RTC? OMG!!! How difficult can it be?

i bought cheapie ds1302 module ebay - thinking!!
well - thinking "it's dollar..."  ok - buying on ebay, china, dollar... guess doomed destined bin - before gets chucked - can offer advice or cast-iron assured code known work?
i have tried 3 or 4 different libraries, , code library, in sketch form, think can sense out of damn thing?  loading example sketches come libraries doesn't me - makes me think have dud.

if data out of @ all, nonsensical, this...

current date / time: 45/25/2125 45:45:45
current date / time: 0/0/2000 0:0:0
current date / time: 45/25/2125 45:45:45
current date / time: 0/0/2000 0:0:0
current date / time: 45/25/2125 45:45:45
current date / time: 0/0/2000 0:0:0
current date / time: 45/25/2125 45:45:45

or

ds1302 real time clock
version 2, march 2013
time = 45:45:45, date(day of month) = 45, month = 25, day(day of week) = 7, year = 2125
time = 00:00:00, date(day of month) = 0, month = 0, day(day of week) = 0, year = 2000
time = 45:45:45, date(day of month) = 45, month = 25, day(day of week) = 7, year = 2125
time = 00:00:00, date(day of month) = 0, month = 0, day(day of week) = 0, year = 2000
time = 45:45:45, date(day of month) = 45, month = 25, day(day of week) = 7, year = 2125
time = 00:00:00, date(day of month) = 0, month = 0, day(day of week) = 0, year = 2000


i don't seem able time value stick in chip 1 sketch next (i tried setting basic 'set' sketch, , equally basic 'get' sketch - set sketch giving me junk above, sketch said there no time set in chip).

i have tried following libraries, no avail...
  ds1302.h
  ds1302rtc.h
  virtuabotixrtc.h
  rtclib.h
  ...and more besides

can offer advice beyond "you should have known better" or "you should have gone <insert alternate device name here>"?  spent whole dollar on thing - don't want beaten ;-)

i looking @ wiring before leaping other assumptions.

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