There was one kid who couldn't remember to stay facing away, would turn to ask a question while trying to pull back. Teacher would keep him distracted for a while then put him at the back of the line, and call time before he could have a turn.
I can play most computer games for about 15 minutes before the boredom sets in. ADHD is both a double-edged sword. The beautiful thing about designing and building your own stuff is that there is always something different to try, always something new to learn.
Spice is a beautiful tool that a lot of people misuse. I know I certainly have. It is pretty accurate when used correctly. Lots of people forget, however, that an "inductor" is really and inductor, a resistor and a capacitor. We don't live in an ideal world. Spice won't design a circuit that works in real life. You must be smart enough to know that a TO-247 package can't dissipate 1200 watts without damage. Some people forget that.
As an example, an IRF510 will hold off 100kV in spice. Good luck trying to make that happen on the bench.
Hah! I remember at age six, I was going to use the scissors for something, walked past some heavy duty extension cords on my way. Decided to figure out what was inside, hid away with the cord under the stairs in the basement.
Since it was 230v/16a on those classic sand-filled slow-blow fuses, me cutting the cable resulted in a beautiful shower of sparks before all the lights went out.
Ahhhh, sweet childhood memories. 😀
Boomers also know nothing about computers even though I worked with them nearly continuously since 1974. And tapping install in the Google Play store isn't computer expertise.
Some of my teen escapades would probably land me on terrorist watch lists today. I find it comforting to see evidence the spirit lives on. 🙂
BTW, the correct riposte to 'ok boomer' is 'ok zoomer'.
Did anyone else use a coffee can, nail and a Model-T sparker to think they could jam police radar?
Timmeee!! 😉
In shop class we talked the teacher into letting us build crossbows (Jayhawk made a kit, I think it was 120# pull) it all was fine and dandy (was actually fun building the stocks) until reports of bolts (arrows) stuck in cars,houses, and all sorts of things where they didnt belong! One option was razor tipped hunting broadheads (of course I upgraded)......obviously it didn’t happen again.
Pre hunting season the PE teacher would let anyone interested go out to the back field to sight in our rifles......most of the time without supervision.
There were guns carried through the halls, in the lockers......different times fo sho.......never once had any ‘incidents’
Jackinj, no radar jamming but we used to catfish with old crankphone generators!
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We only got those 7.26kg metal balls for "shot put" practice, easy to dodge. Bow and arrow was after school only.
Like my mother used to say when we where kids:
"Kids! Don't fight! Get some bricks to throw instead!"
No, but I did successfully build a "cloaking device" out of a Motorola two way radio, a bunch of 1N914 diodes and a microwave cavity soldered up from PC board scrap.
The genuine Ford model-T (found under Gram's house) did a nice number on TV reception though. It found its way into my 8th grade since fair project on early radio with a "coherer" made from aluminum dust and pencil shavings. I later made a better "detector" from a razor blade and a safety pin.
The Tesla coil I built for the 11th grade science fair was modeled after the Big TC published in Popular Electronics in about 1965 with a few of my "upgrades." It wiped out TV reception for a couple blocks in all directions. The open spark gap scared the fair police enough to demand a plexiglass cover.....that led to ionization, melted plastic, and fire....I was not allowed to enter the science fair again. The burnt TC stayed in the back of the school electronics class room for several years after I graduated. I heard that another crazy student rebuilt it and made it work again.
I built my first computer from a SWTPC (Tiger amps) kit in 1975. By 1978 there were several clones of it among the members of the Motorola computer club. It was quickly made obsolete when we learned how to make Apple II clones in the late 70's and IBM clones in the early 80's. Motorola paid for me to get a college degree in 1990....in Computer Engineering. Around the time I graduated in 1993, I wrote a full ATE system for one of our radio boards on a DOS PC-AT using Borland C.
Today I wouldn't know where to start to build a Windoze program. I doubt too many of today's kids would either. I can hold my own against many of them with Arduino code though.
I had a Carter Dynamotor. I found it, in of all places, the dumpster behind the Pearce Simpson (CB sets) import warehouse in Miami. I used to "shop" in that dumpster and in the Julliette warehouse next door(cheap radios and stereos). There were several, 12 volts in, 600 VDC out. Wonder what they were making???? Excellent for getting worms out of the ground, or some clandestine Snook fishing on the Gulf Coast.
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@H713 - You're fortunate to be able to apply your "ADHD" in that way. Mine is usually running at right angles to patience, which makes deep investigations of anything tedious. My point regarding "We don't live in an ideal world" and "You must be smart enough to know" is many times that kind of wisdom stems from actual-world experience; whether brought to you via your own investigations or demonstrated to you by someone within a learning situation.
For example, the TV repairman next door once demonstrated how to properly de-vaccuate a CRT. I've always remembered how to do this. I've also experienced what happens when a large rock is used... I've made actual use of this knowledge probably once since being shown oh, 50 years ago.
