And here we are after 40yrs still getting a lot of satisfaction out of pushing Basic to its limits.
Good post here, and very informative.
The BASIC language may be considered old-hat here in 2025, and the days when a computer came as a matter of course with a BASIC interpreter are far …
Basically, It’s BASIC
The most important invention in your lifetime is…
I had to think about this question and just what has influenced me most in my lifetime.
Radio commenced a good few years prior to my appearance on this earth but it has been the most featured aspect personally within my life.
As a kid of the 60’s and 70’s we grew up with radio being a massive influence to us, all the celebs and stars we knew were probably radio DJ’s and pop stars and all we ever wanted was a small transistor radio of our own to walk around with constantly held to one of your ears. It preceded television that in the 60’s was still really in its infancy, and back then we only really had two television stations that only broadcast for parts of the day.
Radio was the go to medium. Pirate radio stations were popping up all over the place being constantly hounded by the BBC and the government until the BBC gradually softened and realised this was what the younger generation wanted, so all of a sudden we had pirate DJ’s appearing on national radio stations, however they were tightly controlled and governed.
The first item I ever remember repairing was a radio, given to me broken by a neighbour, I repaired it and they were so impressed they brought it back off me, how good was that? At this point my interest in radio was heightened and i realised I could make a living myself, if I wanted to learn. And learn I did.
That’s my personal reasoning for believing radio was the best invention, if you look at how it has affected all our lives, not just in creating a fantastic communication medium, then the effects are long ranging and global. Here’s just a few items that have radio to thank for their arrival into our everyday lives.
These are just a few of the applications that have had their roots in old fashioned radio science. We really have to thank the founders, Heinrich Hertz who discovered radio waves in 1886, and Guglielmo Marconi who sent the first Morse code radio message over a short distance nine years later in 1895.
These two men changed the way the world developed from that point onwards in my eyes.
Radio was and still is, the most important invention throughout my life time.
Earlier in January I posted that I’d brought this retro pocket organ from EBay. Stylophone pocket organ It has now arrived and wow, it is in near perfect condition, the seller did not lie when stating it hadn’t been used since 2008. It is almost mint.
Anyway not being a person to disappoint anyone, I did promise that I’d video myself learning to play the unit. I wanted to prove that anyone can play these “Toys” that were hugely popular over the last 40 years. You lucky people. Here’s the video below.
Enjoy.
Write about your first computer.
Now this is a prompt that excites me as it is a nod in the direction of all that i really like, retro.
I started my first full time job in about 1982. The ZX81 came out in 1981, and I used my first months pay to purchase one, it cost around £70Gbp if my memory serves me well.
My first real surprise when I opened it was that it wouldn’t do a thing unless you actually programmed it, I really hadn’t done my homework and what followed was a crash course in BASIC programming to get it to do something, but I loved it.
Looking back the best thing about this product was that it got you learning stuff, and I have no doubt that items such as this started many people off on the road of computer technology employment, computing was now available at a good price to everyone, and we youngsters really took to this unit en mass as 1.5 million units were sold prior to it being discontinued two years later in 1984.
I moved on fairly quickly to the Vic20, Spectrum, Amstrad CPC464 and then the traditional home computer and as they say the rest is history. They were fantastic times back in the early days, and I cherish them immensely. In fact I’ve never fallen out of love with this technology and I will soon write a more in depth piece about the ZX81 as I am looking at purchasing another one for my retro collection.
Have a wonderful weekend.
This is the follow up to a recently obtained electronic typewriter that was purchased in January 2025, the initial post can be found here: Samsung SQ3000 electronic typewriter.
The following post will deal with the assessment on its arrival and what I am going to try to do, to get it back working again, as close as possible to its original state.
I’ve downloaded an instruction I manual, I’ve had to download one for a Smith Corona Wordsmith 200, it is in theory the exact same unit, just under a different manufacturers branding.
It’s arrived and apart from a little age yellowing it looks ok. There is a PAT testing sticker that says it was last electrically tested back in 1998 and is due a retest in 1999. This corresponds with my date estimate of mid 90s.
I will retest and renew the safety checks when I’m finished working on it. I have noticed that the paper bail/release rail is broken on the left hand side so I will have to add that to the repairs, this shouldn’t be a major concern.
Before I took the roller out to get to the paper bail I did start the machine up. Everything went as expected and when I tried to type I was getting some weird reactions to the keys I was pushing. All kinds of characters were appearing.
I checked the daisy wheel and there was a click. It wasn’t sitting right. I reset the machine using the two reset buttons and the machine then went through its reset programme, pretty much the same effect as turning it off and on again. (Not much changes in the way of tech there then)
Well that’s worked fine, I have tried every combination on the keyboard including the erase function and this is now fully working. It really was quite simple. My next job is to try and fix this paper bail.
There is quite a bit of dust and dirt inside that needs removing. And whilst I’m at it I will lightly re grease the areas that need it. Let’s be honest it’s not been done in the last 30yrs so now is as good a time as any. Inside will get a light hoovering and a bit of a tart up, I’m not going to go mad. I will clean the outside and all knobs and buttons and try to get rid of some of the yellowing, but to be honest as long as it’s clean I’m not too worried about age marks.
The keyboard has lost a few of its letters. I will remove what is left of some of them and use some keyboard decals to replace the missing ones. This will be one of the last jobs I do.
Well that’s the assessment done and apart from a few small issues and requiring some basic maintenance I don’t think we have an immense amount of work to carry out. We know it now works. Let’s hope I don’t cause any further carnage whilst working on it.
Let’s get to work.
Right it’s straight onto the paper bail to try and fix the snapped end. Firstly I’m just going to use some superglue to get it in place. When this is dry I’m going to create two “Doublers”, place one either side of the damaged part and glue these in place to create a stronger repair and to add some stability to this area.
I’ve got some black semi rigid plastic. I’ve created a small template from a tracing that I did of the good right hand side of the bail.
I now have two doublers cut from the plastic that I will use as explained above.
It doesn’t matter that they are not perfectly shaped, however they both fit perfectly well into the profile of the bail arm, and this portion of the arm is hidden in the typewriter housing anyway, so the part will not be visible, but it will now be strong.
The Doublers have been put in place using a quick set epoxy resin, I will leave this to dry for a good few hours before I tidy it up, with a light clean, and then I will try to get it back in place.
Now that’s done i’ve gone inside and there were a nice couple of spider webs around the transformer that are now history. I’ve secured the cable in the rear of the unit that never had any tension restraint, so that there will be no issues, should anyone now give a good yank on the cable lead. This is a safety addition I have made that was never on the original unit.
I have also tightened all screws and checked the wiring and this all seems ok. Plug and fuse have been checked and all is looking good. I’ll carry out a PAT test once I’ve finished the clean up.
I’ve cleaned the main roller with alcohol, and removed all the old grease and dirt from the platten adjuster switch and the roller advance knob. I have removed the platten plate as well as the six mini rollers that are here. I’ve cleaned them all and re assembled/installed them.
I have cleaned the daisy wheel as well as in and around the printing head unit.
Inside the unit I have given a good hoover as well as a light clean and again removed more old grease. I have given the exterior plastic a preliminary polish, this has removed some of the yellowing and made it look “cleaner” I am not going to worry too much about the yellowing as it isn’t that bad, and I don’t really want to venture into carrying out a “Retrobrite” on this unit. It would take too long and there would be no benefit for this project.
I’ve now added very small amounts of a watch lubricant to those areas that i have previously cleaned and removed the old grease from.
The unit has been reassembled and I’m pleased to say it is still working fine. It’s running smoothly and all aspects of the unit seem to be working just fine. To be honest it seems to be printing clearer to me.
I don’t know how long the print cartridge has been installed but I suspect it may have been a few years back. It’s almost finished, and I do have a replacement on order. I’m sure a fresh cartridge will make the print stand out even more.
Next I’m going to have a go at replacing some, or even all of the keyboard letters. It all depends how it looks when I start replacing them. I’m going to gently rub off the lettering that is left and clean the keys using a 95% pure Isopropyl alcohol solution (IPA).
These are the replacement key decals I will be attempting to use.
