Author Topic: Starting them young...  (Read 1307 times)

Offline JamesH

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Starting them young...
« on: March 27, 2020, 03:48:57 PM »
Doing a bit of ‘big boys’ meccano with the kids today. About time they started to learn how to use tools / practical spatial thinking...


Offline taysidedragon

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Re: Starting them young...
« Reply #1 on: March 27, 2020, 06:27:25 PM »
I wish I'd had that at their age. 👍
Gareth

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Offline Green1

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Re: Starting them young...
« Reply #2 on: March 28, 2020, 08:00:16 PM »
That looks great I loved Meccano as a kid. The propper metal one with tones of choke hazards not the modern plastic crap
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Offline AshimotoK0

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« Last Edit: March 28, 2020, 08:19:51 PM by AshimotoK0 »
“Alright friends, you have seen the heavy groups, now you will see morning maniac music. Believe me, yeah. It’s a new dawn.” Grace Slick, Woodstock '69 .. In the year of the Sandcast.

Offline AshimotoK0

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Re: Starting them young...
« Reply #4 on: March 28, 2020, 08:18:55 PM »
“Alright friends, you have seen the heavy groups, now you will see morning maniac music. Believe me, yeah. It’s a new dawn.” Grace Slick, Woodstock '69 .. In the year of the Sandcast.

Offline Green1

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Re: Starting them young...
« Reply #5 on: March 28, 2020, 08:22:20 PM »
I never fancied science kits as a kid as it was to much like school in my eyes.
Current bikes
Honda CB750k1 Valley Green Metallic
Honda CB750k1 Candy Gold
Honda CB550k Candy Jade Green
Honda CG125
Aprilia Pegaso 650
Moto guzzi 1200 sport
Kawasaki EX650R (Mine until dave pays for it)
Kawasaki ZXR400 J

Offline SteveD CB500K0

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Re: Starting them young...
« Reply #6 on: March 29, 2020, 07:30:09 AM »
Philips Electronic Engineer kit.



Made my first radio receiver at about 8 years old.


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Offline hairygit

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Re: Starting them young...
« Reply #7 on: March 29, 2020, 09:43:41 AM »
Philips Electronic Engineer kit.



Made my first radio receiver at about 8 years old.


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Nice! Mine was a Tandy (Radio Shack) kit my grandfather gave me for my 10th birthday in 1975, still got it! It seemed space age at the time, included a solar cell and a photoelectric cell among other fascinating parts.

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Offline AshimotoK0

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Re: Starting them young...
« Reply #8 on: March 29, 2020, 09:56:23 AM »
Philips Electronic Engineer kit.

Made my first radio receiver at about 8 years old.


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I had that kit too Steve including  the add on kit that had two little loudspeakers (that you must have had too).

TUT TUT!  Steve  ;D ;D ...you didn't fit the little red rubber 'cow's udder' things that protected the AF116 & AC126 trannies from wire fatigue .

Sadly the germanium transistors used in these sets, particularly the AF116,  will have developed 'tin whiskers' inside. This is also the case on NOS transistors too. It's the reason why in radio's you get from a car boot, if working, will crackle when you shake them .. it could be dry solder joints tooof coursec but on at least a couple I have found it was the dreaded 'tin whiskers' growing inside the trannies.
« Last Edit: March 29, 2020, 10:14:05 AM by AshimotoK0 »
“Alright friends, you have seen the heavy groups, now you will see morning maniac music. Believe me, yeah. It’s a new dawn.” Grace Slick, Woodstock '69 .. In the year of the Sandcast.

Offline AshimotoK0

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Re: Starting them young...
« Reply #9 on: March 29, 2020, 10:05:07 AM »
Also had one of these ... absolutely brilliant .. my mate DodgyRoger still has one,  as his mum was a demonstrator in a large Department store in Hull for toys like this (plus 'Lotts'  chemistry sets)' .

They were so good that architects used them to model new house designs in the 1960's and show them is Estate Agents windows.

http://www.weirduniverse.net/blog/comments/brickplayer

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“Alright friends, you have seen the heavy groups, now you will see morning maniac music. Believe me, yeah. It’s a new dawn.” Grace Slick, Woodstock '69 .. In the year of the Sandcast.

Online Orcade-Ian

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Re: Starting them young...
« Reply #10 on: March 29, 2020, 10:39:34 AM »
I love this thread and the demise of Meccano in its original guise is probably the reason that this hands on creative construction is no where near as prevalent as it was ‘when I were a lad’ which has led to the shortage of homegrown skilled labour.  I don’t remember Brickplayer but my mate had a Bayko set (or was it just Bako?) and you slid bricks and windows etc between thick wire ‘poles’. Really pleased that JamesH has found a suitable and very worthwhile method of ‘keeping things going’

Was that department store Hammonds or Asbestos Ash? - thanks for that other info you sent me,

Ian


Offline SteveD CB500K0

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Re: Starting them young...
« Reply #11 on: March 29, 2020, 11:37:23 AM »

I had that kit too Steve including  the add on kit that had two little loudspeakers (that you must have had too).

TUT TUT!  Steve  ;D ;D ...you didn't fit the little red rubber 'cow's udder' things that protected the AF116 & AC126 trannies from wire fatigue .


Sadly that’s an internet image Ash.

I do remember those fiddly little bits of red rubber though.


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Offline AshimotoK0

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Re: Starting them young...
« Reply #12 on: March 29, 2020, 12:37:13 PM »

Was that department store Hammonds or Asbestos Ash? - thanks for that other info you sent me,

Ian

Hammonds Ian.. I also had a Bayco set passed down from my brother.


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« Last Edit: March 29, 2020, 12:39:32 PM by AshimotoK0 »
“Alright friends, you have seen the heavy groups, now you will see morning maniac music. Believe me, yeah. It’s a new dawn.” Grace Slick, Woodstock '69 .. In the year of the Sandcast.

Offline AshimotoK0

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Re: Starting them young...
« Reply #13 on: March 29, 2020, 01:08:49 PM »
I use that profile all of the time for test rigs as in James's kit and I notice now that there are lots of manufacturers in the Far East selling it a lot cheaper than the supppliers I used about 15 years ago (which were then mainly German or Swiss). Some of the components are amazing engineering tools (leadscews, motor systems etc.) ... albeit very expensive from the European suppliers)

A few years ago I  built quite a complicated rig for life testing a product for a company but they built the frame themselves using the 'Item' stuff (see link) At 'Sign'off time their 'tw*t' of a safety guy tried to tell me that my electrical panel wasn't earth bonded properly (which it was, as I eventually proved to him ... so he duly signed it  off and I got paid).  I was then a bit of a smart arse (what's new I hear you say  ;D) and told him that their framework was anodised and consequently, seeing as he was being so picky with me,  you couldn't guarantee the continuity of earth bonding at every joint. He then came back at me and claimed every joint would surely have a conduction path caused when it was screwed together and that, if my suggestion was correct, then why didn't the manufacturer of the aluminium sell an earthing kit. Turned out when we we checked in the catalogue that lo and behold there was a mega expensive earthing kit about ten quid each  .. so he had to fit 100 of these kits to every joint on the test rig.

These are the ones I have used in the past:-

https://kanya-uk.co.uk/

https://www.boschrexroth.com/en/xc/products/product-groups/assembly-technology/topics/aluminum-profiles-solutions-components/index

https://www.item24.de/en/productworld/building-kit-system/item-profiles.html
« Last Edit: March 29, 2020, 01:18:40 PM by AshimotoK0 »
“Alright friends, you have seen the heavy groups, now you will see morning maniac music. Believe me, yeah. It’s a new dawn.” Grace Slick, Woodstock '69 .. In the year of the Sandcast.

Offline AshimotoK0

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Re: Starting them young...
« Reply #14 on: March 29, 2020, 01:16:26 PM »

I had that kit too Steve including  the add on kit that had two little loudspeakers (that you must have had too).

TUT TUT!  Steve  ;D ;D ...you didn't fit the little red rubber 'cow's udder' things that protected the AF116 & AC126 trannies from wire fatigue .


Sadly that’s an internet image Ash.

I do remember those fiddly little bits of red rubber though.


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Here ya go Steve !!  ;)

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“Alright friends, you have seen the heavy groups, now you will see morning maniac music. Believe me, yeah. It’s a new dawn.” Grace Slick, Woodstock '69 .. In the year of the Sandcast.

 

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