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General Vintage Technology Discussions For general discussions about vintage radio and other vintage electronics etc.

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Old 5th Mar 2014, 10:44 pm   #61
Herald1360
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Default Re: Forgotten Knowledge

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Originally Posted by high_vacuum_house View Post
Working out how analougue electronics (transistors op-amps valves feedback) ect. acctualy works.

Know how to use an analougue only oscilloscope properly.

Working out a fault with an object however obscure the fault .

Knowing basic soldering techniques

Building and setting up analougue electronic projects.

Writing a letter properly.

Technical drawing with only paper and pencil.

Mathematics without calculators.

Understanding how a radio works
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Old 5th Mar 2014, 11:27 pm   #62
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Officer Crabtree it was. The appearance of the polucemin was the high point, I always thought.

David
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Old 5th Mar 2014, 11:50 pm   #63
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A shade under 20 years ago I had a young electronics undergraduate student working with me on a new design. Brilliant with the digits, attitude first class and bright too. Whilst reviewing the draft circuits I mused that part of the system controlling some high voltages would be best done with a relay. 'Relay?' says my young friend. 'A relay' says I. The puzzled look went on until it dawned on me that he didn't know what a relay was! No idea what it was - never heard of them. One year short of graduation and no concept of a relay! Well, I began with electromagnets (he'd 'done' those) and switches (he'd used those) and conceptually put the two together for him. Bingo! Relays understood, at least in principle, if not the why and when.

So, my nomination is: relays.

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Old 6th Mar 2014, 12:13 am   #64
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Replacing the needle in a wind-up gramophone.

Lighting a pipe in a gale.

Cleaning the fluff out of a mouse's trackball-and-roller mechanism.

Emptying a vacuum cleaner dust bag.

Replacing the mantle on an Aladdin or Tilley lamp.

Fitting a new leather washer to a bicycle pump.

Replacing a valve rubber.

Replacing a syphon washer in a WC cistern.

Pausing after dialling "9" and waiting for the public exchange tone.

Mixing Polyfilla powder and water.

Sharpening a pencil with a penknife.

Using a Smith chart.

Using a pricker on a blowlamp.

Fitting a new flint in a petrol lighter.
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Old 6th Mar 2014, 12:41 am   #65
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how to fit a 5 amp clix plug to the mains lead of their vintage radio and then running it via an adapter off of the ceiling light - I demonstrated this to a visitor to my "museum" last week and they were amazed that I could "get" electricity out of a lamp socket,,,,,,,,,

Last edited by petertheorgan; 6th Mar 2014 at 12:42 am. Reason: spelling
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Old 6th Mar 2014, 12:41 am   #66
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Quote:
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... Sharpening a pencil with a penknife ...
Sharpening a pen with a penknife.

Cheers,

GJ
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Old 6th Mar 2014, 1:11 am   #67
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Loading a film onto a developing tank spool in a dark bag.

Rob
Now that, is tricky! Not sure if I could still do it!
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Old 6th Mar 2014, 1:41 am   #68
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Cleaning and demagnetising the heads of a tape deck. Come to think of it, it seems most people were never aware of this!

Regards,
Paul
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Old 6th Mar 2014, 8:45 am   #69
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Getting a spring washer and a plain washer in the correct order on a bolt or screw.

Knowing the correct names for screws, bolt setpins etc.

Jim
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Old 6th Mar 2014, 9:31 am   #70
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Reading an instruction book before calling out an engineer to switch the thing on.
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Old 6th Mar 2014, 9:43 am   #71
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Holding an intelligent conversation face to face.

My daughter sits in silence with her phone and her thumbs moving like a Bees' wings apparently 'talking' to her friends on Facetube (Or whatever they call it).
She once showed me a series of text messages on her phone. The guys at Bletchley Park would have struggled with these......

Last week the wireless router died. Good God!! It must be the end of civilisation as She knows it. She went to stay at my Sons' house until it was fixed....

By the way, She's 24.

Oh Well, technology, Eh?
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Old 6th Mar 2014, 1:37 pm   #72
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Reading an instruction book before calling out an engineer to switch the thing on.
What instruction book?

Safety related telephone book more like- thick enough to cover the makers arse if anything goes wrong. Anything else- online if you're lucky.
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Old 6th Mar 2014, 1:46 pm   #73
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Painting the woodwork on your house.
Going back a bit further some skills seem difficult to believe. Such as, most country people could tell the time at night by the stars.
I heard on the radio this week that many ocean going ships do not have anybody who is competent with a sextant. They hardly ever look out of the window.
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Old 6th Mar 2014, 1:58 pm   #74
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Reading a Vernier scale.

Using an acetylene (carbide) lamp.
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Old 6th Mar 2014, 4:06 pm   #75
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This is all too advanced. A TV Doc recently interviewed people on the same sort of theme. A great number were unable to change a light bulb. Presumably they get help or buy a new lamp with one already fitted!

My daughter is 24 Omegaman-same symptoms but not quite as severe [she is very sociable when not on a keypad]. Your daughter is just the average. Notably, after the Katrina disaster in New Orleans it seemed to be a lack of cell phone coverage that distressed people who were at risk of starvation or disease more than their actual cicumstances. "Virtual" reality is right!

I recently came across an Isaac Asimov short story [1964] which describesa future world of people wandering about oblivious to their surroundingsand absorbed in listening to communication devices.
Familiar?

Dave W
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Old 6th Mar 2014, 4:44 pm   #76
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I am suprised no one has mentioned taking pride in a job being done well.

Seems almost forgotten these days with targets and paperwork.

How about knocking a nail into a lump of wood straight !!

Basic carpentry and DIY skills

Christopher Capener
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Old 6th Mar 2014, 4:54 pm   #77
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I was puzzled when my step sister asked for help to use the phone. She actually had no idea you spin the dial to the little metal stop and let it spin back. I guess, when I forget I know this, it is a kind of odd thing.
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Old 6th Mar 2014, 5:12 pm   #78
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I've got to the bottom of page one, and only don't know how to do two of the things mentioned so OK so far......

I sometimes wonder how most people would cope if there was some sort of apocolypse, or if they were marooned on a desert island,they just wouldn't have many of the necessary skills.
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Old 6th Mar 2014, 5:28 pm   #79
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Quote:
Originally Posted by camtechman View Post
teaching kids the "I Before E, Except After C" (rule)..
I was surprised to learn from Stephen Fry, in a QI program, that in English there are more words that are an exception to this rule than there are those that obey it; thus making it a pretty useless rule.


Back to the topic..

Writing batch files to make your DOS computer do (relatively) clever things.

Doing a calculation without the aid of a calculator.
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Old 6th Mar 2014, 5:59 pm   #80
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Sweeping a chimney.

Threading up a reel to reel tape recorder.
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