#Vintage Two Transistor Radio Collection

[joehaupt]

Vintage King Boy's Transistor Radio, No Model Number, AM Band, Two Transistors, Made In Japan, Circa 1961 by Joe Haupt

[burdsandwurds]

as i have gotten older i have tried to live a life where i own less and less stuff, for a whole list of reasons. i’m at the point where collecting things as small and simple and out of the way as baseball cards feels burdensome.

that said, i have a fascination with transistor radios. i still remember the first one in my life, a small blue one from the early ‘80s that my father used to keep in the garage when i was growing up. i have four now, two of them have never been removed from their boxes, the other two i use on an almost daily basis when i’m at work, when i’m out and about where i have no cell phone signal but a desire for a background noise to keep me occupied, when i want to listen to a reds game while playing video games. on it goes.

i have four and zero space or money or need for any more.

and yet, i often find myself on e-bay or goodwill looking at vintage ones that i could easily buy as they’re often less than even thirty bucks. they span decades and brands and styles and so many of them are so very, very cool.

i don’t need any more transistor radios, but still i want.

[wavehq]

enjoy limitless possibilities here in celestire islands, harleen quinzel ( detective comics ), jean grey ( marvel comics ), and tink bell ( disney ), where you can start the new life you've always longed for. make sure you read the checklist, as we'll be sending the discord link through ims! enjoy your new dream, cosmo!

( detective comics, dupes not allowed. sky ferreira, she/they/he, genderfluid. ) ——- hey, is that ( dr. harleen quinzel ) hanging around ( spin city )? i wonder what life is like for them, balancing working as a ( thirty-two ) year old ( couple's therapist ) and ( leading the local roller derby team )? they’re notorious for being ( clever ) yet ( impulsive ), and i always seem to hear ( girls just wanna have fun ) by ( cyndi lauper ) playing whenever they walk past. they’re known around the islands for ( always being the loudest person in the room ), and they’re associated with ( a 'who, me ? i'm just a worm' type attitude, sparkly red roller derby outfits and carnival tunes ). last we spoke, they were telling me about a vision they had… something about their biggest regret being ( even so much as looking at the j.ker ), but it must have just been a bad dream. // — [ cosmo, 26 / cet, they/he/she. ]

( marvel comics, dupes not allowed. christina nadin, she/her, cis woman. ) ——- hey, is that ( jean grey ) hanging around ( enchanted brews )? i wonder what life is like for them, balancing working as a ( twenty-nine ) year old ( english professor ) and ( thrifting )? they’re notorious for being ( caring ) yet ( insecure ), and i always seem to hear ( liability ) by ( lorde ) playing whenever they walk past. they’re known around the islands for ( owning 6 cats ), and they’re associated with ( a crackling bonfire, diaries hidden under a mattress and desperately trying to keep a tight grip on reality ). last we spoke, they were telling me about a vision they had… something about their biggest regret being ( encountering the phoenix force ), but it must have just been a bad dream. // — [ cosmo, 26 / cet, they/he/she. ]

( disney, dupes not allowed. tashi rodriguez, she/her, cis woman. ) ——- hey, is that ( tink bell ) hanging around ( lunalia swap meet )? i wonder what life is like for them, balancing working as a ( thirty ) year old ( plumber ) and ( restoring vintage tech )? they’re notorious for being ( skilful ) yet ( jealous ), and i always seem to hear ( jealous ) by ( eyedress ) playing whenever they walk past. they’re known around the islands for ( running a repair side hustle during her high school years ), and they’re associated with ( bare feet on mossy ground, an old transistor radio collecting dust in the corner and a willingness to risk it all to protect those you love ). last we spoke, they were telling me about a vision they had… something about their biggest regret being ( letting her jealousy win when they first met wendy ), but it must have just been a bad dream. // — [ cosmo, 26 / cet, they/he/she. ]

[saskiamcc]

