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General Vintage Technology Discussions For general discussions about vintage radio and other vintage electronics etc. |
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16th Mar 2014, 9:53 pm | #181 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Heckmondwike, West Yorkshire, UK.
Posts: 9,637
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Re: Forgotten Knowledge
Anybody have any Vintage Radioey type reminiscences to squeeze a bit of relevance back into this thread before the inevitable?
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16th Mar 2014, 10:38 pm | #182 |
Rest in Peace
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Solihull, West Midlands, UK.
Posts: 4,872
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Re: Forgotten Knowledge
I suspect a generic skill which may be disappearing is the ability to knock up (from whatever is available to hand) a cheap approximation to whatever test equipment is needed but lacking for a debugging or faultfinding session. For example, measuring inductance without an L meter.
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16th Mar 2014, 10:58 pm | #183 |
Rest in Peace
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Hexham, Northumberland, UK.
Posts: 2,234
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Re: Forgotten Knowledge
Before the advent of remote controls, having to actually get up to change the TV to one of the other two channels which were available, then twiddling the fine tune on the turret tuner for the best picture with least video on sound?
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17th Mar 2014, 12:06 am | #184 | |
Dekatron
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, UK.
Posts: 3,077
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Re: Forgotten Knowledge
Quote:
You can quickly measure ESR and capacitance across several frequencies and also spot where the cap is series resonant. The cost is nothing if they already have the scope and sig gen. But the above method isn't as 'cool' as having something from ebay with a digital display even if it means the thing with the digital display is less versatile, less accurate, gives less information over a limited frequency range and is far more expensive.
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17th Mar 2014, 2:40 am | #185 | |
Octode
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Staffordshire Moorlands, UK.
Posts: 1,464
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Re: Forgotten Knowledge
Quote:
Steve.
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17th Mar 2014, 9:35 am | #186 |
Nonode
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: North Somerset, UK.
Posts: 2,129
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Re: Forgotten Knowledge
Remembering when an inverter was not solid state but consisted of a DC motor driving an alternator, the really clever ones used a thermionic valve to adjust the alternator field and thereby regulate the output voltage.
Carbon filament lamps, and knowing the handful of applications for which these were better than metal filament lamps. Use of a basic and home made forge for basic blacksmithing work. An old vaccuum cleaner makes a good blower, speed adjusted by lamps of varying number and wattage in series with it. Use of 240 volt GLS lamps on 415 volts so as to give an extremely bright light for cine filming. They only lasted an hour or so but were much cheaper than the purpose made "photoflood" lamps that only lasted a few hours anyway. |
17th Mar 2014, 10:16 am | #187 |
Moderator
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Location: Fife, Scotland, UK.
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Re: Forgotten Knowledge
Knowing that the red terminal went negative when you selected the ohms range
David
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17th Mar 2014, 12:43 pm | #188 |
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Location: Oxford, UK
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Re: Forgotten Knowledge
I think we've let this thread ramble on for long enough now, and it's time to call a halt.
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