Wow, that thing must have been expensive in it's days. No wonder we make more progress with high thech these days, with equipment so much easier to use and costing ordres of magnitude less today. Old german equipment is awesome to take apart!
Matthias Wandel Yeah it is incredible what kind of effort was needed to realize even the simpler functions, like setting a frequency. I'm also glad that electronics is much more affordable today. Otherwise "hobby electronics" would be restricted to really rich people :D But it's a great feeling to hold something in your hands that feels so valuable and well made, that one gets the impression that money really was not an issue in its development.
Possibly You are right, but Personally i am not convinced that we actually do.. Feels more like the general IQ drops down and we hawe sadly few inventions per capita those days compared to 1880-1960.
Sheep_Ewe I guess there is an old saying that applies here: "Necessity is the mother of invention". In a time of abundance people often lose their ability to improvise. The modern urban lifestyle also keeps people in a bubble were they can live without that ability.
Reminds me of an argument I had with the VP of software at RIM years ago. I didn't like all this Java stuff that was being introduced. His argument was, we needed to make it easier for people to develop code for the blackberry, so not just the smartest can develop for it. But of course, there si a big downside in enabling mediocre engineers to work on any system!
***** I hesitated 4 years to tear this piece of art down, but it weighs 45 kg, is huge, holds expensive components and is uselesse. I simply couldn't keep it any longer...
Believe me or not, someday I found a similar looking R&S device on the roadside... putting it in the trunk was a real pain, but I was so happy... I finally sold it on ebay.
What an interesting old machine, great satisfaction to be had in dismantling and reusing such beautifully made parts. The wiring looms were a work of art, sadly lost these days. Looking forward to the coming videos.
If it had been anyone else tearing this down i would have been very upset, but I know the parts will be used and more importantly, the care with which you tore it down, demonstrates your passion for this old tech.
Stuart Taylor Oh boy. I can tell you it breaks my heart too, that I have to destroy something beautiful like this. But at this moment I have to slim down my lab. I'm developing some stuff that helps me to earn money and keep this place. I also have to make money from sales. At this point it's either "sell it, tear it down, or throw it away". Since selling was not a reasonable option (shipping a 45kg device is just too expensive) , a teardown was the best way. And since the internet doesn't forget anything, this device will live forever through this video...
I've spent a bit of time in Germany in the last 6 months, and i was surprised to find that electronics (consumer and hobbyist) appeared to be more expensive than here in the UK. That said, i found more vintage equipment available at a much cheaper price than in the UK. Market economics, don't you love it? Anyway, thank you for taking the time to make this historical record.
Honestly, most of what you do and talk about is over my knowledge base but I can tell it is well explained and therefor I enjoy your videos very much. Someday I'd like to be able to have a more complete understanding but for now would like to thank you anyway for taking the time to both dissect and explain said with appropriate terminology. The precise language you use is the key to being able to piece together an understanding. Cheers!
A friend of mine has a late-1950s vintage Jerrold UHF sweep generator which was designed for testing and aligning television receivers. It weighs nearly fifty kilos, most of the weight being the tuning cavity; it's built like a tank.
You can buy equipment these days that can make you feel like money was not an issue when designed/build. But of course, that kind of equipment is not for us hobbyists, as I am sure was the case back in the day for this Rohde & Schwarz freq meter(it must of been expensive).
Vielen Dank! Your videos are always worth the wait.. I was getting into tube/valve circuits a couple years ago, but then I moved and all that stuff is still in it's box. After watching this, I am excited to get back to it after I finish my current projects! (microcontrollers and digital logic aren't nearly as dangerous, and thus fun, as high voltage tube circuits ;) By the way, I remember I was about to build a tube power supply myself and was going to use a large number of series zener diodes (maybe 10v?) to be able to switch out a number of discrete voltages. This may be a way to get around having a variac for those that don't have one.. But a bit lossy as they would dissipate a fair amount of current to regulate the voltage.. Anyways, viel Erfolg with your workshop and secret project!
***** Well for low currents zener diode stabilization can still be a vaiable solution. I'm also not sure if I will use a variac here. Maybe I will add a modern buck converter on the secondary side of the power supply. This device will be a hybrid of old and new technology. Vacuum tubes + smps and microcontrollers :D
hello, I have to say I really like your videos. Your explanations are very clear and I like the fact you mostly focus on vintage electronics and not on modern digital stuff. Keep up the good work! PS: could you please do a lab tour?
There is something to be said for planned obsolescence. After 50+ years - no matter how well that gear was made, It is too heavy - uses too much power - Keeping replacement Vacuum Tubes in stock is impractical, Selenium rectifiers are toxic . . . . Vintage Equipment restoration can be a special skill, But more as a calling than a required skill.
Interesting tear down and build, for more information on the roots planned obsolescence and consumerism etc you should watch a film on TH-cam called the Light bulb conspiracy.
Coolkeys2009 I already know that film. Thanks for the info anyway. I'm not sure if everything it presents is true, but it is still good to raise awareness. One thing is sure though: This frequency meter is the opposite of planned obsolescence :D
The Post Apocalyptic Inventor In that case I'm surprised by your reasoning about the reason why most products to do day are made to be throw away junk. If you think about newer technology products like Apple Iphones and Apple Mac's which go out of fashion seasonally and need to be replaced this was pioneered by Apple a Western company also note that to make even more money, they outsourced the manufacturing to East to make their "unserviceable throw away junk". Also what about Sony up until more recently their products were legendary for quality a reliability, also Toyota ,Honda.
Coolkeys2009 Oh don't get me wrong. I believe in the existence of planned obsolescence. All I meant was, that back when I first watched that film I could not find reliable sources for all of the claims the film made. But I have just googled some of the stuff from the movie and there is oviously more information out there now, than a few years back. I will have to read more about it to make a judgement.
The Post Apocalyptic Inventor There's so much stuff we take for granted as true and sometimes the world just doesn't seem to fully make sense, one of the biggest reasons for this is, a lot of stuff we have been told since we were children and take for granted as fact simply isn't true. When we know the truth we can identify the possible sources of problems and identify proper solutions. I guess that's why most of the population of the earth is constantly fed misinformation from numerous sources. Anyway interesting video, I look forward to finding out what the mystery item you are building is.
Great video. There is always great seeing that old electronic equipment, I grew up in Romania and the DDR electronics were the pinnacle back then. Last year I bought on ebay.de a spot welder made in DDR around the 60's (no reference found on the net about the manufacturer), the timer circuit contained among others a vacuum tube. You could tell on the outside it seen better days, but on the inside everything was looking like in your machine. Very good shell, insulated from dust and smoke. The cotton covering the transformer was still pretty white. By the way, I always wondered if you could tell a difference between the DDR an FDR electronics during the Cold War in terms of quality, precision, costs. I think you are the man that can clarify that for me if you would be so kind.
Lucian Baitan In the West (Federal Republic of Germany = BRD), as well as in the East (German Democratic Republic = GDR or DDR ) we had many manufacturers of electronic components and in high quality devices like this one, basically all components were made here. But in the 1980s German manufacturers of electronic devices (in the west) started to import more and more components from Asia, while the East was still trying to stay self-reliant. If they imported components from outside Germany, then those were made in other Eastern European counties ( for example transistors from the Check company "Tesla"). While the quality of devices made in the west and in the east were both generally quiet high, consumer electronics in the east were generally less fancy in design and often cheaper materials were used ( at least for the enclosures ), but when it came to military and scientific equipment, the stuff from both the west and the east was of very high quality. In the GDR, as well as in other eastern countries, vacuum tubes were important for a longer time than in the west ( were the transistor revolution had come somewhat earlier). But on the other hand: There were times ( I guess in the 80s) when east German computers were actually more advanced then those of their western neighbors.
Steve Smith I don't know man. I really can't talk about that at this moment. I guess it's better to wait. Earlier or later there will be a video about it anyway :)
Yash Kudale As I said at the beginning of the video: No time to make tutorial video at the moment. They are too work intensive. After the "secret project" is finished, the SMPS-series is going to be continued. But I will also talk about some switching converters as part of the vacuum tube tester project.