That said, Hats Off to the kid that created a working 4 banger calculator within the game of Minecraft. By far an exception. Some just hang out in there with their friends - and are millionaires as a result of doing so, by publishing their "escapades" on YT. Today's youth have their own place where us old farts wont follow - it's not for me - I'm too busy stringing whatever inductors I can find in my junkbox to try an hit 10mH -
For example, the TV repairman next door once demonstrated how to properly de-vaccuate a CRT. I've always remembered how to do this. I've also experienced what happens when a large rock is used... I've made actual use of this knowledge probably once since being shown oh, 50 years ago.
That said, Hats Off to the kid that created a working 4 banger calculator within the game of Minecraft. By far an exception. Some just hang out in there with their friends - and are millionaires as a result of doing so, by publishing their "escapades" on YT. Today's youth have their own place where us old farts wont follow - it's not for me - I'm too busy stringing whatever inductors I can find in my junkbox to try an hit 10mH -
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I knew from an early age that I was different from the other kids. I couldn't sit still in school, nor focus my attention for more than a few minutes at a time. Somewhere in the 4th grade, my parents were asked to remove me from school. It started with the Greenie Stickum Caps incident. By 5th grade I had been banished.....of to a special school for kids that didn't fit in.
I still fight the ADHD every day. Some days I win, some days it wins. Many days we call a draw. If I get something accomplished from my list each day, it is good. Days like yesterday, were wasted.
The Tubelab method....a .223 at a safe distance, or from behind something solid like a car.
A friend's neat method. Float CRT in lake. Wait for it go drift away. Apply .223 method. Water will go far up in the sky, not unlike a cherry bomb or ash can a foot below the surface, glass doesn't go far.
My brother's method....place CRT on train tracks....hide....wait for train. No video cameras in the 1960's though.
@Tubelab - You've mention Olsons Electronics a couple of times. I worked there in the late 70's in Buffalo NY, while going to school at SUNYAB. I was just a floor salesman at the time. I clearly remember seeing the mimeograph of all the faces laughing with the caption "You want it when!?!" that the repair dept had above the benches. I also remember the practice of selling something that was probably actually defective to begin with, then when the customer attempted to return it, offering a repair ticket as "the best we can do".
It was a good experience. I think I sold a complete Fisher system once, when I was asked to sub for someone in the downtown store - where the repair shop was. I remember they had one 3 head cassette deck with a tape monitor, that with certain tape you couldnt tell the difference between "live and memorex". I remember Sanyo introduced me to the concept of Bi-Amping which they did in a particular car stereo receiver. I remember my boss trying to sell this guy on a car unit that could record music off the radio for later enjoyment - with all the FM multipath fadings. I remember being so happy to get my (used) Concord FM tuner cassette - with separate Bass and Treble controls. And, I remember the very attractive lady-salesperson, who for some reason dreaded getting assigned a shift with me. She didnt mind working with "Brian" though, he was cool.
It was a good experience. I think I sold a complete Fisher system once, when I was asked to sub for someone in the downtown store - where the repair shop was. I remember they had one 3 head cassette deck with a tape monitor, that with certain tape you couldnt tell the difference between "live and memorex". I remember Sanyo introduced me to the concept of Bi-Amping which they did in a particular car stereo receiver. I remember my boss trying to sell this guy on a car unit that could record music off the radio for later enjoyment - with all the FM multipath fadings. I remember being so happy to get my (used) Concord FM tuner cassette - with separate Bass and Treble controls. And, I remember the very attractive lady-salesperson, who for some reason dreaded getting assigned a shift with me. She didnt mind working with "Brian" though, he was cool.
Yes, but my childhood was very different from my same age guys.
I went from a medium class (Socially speaking), dad was bank employee and mum was working at home. My studies at the second grade (Here called ENET's, standing for Escuela Nacional de Educación Técnica (Difficult to translate and that has meaning) say, we were technicians in some specialty (before 6 years and about 9 hours a day) and were public schools) had two cycles at a day, morning theory and evening, practice. In few free evenings, mum sent me to a particular teacher of English (Not sure if I learned). So we haven't too many time to play.
From the very first years I made friend of a professor called Kairuz (now dead because he smoked hardly), who teach me out of the cathedra, to repair electronic devices. In the free times between class hours I went where he was, and learn from him. He wasn't ham radio. But listen to short wave stations in my tube radios at home, I listened not only AM transmissions, but some "not understandable" sounds the radio gave in some parts of the dial. He told me that it was SSB (Single side band) and that to listen them clearly, I need to make an oscillator slightly out of IF frequency. I did it following his guide and effectively I could listen them clearly. So, quickly I fall in love with ham radio and electronics. So at the age of 14, as a practical work for the cathedra I make my own transformer, 375VAC center tapped, 5V @ 3Amper for the 5U4 and 6.3V 210Amper for heaters.With it, I approved the PW and latter I made my first AM transmitter for the ham band called 80 metres (3.5MHz) with a 6DQ6 and choke modulated with another, and near 500V ate the final plates, π loaded to the aerial). Here in Argentina, for those era, rules said that to give anybody a ham license, you need 18. So I enter in the Radioclub of Banfield, LU1EEE in which I was several years member. A guy there said me viewing my enthusiasm for start transmissions, that I could use the Radioclub license followed by the sentence "En prueba de equipo" (Testing a transmitter). So I was too happy making connections to anything metallic device that can act as antenna but not too evident to make authorities to suspect. So, I loaded to the transmitter my bike, a metallic structure of the roof, etc., searching for the best output. Parallelly I made the receiver using the chassis of a radio, using new tubes (All 7 pins) and K-Trans FI's, a 80 rectifier and a coiled magnet speaker (used as +B filter). My first transmission was with a 2000 mts colleague, also member of the club, and that knew my "irregularity" becoming an accomplice. He was LU6EHW, Jorge Fernández.
Sincerely I don't remember to be made so hard bad things as you are saying, because from very young I was interested in my ham radio license and the school tasks, and latter, in the University that I had no time to spent in those things.
Once, while I was testing a small amp for a neighbor, I took the idea of coupling to the input, a small coil and put it under the telephone (By those times all them had an hybrid coil with sufficient leakage to be captured an amplified), and listen mum talks with his mum, say, my grandmother, now extincted. This is the more serious thing I remember to be done.
George,
Phone cranks work on catfish (no scales) well but fish with scales like snook need the big hardware like you mention.
For those big jobs we’d revert to quarter sticks (m100’s). A big ol’ largemouth(10 lbs+) ate one off the surface once, looked like a depth charge going off......then little pieces of sashimi !
Phone cranks work on catfish (no scales) well but fish with scales like snook need the big hardware like you mention.
For those big jobs we’d revert to quarter sticks (m100’s). A big ol’ largemouth(10 lbs+) ate one off the surface once, looked like a depth charge going off......then little pieces of sashimi !
I don't know how we survived. My cousin and I would fish on a raft out in Lake Erie (off the Water Works crib) -- put an M80 between two rocks, rubber band it together and throw it in the lake -- the perch and small-mouth bass would float, stunned, to the top!
Who today would let two middle-schoolers build a raft on oil drums and let them float out into Lake Erie, let alone allow them to have M80's and cherry bombs.
I funded my electronics habit as a kid by fixing dead stuff, making things like guitar amps and selling them, and collecting bottles and cans from trash and turning them in to the 7-11 for the deposit.
There were two "stores" within bicycle range where one could buy parts. Lafayette Radio Electronics, and Olson's Electronics.
The Lafayette store was next door to the slot car track, which was another one of my favorite places. Later when I got my ham license, my randomly assigned Novice call was KB4LRE. Since Lafayette Radio Electronics, was one of my childhood hangouts (they let me play the guitars) I kept the call sign.
The Olson's store was adjacent to the University of Miami, which was also known as the University of Money. It was consistently the #1 store in the country in sales revenue.
Both of those stores sold their defectives, and I bought them often, fixed them and then sold them. Both stores had asked me if I wanted to work for them, but I was too young. The school system had got me a job working for a TV repair shop even though I was only 16, but special paperwork was required. Olson's had just fired their service tech, when I turned 18, so I wound up there.
Olson's sold a Concord cassette deck like the one in the picture. It was actually made by Nakamichi and worked really well. I wound up with two of them. They ran on 12 volts internally, so one wound up mounted upside down on the roof of my 70's shagged out van, where it outlived the van.
Working at Olson's was a rewarding experience. I got to meet a lot of people, including many of the music students and faculty at the U of M including Jaco Pastorious and Pat Metheny. I was invited to their music lab to help understand a new piece that they had recently acquired, an ARP2600 music synthesizer. Of course, there was some pressure for me to attend their school, but that was far out of the question financially. I would only get to play with the 2600 two or three times, since the management at Olson's had changed and I had already accepted a job at Motorola. The top salesman who was a weasel had become the manager. We did not get along.
Would my life had been different, or better if I had become a musician. Different, yes, better, probably not. Jaco died from some kind of bar fight after a Santana concert about a mile from where I lived maybe 30 years ago. Pat's still making music somewhere.
My grandfather could pull catfish out of the Chattahoochee as fast as he could bait his hook. No explosives or electricity needed.
It might have been possible to cause snook to float motionless by plugging a piece of steel leader line into the wall outlet off a fishing pier near Vanderbilt Beach. I wouldn't know anything about that of course. If it happened, it was in a time long ago when that place had nothing but fishing camps and run down mom and pop hotels. One of my father's coworkers retired and became one of the pop's. The money and condos came much later.
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