Rare Telefunken EC-1000 digital AM/FM alarm clock radio Space Age retro 70s/80s

When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

Rare Telefunken EC-1000 digital AM/FM alarm clock radio Space Age retro 70s/80s :
$59.99

If you\'re looking at this clock radio, then you\'re probably curious about the brand name, because Telefunken was not known for digital clock radios. Telefunken was a German electronics company that produced some of the best table top radios, hi-fi systems, radio tubes, and microphones ever made. In the early 1980\'s, prior to the Daimler AG acquisition (where the company brand name disappeared), Telefunken decided to extend their small radio product line by creating a digital clock radio.
The EC-1000 was the first digital clock radio Telefunken manufactured, with only a few other models that followed. In traditional German form, they over engineered this product and produced a design you simply don\'t see anywhere else. It weighs an astonishing 2 lbs, considering its rather small form factor (8x5x3). The weight comes from the high quality speaker (large magnet) and heavy duty power transformer. This unit was made and sold in Canada. It was never sold in the US market, so it is very rare to find. I have looked at vintage Telefunken electronics on for years and only saw it once--this one is it!
FEATURES

AM/FM radio with excellent reception
Light touch snooze button
Variable sleep, settable from 1 to 59 minutes.
Wake to alarm (beep tone) or music
Display dimmer wheel provided, located up front for easy access, and can dim down to completely OFF.
Seconds display with hold and reset for precise time synchronization, or for timing purposes up to 10 minutes.
Same toggle switches as seen on Telefunken hi-fi audio components
Ear phone jack on the rear for private listening
Time keeping for brief momentary power outages

One key notable feature is the ability to display seconds. There is a toggle lever that switches from time display to seconds display. While in that mode, you can press the fast time set button to reset the seconds to \"00\". If you continue to hold it, it won\'t resume until released. The slow time set button holds the second count at whatever number it is while holding it, allowing you to release at the precise moment to synchronize the time. Also, each time the seconds cycle scrolls to \"00\", the minutes display increments. Effectively you can use it for timing anything. Once the display reaches 9:59, it resets back to 0:00. I have never seen a clock radio with this feature.
The operation of the radio is not entirely intuitive, and requires a little explanation. The \"On/Off\" switch is for the radio only, having nothing to do with the alarm. The alarm has a \"MAN\" and \"AUTO\" setting. AUTO means the alarm is armed to go off at the scheduled time. MAN means the automatic arming is turned off. But once the alarm is activated, turning it off requires tapping the soft touch \"Alarm Off\" button on the left side. \"MAN\" does not turn it off. There is a SNOOZE button, which will turn off the alarm for 9 minutes. The SNOOZE function can repeat up to 3 times and then the alarm shuts off completely, 30 minutes after it initially went off. The FAST/SLOW time setting buttons are located on the underside of the unit, near the front of the display. When setting the alarm time, pressing both the FAST/SLOW time set buttons resets the alarm to 12:00AM. This will also work for setting the time, ONLY when the switch is in the seconds display position.
A couple of other peculiarities are the typical \":\" (colon) normally seen in between the hours and minutes is just a period (.), the only indicator for the alarm is when setting it for buzzer instead of music--a small LED light goes on to the left of the hours display, and the AM/PM indicator is not labeled--it is an LED that appears in the upper left corner of the display; when it is on, it means \"PM\".
Cosmetically, the radio is in very good condition. The front clear plastic display is blemish free. The solid silver plastic casing has a few minor scuffs here and there, with one notable blemish just north of the toggle switch controls. But as you can see from the photos, the unit has really nice presentation. It\'s not mint, but looks great. The design reminds me of instrument panels you\'d see in older science fiction movies or TV shows (like Space: 1999).
Operationally, the unit runs just a little warm, but of no concern to any surface it sits upon. It has 4 small rubber feet that help keep it firmly planted in place. Time keeping is very good and the alarm goes off as expected. All of the vintage clock radios I\'ve seen without a battery backup lose their time keeping immediately after power is cut. There is no battery backup with this unit (quite common for 80\'s vintage clock radios), however I\'ve noticed that when it is unplugged for up to 3 seconds, the time is not lost. In areas where power is usually reliable, most power interruptions last for a second or two, and so this unit would have a good chance of maintaining correct time.
This is one of my favorite vintage digital clock radios. Nothing else looks quite like it and it is the perfect size for a small bedside nightstand. I wish I wasn\'t selling it, but I\'ve had to significantly reduce my electronics collection and I\'ve unfortunately no room left to keep this one. It is a truly unique and rare clock radio, made for a very short time by a famous German electronics company. You would be very hard pressed to find another one. So, if you really do want it, be sure to place your highest offer to minimize risking loss to a last second snipe offer. Good luck!
Please contact me at least 24 hours prior to the sale end, so I have sufficient time to respond. I\'ll be happy to help you as best I can. Thanks, and good luck!
NOTE: This is a vintage electronic item. Please be advised that while it is working and will not be DOA, there is no warranty expressed or implied.