Heathkit. Am I the only one who used to build this stuff?

[Moneyguy1]

Joe:

Over the years I built their FM tuner, the Preamp, the Oscilloscope and a 19" color TV, I think that was one of the last kits they had. I wore a black armband when they quit the kit business. There are very few kit companies out there anymore.

Try www.ramseykits.com

[M.D. Holloway]

I had the Radio Shack 120 Electronics kit as a boy. Made every project in it. My ol Man was able to score a ton of electronic components (resisters, caps, diodes, transistors, transformers, relays, meters...) I ended up building my own test kit. I didn't have the springs that the RS had, I used loose leads. The thing looked like a tangle of pasta but Popular Science offered up some scematics that proved interesting.

The last thing I made before I discovered girls was a Mini Moog Sound Synthesizer. I still have it. $50 worth of parts and way way fun.

[rouxroux]

Originally posted by LubeMaster77

The last thing I made before I discovered girls was a Mini Moog Sound Synthesizer. I still have it. $50 worth of parts and way way fun.

AHA! Synth kits!!! Remember PAIA? Built all sorts of their stuff (synths, theremins, effects, etc)...

[M.D. Holloway]

I should pick up an old Hammond, a few Marshall amps hook up that Mini Moog and let the good times roll.

[dad911]

I've built dozens. Computers, Ham equipment, test equipment, and 2 color tv's. TVs & Ham equipment gone, but I still have an H-8 computer & H-29 terminal in the basement..... oscilliscope, and a Hero-1 robot..... Not cheap, but great quality.

[M.D. Holloway]

What would some of the cool things you can do with an oscilliscope besides checking out the wave shapes?

[Grady Clay]

Mike,

When these were new from Heathkit the use was very limited in frequency. Not only that, the signal had to be repetitive without a camera.

Today’s computer interfaces allow incredible flexibility. Not only can it act as a classic oscilloscope but it is also a data-taker as slow or fast as you want. At whatever speed, the data-points can be stored in an Excel file allowing incredible manipulation, calculation and analysis. The graphical presentation (like an oscilloscope) is then easy.

The two basic specifications are:
Conversion speed.
Resolution.

The inexpensive ones I’m used to are in the range of 100K samples/sec. Professional level stuff (Tecktronix) are incredibly fast – in the high MHz range if not several GHz.

Resolution is typically expressed as “bits.” A 12-bit conversion resolution is limited to one part in 4096 (about 0.02%). At 14-bit it is one part in 16,384 ( about 0.006% and difficult for an amateur).

The two; speed & resolution, are mutually exclusive. If you want one you probably need to give up the other. Yes, you can get both. It just costs money.


All this stuff is great fun and every kid should be exposed to it as a pre-teen and young-teen. The reason we live in an “electronics age” is it does wonderful things. All this is easy and everyone can do it. Make it a fun Cub/Brownie, Boy/Girl Scout project with your kid. All this is appropriate for 7-13 year-olds.

If you don’t know how to do this for your kids – ask. This isn’t secret knowledge and many will help.

Best,
Grady

Mike, Let's revive the $3/day cookng thread for my foster kid returns. He will need that skill.
G.

[Joeaksa]

Grady,

Funny you should mention the build up boards. I have one Ramsey kit at home now waiting for me to put it together. First electronic kit I will have done in 20+ years.

Ahhhhh.... the smell of hot solder!

Joe

[Tigerrat]

Seems like only yesterday....Kept me off the streets as a teenager. Built them in a Ham shack in back of our carport. DX-60, HR-10, Twoer, Sixer and others. Then got mostly into old converted FM gear we bought from the power company. Oldest ones had dynamotors in them. Might as well have been coal-fired. Still have a few QSL cards left. Ken

[WoodSport]

Originally posted by LubeMaster77
What would some of the cool things you can do with an oscilliscope besides checking out the wave shapes?

I built all of that HeathCrap... Then went into the Marines as a Test, Measurement and Diagnostic Equipment Repair and Calibration Tech. I could go on for hour after hour after hour of boring, stupid things you can do with an O-scope... Damn. I wish I could get that time back...

"One word: software. It's the future, boy..."

[slodave]

Originally posted by Joeaksa
Ahhhhh.... the smell of hot solder!

Joe

Hi Joe,

I checked out ebay last night and found a newer version of the voltmeter I built, but it had been built already.

As for solder, Yeah, it does have a disticnt smell, but I am around it too much and it has worn off. Ahh safety, I have a charcoal/fan system, it's far from perfect, but better than getting a nose full.

Dave

[M.D. Holloway]

Grady - OK... so an oscilloscope is good for testing circuits because it allows you to see the signals at different points in the circuit by monitoring the signals at the input and output? So really you use it to correct faults? Is there a guidebook for the waves?

[Grady Clay]

Mike,

Some time around 6th grade I discovered graphing and time (what oscilloscopes are all about). I promptly built a Heathkit. The problem with those old Heathkit scopes was that they only worked well with repetitive AC circuits. I recall making very slow RC circuits and measuring the voltage changing over an hour and more using my volt meters.

I think this is why I eventually enjoyed calculus so much.

