It's the September 2020 Patreon exclusive behind the scenes chat (Video Version).
Warning: This one might be a bit heavy-going in places. There are chapters to enable skipping a section if you find it gets too dull.
Here's a link to the Oddity Archive video I mentioned at the end (which will likely make very little sense in isolation). 2020-09-14 18:21:40 +0000 UTC View Post
One of my earliest youtube videos was a review of a pocket photo printer and over the years I’ve revisited this topic a few times. Now finally I’ve found a good one, well good and bad, as there’s more to this than meets the eye...
In other news I plan on shooting a September Patreon update soon. I'd like to try and record more than one of these over the next few weeks. My idea i...
2020-09-11 17:34:39 +0000 UTC View Post
There’s a thin line between a psychotic episode and Karaoke. See if you can find that line in this week’s video.
I have to thank Andy here on Patreon for alerting me to the existence of this gadget - it’s lead me down an enjoyable and bizarre rathole.
UPDATE - We’ve found the sound chips.
Thanks to a tip from Vinushika ...
2020-09-04 16:42:30 +0000 UTC View Post
My last review of a Portable Stereo Radio Cassette CD MP3 Player (aka Boombox) has proven to be surprisingly popular.
Perhaps there really are some people out there who want to play their old cassettes after all ;-)
This is an opportune follow up, in which I take a look at the most requested ‘new‘ model that I’d yet to try, the Panasonic RX-D55.
Iâ€...
2020-08-28 16:48:12 +0000 UTC View Post
My favourite kind of stock is ‘new old’ and my preferred kind of reel is ‘open’.
Here’s a video where I get to combine the two with a Brand New In Box Reel-to-Reel tape recorder, the Uher 4000 Report Monitor.
If you’re interested in acquiring one of these for yourself, here’s a link: 2020-08-22 10:55:24 +0000 UTC View Post
A very quick quickie about something generous but unwanted that turned up in the post.
A proper new video will be released at the weekend.
2020-08-19 15:37:18 +0000 UTC View Post
I’m happy with the editing on this one - it’s very tight. It‘s one of those videos where I’ve tried to cut off any fat to leave something lean and concise.
We’ll see how well it goes down though next week - like all youtube vids, it could be forgotten in 48 hours or become my hit of the year. It’s all part of the game.
I really hope you’re doing fine. It can be a c...
2020-08-14 17:47:57 +0000 UTC View Post
It’s the August Patreon Oddcast.
This is the audio version
The video version is posted separately.
It’s late on Sunday when I’m putting this out - so please excuse any delay in responding to comments - I’m probably asleep.
2020-08-09 21:28:42 +0000 UTC View Post
It’s the August Patreon Oddcast.
This is the video version
The audio version is posted separately.
It’s late on Sunday when I’m putting this out - so please excuse any delay in responding to comments - I’m probably asleep.
2020-08-09 21:28:10 +0000 UTC View Post
I’ve enjoyed putting this one together which means that it’ll probably bomb.
It’s a two part video
Part 1 https://youtu.be/nCTF2edNDWQ (also embedded above)
Part 2 https://youtu.be/e3KMpsJhf4w
I’ll talk about the reasoning behind making this as a two-parter in the next patreon exclusive update. In that update...
2020-08-07 17:02:54 +0000 UTC View Post
My sporadic reviews of cassette boomboxes have proved surprisingly popular over the last few years. After recently being alerted to an untested machine from the inventors of the cassette, I decided to buy one and try it out.
Hope you’re well. I’ve been staying in and working with a pretty unusual device for the next video. It’s something you hope you never hear because it might ...
2020-07-31 17:30:40 +0000 UTC View Post
A few weeks ago I made the video about the Pioneer flip-clock cassette deck. My original plan for that was to show a quick repair at the beginning before moving on to do a demonstration.
The repair turned out to be anything but quick, so by the time I’d got the deck working, I’d recorded enough repair footage for a really dull Blu-ray box set.
Here’s my attempt to condense that repair footage into something watchable.
Have you ever felt a desire to clean the tape inside a cassette? No, me neither - and yet a company made a device to do just that.
In this short video I attempt to get it working and then try to come up with a good reason as to why it exists in the first place.
Hope you’re all doing well.
2020-07-18 14:30:56 +0000 UTC View Post
Here’s the July 2020 Exclusive Odd-cast. There’s only a video version this time as there’s quite a bit that only works visually.
I was trying out some new tech for the first time while making this one and found there are still some significant teething issues, so consider it very much still a work in progress.
My plan once this video has been posted is to take a few...
2020-07-11 19:33:43 +0000 UTC View Post
I finally managed to finish this video I’ve been working on for the last couple of weeks. So here it is, a look at the first integrated Digital Audio Tape Recorder.
Complicated videos like this really do take it out of me nowadays, but I felt this one deserved all the stops pulling out. It wouldn’t have been possible to make this without the support of all the patrons here. ...
2020-07-08 18:10:24 +0000 UTC View Post
I’m posting this video on here now, but when it comes to the public release I may end up swapping this with the next one I’m working on - it depends on how well things go in the edit.
The video I’ve been working on after this one has been very time consuming as its required plenty of research. Making this simpler dust-blower comparison video first, enabled me to squeeze my...
2020-07-04 15:48:44 +0000 UTC View Post
I recently mentioned that I’d been side-tracked with with the repair of a cassette recorder. This is a video about that recorder.
My original plan was to do a quick repair and demo video of a slightly unusual machine. However the repair took a lot longer than expected, so that section will be a stand-alone episode, once I’ve worked my way through the hours of footage. <...
2020-06-27 09:34:50 +0000 UTC View Post
You may recall the story about the nice company who sent me a christmas gift of an LED Christmas tree to thank me for featuring their clock the other year.
They recently got in touch again to say that they’d got a new LED cube kit and wondered if I was interested in taking a look at it. It sounded intriguing and I did feel some obligation, so I agreed.
They ended up...
2020-06-21 12:22:50 +0000 UTC View Post
In this video I’m attempting to find out what’s on a set of tape cartridges discovered in a disused comms room at a railway station.
The video follows the process through, from figuring out the most likely tape track layout, to transferring the tapes and ultimately playing them back.
Special thanks to a Patron for the donation of the tapes - however I’m keeping...
2020-06-13 11:46:16 +0000 UTC View Post
I needed to do another kitchen gadget video, it was a very hot day when I thought about this, so I made one themed around ice.
In the cold light of day though, it’s definitely best not to try any force an idea into existence. There’s not enough going on in this video for my liking.
I’m going to get back to my soldering iron to work on something more elaborate. ...
2020-06-07 10:50:04 +0000 UTC View Post
Here’s a video that’s both relevant and timely to pretty much everyone: How to fix the buzz on a rare games machine from 1983. I anticipate that I’ll be able to retire after this one goes big. https://youtu.be/nVx9rJv6HFE
[Hyperbole mode disengaged]
A quick plug
In other news - I wonder if any of the electrical experts reading this can help me identify a power socket, so I can s...
2020-06-03 10:51:29 +0000 UTC View Post
Words without pictures.
An update on what’s been going on and what hasn’t over the last few weeks.
Starts with a mention of a Patreon update that might affect the amount of your payment due to taxes. If nothing else you might want to watch/listen to this bit.
Links:
Cara Piano Niji MD being played: https://youtu.be/iAfsgr6Q434
2020-06-02 12:00:23 +0000 UTC View Post
Words and Pictures
An update on what’s been going on and what hasn’t over the last few weeks.
Starts with a mention of a Patreon update that might affect the amount of your payment due to taxes. If nothing else you might want to watch/listen to this bit.
Links:
Cara Piano Niji MD being played: https...
2020-06-02 11:52:57 +0000 UTC View Post
A little bit of fun.
I started the week working on a repair job, however I’ve put that on hold while I wait for some parts. So in the meantime here’s something completely different.
I’ll be keeping my eye on this one as I suspect it has the potential to trigger some music composition matches, but so far so good. However if I do have to take it down for a subtle...
2020-05-21 17:15:15 +0000 UTC View Post
There’s an old phrase - ‘You can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.’ However I think I may have managed to make a very small purse out of a very big ear.
A couple of weeks ago I mentioned that I’d imported a random bundle of untested Minidisc players from Japan. Naturally, like myself, many were curious to see what exactly I’d bought.
I had one big...
2020-05-15 14:56:58 +0000 UTC View Post
In this one I’m looking at an acoustic Gramophone, the HMV 102. One of the last and possibly the best of the portable wind-up 78rpm record players.
This video has been monopolising all my time for a couple of weeks, although work on it really started a few months earlier. Spending so long focused on one project seems to send me a little bit crazy nowadays, so finally getting t...
2020-05-08 16:18:48 +0000 UTC View Post
A quick little video with a very small budget.
I’ve started work this week on a potentially time consuming video. So to give myself a bit of extra time to spend on that one - here’s something far simpler and cheaper.
When I saw a MiniDisc player on a Japanese auction for under £10 - I just couldn’t resist buying it. I had to find out whether in 2020 you can g...
2020-05-01 15:37:16 +0000 UTC View Post
An obscure type of record you might not have seen before.
Unfortunately though it wasn’t obscure enough to prevent the first version I uploaded getting immediately blocked due to a content match. That’s totally blocked - not just demonetised. That’s when a rights holder isn’t messing about.
This re-uploaded version features shorter audio clips which I hope wi...
2020-04-25 08:33:59 +0000 UTC View Post
A bit of an odd video today - just something I felt the urge to share…with the dozen or so people who might find it useful.
However now I’ve got this out of my system - I intend to make up for it very soon as I hope to have the next (more normal) video uploaded here on Patreon at the weekend.
UPDATE: Removed the video from youtube. Seems the world wasn't ready. I...
2020-04-23 16:02:21 +0000 UTC View Post
Audio version of the April Patreon-only update
There are quite a few sections in this one that rely on the visuals - so this audio version is at a bit of a disadvantage. The video version is in a separate post.
2020-04-18 09:49:29 +0000 UTC View Post