I’ve replaced the damaged key decals. The ones I’ve used are a lot brighter than the original ones and really accentuate the yellowing. I’m not troubled by this as it keeps its “Old” look. I would have to scrape and wipe for hours to remove all the other keys and to be honest it would look just like someone had gone abroad to have a bright white set of dodgy veneers installed, it would look quite out of place, and in your face. Just like a Cheshire Cat smile.
It serves a purpose and just allows the unit to be usable again.
The final product:
Fortunately a lot of the equipment and parts I have used, I was already in possession of, so there are no additional costs for this project. Below you can view the total costings for this project as they currently stand:
Again I have managed to save a fantastic 90s retro item from landfill for very little cost, and that is a fantastic result. It has years of use left in it, as long as the consumables remain available, and of that I am confident that they will be available, for at least the next few years. The unit is clean, I’ve just carried out an electrical PAT test and it is electrically sound.
Believe it or not I’m going to go back in time and will write some traditional typewritten letters to friends and family. I’m looking forward to doing that and it will certainly surprise them, it will be totally unexpected.
When all that is done, i will donate this unit to our local LOROS Hospice shop so they can sell it on and raise much needed funds. They deserve it. Edit: This was done in March 2025 at their shop in Hamilton Leicester. I hope it gets them a good price.
Watch the brief video for the final words on this restoration. All 13 seconds of it.
Thanks for passing by.
What the listing stated:
Offered here is a good vintage Samsung SQ-3000 electronic typewriter. It powers up and operates when the keys are pressed. However, the symbols printed do not match the button pressed ! The daisywheel may be out of line. Otherwise, good cosmetic condition. Any questions, then please ask.
EBay
I have again succumbed to purchasing something very retro, a typewriter. Yep it has a fault just as most things I buy have, that’s part of the fun of it all, can I fix it and save another item from landfill? Who knows but I’ll give it a try.
This Typewriter, the SQ3000 was also sold as the Elite S-7500, Hanseatic Europa II, Leader MD, Olympia Textstar MD, Opperman S-7100, Privilege Electronic 2600, Royal RT 7700, Silver Reed EX-133 MD, Smith Corona Wordsmith 200 and Welco EX 260 DS. It was manufactured sometime between 1990 -1995 and was a mass produced low cost typewriter of the time. Personally I think it was around 1995 as this was when regulations insisted that electronic items such as this required wired in power supplies, and this unit is a hard wired unit.
Samsung loosely translated/stands for “Three Stars”Apparently the three represents “Something big, numerous and powerful” and the “Stars” represent “Everlasting and eternal” so there you have it, that is today’s history lesson.
I loved using typewriters prior to the word processor/Pc rendering them useless. There is just something special about them, I can’t quite put my finger on it.
This item looks to be in fantastic cosmetic condition, and I have also checked that the consumables are available, they are so I might have struck lucky. From what I can see in the pictures a number of letters have worn off the keys, hopefully I can source replacements, or decals or I may even repaint them myself.
I have had to download the instruction manual for the Smith Corona Wordsmith 200 as it is the exact same unit under a different name, Samsung just don’t seem to have anything listed or historically available for download.
I think I’ve bagged a bargain (if I can get it working) I’ve paid a grand total including the postage of £13:14 GBP and that was after knocking the seller down a few pounds from the original price. He bit my hand off to be honest, so we’ll just have to wait and see what arrives. If all else fails I can certainly use it for spare parts in the future.
Anyway, this now gets added to the long list of other items I have, that need to be repaired. Please check back to view the “Assess and repair” post that will follow, explaining what arrived, its condition and what I will be doing to get it back in working order.
Thanks for passing by.
You never know, one day you just might have to do a weight check on a bumble bee
😂
We love electronic conference badges here at Hackaday, but it’s undeniable that many of them end up gathering dust after the event. Most of them are …
A New Life For a Conference Badge, Weighing Bees
What the listing stated:
A BRILLIANT RE-pro of an iconic Stylophone Pocket Organ from 1968.
Bought for me as a birthday present back in 2008. I packed it away and placed it in my loft.
I’ve just found it again and have added 3 Duracell Plus AA batteries to test it for the first time. (Included in sale)
All works extremely well.
The unit is as new, the box has very minor wear.