Ken, I still have a WWII all-band receiver that originally had a motor-generator in the power supply. I think the input was 24 V, 400 cycle (Navy), not coal fired. I built a transformer supply to replace it. I should rehab that and reinstall the m-g. Thanks to Homeland Security you can’t buy an all-band any more.

Ok, off to sniffing some more solder fumes.

Best,
Grady

[Moneyguy1]

Mike:

Some schematics actually have small inserts at various points showing the "normal" pattern when a 'scope is used.

[widgeon13]

I never had an interest in ham radio but my Dad was very serious about his hobby. He built from scratch, receivers, transmitters, linear amps and many pieces of test equipment. He was in the military and I remember when we would move from place to place, the neighbors would come over shortly after we would be in the neighborhood (usually military housing) and tell my father that they could hear him transmitting over their electric organ or TV. Really hilarious. He would go back and change a few things and all would be OK.

He transmitted all over the world and especially during floods and other weather related events, he would set up phone patches from military personnel to families back home and would be on at all hours of the day and night talking all over the world. Used to have the wall of his radio room covered with QST cards, post cards sent after conversations with people around the world. Once he retired he bought a Yaesu transeiver and it was as big as a breadbox, prior to that his equipment was about half the size of the room he occupied. He did it until he died and got great fun and satisfaction out of the hobby. Used to drive my mother carzy He could fix anything electric.

Great memories.

I made a crystal redio that I would listen to in bed at night, pretty cool back then. That was about the extent of my expertise.

[scottmandue]

When my friends dad (retired from Northrop) was cleaning out his garage he had a Heathkit O-scope and VOM that he gave me and I still have them.

The old Heathkit and Dyanaco mono blocks have a big following in the tube amp crowd.

[Grady Clay]

This subject brings to mind how important it is to transfer these skills to the next generations. We each have a little “window of opportunity” with our kids. While that is basically from conception to their current age, in this instance it starts in early grade school. Many kids (around puberty and teen-ism) tend to quit listening.

I was lucky with both of mine. My youngest could solder a circuit by age 6. About then I was given several giant IBM line printers (300# each) and he disassembled every screw. By 8 he was wiring his model RR on his own. By 10 he was using diodes, relays and transistors for the RR. I can’t recall how many 2N2222s I bought – a lot.

There were many small electronic kit projects but, unfortunately, nothing on the scale of Heathkits.

I’m a firm believer that every kid needs to grow up knowing plumbing, electrical, electronics, welding, carpentry and bits of every other trade. Of course academics are paramount, but even the PhD needs to know how to fix her car.

One of the things that really helped with this life education was Cub Scouts. We did every project from Tiger Cub to Weblos. It was worth every minute.

The age 11-16 race karts let him become a good mechanic and a professional level race car driver. (For those that don’t know, he is on sabbatical from racing until he graduates from college in ’08.)

For those Pelicans with young kids, boy or girl, tap the resource of your friends with the various skills. Everyone likes to pass on their skill.

This is what inspired me with my volunteer teaching a high end 9th grade science research class for the past 16 years.

If anyone wants project suggestions or on-line mentoring for any age kid (even 33), I’m willing.

Best,
Grady

[Tim Polzin]

Originally posted by Grady Clay
Mike,



Ken, I still have a WWII all-band receiver that originally had a motor-generator in the power supply. I think the input was 24 V, 400 cycle (Navy), not coal fired. I built a transformer supply to replace it. I should rehab that and reinstall the m-g. Thanks to Homeland Security you can’t buy an all-band any more.


Best,
Grady

BC348Q? If so, I had one of them too. Lots of Heathkits still functioning in my workshop. My first heathkit was a digital alarm clock (1974) that I am still using today.

[jluetjen]

Everytime I see this thread it makes me think of this...

[Joeaksa]

Originally posted by Grady Clay
This subject brings to mind how important it is to transfer these skills to the next generations. We each have a little “window of opportunity” with our kids. While that is basically from conception to their current age, in this instance it starts in early grade school. Many kids (around puberty and teen-ism) tend to quit listening.

I’m a firm believer that every kid needs to grow up knowing plumbing, electrical, electronics, welding, carpentry and bits of every other trade. Of course academics are paramount, but even the PhD needs to know how to fix her car.

For those Pelicans with young kids, boy or girl, tap the resource of your friends with the various skills. Everyone likes to pass on their skill.

If anyone wants project suggestions or on-line mentoring for any age kid (even 33), I’m willing.

Best,
Grady

Grady,

I still remember visiting my uncle's house and being amazed at his old Hallicrafters short wave receiver. He would fire the thing up (waiting for the tubes to warm up you know) and then we would sit there listening to the VOA or BBC from the Midwest part of America.

From there it just snowballed and shortly I had a 50 foot tower with a directional antenna on top. I listened to the world from there and never lost my love of anything that had sparks inside. How I climbed on top of that tower while changing antenna's and never fell off is still a good question.

It was a hell of a lot more fun for me than going out and getting into trouble (did enough of that later) and agree with you that this is something that we need to continue to pass along to the younger generation. Even when I go out on the road if I have room I carry a portable Grundig SW receiver "just in case" its needed.

Guess you never grow out of it and from those early days I realized that my being stuck in a small town in the Midwest was just not going to happen. There was a big exciting world out there and I was going to see it. It all started listening to the BBC years ago.

Joe