Does the Model C need a retro fit for PM3?

[Joebarbs]

Or can you just swap a PM3 on it? I know the PM5 requires a retrofit kit.

[Carl Watts]

No the PM3 monitor will not fit on the plastic PM2 arm.

No idea why they made it like that to be honest. I took a drop saw (fitted with a very fine blade designed to cut aluminium) to my PM2 plastic arm and cut 1/16" off one side of it and the PM3 now fits on the PM2 arm just fine.

[Muckbeast]

My Model C has a PM1 (I bought it in 1993). Can any of the newer PMs work with my old Model C?

Also, how hard is it to find a PM1? The third digit of my meters readout is missing a few bits on the LCD. Whenever I have a 7 in the third digit, there's nothing there.

[Citroen]

My Model C has a PM1 (I bought it in 1993). Can any of the newer PMs work with my old Model C?

Also, how hard is it to find a PM1? The third digit of my meters readout is missing a few bits on the LCD. Whenever I have a 7 in the third digit, there's nothing there.

All newer monitors should work on a model C - see above, you'll need the retrofit monitor arm.

[Carl Watts]

The PM1 has had its day. They were a reliable monitor. Make sure you reset it as per the instructions printed on the end on the monitor or you get all sorts of strange faults and also use the Silver Oxide SR44 or 357 batteries and not the more common Alkaline A76, that way you get a way better screen contrast due to their higher Voltage and flatter discharge curve over Alkaline.

Missing digits could simply be a reset issue.

[Muckbeast]

The PM1 has had its day. They were a reliable monitor. Make sure you reset it as per the instructions printed on the end on the monitor or you get all sorts of strange faults and also use the Silver Oxide SR44 or 357 batteries and not the more common Alkaline A76, that way you get a way better screen contrast due to their higher Voltage and flatter discharge curve over Alkaline.

Missing digits could simply be a reset issue.

I did the reset 2 or 3 times. Which helped because before the reset the screen was a mess.

I bought 357 batteries because when I looked it up (here I believe) I am pretty sure that's what it said to use. And that's what was in it at the time. (The original batteries!).

Are the A76 batteries better?

Weird thing is, SOMETIMES the third meters digit is fine. But about 90% of the time it the full "7" portion of the third meters digit doesn't display. It is not a big deal really (except when I look at it thinking I'm at something like 3799 meters and instead of ticking to 3800 it ticks to 3200..... doh! hehehe).

[Muckbeast]

All newer monitors should work on a model C - see above, you'll need the retrofit monitor arm.

At $180 for the retrofit kit, when an entire brand new Model D with PM5 is only $900, it is hard to justify buying that kit for my Model C.

Seems like I should just wait for it to die someday and then just get a new Model D.

Or buy a new Model D now and then my daughter and I can row side by side. I just taught her how to use the erg yesterday.

[Carl Watts]

No the A76 batteries are worse.

The PM3 onwards has the advantage of connecting your monitor to a PC via USB so you can row online with RowPro.

[afriedma]

All newer monitors should work on a model C - see above, you'll need the retrofit monitor arm.

At $180 for the retrofit kit, when an entire brand new Model D with PM5 is only $900, it is hard to justify buying that kit for my Model C.

Seems like I should just wait for it to die someday and then just get a new Model D.

Or buy a new Model D now and then my daughter and I can row side by side. I just taught her how to use the erg yesterday.

I agree that $180 is a lot, compared to the cost of a Model D; however, my Model C is chugging along just great, except for a dead PM2. So, the choice seems to be rowing with no display, or getting a new one. I opted for the new PM5 retrofit, although I found a working PM2 on eBay for about $60.

[Citroen]

Whoever had a PM2 on eBay for $60 was trying it on. Those monitors aren't worth anything other than the cost to ship them to someone by US Mail or FedEx.

[Carl Watts]

Whoever had a PM2 on eBay for $60 was trying it on. Those monitors aren't worth anything other than the cost to ship them to someone by US Mail or FedEx.

Anyone with an old PM2 thats faulty can send it my Airmail to New Zealand. I had my first one from the Canada last week, took like 6 weeks to get here but it didn't matter. Cost is about USD$12 if you want to send me your stuffed one to get recycled and repaired to be used again instead of throwing it into land fill.

I have about a 90% success rate in fully refurbishing the PM2, they are still a great monitor and do everything the average rower needs. The really big advantage of the PM2 is I can always repair them as long as the battery leakage has not written off the board and I know of someone who is actually getting the PM2 boards made and transferring the necessary components over to it.

If you put Lithium AA batteries into your PM2 it will outlast all of the PM3 and PM4 monitors and probably outlive your PM5 as well. Simple well built electronics like this can last 30 years.

Still an incredibly popular monitor. It had a few design flaws with the PCB and if I was really keen I would re layout the entire board so any battery leakage did not run down any components. It needed a separate PM2 and PM2+ board to free up some board space. There should have been no PCB tracks anywhere under the batteries, the LCD driver should have gone under the LCD screen and a passive copper matrix and large vias should have been used to capture any battery acid leakage. Really it should have had a sealed battery compartment utilising the Nokia phone technique of spring loaded battery contacts to pads on the boards to prevent any acid from ever getting to the board in the first place.