Jump to content

Revisiting an old hobby


AndyHull

Recommended Posts

6 hours ago, grsnovi said:

I only ever had the first two LP's but in the last 50 years I've become more familiar with them. Page and Plant were quite a pair. Plant and Krauss have been finishing there shows with 3 Zep tunes. Plant still has that voice.

He has yes, a lot dont. It goes as they get older.I was a big deep purple and whitesnake fan. David Coverdale had the most amazing voice when he was younger, even men went weak at the knees. Saw him in concert about ten years ago, it was terrible. 😥

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, grsnovi said:

Like McCartney now... some ought to know when to hold 'em and know when to fold 'em.

I thought so as well and very true. His Glastonbury performance was pretty poor as was Rod Stewart's for the Queen. A good voice can only last so long. I thought this was a watch forum 😆

7 minutes ago, Neverenoughwatches said:

I thought so as well and very true. His Glastonbury performance was pretty poor as was Rod Stewart's for the Queen. A good voice can only last so long. I thought this was a watch forum 😆

On a more related note G . How are you getting on with the repairing ?  Are you like the new scope, it should be making things much easier for you. I'm looking for another one. Something a bit more portable to move from bench to bench and for my missus to use as she is also is developing a keen interest and is rather good  with h/s. 😡

Edited by Neverenoughwatches
Link to comment
Share on other sites

19 minutes ago, gbyleveldt said:

Ah the Gambler. You can be a dead ringer for Kenny Rodgers if you just let your hair grow out a bit 😉

Come on Gaz, give us a tune. 😀

Just now, Neverenoughwatches said:

Come on Gaz, give us a tune. 😀

Ahhhh. Just had Bet Midler on the radio. A beaut that definitely has not lost her amazing voice. ❤ 

  • Haha 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 5/21/2022 at 7:49 AM, Kalanag said:

Wow! A battery powered electronic demagnetizer for about 10 bucks! I look forward to your upcoming report. For me the open question is whether two AA-Batteries can create a magnetic field that is sufficient.

Well this thing is actually much simpler than it seems.

The two AA batteries power a small electric motor, the shaft of which has a magnet on it. This means that when you press the small power button on the back, a rapidly oscillating magnetic field is generated. It does actually work, though I'm not sure I would trust it with a very delicate movement. It also has the ability to power a quartz mechanism, using the induced magnetism in the coil. Again, I'm not sure this is necessarily a good idea, but is entertaining to watch the hands whizzing round. The circuitry inside the watch may not be very happy with the effect but the experimental subject I tried it with did survive the process.

Is it worth the money. Probably, since it cost next to nothing, but you could rig up something similar from spare parts very easily. It is pretty cheaply constructed however, so you might need to hide it if the posh customers appear. 😜

Edited by AndyHull
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

35 minutes ago, grsnovi said:

Apparently I've been contributing to its decline. I should probably take some time away.

Apparently ? 🤔 .  Its good to diverse some talks, it makes things more interesting. Everyone contributes in their own way. If you enjoy it thats all that matters isn't it ?

8 minutes ago, Neverenoughwatches said:

Apparently ? 🤔 .  Its good to diverse some talks, it makes things more interesting. Everyone contributes in their own way. If you enjoy it thats all that matters isn't it ?

What do wifes understand ? They're from a different planet to us. Women are from Venus and men are from Mars.  This why my wife and I live separately . I have my own house, my wife has a nice flat and we have another house that we built between us. We each have our own money more importantly our own space. See each other three times a week, sometimes mine sometimes hers. We are both very happy with the situation its the perfect marriage. Good quality time together but not too often to get on each others nerves. 😉 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, Kalanag said:

A rotating magnet! Solutions can be simpler than one can imagine. 🙃

A picture of the gubbins inside. Note the splodges of 5 minute epoxy and the foam blocks keeping everything together.

RIMG0586.thumb.JPG.1c1070dcd4b476c1e4d057f08d77dc68.JPG

I would guess that is an old CD player motor, and the body of the thing is a re-purposed battery charger of some sort.

There are two LEDs on the front, presumably to indicate the state of the two batteries in the original battery charger design, but only one of them seems to be connected.

It does what it says it does, but a word of caution. If you place a watch on it without switching it on it becomes a watch magnetiser. Don't say you were not warned.

To use it successfully, switch it on listen for the motor spinning, then place the item to be demagnetised on top of the label on the top of the unit. Lift the item away slowly and place it well away from the unit. Then switch off the unit and put it some place where there is no risk of it magnetizing anything. 

To test, or indeed scare the life out of a quartz watch, switch the unit on and place the watch on top of the unit. The second hand should whizz alarming round in a clockwise direction.

