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General Vintage Technology Discussions For general discussions about vintage radio and other vintage electronics etc. |
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11th Apr 2021, 4:23 pm | #21 |
Triode
Join Date: Apr 2021
Location: Runcorn, Cheshire, UK.
Posts: 47
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Re: Your thoughts on modernising old tech?
Ok cool. Thanks I'll try them.
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11th Apr 2021, 6:49 pm | #22 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Staffordshire Moorlands, UK.
Posts: 5,263
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Re: Your thoughts on modernising old tech?
when ITV came along in the 50's, band 3 'add on' converters became available and people drilled great holes in the sides and backs of walnut veneered TVs without much thought, I'm sure.
As electronics from the 70's and 80's became mass produced in the far east in quantities to satisfy the world market, so the collectors-item value of the stuff went down. So I wouldn't worry, and just do it. But if a job's worth doing, it's worth doing well. You'll be respected if a collector buys your tv in the future!
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Kevin |
11th Apr 2021, 8:01 pm | #23 |
Pentode
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: London, UK.
Posts: 120
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Re: Your thoughts on modernising old tech?
I would not do a bluetooth conversion on a rare/valuable radio, but I have fitted bluetooth on some radios for friends, usually 50's radios.
It can be done without having to drill any holes and the bluetooth unit can be easily removed if so wished and nobody would be able to tell that the radio had previously been modified. The radio would be working as normal and the bluetooth would be connected to the Gram input. I don't like when radios are “upgraded” to bluetooth by destroying the original radio. Aldo |
12th Apr 2021, 9:13 am | #24 |
Octode
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Wrexham, North Wales, UK.
Posts: 1,457
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Re: Your thoughts on modernising old tech?
Just found this post so here goes, my view is to keep certain things original, only if the said item can still be used today.
On the other hand, if something is totally useless nowadays, there's no harm in converting it, so long as it cannot be seen on the outside.
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Rick, the annoying object roaming the forum. |
12th Apr 2021, 12:07 pm | #25 |
Nonode
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Gloucester, Glos. UK.
Posts: 2,149
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Re: Your thoughts on modernising old tech?
If it keeps it out of a skip then i am all for it especially if its an older unit .
Methinks soon we will see Steampunk Internet radios as they become obsolete due to software not being supported and manufacturers render them u/s, so even if they can be repurposed that would be a good thing . With the event of Bluetooth modules becoming cheap and easy to fit , they have kept many a radio, loudspeaker etc out of landfill and given them new life which can only be good.
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Oh I've had that for years dear!! |
12th Apr 2021, 1:11 pm | #26 |
Triode
Join Date: Apr 2021
Location: Runcorn, Cheshire, UK.
Posts: 47
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Re: Your thoughts on modernising old tech?
Hi all.
Thanks for all your replies. Sorry had to go to work last night, I drive a truck for a living so I couldn't check here. I use my collection, I broadcast uhf to the tv's around the house and will occassionaly watch the odd film on them, I choose a different one each time. I appreciate all the comments, I will be going ahead with the upgrades but I will not be putting any holes in the thing, I'll use the existing holes to fit the switch and bluetooth. This one my partner wants in the bedroom for herself, so it will get used often. Thanks again. Brian |
12th Apr 2021, 2:49 pm | #27 |
Heptode
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: London, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 672
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Re: Your thoughts on modernising old tech?
Hello Everyone,
I added an ALC circuit to my old Boonton-202C generator: https://antiqueradios.com/forums/vie...8841&hilit=alc It is very convenient and increased the ease of use of the generator. The Boonton-202 generators were the "standard" VHF lab generators in the '50s and early '60s, before they were replaced by the HP-608: https://www.radiomuseum.org/r/boonto...erator_20.html It was also produced by HP for a while when they purchased Boonton: https://www.radiomuseum.org/r/boonto...ator_202h.html I still use my BRC-202C generator, it is perfect for tuning up BC-FM radios, though it does not go below 54MHz without the companion downconverter that I do not have. Peter |
12th Apr 2021, 5:07 pm | #28 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Lynton, N. Devon, UK.
Posts: 7,060
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Re: Your thoughts on modernising old tech?
I have no objection to 'modernising' if it means replacing waxies with polymuckite; carbon composition with high-stability metal film; rubber insulated wire with silicone; systoflex with glass-braid; etc.
What I avoid doing is ripping out the guts so it can never be used as intended. |
13th Apr 2021, 4:53 am | #29 | |
Triode
Join Date: Apr 2021
Location: Runcorn, Cheshire, UK.
Posts: 47
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Re: Your thoughts on modernising old tech?
Quote:
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13th Apr 2021, 2:23 pm | #30 |
Banned
Join Date: Mar 2021
Location: Morpeth, Northumberland, UK.
Posts: 936
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Re: Your thoughts on modernising old tech?
I'm afraid I have no love at all for plastic 80's domestic gear! I just don't "get it" personally but there does seem to be an increasing collectors market for such stuff. Someone brought in for repair a HUGE early 80's ghetto blaster a year or so ago and I had to really bite my lip not to just say "take it to a skip mate, it was all it was good for even when new".... I looked the nasty contraption up on google and found that people were paying up to about £800 for them!! Unbelievable... We're talking fake "chromed" plastic, ultra tacky nastiness here. I guess it's nostalgia rather than the equipment being of great quality, a classic etc.
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13th Apr 2021, 2:38 pm | #31 |
Banned
Join Date: Mar 2021
Location: Morpeth, Northumberland, UK.
Posts: 936
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Re: Your thoughts on modernising old tech?
On the wider subject of modifying vintage gear well my motto is "don't do anything which can't be reversed". So no holes drilled in chassis etc. Beyond that well I generally buy and use vintage gear because I like the way it performs and its serviceability, often kit which when new would have been affordable by only the very wealthy (or gov departments etc in the case of test gear), rather than for pure nostalgia and so I have no problem with modifying for better than new performance. I may eg convert a heater supply to DC and add a modern low drop-out regulator to ensure zero hum or drift, or (where it will not over-stress other parts) replace a 16uF smoothing cap with a modern 220uF item, and any similar improvements which modern components allow us to carry out.
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13th Apr 2021, 2:56 pm | #32 | |
Triode
Join Date: Apr 2021
Location: Runcorn, Cheshire, UK.
Posts: 47
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Re: Your thoughts on modernising old tech?
Quote:
I understand what your saying, for me its history, its what i grew up with, seeing/owning. I actually like the way they look too. The 80's was my era, I have all my fondest memories from then. As for modding it, to be honest this unit will be used daily, so I'm going to make it uesable for us, I will be buying a better condition one to keep stock. Cheers. Brian. |
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13th Apr 2021, 4:44 pm | #33 | ||
Banned
Join Date: Mar 2021
Location: Morpeth, Northumberland, UK.
Posts: 936
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Re: Your thoughts on modernising old tech?
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That's my era as well in as much as I was 15 in 1980 so have many memories of "the age of silver plastic gear", which I guess prob began more around 1978 or so. Each to their own etc... I recall even at the time when this sort of gear was new I thought it seemed like they were deliberately trying to make it look as plasticky, tacky etc as they could! Mind you, even when I was that age I lusted after Leak and Quad and was far too geeky to be hanging out with the boy's from the 'hood, body popping to the latest hip hop beats on their 12 D cell "portable" ghetto blaster |
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13th Apr 2021, 5:02 pm | #34 | |||
Triode
Join Date: Apr 2021
Location: Runcorn, Cheshire, UK.
Posts: 47
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Re: Your thoughts on modernising old tech?
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LMAO, don't forget the bit of lino to do you back spins on, never did that, honest I love the high end equipment too, but out of my price bracket I'm afraid, the highest end audio equipment I had in the 80's was Marantz seperates my dad bought me for completing my electronics course in 88. Brian |
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17th Apr 2021, 2:40 pm | #35 |
Heptode
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Wellington, New Zealand.
Posts: 653
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Re: Your thoughts on modernising old tech?
Mixed feelings about this - OK to make things more functionable/usable/longer lasting but the 'take an old valve radio, discard the internals and put a modern solid state radio in there' is a tad too far for my taste. Why I should object to this when say restuffing an old capacitor with new internals in a valve radio is OK I don't know. But I do.
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17th Apr 2021, 4:27 pm | #36 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: Colchester, Essex, UK.
Posts: 4,081
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Re: Your thoughts on modernising old tech?
I too have seen a few of the HUGE '80's period ghetto blasters for sale for many hundreds of pounds. Probably in most cases they now end up on shelves as something to look at...so what's inside doesn't matter too much!
Dave |
17th Apr 2021, 5:38 pm | #37 |
Nonode
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Coningsby, Lincolnshire, UK.
Posts: 2,814
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Re: Your thoughts on modernising old tech?
I’ve got several old 80’s ghetto blasters, mostly the Sony FH series ones, and they get a fair bit of use! I certainly didn’t pay 100’s for any of them either, the highest price I think was about £60, and I have seen the current prices in the £100’s too! The closest thing towards modernising any of them has been to fit LED’s in place of the backlight bulbs on the displays when they fail, although I was tempted to try fitting a Bluetooth board in one, it’d have to be a buttonless one though, as I don’t want to make holes for it.
Regards Lloyd |
17th Apr 2021, 5:52 pm | #38 |
Banned
Join Date: Mar 2021
Location: Morpeth, Northumberland, UK.
Posts: 936
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Re: Your thoughts on modernising old tech?
Some of the really huge ones, the more "bad taste" the better it seems, have been offered for sale at >£1000!! Of course they may never get what they ask for...
Awful plasticky tat even when new, many are now suffering "plastic rot" and in the case of the one I mentioned above (apparently worth maybe £700!), simply opening the casework to get at the dry joints and dirty switches and pots which were the source of the trouble meant that about 8 or so plastic pillars into which self tappers were meant to go simply crumbled away or snapped off... a certain amount of superglue was required to give it back to the owner "in one piece"! Never again.... |
19th Apr 2021, 10:44 am | #39 |
Nonode
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: 1966-1976 Coverack in Cornwall and Helston Cornwall. 1976-present Bristol/Bath area.
Posts: 2,965
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Re: Your thoughts on modernising old tech?
I would not dream of hacking any radio or vintage equipment just to add Bluetooth or internet radio. Instead I would go via the Gram or Aux input or use a suitable pantry transmitter or suitable external AM modulator.
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Simon BVWS member |
19th Apr 2021, 11:08 am | #40 |
Heptode
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Birmingham, West Midlands, UK.
Posts: 708
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Re: Your thoughts on modernising old tech?
No point in keeping it as a museum queen, the capacitors will electrically sag and physically seep so use it and enjoy it.
and even an old Freeview board stuck in there will give you radio channels as well. Last edited by cheerfulcharlie; 19th Apr 2021 at 11:30 am. |