Bun's Lab – Telegram
Bun's Lab
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Electronics projects, vintæg computing, programming and repairs. A minimalist blog of sorts.
@BunsGarden @BunsNook
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I grew up on those kits. I still like to use their system occasionally, just because it gives me all the happy feelings
So, let's sort this, clean it, fix it all up and combine it with my stash
What. Who tf steals a BC547 from these. I can understand snipping it off if it's dead, but desoldering one without replacing it?
Cannibalizing the modules for the RF transformers I can understand but why the transistors
Transistor transitioned lmao

77µF? Guess the algorithm in there got confused af
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Mhh
These days, electronics sets for kids and (young) adults have of course all but died out. I guess the market just isn't there anymore with the attention span of so many children being thoroughly fucked by all the different forms of media crashing in on them all the time. I sound like a boomer, but it saddens me to the depth of my heart. And this will come and haunt us as a society.
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But back in the golden era of electronics sets there were numerous options on the market, at least here in Germany. One brand being Kosmos with their iconic plug spring system, similar to today's breadboards.
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Another system was the one produced by Philips / Schuco. I had one as a child and I hated it. It was such a pain to remove those springs and insert anything into them. It came with a plastic tool to assist with this, but that barely worked. And I also remember it not being much fun. A schematic, a few words, but not much on how things actually work.
This FM radio module for example. Every electronics kit had to have a few radio experiments. They often were the highlight of the whole thing. Philips' take on it was to use this TDA 7000. It integrates everything for a superhet, the input stage, the mixer, the LO, IF, demodulator. All you need is a few additional components and an audio amplifier to make it sing. Almost guaranteed, low frustration risk, instant gratification. But boring.
FM reciever using this module
Philips / Schuco had a whole stack of sets and supplemental sets. FM radio, fiber optics, digital electronics, feedback control systems...
.. and even these. A combo set consisting of a CRT centered set that could serve as a very crude oscilloscope, and a set containing TV modules. Extremely cool, and they go for silly money on ebay these days (700 and upwards). But ultimately boring.
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Philips/Schuco vs Kosmos is like Playmobil vs Lego. Playmobil is nice, if your play style does not focus on constructing things, but more on story telling and social interaction. I never did that, I'm autistic. I take things apart and put them back together. I construct things, I design, I engineer. And when you sell electronics kits, don't you want to appeal to those kinds of minds?
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Kosmos meanwhile offered this. Using an NE612 for the LO and mixer and a TBA 120S as an IF amplifier and demodulator. Still integrated, but more modular, more educational on what makes up a superhet.