The Post Apocalyptic Inventor Thank you for your reply will be waiting, I will try and do what ever I can to support you. Just a Suggestion- You could start a Kick Starter for your videos series on SMPS, you have basic content ready to show there (which is awesome), it will be helpful for you and I will be the first one to support. :)
João Assunção Hey. This is just normal PVC floor coating which I bought in a hardware store. It is pretty tough and I like it a lot. I have not tested its resiliance against heat though. But I can still do that ! What kind of temperatures are we talking about ?
I was thinking soldering iron temperature. Sometimes I misplace the soldering iron and it ends with the tip placed in my bench leaving a burn mark. Thanks.
Zen Punk I'm thinking about it at the moment. I will have to clarify some legal questions first. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense if I get problems with the IRS afterwards.
I put a link of your tube tester project on a board .you may find some of the threads on this site interesting www.antiqueradios.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=272882&p=2284689#p2284689
Wow, that thing must have been expensive in it's days. No wonder we make more progress with high thech these days, with equipment so much easier to use and costing ordres of magnitude less today.
Old german equipment is awesome to take apart!
Matthias Wandel Yeah it is incredible what kind of effort was needed to realize even the simpler functions, like setting a frequency. I'm also glad that electronics is much more affordable today. Otherwise "hobby electronics" would be restricted to really rich people :D
But it's a great feeling to hold something in your hands that feels so valuable and well made, that one gets the impression that money really was not an issue in its development.
Possibly You are right, but Personally i am not convinced that we actually do..
Feels more like the general IQ drops down and we hawe sadly few inventions per capita those days compared to 1880-1960.
Sheep_Ewe I guess there is an old saying that applies here:
"Necessity is the mother of invention".
In a time of abundance people often lose their ability to improvise. The modern urban lifestyle also keeps people in a bubble were they can live without that ability.
The Post Apocalyptic Inventor
Guess so...
Personally i often need to go back to older tecnology and designs in my work to get the desired result.
Reminds me of an argument I had with the VP of software at RIM years ago. I didn't like all this Java stuff that was being introduced. His argument was, we needed to make it easier for people to develop code for the blackberry, so not just the smartest can develop for it. But of course, there si a big downside in enabling mediocre engineers to work on any system!
It's almost heartbreaking seeing those beautiful wiring looms being cut. Either way, at least the parts'll be put to a good cause!
***** I hesitated 4 years to tear this piece of art down, but it weighs 45 kg, is huge, holds expensive components and is uselesse. I simply couldn't keep it any longer...
You beat me to it...OUCH!!!
Believe me or not, someday I found a similar looking R&S device on the roadside... putting it in the trunk was a real pain, but I was so happy... I finally sold it on ebay.
What an interesting old machine, great satisfaction to be had in dismantling and reusing such beautifully made parts. The wiring looms were a work of art, sadly lost these days. Looking forward to the coming videos.
If it had been anyone else tearing this down i would have been very upset, but I know the parts will be used and more importantly, the care with which you tore it down, demonstrates your passion for this old tech.
Stuart Taylor Oh boy. I can tell you it breaks my heart too, that I have to destroy something beautiful like this. But at this moment I have to slim down my lab. I'm developing some stuff that helps me to earn money and keep this place. I also have to make money from sales. At this point it's either "sell it, tear it down, or throw it away". Since selling was not a reasonable option (shipping a 45kg device is just too expensive) , a teardown was the best way. And since the internet doesn't forget anything, this device will live forever through this video...
I've spent a bit of time in Germany in the last 6 months, and i was surprised to find that electronics (consumer and hobbyist) appeared to be more expensive than here in the UK. That said, i found more vintage equipment available at a much cheaper price than in the UK. Market economics, don't you love it?
Anyway, thank you for taking the time to make this historical record.
Honestly, most of what you do and talk about is over my knowledge base but I can tell it is well explained and therefor I enjoy your videos very much. Someday I'd like to be able to have a more complete understanding but for now would like to thank you anyway for taking the time to both dissect and explain said with appropriate terminology. The precise language you use is the key to being able to piece together an understanding. Cheers!
I really admire so much knowledge. Thank you
Awesome, a new video!! I somehow missed the variac video. I'll watch that next. Thank you for the great work!
Das waren noch Zeiten.
Very cool video and gear.
A friend of mine has a late-1950s vintage Jerrold UHF sweep generator which was designed for testing and aligning television receivers. It weighs nearly fifty kilos, most of the weight being the tuning cavity; it's built like a tank.
This stuff is amazing! If I could, I would upvote it several times; thanks for posting this!
So ein wunderbares Instrument zu zerstören, grenzt an Frevel.
ChristianRX7 Ja wenn es nur nicht so verdammt sperrig und nutzlos wäre...
You can buy equipment these days that can make you feel like money was not an issue when designed/build. But of course, that kind of equipment is not for us hobbyists, as I am sure was the case back in the day for this Rohde & Schwarz freq meter(it must of been expensive).
Thanks yet again !
Great video
Very cool, I always enjoy your videos.
Vielen Dank! Your videos are always worth the wait.. I was getting into tube/valve circuits a couple years ago, but then I moved and all that stuff is still in it's box. After watching this, I am excited to get back to it after I finish my current projects! (microcontrollers and digital logic aren't nearly as dangerous, and thus fun, as high voltage tube circuits ;)
By the way, I remember I was about to build a tube power supply myself and was going to use a large number of series zener diodes (maybe 10v?) to be able to switch out a number of discrete voltages. This may be a way to get around having a variac for those that don't have one.. But a bit lossy as they would dissipate a fair amount of current to regulate the voltage..
Anyways, viel Erfolg with your workshop and secret project!
***** Well for low currents zener diode stabilization can still be a vaiable solution. I'm also not sure if I will use a variac here. Maybe I will add a modern buck converter on the secondary side of the power supply. This device will be a hybrid of old and new technology. Vacuum tubes + smps and microcontrollers :D
hello, I have to say I really like your videos. Your explanations are very clear and I like the fact you mostly focus on vintage electronics and not on modern digital stuff. Keep up the good work!
PS: could you please do a lab tour?
Herzliche Grüße aus Amerika! Best vids on youtube right here guys.
As an amateur engineer, I feel extremely stupid seeing this that was made way in the past!
There is something to be said for planned obsolescence.
After 50+ years - no matter how well that gear was made,
It is too heavy - uses too much power - Keeping replacement Vacuum Tubes in stock is impractical, Selenium rectifiers are toxic . . . .
Vintage Equipment restoration can be a special skill, But more as a calling than a required skill.
Interesting tear down and build, for more information on the roots planned obsolescence and consumerism etc you should watch a film on TH-cam called the Light bulb conspiracy.
Coolkeys2009 I already know that film. Thanks for the info anyway. I'm not sure if everything it presents is true, but it is still good to raise awareness. One thing is sure though: This frequency meter is the opposite of planned obsolescence :D
The Post Apocalyptic Inventor In that case I'm surprised by your reasoning about the reason why most products to do day are made to be throw away junk. If you think about newer technology products like Apple Iphones and Apple Mac's which go out of fashion seasonally and need to be replaced this was pioneered by Apple a Western company also note that to make even more money, they outsourced the manufacturing to East to make their "unserviceable throw away junk". Also what about Sony up until more recently their products were legendary for quality a reliability, also Toyota ,Honda.
Coolkeys2009 Oh don't get me wrong. I believe in the existence of planned obsolescence. All I meant was, that back when I first watched that film I could not find reliable sources for all of the claims the film made. But I have just googled some of the stuff from the movie and there is oviously more information out there now, than a few years back. I will have to read more about it to make a judgement.
The Post Apocalyptic Inventor There's so much stuff we take for granted as true and sometimes the world just doesn't seem to fully make sense, one of the biggest reasons for this is, a lot of stuff we have been told since we were children and take for granted as fact simply isn't true. When we know the truth we can identify the possible sources of problems and identify proper solutions. I guess that's why most of the population of the earth is constantly fed misinformation from numerous sources. Anyway interesting video, I look forward to finding out what the mystery item you are building is.
Great video. There is always great seeing that old electronic equipment, I grew up in Romania and the DDR electronics were the pinnacle back then. Last year I bought on ebay.de a spot welder made in DDR around the 60's (no reference found on the net about the manufacturer), the timer circuit contained among others a vacuum tube. You could tell on the outside it seen better days, but on the inside everything was looking like in your machine. Very good shell, insulated from dust and smoke. The cotton covering the transformer was still pretty white. By the way, I always wondered if you could tell a difference between the DDR an FDR electronics during the Cold War in terms of quality, precision, costs. I think you are the man that can clarify that for me if you would be so kind.
Lucian Baitan In the West (Federal Republic of Germany = BRD), as well as in the East (German Democratic Republic = GDR or DDR ) we had many manufacturers of electronic components and in high quality devices like this one, basically all components were made here. But in the 1980s German manufacturers of electronic devices (in the west) started to import more and more components from Asia, while the East was still trying to stay self-reliant. If they imported components from outside Germany, then those were made in other Eastern European counties ( for example transistors from the Check company "Tesla").
While the quality of devices made in the west and in the east were both generally quiet high, consumer electronics in the east were generally less fancy in design and often cheaper materials were used ( at least for the enclosures ), but when it came to military and scientific equipment, the stuff from both the west and the east was of very high quality.
In the GDR, as well as in other eastern countries, vacuum tubes were important for a longer time than in the west ( were the transistor revolution had come somewhat earlier). But on the other hand: There were times ( I guess in the 80s) when east German computers were actually more advanced then those of their western neighbors.
Thank you for the clarification The Post Apocalyptic Inventor., eagerly waiting for the next video.
great video
GDay PAI . If someone can guess the device you are building will you say they are getting close ? ! Regards,Steve .
Steve Smith I don't know man. I really can't talk about that at this moment. I guess it's better to wait. Earlier or later there will be a video about it anyway :)
Eagerly waiting for next part of SMPS tutorial any word on that ??
Yash Kudale As I said at the beginning of the video: No time to make tutorial video at the moment. They are too work intensive. After the "secret project" is finished, the SMPS-series is going to be continued. But I will also talk about some switching converters as part of the vacuum tube tester project.
The Post Apocalyptic Inventor Thank you for your reply will be waiting, I will try and do what ever I can to support you.
Just a Suggestion- You could start a Kick Starter for your videos series on SMPS, you have basic content ready to show there (which is awesome), it will be helpful for you and I will be the first one to support. :)
I noticed you applied a mat in your workbench. I'm looking for something similar. Is that mat resistant to heat? Thank you in advance.
João Assunção Hey. This is just normal PVC floor coating which I bought in a hardware store. It is pretty tough and I like it a lot. I have not tested its resiliance against heat though. But I can still do that ! What kind of temperatures are we talking about ?
I was thinking soldering iron temperature. Sometimes I misplace the soldering iron and it ends with the tip placed in my bench leaving a burn mark. Thanks.
The mat can handle that only for a short time. It will melt. Maybe you should just not do that and put it in its propper place instead :D
I will try to do that :-)
Erstma Erdnüsse futtern :))
MrQuadehar :P Passte sehr gut zu dem Bier, das ich dazu getrunken habe ;P
:)
Have you considered setting up a Patreon? Would that be an issue outside the U.S.?
Zen Punk I'm thinking about it at the moment. I will have to clarify some legal questions first. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense if I get problems with the IRS afterwards.
Please, can anyone tell me, what topology is this: danyk.cz/univ_m_en.html ? I couldnt find any similar circuits on the internet.
Is that the sound of a tribble in the opening music?
mdesm2005 You mean those furry animals from the original Star Trek series ? :D
No it's not. But the sound effect sounds similar :D
I put a link of your tube tester project on a board .you may find some of the threads on this site interesting www.antiqueradios.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=272882&p=2284689#p2284689
hehe, bitch rectifier. However, great job.
***** I knew this would come, when I watched the video myself for the first time...
The Post Apocalyptic Inventor It was just stronger than me, I couldn't resist.