Magazine Free Gifts

[turretslug]

The bright orange plastic PW component lead forming gauge and transistor pads have already featured but I'm surprised that the similarly bright orange plastic nut runner from around the same time hasn't been mentioned- conformable thin-wall PE tube at each end, one end sized for 4BA nuts, the other 6BA so that the nut could be fed deep into an awkward space and started on the thread. Saved a whole load of time and rude words over the years.

[TonyDuell]

There were a couple of big advantages to Tandy back in the day. Their more complex ICs (microprocessors, etc) came with a copy of the manufacturer's data sheet. Back then you couldn't download such things and many manufacturers didn't like sending data sheets out to hobbysts...

The other thing that was not generally known is that you could buy a service manual for just about any Tandy electronic product, even those that were simply re-badged. Their pocket computers were rebadged Sharp and Casio models, but you could still get a Tandy service manual for them. These manuals were not expensive really (a few pounds).

I remember that free gift nut runner mentioned in post #41. And also a similar one for 4-40 and 6-32 nuts that came with every American Heathkit. Neither lasted very long, alas.

[Junk Box Nick]

I have the data cards in #2 and also a natty circular card resistance calculator of earlier vintage - you move the arms (three) around to the appropriate colour and read off the value through a window - and the set of trimmers and tweezer in their little pouch as in #19.

The acetate record mentioned by Aub #23 was given away with PW April 1967. I have it in my hand - pressing no. LYN 1182-IC for what it's worth! It used a few bars of music by Beethoven I can't quite recall - it might be one of the Leonore pieces but not from any of the three overtures - to demonstrate the effects.

I remember well using the free Cir-Kit adhesive strip on a black presentation card. It was like a smaller version of the regular carded item. The strip was similarly thinner. I used it to build a PW three transistor radio. It was a disaster. The application of heat from the soldering iron lifted it off the board. I did buy some of the regular stuff which wasn't much better.

There is an orange ruler type thing about somewhere where, I think you can measure the gauge of copper wire amongst other things.

One of the most useful freebies came not from PW but from Practical Householder - a crude version of a junior hacksaw. My father only possessed woodworking tools so anything to work metal or plastic was very welcome. It served me very well until I was finally bought a proper, though rather old-fashioned, full-size hacksaw complete with a round wooden handle. The job to be worked was held in a small vice that had a screw clamp to attach it to the bench - I think my mother got that for me through Green Shield stamps!

I think there is a free Tandy torch still kicking about somewhere. The deluge of mailers used to drive my father mad. I don't know what he would make of the daily deluge of promotional emails. Looking back it was all very tame in comparison.

[KeithsTV]

I've trawled through my collection of PE, PW and PTV/TV magazines and compiled a spreadsheet of the free gifts, Blueprints, catalogues etc supplied with the magazines.

It's by no means complete as Television had a habit in its later years of fixing a booklet to the front cover with no indication in the magazine that there was a "free gift". I may also have missed the odd gift.

If anyone has more information on the gifts etc let me know and I'll update the spreadsheet.

Enjoy

Keith

[electronicskip]

Originally Posted by llama

Practical Electronic gave away a flimsy record demonstrating how an electronic piece of music was built up. I don't have the record but I do have a tape recording of it somewhere.
Graham

I used to love the free floppy single records given away on the front of magazines , still have a few somewhere, plus used to get the odd screwdriver too.

[Junk Box Nick]

Originally Posted by Aub

I remember, in 1967 I think, Practical Wireless had a free thin plastic record of common fault conditions, such as distortion.

Originally Posted by Junk Box Nick

The acetate record mentioned by Aub #23 was given away with PW April 1967. I have it in my hand - pressing no. LYN 1182-IC for what it's worth! It used a few bars of music by Beethoven I can't quite recall - it might be one of the Leonore pieces but not from any of the three overtures - to demonstrate the effects.

The music used on the PW record is an extract from Romance in F for Violin and Orchestra by Beethoven.

I heard it on Radio 3 a few days ago during one of the Composer of the Week 250th anniversary programmes.

[garry71]

I still have a very small orange screwdriver rack, from EE I think. Never used it, though!

As a kid, I found the wire bender a bit fiddly, and usually used the wrong spacing on it anyway

[Oldtestgear]

I still use the plastic caliper given away by Anglia components (remember them?) with, I think Electronics Times, in the 1990s. Really useful as a quick check for drills etc when the battery in the digital caliper has died yet again.

Phil