A tribute to electronics manufacturers

[pdul]

This is a long overdue tribute to manufacturers of home entertainment equipment, for sound, video, computing etc.
Everyone who have had a look under the hood of their equipment, may have noticed those nice and colorful Chinese capacitors with exotic names. They are placed there to give us all the best experience and longevity from the products.
Those superior components even come with extra functionality like fully automated circuitboard cleaning with boraxwater and a lot of smell and smoke for additional entertainment.
It is interesting to see how the manufactorers go out of their way to avoid using
European, American and Japanese inferior components, just to give you and me
the best possible experience with their products.

 

[DF96]

Sometimes, in order to make using their products more exciting, they put live mains and other user-side circuitry well within the recommended separation distance. They indicate this by using the wrong spacing between the letters of the abbreviated 'China Export' sign on the back.

 

[pieter t]

Ands our failing system to control (CE) makes it possible; we are to blame as much as our Chinese friends....

 

[pdul]

No blame. All positive in my post

 

[Pano]

I do wish they'd go back to the days of the live chassis. Puts the thrill right where you want it.

 

[billshurv]

talking of live reminded me of this (sad) event BBC Sport - Horse Racing - Newbury horse racing deaths blamed on electrocution

Of the 10 runners, 2 died. Now normally race horses have lightweight aluminium shoes on which have to be very regularly replaced. The two that died were on std pig iron shoes to save money. Good stuff Aluminium oxide!

 

[nigelwright7557]

I remember the first Japanese transistor radios in the 1960's.
The components all stood on end with long leads.

 

[scottjoplin]

Remember these? MULLARD OA5 BLACK BODY GERMANIUM,ORIGINAL VINTAGE DIODES,TESTED USED. | eBay

 

[Variac]

Some guitar pedals still use germanium transistors and probably these diodes, because they sound so horrible - in a good way

 

[Variac]

I bought a bunch of "brick" power supplies which were covered UL, CE , etc. symbols. I could just imagine the people in China saying "Those superstitious westerners jus' love these magical runes printed on their products. We'll make them happy by putting on lots of them"

 

[Variac]

Of course without tubes you lose a lot of the thrill!

I do wish they'd go back to the days of the live chassis. Puts the thrill right where you want it.

 

[TheGimp]

I remember the first Japanese transistor radios in the 1960's.
The components all stood on end with long leads.

I remember the 6 transistor radio in 1964 that had three which were not in any circuit in the signal path. Truth in advertising.

 

[kevinkr]

I remember that Sherwood receiver I had in the 1970s, exploded its output transistors and burned a hole in the driver board of one channel around one of the resistors in the driver stage. All good old American and German parts in it.. I was listening through headphones at the time with speakers turned off.. I fixed it, but never figured out the root cause.

My favorite though (also in the 1970s) was the cross-conducting SGS 2N3055 I kept blowing up in a diy amp, replaced them with someone else's, problem solved.

 

[Variac]

Still happens with those tiny "tube" amps where the tube is marginally in the circuit. But they look cute and probably sound fine.

I remember the 6 transistor radio in 1964 that had three which were not in any circuit in the signal path. Truth in advertising.

 

[chrisb]

euphonic harmonics generators, those are - oops, I meant tube unity gain buffers

 

[phase]

I always like hearing yet another creative name for some brightly colored flea-market car amps too.