Category Archives: Gadgets

Music Minder Automatic Power Controller for Hi-Fi Systems

Posted on August 24, 2016 by jwk

Mixed in with some other gear I’m servicing, I found this old Music Minder power box. It’s not all that obvious what it’s for at first glance! Some digging around found an explanation in the June 1958 issue of Popular … Continue reading →

Posted in Audio, Electronics, Gadgets, Hi-Fi, Vintage | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Mercury Switch Find

Posted on July 5, 2016 by jwk

Digging through a seldom-used parts bin, I made a cool discovery: a set of four mercury switches, still intact: These are used as tilt and vibration sensors in mechanical systems. They’re heavy from the mercury inside, and it sloshes around … Continue reading →

Posted in DIY, Gadgets | Tagged | 3 Comments

AUX in Volvo Stock Head Unit Radios

Posted on June 3, 2016 by jwk

Dangerous Prototypes shares an article detailing how Karl Hagström hacked an aux input to his 2007 Volvo V70 stock stereo. Why, why, why isn’t there an AUX input on my car stereo from 2007? Yes 2007 was before the big … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, DIY, Electronics, Gadgets | 1 Comment

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

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

Retro 1956 Cyclometer VTVM – Hycon Model 615

Posted on February 19, 2016 by jwk

A pretty cool, very rare piece of test equipment turned up on eBay recently: a 1956 Hycon model 615 AC/DC VTVM. This was a precursor of today’s digital, using analog servo circuitry to drive the numeric digit display. These were … Continue reading →

Posted in Electronics, Gadgets, Test Equipment, Vintage | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Retrofitting Light Fixtures with New, High Efficiency LED Bulbs

Posted on November 27, 2015 by jwk

I posted a while back about LED filament bulbs that use the new silicon-on-glass manufacturing process to produce Edison bulbs with thin strips of LEDs. Perfect for where you want that vintage styling of an incandescent bulb without all the … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Gadgets | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Totem Acoustic ARC Digital HD Amplifier on Kickstarter

Posted on November 16, 2015 by jwk

Totem Acoustic sent me some information about a very interesting new hifi amplifier they’re launching on Kickstarter. Based out of Montreal, they’re an established brand making hifi speakers optimized for desktop and streaming applications, and are coming out with a … Continue reading →

Posted in Audio, Commentary, Electronics, Gadgets, Hi-Fi | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Mailbag: What’s the best multitester for vintage radios?

Posted on November 2, 2015 by jwk

I recently got this question in the mailbag, and it seemed like a good one to answer: What’s the best multitester for vintage radio repair? That’s actually a tougher question than it seems. The short answer? Well…it depends a bit, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, DIY, Electronics, Gadgets, Test Equipment | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Antenna Distribution for AM Radios

Posted on October 24, 2015 by jwk

I’ve had a few questions come my way about antenna distribution systems for AM radios, specifically to connect something like a large attic antenna to multiple radios at once. There’s a lot out there designed for VHF/UHF or CATV signals, … Continue reading →

Posted in DIY, Electronics, Gadgets, Radio, Resources | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments