techmoan

Tiny Playable Arcade Machines

Ten year old me would think these were the most amazing thing ever made…and thirty-odd years later, I’m still inexplicably drawn towards them. A miniaturised fully-functional arcade machine that’s almost too small to play, count me in.

You’ll find Amazon US links in the youtube video description, along with details of the specific reseller I used to get mine to the UK. 

The Floppy Disk 'Boombox'

Here's a quick (and hopefully fun) video that pushes dangerously close to mobilising youtube's auto music content-match bots. So far it's flown under their radar, but I'll be keeping my eye on it. 

I once recorded a lady in the street singing Ave Maria, https://youtu.be/lDLOqhhlZnI and she was so pitch perfect that youtube thought it was a famous recording and deactivated monetisation. 

So for...

846 in 1 - Dual Arcade Joystick

Continuing with the channel's theme of not really having a strong theme - here's a video about a games machine that's both new and retro all at the same time. This pre-configured home arcade machine (minus the screen) can currently be bought in a version containing 999 classic arcade games, mine has but a mere 846.  

If you are wondering why it's permitted to sell a games machine packed full of ROMS when selling CDs or DVDs of ROMS is prohibited, I'd say that it's an anomaly. 

...

They don't make them like they used to

A look at a true design icon - the Sony Flamingo Turntable from 1983.

I've managed to get this video finished a couple of days ahead of schedule, so that means there may be a longer than average break before the next one, I hope that's OK. I could do with a couple of days off to recharge. 

Sky TV Soundbox Speaker Review

This is a review of a speaker I bought for myself that I also thought might be worth sharing with others. However as its only available in the UK and then exclusively for Sky TV customers and only really of interest to a small fraction of those, it is probably one to skip unless you fall into this tiny minority of a minority.

P.S. Also my apologies, but this video as a whole is a bit rubbish. I'm battling against a nasty cold and I think it shows in the lacklustre results on display here. If t...

Dashcam Review - The Yi Ultra

For the first few years my youtube channel was built on the back of dashcam reviews. Back when I started out the term dash-cam had yet to be coined, they were Car DVRs and they're still one of the main reasons people visit my website. 

So with that in mind I should really try and keep up to date with the latest models, so that I always have some I can recommend, and that's exactly why I've tested out the new 2.7K Yi Ultra. 

I understand from previous patreon survey responses th...

RetroTech: The Panapic

This piece of tech is 40 years old, and brand new in box...beyond that I don't want to reveal anything about it here, because I think it would be fun to make this into a game. See how long it takes you to figure out what this is and what it is used for. Good Luck. 

UPDATE 1 - A version with an audio fix is being uploaded as I type.

UPDATE 2 - The video above is now the fixed version.

Audities - more interesting & unusual recordings

I planned to start shooting a dashcam review this week, but then my car went in for mechanical repairs so instead I've compiled a few things together into this slightly bizarre video. 

I suppose this is my version of the 'unboxing things viewers sent' type videos...however a couple of these items have been inspired by things I've shown in the past. It's like a snake eating it's own tail...or Techception.

Time for a quick video?

A look at a couple of items that use Nixie Tubes, one new and one old. 

As this is a shorter video, I do have plans to try and get another video finished before the weekend...but we'll see how that goes.  

CX Records - Better, Worse & the Same

Here's a forgotten format that was supposed to become ubiquitous, the CX Record. This is the strange tale of a format that was killed by the people who were supposed to get behind it. I hope you enjoy it. 

I intend to shoot a 'comedy' outro for this video tomorrow and if that goes well, I'll add it onto the finished version that gets released later in the week. So if you have a fondness for unfunny puppets, you may want to watch this again (or at least the end section) when it goes public...

Going Back to My Roots

This is a bit of a throwback video - a review of a mini gimbal designed for action cameras. 

I intended to get this one finished a couple of months ago, but one thing lead to another and it got pushed back.  So I hope you don’t mind, but as I’m a little bit under the weather this week, it was easier for me to finish this video than to start on something more complicated. Rest assured when I’m feeling up to it, I have plenty of (more) interesting topics I want to tackle.

&...

The Educational Tape Scratch Machine

Some of the recent videos I’ve put out have proved to be a bit too obscure and hard going. This one by way of a contrast is short and simple. It features an educational device that found it’s way into the 2017 film Baby Driver. 

To give the video more relevance I’ve been waiting for the Blu-ray release before I made this one. Well the time is almost upon us - Baby Driver is out in the US on October 10th and it is already available through some streaming platforms. 

Oh and...

Hipac - The rarest audio format (so far)

I've been working on this video for quite a few weeks now and I'm really happy with how its turned out. It's difficult to describe the enjoyment to be had from finding, repairing, learning about and then finally demonstrating something that very few people know existed. It's a thrill to know that this video could result in a new entry being added to lists of old music formats. 

After I've dropped dead (I've no immediate plans to) - I hope some of the things I've put online over the years ...

Voice Mail - 1967 Style

Following that rubbish Bacon Express video...here's something I hope should be of more interest, a bit of forgotten retro-tech from 1967. 

This video is also a segue between two other videos. The first one being the Playtape and the second...well all things being well, you'll get to see what that is in a week or two. However in the meantime please enjoy this look at one company's vision of a future that never came to pass. 

The Bacon Express

I get a lot of requests asking me to do more reviews of kitchen gadgets. This is great, as often the requests I get are asking me to do less - less talking, less modern reviews, less retro reviews....and I'd love to do more kitchen equipment videos. Therefore for the last few years every month I've been checking everywhere I know,  trying to find something as silly as the Rolli egg cooker to present in a video. Unfortunately though it seems like the small appliance kitchen market has moved ...

Sony’s New Cassette Boombox

When I found out that Sony had launched a new cassette player in Japan, I felt it was my duty to try it out. So in this video, that’s exactly what you’ll see, in addition to a comparison against the most recent model Sony sells in the UK. I hope you enjoy it.

A room with a VU

In this video I’m looking at four VU meter type displays bought from ebay. 

If you’re thinking of buying the fourth model shown (the boxed one), I’d recommend doing it within the next 24 hours, before the video goes public, as the chap on ebay only has a few for sale.  

The links can be accessed on youtube by clicking at the top of the embedded video once it's playing. 

Yes there's more...it's another forgotten format

I've had a bit of a run of tape themed videos recently. This hasn't been by design, I normally try to vary topics a bit more, so I hope you don't mind indulging me with another one. 

In an audio tape family tree this particular format would be out on a limb of it's own with no descendants - it's the Sanyo Micro Pack 35.

Which Walkman?

Over the last few years I’ve inadvertently helped fuel the cassette revival. Many of the people who bought their first home tape deck from ebay would also now like a decent personal stereo so they can play their cassette collection on the go.

I’ve received lots of requests to make a video about the cassette Walkman.  With such a broad topic to cover I thought the best thing I could do was to show the various models I’ve bought and explain why I chose them. 

The links post...

The fabled Behind The Scenes video.

More delayed than a Kickstarter, but it’s finally here - the behind the scenes video I promised I'd make exclusively for patrons.

Contains: Over one hour of poorly shot footage of an incoherent asthmatic man struggling against all odds to complete a video on the MB Omni game system so he can go and have a nice lie down. 

Now before you watch this one I’d like you to take a moment to consider how you feel about behind the scenes videos in general, because they can be a great way ...

Odditapes

I’m really happy with the way this video turned out, so I hope you enjoy watching it too. I’m posting it here a few days earlier than usual as I want to spend the rest of the week editing the patrons-only behind the scenes video I recorded recently.

Despite this video being short, it has been in development for quite some time. The earliest elements (the research & photos) were saved to my computer back in April 2016 and I bought the second item shown even before than that, in May 2015...

REVIEW: Prynt Pocket (iPhone Photo Printer)

In the survey that many of you completed a few weeks ago, I saw there was much more interest in reviews of newer technology than I had anticipated. So when the manufacturers of the Prynt Pocket got in touch I thought it would be a suitable gadget to demonstrate inbetween the more complicated retro tech videos.

Unfortunately after using it for a while I feel that the Prynt Pocket is probably of most interest to teenage girls, which would be fine if my subscribers weren't 97% male and mostly ove...

The Omni

The Omni from Milton Bradley is a product that straddles 70s and 80s tech. At it’s core, it’s just a game, an electronic quiz machine. However if you delve deeper it could be described as an interactive computer that reads program data from tapes, 8-track tapes. In the video above I demonstrate what it does and how it does it…but first I have to get it working.

You may be interested to know that I’ve been shooting behind the scenes footage while I’ve been making this video. I promise...

LG 21:9 Ultrawide Monitor Review

I bought a new LG UltraWide™ monitor that I like so much I made a video about. It’s not a brand new product to the market, but its new to me. This is the first 21:9 monitor I’ve used, and after using this one I wouldn't buy a traditional aspect ratio monitor again. 

My hope is that this video won’t suffer from the negative reception some of the computer related videos have generated in the past. There seem to be a group of people who go crazy whenever I use an Apple product in a v...

My 'Ten Year' Youtube Anniversary

A few months ago I noticed that my first video (on my original channel) was uploaded on 26th April 2007…which meant my 10 year anniversary on youtube was imminent, so I put the date in my calendar to remind me when it arrived. Well today’s the day and it turns out that I was mistaken…it’s almost eleven years since I uploaded my first video. I explain more in the moderately shambolic video above.

Quick Vid: Record Cleaning Tool

This is a short video about a record cleaning tool I was sent from Allsop. I turn down countless requests to try out all manner of odd gadgets from apps to hoverboards, but I needed a record cleaner and I"d been asked  about this subject so I thought why the heck not.

Now as far as buying one…well the official website seems a little bit confusing for people outside the US, so if I were you I’d wait until they are on Amazon in a few weeks. The price at $60 seems a bit steep for what yo...

Back by (not-so) popular demand - Bike Helmet Cam Review

Thank you so much for submitting your votes on the survey the other day, it's been really useful to know the best areas to concentrate my efforts.  

Now for the bad news, this video fits into the least popular category, helmet cams. The good news though is that I can stop reviewing these for a while because I've now found my favourite.

If anyone is interested - the purchasing links are on youtube.

Downloadable samples are here: 2017-07-19 21:16:43 +0000 UTC View Post

Please vote for your favourite types of videos

I've been wondering if I'm neglecting to cover a particular type of video that viewers were expecting to see more of.

I try to produce a mix of videos..but I'm aware there are some topics that I've been concentrating on more than others in recent months.

It will help me if I got an idea of the kind of videos that you prefer to see. 

You can vote for more than one type, so please pick all the ones you enjoy. 

The Cart Machine

In my last post I mentioned that I had a sponsor for a couple of upcoming videos. This video is the first one where I will be incorporating a promotional spot for them - however before I can release it, the advertising company need to sign off that they are happy with the segment (they don’t care about the whole video…just the promo segment).  They also need to know in advance what date the video will be going live…which is scheduled for Wednesday.

If you're thinking this sounds lik...

Patron Exclusive video - Holiday tech

I’ve just come back from my annual holiday and thought that you might be interested in seeing the tech I took with me.

If this kind of rambling unedited video isn’t your kind of thing, the next proper video will be along in a few days. I have a variety of interesting topics in various states of completion and I'm also hoping to feature some more unusual audio formats over the coming weeks.

After being out of the country for two weeks I’ve got a lot to catch up…not least of which ...