I would be a little cautious about the quartz watch party trick. The spinning magnets will be inducing an unknown amount of current in the coil of the watch, and this may not be very good for the thing. It will however most likely free up a stuck movement, so if you have nothing else to loose, give it a try.

If nothing else, it would make for an interesting party trick, but only at a particularly boring party. 😋

Edited by AndyHull
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

28 minutes ago, AndyHull said:

…If nothing else, it would make for an interesting party trick, but only at a particularly boring party. 😋

Years ago I attended a party where a magician showed his tricks. He brought my quite valuable wrist watch to an immediate stop by just tipping with his index finger on the crystal. I was impressed! Months later I found out that this trick is done with the help of an artificial finger tip which has a little but strong magnet inside. The magnet pulls the seconds hand up to the crystal and stops the watch by friction 😮💨 

Edited by Kalanag
  • Haha 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 6/29/2022 at 9:18 PM, Kalanag said:

Years ago I attended a party where a magician showed his tricks. He brought my quite valuable wrist watch to an immediate stop by just tipping with his index finger on the crystal. I was impressed! Months later I found out that this trick is done with the help of an artificial finger tip which has a little but strong magnet inside. The magnet pulls the seconds hand up to the crystal and stops the watch by friction 😮💨 

Could have been a very expensive mistake for him if it hadn't restarted or lifted the second hand off its post. 😆

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

RIMG0589.thumb.JPG.28011bc07b740d9ae8fc5ef94cf8cef4.JPG

Keeping with the somewhat rambling and completely off topic nature of this thread, I got a spare moment to work on my HiFi project. I started with the rebadged Akai R470 - Memorex SCT-88 tape deck. 

RIMG0592.thumb.JPG.1562a7dd5c069e8331189b6739ebeb3f.JPG

This was a bit of a mess when it arrived. Both belts had gone, and the tape counter belt had reverted to a thick black non polymerized goop, which had to be removed before I could even think about fixing any of the other issues.

AsPurchasedFront1-l1600.thumb.jpg.ab074e318e2744b28892302d8fe6a7fe.jpg

This is the ebay listing picture for comparison.

It also had a broken clip in the transport mechanism which caused some weird load and eject problems, but that was a relatively easy fix with some supeglue and baking soda. After a fair bit of cleaning and lubricating and some cosmetic work to make it look clean and presentable enough to sit in the living room,  it plays perfectly and looks almost new.

After a little effort, I can now sit and listen to some of the large collection of tapes we still have lying around.

Interestingly when I took a quick trawl round the local charity shops the other day, not a single one of them (and we have quite a few charity shops here), not one, had any cassette tapes.

CDs, VHS tapes, Mini-disks, 78s, LPs, 45s, you name it, they were there, but not a single cassette tape. Very strange.

I think I'll probably tackle the record deck next, then the amp. I'll keep you all posted with any progress I make.

Edited by AndyHull
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, oldhippy said:

I have a Sony TA-F400 amp the front is all black but dirty and stained with spots. What is the best way of cleaning the dirt off. 

Depends on what is the cause of the dirt. Generally if it is just from years of grubby fingerprints, I would start with some light solvent, like lighter fluid or perhaps hand sanitizer. Test the surface first to ensure you are not about to lift the lacquer and the lettering, or destroy the surface of for example acrylic panels.

Try to avoid anything abrasive, unless absolutely necessary.

The clear plastic panels on that cassette deck, and the metalwork on the lid got a good polishing with T-Cut, which is of course mildly abrasive. It works on watch crystals, and it worked fine on the acrylic panels and the paint work.

For black plastic, and black metallic cases you could also try some of the car dashboard products, but be careful as they often contain some kind of blackening agent, which may not be what you want on the front panel of an amp.

Looking at pictures on line of your amp, the front panel looks like black painted or anodised, brushed aluminium, maybe start with kitchen cleaning wipes, and if necessary some lighter fluid. Clean in good light, and wear rubber gloves so you don't have to remove all of your fingerprints at the end of the process.

Switch off and unplug obviously before you start.   

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, LittleWatchShop said:

I got some and the box...what do you do with the box?

I found a local dollar store where they sell these and too much other craft stuff, I call it sino-German. I stain and varnish them according to days taste and paint leftovers. In this case I also promptly shattered the glass and replaced with much stronger thin boards. So the baby lathe accessories can stay together in a decent manner. 

DSC_0732.JPG

DSC_0733.JPG

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, AndyHull said:

Its not often I find NSFW content in the world of Haute Horology.

Some of you might find this amusing (in a puerile and school boyish manner).

https://www.1stdibs.com/jewelry/watches/pocket-watches/alfred-lugrin-rose-gold-minute-repeating-erotic-automaton-hunter-pocket-watch/id-j_4855153/

The price tag is pretty eye watering too.

