A Cool Project Book from the Early 1960s

Hi John, I am a bit younger, but I love this kind of books. I have downloaded just now. Thank you for the link.

Enrico

Brings back memories of that exciting era.

DAB

Hi John,

It was great to see this! Thank you for the link.

That era of both tubes/valves and PNP transistors was an interesting time, I can imagine people needed to have a broad skill-set!!

That's really cool, John! Thanks for sharing

I'm impressed by the line following robot... in 1963, and with a relatively small bit of circuitry!

-Nico

Hi Shabaz,

At the time, I was a young teenager and didn't appreciate the truly monumental changes that were taking place. My level of electronic knowledge wasn't the best. I knew just enough to be able to fix simple audio electronic devices. I had a friend and together we would build simple projects and circuits. When I see this book now the old feelings, and excitement come back as well as the smell of fresh electronic components and melting solder. We have an old electronic supply store in a nearby community that is run by a fellow in his 70's. I go there once in a while to buy something. Everything is quite cheap as he hasn't kept up with the price increases but the downside is that many of the components leads are oxidized and the capacitors may be 30 years old. Never the less the smell of all the old components is quite exhilarating. I can't tell him that I just come to smell the place but there is some truth to that.

John

That is totally awesome John, thanks for sharing. I'm not old enough to remember books like this when they were first published but it was certainly a very exciting era for electronics enthusiasts.

didn't appreciate the truly monumental changes that were taking place

It is interesting when I look back.

I've seen the progression from Valve based equipment into semiconductor to microprocessor.

The internet and personal computers were introduced, and vehicles went from semi reliable to ultra reliable with safety features.

Communication has gone from a plain telephone in the house (which may have been a party line if you were in the country) to cellphones that do more than the best computer could.

Even making a call to someone not in your neighbourhood has changed from going through an operator, to skype inc using a flat wireless thing called a tablet that you can walk around the house with.

Parts ordering has gone from looking in a magazine and posting off an order with a payment, and waiting ... especially if it was overseas, to instant ordering and payment, with just the delivery delay.

I'm quite happy to have been here and directly involved with some of that communication technology during that time, rather than at one end or the other.

Mark

I find that I can still once in a while get away with the "I'm on a LONG DISTANCE CALL!" excuse to make people be quiet

Here's some of my memory from that era.

In those days you could literally see every single bit.

Pah, that's nothing. By 1972, us Brits had come up with this - the "CYbernetically Controlled Light Orientated and Powered System."