Category Archives: Collections

Friday Link Roundup: March 11th, 2016

Posted on March 11, 2016 by jwk

What’s good this week? Let’s see: Mohammed Samji takes us through a hifi power conditioner supplying electricity to some very expensive B&W speakers. Interesting! [Part Time Audiophile] Break something plastic? There’s a plastic welding kit for that. Looks like it … Continue reading →

Posted in Collections, Commentary | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Awkward Engineer AWK-105 Analog Meter Clock

Posted on March 7, 2016 by jwk

A few years back, I did a roundup of the various meter clock projects which were floating around the Internet those days. Some were really intricate: I’m a bit late to the party, as this came out a few years … Continue reading →

Posted in Collections, Gadgets, Home, Ideas | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

The Speaker Spotter – March 3rd, 2016

Posted on March 3, 2016 by jwk

Some interesting stuff on Craigslist in this week’s The Speaker Spotter, a curated selection of Seattle’s local speakers for sale online. As always, Retrovoltage is not affiliated with any of these sellers and you should click through the link to the … Continue reading →

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555 timer teardown (and a Retrovoltage drum trigger project)

Posted on February 23, 2016 by jwk

Ken Shirriff’s blog has a fantastic and detailed teardown of a 555 timer, the ubiquitous decades-old timer circuit that turns up in so many places: If you’ve played around with electronic circuits, you probably know the 555 timer integrated circuit, … Continue reading →

Posted in Collections, Commentary, DIY, Gadgets | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Antique Radio Shop near Kunming, Yunan, China

Posted on February 22, 2016 by jwk

My friends over at Crimson Lotus Tea sent me this photo of an antique radio shop near Kunming, Yunan in China they ran into during a recent trip. They’re stacked to the ceiling in the shadows. Looks like a fun … Continue reading →

Posted in Collections, Photos | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Building a Better Voltage Regulator

Posted on February 17, 2016 by jwk

Glancing through my feeds, I stumbled across a note on The Paleotechnologist describing a new replacement for the venerable LM7805 linear regulator IC. It turns up in a ton of devices, pretty much anything with a medium-current 5V rail including … Continue reading →

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The Speaker Spotter – February 14th, 2016

Posted on February 14, 2016 by jwk

Another installment of the occasional series “The Speaker Spotter”, showcasing interesting speakers for sale right now on the local Seattle Craigslist. As always, I am not affiliated with any of these postings. If the linked ad doesn’t load, it’s likely … Continue reading →

Posted in Audio, Collections, Speakers | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Merry Christmas from Retrovoltage!

Posted on December 25, 2015 by jwk

Radio & Television News, December 1954

Posted in Collections, Commentary, Vintage | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

What’s On Your Workbench?

Posted on December 20, 2015 by jwk

People ask me what kind of gear I use at Retrovoltage and at Rain City Audio for projects. So, here we go: While it’s by no means the best-equipped workbench out there, it has a good mix of lab- and service-grade … Continue reading →

Posted in Collections, Commentary, Test Equipment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Assembling Transistor Radios in 1955

Posted on December 18, 2015 by jwk

Here’s a great documentary short from 1955 showing how portable transistor radios were assembled. It’s super retro! (2:35) Want to learn more about transistors? Just a few years later the US Information Agency produced an 8-minute short film about the … Continue reading →

Posted in Collections, Electronics, Vintage | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments