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Maplin to the wall, this can't happen


Fender151

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20 minutes ago, nicknorman said:

Wow what a fantastic historical resource!

Indeed it is.  I used to buy electronic bits from the magazines when I was in my teens.  I just randomly picked a 1972 Practical Electronics and it has a light effects unit in it, which reminded me that I actually built a sound to light unit that was used for parties for about 20 years.  The ads are really interesting when you think that was really the only way to buy the stuff unless you were lucky and lived near to a shop.

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On 2/22/2018 at 02:11, BlueStringPudding said:

I just tell them it's for a Kubota 3-cylinder and they look perplexed. If they persevere I tell them it's a boat engine with two alternators and they back away with a look of fear in their eyes like I've just invented the concept as well as the engine name.  That happened in the Leighton Buzzard Halfords. :ninja:

I got a similar Father Dougal expression from a lass in Halfords, who was admittedly trying very hard to be helpful but knew less about the items on display than what was written on the price stickers,  when I went to buy a 12v car stereo for the boat. The B-word is helpful if you want them to go away and just let you peruse, I find ;)

I did the same in the Halfords Stroud branch and asked for an oil filter for my 1987 Springer. I waited and waited while the assistant looked in "The" book.

Next time I go in I'll ask for a spare tyre for a Boeing 737, I'm still saving up for one :)

 

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1 hour ago, john6767 said:

I actually built a sound to light unit that was used for parties for about 20 years.

Me too. Probably from that circuit! It was certainly around ‘72 that I built it. My first play with thyristors (which, mystifyingly, autocorrect decided should be ‘thyroid toes’)

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When I was about 12 I built a digital clock. You used to be able to get bags of “reject” TTL chips, most of which worked. It had 6 nixie tubes for the display, running off 150v dc IIRC (or was it 80?). Powered from the mains via a tapped transformer, 5 v logic supply was just a transformer, rectified and a large zener diode for stabilisation (and a big electrolytic) all on veroboard in a wooden box with no earthing or any such namby pamby stuff. I think I only electrocuted myself once.

Edited by nicknorman
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9 minutes ago, nicknorman said:

When I was about 12 I built a digital clock. You used to be able to get bags of “reject” TTL chips, most of which worked. It had 6 nixie tubes for the display, running off 150v dc IIRC (or was it 80?). Powered from the mains via a tapped transformer, 5 v logic supply was just a transformer, rectified and a large zener diode for stabilisation (and a big electrolytic) all on veroboard in a wooden box with no earthing or any such namby pamby stuff. I think I only electrocuted myself once.

I was just rootling through my box of random TTL to find a couple of chips to build a waveform generator to exercise some test gear I'm commissioning, I found a suitable 7476 JK-flipflop which must have come from the original bag of TTL chips I bought when I was in sixth form,

It works fine, and the date code is week 29 1970. TTL that's nearly fifty years old. HOW DID THAT HAPPEN?

 

MP.

 

 

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1 minute ago, MoominPapa said:

TTL that's nearly fifty years old. HOW DID THAT HAPPEN?

I don’t think it did. I still think of the 70’s as ‘a few years ago’. I think someone’s playing a trick on us and it’s really only ‘78!

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23 hours ago, MoominPapa said:

I used to get my bits from Aitken Bros, in a side street half way down Grey Street in Newcastle. Looks like that, too, is no more.

Yes, Aitkens on High Bridge sadly closed about 10 years ago. Brilliant, independant shop staffed by people who really knew their stuff, a great loss. But there probably isn't much profit margin selling a dozen resistors!

The good news is that the excellent pub across the road, the Bacchus, appears to be thriving!

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We have a 2005 vw  lt van a rare and esoteric vehicle i appreciate. After 6 different specialists looked at it  ( including 2 vw dealers )and said there was nothing wrong with it one bloke said oh  its your brake distribution valve. ( how any dealer could say theres nothing wrong with the brakes when the pedal frequently sank to the floor and the warning light was on and off  was beyond me...)

anyway our new best friend said he would get us a new valve. '£2400 but there isnt one in australia ive rung everywhere . A quick google search indicated they were £165 delivered in the uk reconditioned. A phone call elicited the response 'oh they all go at five years' send us an extra £20 quid and no exchange.

the bit arrived in 4 days from the uk,  another small part from the vw warehouse in melbourne 2 hrs away took 9.

sometimes those mail order factors are a lifeline, and a font of knowledge

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13 hours ago, MoominPapa said:

I was just rootling through my box of random TTL to find a couple of chips to build a waveform generator to exercise some test gear I'm commissioning, I found a suitable 7476 JK-flipflop which must have come from the original bag of TTL chips I bought when I was in sixth form,

It works fine, and the date code is week 29 1970. TTL that's nearly fifty years old. HOW DID THAT HAPPEN?

 

MP.

 

 

In (date code) 1970 I was employed to make those TTL devices  in Oldham, Lancs. We made millions of the things. In particular I remember ZN7441 , Nixie driver for Nick's digital clock, 7490 decade counter, 7474 dual flip flop. One of the lads built a calculator, might have been a Wireless World design with thumb wheel switches to set the figures and nixie display, all in a 6x4 die cast box. It worked ok and predated Clive Sinclair's efforts  by some margin. A bit later we made a lot of low-power TTL for the Post Office system X  phone exchanges .

Not much UK processed silicon in 2018 I think.

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41 minutes ago, sharpness said:

In the 70's I went to "Heathkit" on the Bristol Road in Gloucester who used to sell electronic items in kit form to collect a TV for my brother. He built the set, it worked a treat. What happened to them I wonder, the building is now the Big Dug offices. 

I did a google search for Big Dugs - you'd be surprised what I found (maybe you wouldn't)

Where are these offices ?

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3 minutes ago, nicknorman said:

I did have some vague such recollection, but when I put zn7441 into google it got no hits. Well anyway, the ones I had were SN!

Back in the late 60's I used lots ZN7473 TTL i/c's.  All Ferranti chips used ZN prefixes I think. Remember the ZN 414 radio chip all in a to18  casing. Brilliant little chip.

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9 hours ago, Flyboy said:

Back in the late 60's I used lots ZN7473 TTL i/c's.  All Ferranti chips used ZN prefixes I think. Remember the ZN 414 radio chip all in a to18  casing. Brilliant little chip.

ZN414 was a winner. Also ZTX range of plastic transistors, cost a penny each to make and the cheapest grade (that just about transisted) sold for 4p, to a toy manufacturer. Some profit margin there. In those days all ICs were hand assembled by  skilled workers, using microscopes for a full shift.

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22 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

I did a google search for Big Dugs - you'd be surprised what I found (maybe you wouldn't)

Where are these offices ?

Riga Wharf, 380 Bristol Road, Gloucester. Fronting onto the Glos Sharpness canal on what was at one time a timber yard with timber imported from Riga in Russia via Sharpness. The modern offices also used to house a Social Services dept  up to a few years ago.

I thought Big Dug was a shelving & racking supplier, I shall have to have a closer look.!!

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22 hours ago, nicknorman said:

I did have some vague such recollection, but when I put zn7441 into google it got no hits. Well anyway, the ones I had were SN!

I'm surprised you don't just send the Butler along to Harrods, Nick.  I wouldn't go anywhere else for components and knowledgable staff.

 

Harrods.jpg

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