1960s electronics kit

[Hunts smoothing bomb]

I also have that very kit Jerry, a good kit, probably one of the better ones of it's time as it had many components plus 4 transistors.

Cheers

[SeanStevens]

I recently found a different make, like Philips, but not...

denshi block st100

These use components in cubes (slightly LEGO like) and a tray the cubes can be put into. Some blocks are double size (transformer) - they have chromed tab connections one all sides, but are wired only for the component within.

Within a few minutes I managed (at the tender age of 52) to make a radio, a light sensitive alarm, a buzzer etc.

The main advantage with the ST100 is that there is a built in amplifier (sort of cheating) but it is just another giant cube. So by using the amp and the radio you have built it is easily audible via the built in speaker (built into the battery box).

A great set - I'd have been mesmerised by it when a child

SEAN

[russell_w_b]

I had the Philips Radionic kit, X40. All the components were mounted on coloured plastic bases and screwed to a PCB. One of the best presents I ever got. Prior to this, I'd only ever taken radios to bits. Afterwards I started to put them back together again!

[jez_145]

Radionics kit - blimey I had one of those too - forgot about that Russell !

It had a large PCB about 10" x 6" and you bolted the components (mounted on pads) to it with nuts and a spanner !

I think ma chucked that out too !

Jerry

[Tractorfan]

Hi,
While we're on the radio kit topic. There was a kit we used in Birkenhead Tech which used a perspex board with holes in and brass strip, also perforated, that we cut to length and to which the components were fastened with nuts through the board. Was this also called 'Radionic', or am I thinking of something else? It looked similar to the illustration in post #23, but I can't be sure.

PS Just read post #24 and, yes, it's the same one! Oops!
Cheers, Pete.

[russell_w_b]

Auntie Google says that the X40 PCB kit may not actually have been made by Philips, who manufactured the range of electronic kits described by the OP and marketed in Europe, but may have been made by an outfit called the UK Radionic Company who applied the Philips brand under licence.

But that didn't matter to me as a kid. It was Philips: makers of 'proper' radio sets and electronic gadgets!

[jez_145]

Re: Radionic Kits - possibly made under licence - That explains it Russell.

When I first replied to your post, I was sure my Radionic kit was not a Philips product and, and mentioned this. It was certainly not in the same design of box as yours. Then I had another look at your photo which clearly shows "Philips" - so edited my post.

I think you must have had a different variation again Pete as mine was a brown pcb. No perspex, though the little platforms that the components were mounted on had brass studs for bolting to the pcb.

I made a radio transmitter with it in a school science lesson, aged 10 (we were allowed to bring something in from home on one occasion) and got 10/10 for my write up. Happy days!

Jerry

[Zelandeth]

Originally Posted by jez_145

Funnily enough, only a few weeks ago I was thinking about my kits and ended up buying a similar "200 in 1 experiments kit" off eBay - just for old times sake. See attached photo. This is uses a similar approach to the Philips kits but the other way round in that the components are already mounted in place and you just need to wire them together by jamming wires into the coil springs. I think this is a good way of doing it as it doesn't involve constantly bending the component leads and there are no loose clips and springs to mislay. Sometimes it's fun to go back to basics! It's also handy for testing small circuit ideas without having to use up your component stock with a breadboard.

That brings back some memories! I was given one of these as a Christmas present back around 1995 - and proceeded to lose many, many, many hours to it.

Was a really versatile kit which allowed you to make some surprisingly complex projects for what it was. Remember it being pretty well documented too...it's where I learned to read schematics from, that I do remember!

The only gripe I remember was that the volume pot was quite scratchy.

Might need to pick another one up sometime for nostalgia's sake. Can't remember what happened to mine, but never found it when recently clearing the loft, so guess it got dumped at some point.

[electronicskip]

I have a couple of these Philips pegboards kits in my loft,
Bought them about 4 years ago from a carboot sale for about a fiver,

[line sync]

I had a Tandy 65 in 1 electronics set in the 1970,s.
Had loads of fun building circuits and years later when I dismantled it the wooden box came in handy for other things .
Like others I`ve still got parts from it but wish I hadn't taken it apart.

[Outrun_uk]

I'm a bit of a collector of the later kits as I grew up with the Tandy/Radio Shack ones of the 80's. Found this last weekend at the car boot, nice case and complete (looks like it was never used) and some very entertaining Chinglish project titles

[Mad Mal]

I had two kit, the smaller two transistor model and the larger three transistor model. I used to reproduce smaller versions of the circuits on Veroboard using smaller components for a permenant example. What was the resistance of the speaker in the larger kit? I seem to recall a figure of 50 or 110 ohm?

[avocollector]

Originally Posted by Goldie99

Haha... I bought some Sinclair stereo 60 amps / pre-amp / etc., on ebay in 2015, just to revisit my youth...

I bought the Sinclair flat screen tv because I could NOT afford one in my youth - it does not go though - LOL.

[Mad Mal]

I had two of those sets, they had the circuits to follow laid out on cards that you placed over the wire loops before you put on the springs. I used to make up some of the circuits on Vero board to keep for later, I used smaller tinier versions of the components, but could never find another speaker of the same impedance as the one in the larger kit (the smaller kit only had an earpiece)...I believe that the impedance was around 100 ohm, but can't be certain. in the end I salvaged some output transformers from some junk MW pocket radios that had rf stage problems. and used a .3W 8 ohm speaker from said radios on the secondary. That worked.

[TonyDuell]

The original Philips kit loudspeaker was 150 Ohms if I remember correctly.

[Cobaltblue]

I just measured the DC resistance of 2 unused examples out of an A20 and they both measure 140 Ohms give or take an Ohm.

So I would say Tony is pretty much spot on.

Cheers

Mike T

[electronicskip]

I also have 2 or 3 of the Philips kits in my loft , bought from a carboot sale a few years ago.

[Cobaltblue]

Well as this thread has woke up and one of my un-played with EE8's to hand

Matches my A20 from post #14

Cheers

Mike T

[60 oldjohn]

Thanks Mike for the photo, brings back happy memories. And of having to buy a new AF117

John.

[Alistair D]

The English manual for the EE8 is in the library section of this site.

http://ee.old.no/

Al