Electronic Resurrection?

[W3XWT]

About 15 years ago the Heathkit digital alarm clock that my wife and I built during my senior year of undergrad school (waaay back in 1980) started emulating the "Debt Clock" in downtown D.C. by going thru the numbers at seemingly warp speed. I tossed it in the "to be fixed someday" box and forgot about it... until it came time to start packing to move. And, then she says, "If you haven't fixed it by now, will you ever fix it? Can you even get parts for it?"

I could see her point.

So I told her that if I can't quickly figure out what's wrong with it, it's landfill fodder.

Then came what can only be described as a "Whiskey Tango Foxtrot" moment... It works like it's supposed to! And, for over a week now, it's been working perfectly!

Anybody else ever have this happen? Something electronic which was given up for dead, comes back to life perfectly, years later just by plugging it in?