Vintage technology

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I became an engineering student in the mid-70's at just about the time schools were caving in to the use of "scientific" calculators (the sort that displayed an exponent). I was thankful to not have to deal with slide rules however was also painfully aware that slide rule users probably gained a much better intuitive grasp of the real-world implications of what they were dealing with.

Probably why I ended up as a programmer.

I'm typing this on an Apple Extended Keyboard model M0115.

I sure would love to own a finial ELP laser turntable.

A slide rule with a little training is an awesome tool - unbeatable ... all we ever need is 3 sig figs for engineering so why all the zombie like march toward the calculator ! !

And it can deal with and demonstrate variables, something a calculator cannot do.

I also like tube / thermionic valve technology, so do guitarists. ie wiki Marshall.....

oh yes, I enjoy Edwardian steam technology, can communicate in morse code and own a treadle lathe.

and funnily enough i was a clever kid, desperate for help and guidance and all the adults did around me was to try and ignore me ...

those that have clever attentive parents are sooooooo lucky.

Any ideas as to why the induction coil in the 425B network used for the WE 500 telephone has two primary windings rather than one?

Hybrid coil for anti-sidetone compensation?

Just a guess.

you have understood the matter. Working with a slide rule which give no more than 3 significant digits required the ability to estimate orders of magnitude. Engineers and physicists have to know approximately what the right answer is even before they calculate. It is a great talent to develop and 12 place hand calculators to do not encourage it.

My father forbade me to use calculating machines until I could estimate the answers and I forbade my children to use any kind of calculator until they could do reasonable estimates. It forced them to think about what they were doing instead of pressing on buttons.

ruveyn

ruveyn

Here's a couple failed products from my youth that are fascinating: N-Gage and DualDisc

I have ALWAYS had a love for vintage technology! I finally bought my first vintage computer in may. It was a Tandy CoCo3. It's missing a few keys and looks rough but it works perfect. I haven't really taken much account into it since I moved in august, but I'll be looking for it soon since I found this thread!
I also like the vintage Gameboys from circa 1989 to about 2000. I got an original gameboy in 2009 and in July I got the gameboy pocket. I've been neglecting them lately though as well.

I'd love to have an original pair of IMF monitors, circa 1965. those were the best speakers made, then and now.

oooooOOOO Maggies are nice, I have a pair or AR11's AR12's and a pari of AR 18's all from '78, all restored with new capacitors and foam surrounds Hmmn aspergers much. I love the sound from them especially the 11's quite seriously I do not think I could replace the quality of the 11's for under A$7-8 K

They'd both sound great wired up to my H.H. Scott 296. Once I've recapped it and replaced that damned selenium rectifier. Been waiting until I could get a better Variac, which I now have.

I would LOVE to audition a pair of AR MGC ["magic"] speakers! I never got to see or hear them in the flesh when they were made. or a pair of DBX model 1s. or a Celestion SL6. all of those are ones that Julian Hirsch tested back in the day and said they "disappeared" when playing music. IOW the front of the listening room might as well have been the original recording venue, they produced stereo sound with depth so realistically.

I have a healthy respect and admiration for vintage tech. I mean the purely mechanical type.

I've a 120 year old pepper grinder that works absolutely perfectly...it grinds it down to very fine sand like quality, never jams, never squeaks or screeches. It's made out of a simple piece of wood and bronze (or a bronze like metal at least). In contrast 'modern' grinders made from ceramics, steel, etc (not talking about the cheap plastic ones) always produce uneven grind and break/snap after a year or so of use.

I've cast iron and bronze cooking pots that belonged to my great grandma... amazing things to cook in. Modern pans SUCK in comparison. On a side note, these old pans work wonderfully with modern conduction system since they do have a high content of ferrous metal.

There are lots of things that were made in the old day that showed tremendous ingenuity. Using simple mechanical solutions to complex problems...there's a quiet elegance about that.

the past several days, I have been using my denon dp-45f servotracer turntable and audio technical at120e cartridge to digitize some of my record collection. it is not a high-end system [especially the cartridge] but it is uniquely well-suited for playing back the vast majority of consumer grade [NOT audiophile] phonograph recordings, the synergy between the semi-elliptical stylus and record groove works for used/worn recordings that would have their distortions made more plainly audible by more revealing cartridges. IOW I can listen to records on this system that would be unlistenable on higher-end equipment, I know this because I auditioned said mediocre recordings on higher-end equipment [some costing many $$$$ more] in the store where I ultimately bought my present turntable setup.

I got a few 1980s Panasonic Toughbooks (the first ever model, i think). They run Kolibri OS <--link. Screaming fast. Another related project that will revive an old PC is Menuet OS <--link.