Prop collection so far

One of the most important props in this film is the radio, that Cam has John fix to distract him from the awful situation that they're in. I had a few ideas of what I would like it to look like and after discussing this with Duncan and Alfie, I knew we were on the same page. We want the radio to be an old transistor radio which is battered and broken, preferably with an antenna - this would mainly be for the aesthetic. Alfie suggested that the radio have some sort of screen that lights up to show that it was capable of working, however I suggested that maybe a better way of showing this would be through sound design (crackles etc.). Also I think the screen lighting up may clash with the idea that they want an emergency light to flicker in the room throughout tense parts of the film. To find this radio, I had a browse through EBAY, and found a few which looked like they could work really well. Unfortunately quite a lot of them blew our budget, however I found a few gems and sent them to Alfie, Duncan and Finlay. A lot of these were bids so I had to spend a lot of time watching them and ensuring that I was the highest bidder. The first radio we found was perfect for us and for about 5 days I was the highest bidder, however right at the last minute we lost the bid :(

the radio we lost the bid for :(

Aspects I particularly liked about this radio was the brown colour, and the big knobs on the front which created a lot of dimension and made it very visually interesting. 

I did not want to give up so I did a lot more digging into vintage radios and came across two whose bids ended the day i found them. One was £11 and the other was £5.99. I actually much preferred the cheaper one because it had similar sort of qualities I was looking for that the first one we lost had. I called India, and asked them which one they preferred and we agreed on the cheaper one. I put bids on both just in case, however I watched the one we discussed very closely, and at the last 15 seconds, I put a bid in of £6. Luckily, we won this bid and I double checked with Finlay that it fit in budget and got the ok to buy it. :)

I'm very happy with this purchase and I think with a bit of (temporary) tampering and additions of loose nuts and bolts, we can make this radio look as if it is being torn apart and repaired.

After some discussion with India, we knew there were a lot of props on the list that we already had at hand. For example, we already had some agreements to borrow some sleeping bags, tins, pack of cards and even a chessboard. Some other props such as the backpacks I need to think a bit harder about.

The initial image I had for the backpacks were khaki canvas rucksacks with no branding, slightly ripped, damaged and stained, that looked timeless in the film. However, I knew that with the time and budget we had I would have to be a bit more open-minded.

inspiration: Stand By Me (1986), Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005), The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)

I then looked at some of the films that had inspired Alfie and Duncan for this film and took inspiration from them. I looked at media such as The Last of Us, Black Mirror, etc and from there, branched out for more inspiration. I found that I could still make them look used and incorporate them into the film in a way that doesn't look out of place.

The Last of Us, The Maze Runner, Black Mirror

My plan for the backpacks is talking to the cast and crew, show them my inspiration and see if anyone has any similar to what I am looking for.

What initially gave me the idea for the mismatched and broken chess set were shots from Wes Anderson's Moonrise Kingdom (2012), Fleabag (2016), and Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001).

The scene from Moonrise Kingdom gave me the idea that our characters could be playing lots of different games on the chessboard to pass the time, with what they had.

This shot from Fleabag gave me the idea to use other objects in place of chess pieces to make it look more visually interesting, and also add more underlying narrative to the story. Our characters have just found this chess set, and due to the apocalypse, they have not been able to find all the pieces, so they make do with what they have.

And finally, I thought it would be even more visually interesting to have some of the chess pieces be broken, like wizard's chess in Harry Potter. This also foreshadows the tragic death of John, who is killed by Cam using the radio.

I have a chess set which I know I can use so all I need to do now is do a bit of searching to find some loose chess pieces, and other objects that i can use instead.

[technato]

Re-creating the First Flip-Flop

The fundamental building block of modern digital design turns 100

Photo: Richard Brewster

Photo: Richard Brewster

Many engineers are familiar with the names of Lee de Forest, who invented the amplifying vacuum tube, or John Bardeen, Walter Brattain, and William Shockley, who invented the transistor. Yet few know the names of William Eccles and F.W. Jordan, who applied for a patent for the flip-flop 100 years ago, in June 1918. The flip-flop is a crucial building block of digital circuits: It acts as an electronic toggle switch that can be set to stay on or off even after an initial electrical control signal has ceased. This allows circuits to remember and synchronize their states, and thus allows them to perform sequential logic.

The flip-flop was created in the predigital age as a trigger relay for radio designs. Its existence was popularized by an article in the December 1919 issue of The Radio Review [PDF], and two decades later, the flip-flop would find its way into the Colossus computer [PDF], used in England to break German wartime ciphers, and into the ENIAC in the United States.

Modern flip-flops are built in countless numbers out of transistors in integrated circuits, but, as the centenary of the flip-flop approached, I decided to replicate Eccles and Jordan’s original circuit as closely as possible.

This circuit is built around two vacuum tubes, so I started there. Originally, Eccles and Jordan most likely used Audion tubes or British-made knock-offs. The Audion was invented by de Forest, and it was the first vacuum tube to demonstrate amplification, allowing a weak signal applied to a grid to control a much larger electrical current flowing from a filament to a plate. But these early tubes were handmade and unreliable, and it would be impractical to obtain a usable pair today.

Instead I turned to the UX201A, an improved variant of the UV201 tube that General Electric started producing in 1920. While still close in time to the original patent, the UV201 marked the beginning of vacuum-tube mass production, and a consequent leap in reliability and availability. I was able to purchase two 01A tubes for about US $35 apiece.

Top: Richard Brewster and Erik Vrielink; Bottom: Intellectual Property Office

Circuit Revival: Working from drawings in sources such as Eccles and Jordan’s patent [top], I re-created the circuit and then adjusted resistances through trial and error [bottom].

In a flip-flop, the tubes are cross-coupled in a careful balancing act, using pairs of resistors to control voltages. This balancing act means that turning off one tube, even momentarily, turns the second tube on and keeps the first tube off. This state of affairs continues until the second tube is turned off with a control signal, which pushes the first tube on and keeps the second tube off.

Achieving the right balance means getting the values of the resistors just right. In their laboratory, Eccles and Jordan would have used resistor decade boxes, bulky pieces of equipment that would have let them dial in resistances at different points in their circuit. For reasons of space, I decided to use fixed resistors of a similar vintage as the patent.

I was able to obtain a set of such resistors from the collection of antique radios that I’ve accumulated over the years. In the 1920s, radio manufacturing exploded, and the result is that I have quite a few early radios that are pretty nondescript and beyond repair, so I didn’t feel too bad about cannibalizing them for parts. Resistors made before 1925 were generally placed into sockets, rather than soldered into a circuit board, so extracting them wasn’t hard.

The hard part was that these resistors are very imprecise. They were handmade with a resistive carbon element held between clips in a glass enclosure. One way to get their resistance closer to the desired value is to open up the enclosure, remove the strip of carbon, make notches in it to increase its resistance, and put it back in. I adjusted several of the resistors this way, but it was too tricky to do with others, so for those I cheated a little and placed modern resistors inside the vintage glass casing.

I used modern battery supplies, in order to avoid the use of the numerous wet cells that the inventors probably used. One of the issues with tube-based circuits is that a range of voltages is required. Four D cells wired in series provides the 6 volts needed for the indicator lamps and the filament of the tubes. Connecting eleven 9-V batteries in series provided the 99 V required for the tubes’ plate. A similarly constructed 63-V power supply is needed to negatively bias the tubes’ grids. Old-fashioned brass doorbell buttons let me tap a 9-V battery connection to provide the control pulses. To show the flip-flop’s state, I used sensitive antique telegraph relays that operate miniature incandescent lamps.

With a lot of trial and error and tweaking of my nearly century-old components, over the course of a year I was finally able to achieve stable operation of this venerable circuit!

If you are looking to replicate my efforts, and are willing to sacrifice some more historical accuracy for much greater ease in obtaining reliable parts, there are some good options. Some 6J5 tubes, first manufactured in the late 1930s, are a fine choice. These are reliable and a lot cheaper than the 01As, costing about $5 to $7 apiece.

The telegraph relays and the lamps can be eliminated and replaced with inexpensive NE-2 neon lamps. The latter would be wired between the plate of the 6J5 and the batteries, so as to illuminate when the tube is not conducting and extinguish when the tube conducts, thus dropping the plate voltage to a low value. Note that the 6J5 is a cathode-type tube, and so the cathode should be grounded and the filaments separately supplied by a 6-V battery, unlike in the original circuit.

The grid bias battery voltage selection will require some experimentation, as the 6J5 will likely require a lower value than the 63 V used with the 01As. And with regard to the resistances used, the values shown can be assumed to be approximate, but some effort should be made to have the three pairs rather closely matched.

Re-creating the First Flip-Flop syndicated from https://jiohowweb.blogspot.com

[dusudaunord]

Quirky spots in Montréal

Montréal may be known for its historic past steeped in tradition, but it also has a reputation for being a bold, even irreverent place. You can see all these sides of the city in the endless activities going on in every neighbourhood. Whether you’re into the arts, entertainment, food or fresh air, Montréal will show you a rollicking good time! Here are 11 Montréal activities that you didn’t see coming. If you make any of them part of your trip, share your experiences on Instagram with the #mtlmoments hashtag!

Une publication partagée par Arcade MTL (@arcade_mtl) le 19 Avril 2016 à 11h47 PDT

Arcade MTL

Arcade MTL takes you back to 1980s arcades, without the cringeworthy hair and clothing! Seven bucks buys you access to the video games of your youth and about 20 arcade machines. In other words, you can leave your change at home! Order a delicious cocktail or one of the many microbrews, and post up at Ms. Pac-Man, Super Contra, Tetris or another old favourite. Will you beat the record?

Une publication partagée par Elise Høgberg (@elisehogberg) le 4 Mars 2017 à 8h58 PST

The Wiggle Room

This burlesque cabaret draped in red velvet captures the cheeky-yet-sexy sprit of vaudeville once found in nightclubs across Montréal. Applaud the talented artists in the music and dance shows in an atmosphere that’s both festive and subdued. Try cocktails with daring names like Altruitstic Aureola or New York Sweet. And with Schwartz’s right across the street, you can fill your night with fun and food! English-language shows are held on Wednesdays. Reservations are a must, and the price is $20 per person.

Musée Eudore-Dubeau (Dentistry Museum)

Afraid of the dentist? One visit to this museum and you’ll be counting your lucky stars for modern dentistry! Discover the history of dentistry in this eclectic universe of instruments, documents, furniture and an exhaustive library. You’ll love the slightly Gothic feel of the anthropological collection.

Une publication partagée par What’s Up Montreal? (@whatsupmontreal) le 9 Sept. 2016 à 6h32 PDT

Saint-Léonard Cavern

What better way to scratch beneath the surface of a city than to explore an urban cave? For guaranteed excitement, take a guided tour of the cavern with a professional speleologist. Be sure to make reservations at least two weeks in advance to get a spot. The visit also includes a slideshow viewing. Not for claustrophobic types!

Lutte ICW Wrestling

One of the best-kept secrets in Hochelaga-Maisonneuve is ICW Wrestling. Every Saturday night starting at 8:15, the Proulx family hosts wrestling matches that showcase the talents of brave warriors such as Big Fat Seb, the Crime, and Bulldozer. A must-see if you love thrills, chills… and theatre! Tickets are $10.

Une publication partagée par Joseph Ponton Costumes (@josephpontoncostumes1865) le 13 Janv. 2017 à 10h34 PST

Joseph Ponton costumes

You don’t need an invitation to a masquerade ball to visit the oldest costume store in North America. Founded by Joseph Ponton, who bought an entire costume collection from a cash-strapped French theatre troupe, it rents and sells everything you need to rock any style from any era.

Une publication partagée par Stéphanie Tremblay B. (@garf6) le 11 Mars 2017 à 13h36 PST

Casse Cité

This demolition room invites you to let off some steam by smashing everything in sight! Pick up a baseball bat and take it all out on outdated office equipment, falling-apart furniture, appliances without the toxic components, and anything else that can be destroyed. Note that guests under 18 must be accompanied by a responsible adult.

Eclectic crowds on Mount Royal

Between the traditional tam-tam party around Sir George-Étienne Cartier monument and the small clusters of characters in every direction, it’s people-watching paradise every Sunday. A group of furries in full costume, slack rope enthusiasts, urban hippies… This is a testament to Montréal’s uniqueness. And there is plenty of media hype around LARPing, a collaborative game where costumed players channel different characters in the great outdoors.

