But on a regular basis this clock can get additional features delivered via Wi-Fi updates. The Loftie isn’t “smart” like other smart alarm clocks, in that you won’t be served the news or the weather with the aid of a voice assistant. The two other buttons are for setting the alarm, accessing brightness and volume settings, setting the duration of the sleep timer, and choosing alarm tones. You won’t be able to read using the light, but it’s bright enough for when you’re fumbling for your glasses or going to the bathroom in the middle of the night.

There’s an adjustable night-light hidden at the base that’s easily turned on and off, using the large button on top of the clock (it also works as the snooze button). We also liked the clock’s all-black exterior (it comes in a white and black option, too), which is free of distracting lights or branding. But it’s clear, and it automatically sets the time once connected to a Wi-Fi network. Of clocks we’ve tested, this one’s display isn’t the largest or the brightest. And though the clock’s single-speaker output can be a bit tinny for playing music, it can get surprisingly loud and is just fine for alarm tones and answering Google Assistant prompts. Fortunately, the clock’s two microphones (one in the front, the other in the back) are very sensitive and able to discern commands, even when we used a hushed volume at night. To set the alarm, adjust the volume, or turn on the night-light, it was always much easier to summon help with a “hey, Google …” instead. There’s also a tap at the top to enable the snooze feature, but it sometimes required another touch to register. Unless you’re looking at them from above, the buttons are discernible only by touch, and I often fumbled at night or in the early morning while trying to turn on music or adjust the volume. Even though the clock is outfitted with four evenly distributed buttons-for volume, turning on music, and the alarm settings-they are obscured from view due to the angled wedge design. I really don’t know what I’m doing at this stage, and I don’t know how to follow the traces on this PCB.Most everything this alarm clock can do is hidden, accessed using its built-in Google Assistant voice controls or with the Google Home app.

What could be the possible issues? I checked the electrolytic capacitors (except the all-black one) that are mounted on the back of the PCB with the Ohm setting on my multimeter, and they seem to be fine - resistance was gradually increasing. I unplugged it and put in 2 AAA batteries but it still won’t display. I unplugged it, then plugged it again but it was still not showing anything. A few seconds afterward the display went off. The display turned on but the Low Battery indicator was flashing even though no batteries were installed! I did not install any batteries in the backup compartment (it takes 2 x AAA). I could probably still return it to the store but since it was so cheap I could use it as an opportunity for a learning project. I am a novice at electronics repair but I do have basic tools like multimeters and spare components on my bench that I can put to use. I was wondering if anyone can help me diagnose the problem.

Today I finally plugged it in and noticed it is defective. Hi, several weeks ago I purchased a Timex T121 LED alarm clock.

Timex alarm clock red