 

Hahahahaa you just had to make me go look 🤣

Link to comment
Share on other sites

RIMG0609.thumb.JPG.853d923a9f3f065d5c78049bd00c1e57.JPG

Well I now appear to have a working display on my Hi Fi amp (aka my Yamaha DSP -A970 Digital Sound Field Processing Amplifier).

RIMG0612.thumb.JPG.b6416d5456e45aba6ce0bf13acc0a284.JPG

My cheap from China display works. There are however, still a couple of issues I need to resolve.

The original display has slightly different dimensions, so I am thinking of 3d printing an adaptor for it. It is currently fitted with one screw, some tape and a tie wrap. Its perfectly secure of course. Also the backlight supply needs wired to the original switched supply, as currently the backlight remains on, even when the amp goes in to standby. 

I may also check the old display as it may only be a failed tungsten filament backlight that is making that unusable, in which case an LED or two might fix that, and I can re-fit the original with no 3d printed adaptor required.

Edited by AndyHull
  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I also picked up a job lot of chrome tapes for a few quid, principally because I didn't want to destroy any of our tapes while testing,  so I have just played through a rather well made bootleg of Pink Floyd - The Wall.

There was still a little wow and flutter to start with until all of the lubrication got to work, but now it sound perfect. Well as perfect as cassette decks can sound.

The amp is very nice, and the effects are actually quite convincing. It does full Dolby surround sound too. I have to be a little careful as the amp is easily capable of waking up the neighbours and they live about 100 yards away. 😋

Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 minutes ago, AndyHull said:

I also picked up a job lot of chrome tapes for a few quid, principally because I didn't want to destroy any of our tapes while testing,  so I have just played through a rather well made bootleg of Pink Floyd - The Wall.

There was still a little wow and flutter to start with until all of the lubrication got to work, but now it sound perfect. Well as perfect as cassette decks can sound.

The amp is very nice, and the effects are actually quite convincing. It does full Dolby surround sound too. I have to be a little careful as the amp is easily capable of waking up the neighbours and they live about 100 yards away. 😋

Do you mean "Dobly", hehe. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.




  • Recently Browsing

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Topics

  • Posts

    • although not in this case.  It was the Lugano Convention and its deficiencies that allowed a Swiss court decision in the first place.  This isnt really a Brexit issue at all.  A decision that affects both the EU and the UK should never have been heard in Switzerland. I bet the authorised service centres in the UK are pretty pleased.  It's a massive shame, though; I believe watch owners should be able to choose to have their watch serviced by whoever they trust.
    • Hi guys I think that old hippy is correct, it opens the gates for china to manufacture aftermarket spare parts. considering that they already do work on behalf of the Swiss I guess this decision gives the a little more legitimacy to tool up and I am sure they will take advantage of the situation either with or without the blessing of the Swiss watch industry  Having read about the protectionist machinations of the Swiss in the history of Europe they were the only ones to get fat at everybody else’s expense. I think the outcome could have been guessed at but ,  fair play to Cousins UK for standing up to them.  Now the question,  will everybody boycott Swiss watches and Swatch, no way they will still fill their coffers.  Me I stick with the Japanese once renowned for cheap shitty watches who came good through industrial effort and don’t for get the Russians that most dismiss as low grade crap. Wouldn’t buy a swatch product ever how about you all.? a
    • Hold the crown when in winding position, move the click away from the crown wheel, and then while holding the crown let it slowly unwind. I recollect that you must remove the automatic device bridge first, but maybe I'm wrong. You can first try without removing the automatic device bridge.
    • nevenbekriev- You nailed it with your description of me and my reaction when the clock started ticking again. I am a newbie.  I love the sound and idea of mechanical clocks but the idea of owning one and trying to keep them running has never appealed to me. My wife bought this one and an antique German wall clock.  When I looked into having someone repair them for me, the universal response was "it's really expensive to work on them, you should just replace the movement". So, I had nothing to lose, I started researching them and opened them up. The wife is happy because she hears the sound of the clocks again. But I have gone down the "accuracy" rabbit hole. In the vertical position, the balance wheel was not floating. It was sitting on the bottom of the frame. I adjusted the lower spring collet and got it floating. It easily passed the 270 degree 3 to 5 minute oscillation test. It took 8 minutes for the wheel to completely stop moving.  I put it the unit back in the movement and checked the safety pin. It does not touch the safety roller anywhere in +/-270 degrees rotation from neutral position. But the amplitude of the rotation with the spring fully wound is weak based on what you are saying. It rotates +/-90 degrees from the neutral position.  No, I did not take the movement completely apart.  That seemed way outside my skill set at the time. There is a reason I became an electrical engineer and not a mechanical engineer. I am much more comfortable with moving electrons than tiny moving metal parts. Will I do it in the long run? Anything can happen. I don't seem to be able to let it go.
×
×
  • Create New...