Une publication partagée par Jean-Philippe Granger (@jipegranger) le 16 Oct. 2016 à 15h12 PDT

Le Musée des ondes Émile Berliner

A visit to this museum will open your eyes (and ears) to the historic and cultural heritage of sound waves. Home to numerous permanent collections, the museum also hosts temporary exhibitions. Don’t miss the vintage record players, transistor radios and gramophones. Enthusiastic guides are waiting to tell you about the history of the objects on display and of Émile Berliner, a great inventor. The museum will be moving to a new location in 2017, so stay up-to-date on its Facebook page.

Une publication partagée par Café Chat l’Heureux (@cafechatlheureux) le 28 Août 2016 à 7h42 PDT

Le café Chat L’Heureux

Sick of the crowds? Commune with the cats instead at a café where you can grab a bite while resident felines lounge around you. All the kitties come from shelters and were chosen for their sociability. Feel free to approach them, so long as you respect their limits, of course. Or just sit back and observe them as you savour a soup and a sandwich. The café also holds conferences and thematic workshops.

Une publication partagée par The Lockhart Bar (@thelockhartbar) le 24 Mars 2017 à 7h59 PDT

Lockhart

Last but not least, a new Harry Potter-inspired bar opened recently in Montréal, much to the delight of lovers of butter beer and spells of all sorts! The little brother of the Toronto Lockhart is shooting for an ambiance reminiscent of bygone apothecaries and magic potion classes. Visit the Lockhart Facebook page to find out when it will be opening its doors.

Up next:Major League Baseball returns to Montréal

  The post Quirky spots in Montréal appeared first on Tourisme Montréal Blog.

http://ift.tt/2oHNkPf

[joehaupt]

Vintage Dick Tracy Boy's Transistor Radio, Style 1000, AM Band, 2 Transistors, Made In Japan By Sanko Transistor Industry Co., Ltd., Circa 1961 - 1962 by Joe Haupt Via Flickr: Sold through the American Doll & Toy Corporation of New York (Brooklyn).

[joehaupt]

Vintage Dick Tracy Boy's Transistor Radio With Box, Style 1000, AM Band, 2 Transistors, Made In Japan By Sanko Transistor Industry Co., Ltd., Circa 1961 - 1962 by Joe Haupt Via Flickr: Sold through the American Doll & Toy Corporation of New York (Brooklyn).

[joehaupt]

Vintage Dick Tracy Boy's Transistor Radio In Box, Style 1000, AM Band, 2 Transistors, Made In Japan By Sanko Transistor Industry Co., Ltd., Circa 1961 - 1962 by Joe Haupt Via Flickr: Sold through the American Doll & Toy Corporation of New York (Brooklyn).

[joehaupt]

Vintage Coronet Cordless Boy's Transistor Radio, No Model Number, AM Band, 2 Transistors, Made In Japan, Circa 1962 by Joe Haupt Via Flickr: The radio measures 8.25-inches wide x 4.75-inches tall.

[joehaupt]

Vintage Coronet Cordless Boy's Transistor Radio, No Model Number, AM Band, 2 Transistors, Made In Japan, Circa 1962 by Joe Haupt Via Flickr: The radio measures 8.25-inches wide x 4.75-inches tall.

[joehaupt]

Vintage Trutest Boy's Transistor Radio, Model STR-207, AM Band, Two Transistors, Made In Japan, Circa 1960 by Joe Haupt Via Flickr: This radio was sold under a number of brand names including Halex, Teen Tone, Trutest and Windsor (STR-207).

[joehaupt]

Vintage Trutest Boy's Transistor Radio, Model STR-207, AM Band, Two Transistors, Made In Japan, Circa 1960 by Joe Haupt Via Flickr: This radio was sold under a number of brand names including Halex, Teen Tone, Trutest and Windsor (STR-207).

[joehaupt]

Vintage Archer Boy's Transistor Radio, No Model Number, AM Band, 2 Transistors, Sold By Radio Shack, Made In Japan, Circa 1959 by Joe Haupt

[joehaupt]

Vintage Coronet Boy's Transistor Radio, No Model Number, AM Band, 2 Transistors, Made In Japan, Circa 1961 by Joe Haupt

[joehaupt]

Vintage Advertising For The Zephyr Model Z30 Two Transistor Radio In The Knoxville Tennessee News-Sentinel Newspaper, June 26, 1960 by Joe Haupt