EBay
We will just have to wait for delivery to see just how true this listing is… however I have spoken with the seller today, he’s a lovely chap and my mind is at ease that this is a genuine good purchase.
Anyone that pays the slightest bit of interest to my blog will know I love retro electronic equipment, especially if at sometime in my life it has meant something to me. Well, the Stylophone was a very basic synthesiser/toy that popped its head above the parapet originally in the late 60s, but was super popular in the mid 70s and that was when I first got my hands on one. It was a cousins unit, not mine as my parents wouldn’t pay out for toys like that as they were just a fad. (How wrong were they?). So envy struck once again as I was never able to have one…..now fast forward 50 years and I’ve now purchased a good example of one.
The Stylophone is a miniature analog electronic keyboard musical instrument played with a stylus. Invented in 1967 by Brian Jarvis, it entered production in 1968, manufactured by Dubreq.
Some three million Stylophones were sold, mostly as children’s toys, but they were occasionally used by professional musicians such as John Lennon, Kraftwerk and David Bowie.
Wikipedia
Back in the day a chap called Rolf Harris was constantly on the TV advertising or playing these units, however the less time talking about this fellah the better, he was a right wrong ‘un.
This particular unit is not an original, I’m still after one of those. This unit was a reissue in 2008 so it’s about 17 years old now. But I’m happy with that. And it works, and for me that’s unusual as I normally only buy broken ones to repair, maybe the original one I’m after will fit the bill, if I can find one that is not completely overpriced. The original unit ran off a single PP9 9v battery, these newer units have improved circuitry and operate off 3x AA type batteries using half the original power. I’ve said before retro electronics are rapidly become the antiques of tomorrow, and people are out of their heads with the prices they are demanding even for something that is completely wrecked. They all need a reality check for the prices they are demanding. The total I have paid for this one is £20:00 GBP and that includes the postage and batteries, so in all I think I’ve got a bargain if it matches the actual listing.
I’m actual going to record a video of learning how to play this unit, just to see how easy or hard it is, and this creation will also be the subject of a later post, Here: You were warned
In the meantime prepare your ears for an assault to the auditory system as someone with no ability to hold a tune tries to play a toy/instrument from the 1970’s, you are truly blessed 😂
You lucky people 😂
Interesting to read this. I passed my RAE exam back in December 2003. We didn’t have to master Morse code but I did take it on and even today I’m ok at deciphering it, if a tad slowly. I could transmit it at about 8 words a minute, and if I’d stuck at it I’m sure I’d have become better.
But like most things i just didn’t have the time available to further it. I do still like to put the radio on occasionally and listen to slow Morse on the amateur bands.
If you were in Tunisia in October, you might have caught some of the Morse Code championships this year. If you didn’t make it, you could catch the …
The World Morse Code Championship
I so much wish to write some posts of substance on this blog but in the last few weeks I just can’t be bothered. I’ve reposted a few posts that I’ve liked or found a familiarity with but that’s about it.
Looking at my draft posts I have 14 – yes 14 that are in the process of being completed dating back to May of this year. These are all a number of projects I have on going including Camera repair, musical keyboards, video games, a complete radio control boat build as well as radios and some old cassette players that I have taken on board. I’m stuck for a number of reasons.
I do most of my repairs in our conservatory out of the main house away from the wife. My equipment that I use can be moved in three large boxes that take about an hour or so to assemble and disassemble, hence I like to be able to leave it assembled for a while to get any satisfaction and achievement out of what I’m trying to repair. If I had to put it all together and take it straight down again I think I’d lose total interest in the task at hand.
However it’s getting near Christmas and the wife has invited her entire family around for Christmas Day dinner, hence I have had to make myself and my gear scarce, as she plans to be feeding them all in our conservatory, my workshop.
It’s like I have had to shut up shop for the season, with so much still to do. I’m also awaiting a good number of parts to finish these projects, so that doesn’t help either.
So as it stands, unless I can adapt my kit to be a bit more stealth like then I’m probably not going to be attending to any of these much before the new year.
That said, has anyone tried these usb portable soldering irons at all? I may be in the market for one.
In the meantime I suppose I’ll just have to mingle and be nice. It’s going to be a tough Christmas 😂
Foxes Den 
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