a purity of purpose that smartwatches can only aspire to... I don't need to worry about charging it, I don't need to worry about setting it, I can just throw it on and go. It does exactly what it's supposed to do, no more, no less. Right now, I'm putting a lot of wrist time on a G-Shock GWX-5600-1JF, a Japan import G-Shock square that also features moon and tide graphs at the top of the display. Primarily meant for surfers, I gather, though my intended application is surf fishing. I also picked up a JaysAndKays NATO strap conversion kit: https://www.ebay.com/str/jaysandkays https://www.ebay.com/str/jaysandkays as I did manage to bend one of the stock link pins by snagging the edge of the watch case while doing yard work. A full-length NATO strap through both link pins and across the back of the case means I'm not at risk of losing the watch if something similar happens again. In my cursory research, it seems like Citizen and Seiko solar atomic models don't automatically set daylight-savings time when using the WWVB clock signal? If that's consistently true, it's kind of a bummer... not having to worry about resetting for DST is a big advantage. When the time change comes around, I usually end up resetting all the other clocks and watches in the house off one of my Casios, right down to the second. Fun party trick. :)

jsmo 5y ago

Well done lad!

barbs 5y ago

I once found a Casio F-91W at an opshop but then lost it at a festival. Didn't realise it had such a following online. I then bought a DW-5600E on special, it's great. Hoping to hold onto it for a bit longer!

j7ake 5y ago

Just want to plug that I am super happy with my Casio W-735H. Is there even a watch with a vibration alarm with battery that lasts more than a few days? (Mine advertises a 10 year battery life). I find all gshocks only have sound alarm, no vibration.

hauget 5y ago
I loved my W-735H! Wore it for a long time as it's great for Pomodoro. Gave it to a friend after I replaced my trusty Polar m430 for a Garmin Instinct as it has a vibrating function AND the ability to program multiple countdown timers. After a few months though, I started missing the dedicated vibrating function and bought a used GD-350 off Ebay. It has basically the same features, BUT looks way better, is a G-SHOCK and has a dedicated timer starter button. Still prefer the Instinct as I can have multiple countdown timers already programmed, but the GD-350 is still a gem of a watch.
- j7ake 5y ago
  Thanks for the tip that G shock has still vibration alarm watches!