i love fran blanche! effects builder, engineer, vlogger, genius, and all around super cool gorgeous woman. what a thrill it would be to spend a day with her. what a beautiful energy.
Vax Buster oh Vaxy, Vaxy, Vaxy. Who gives a shit? Plus you got it wrong. Fran is a transgender woman. And a damn fine one too! She’s so smart and cool. Any man or woman would be lucky to have a Fran in their life.
I remember, aged 12, seeing this on the shelf. My Dad couldn't afford two kits so I chose the other one, the one with a crystal radio and 49 other exciting projects. I made the right choice :)
Even with the disappointing results, the video still manages to inspire…. Spin welding and using straws to produce standard length wires. Always something to be learned in a Fran Lab video!
Man, that takes me back. I was 18 in 1977, and had already taken programming in my Math class, with a Monroe 1665 Desktop Programmable Calculator (with card reader, and Port-a-punch!). When my parents saw this in the RS catalog, I had to talk them down from getting it! It had no components, like you demonstrate, just wires! I worked with Commodores, TRS-80s, etc. and this didn't fool me...but I guess RS couldn't help it. I had a TRS 80 Color Computer from 1980 when I was in college, and I still have it! There was real fun...all those Byte Magazine and Interface Age (some of which I still have) and I learned to expand the memory of the color computer by soldering 32 KB chips on top of the on-board, unsocketed chips, and using the board's bank select line to double my memory! You've got yourself a subscriber! Cheers Ambidexter
I actually asked for this for Christmas back then but got their digital logic kit instead, 25 experiments with a a 7400 chip because the local Radio Shack were out of the computer kit. I was a bit disappointed and it did not look as fun as the 75 in 1 kit I got the year before but in the end I learned a lot. Now I realize that I dodged a bullet.
I got all those kits as a kid, I made sure everyone in my family knew I wanted any of them .. then I got a Denshi Block system and that led directly to Z80 experimenters boards, and CP/M machines, and ..
@@twistedyogert go to pjrc.com Paul sells a lot of stuff that can take you back to those days. The 8052/8052 microcontroller is a good way to learn what goes on inside of a computer. There's also a bunch of people tinkering with the 6502 (Apple II, Vic20 and C64 computers, though the C64 was really a 6510). Then there's a bunch of folks tinkering with the RCA 1802 CPU. It's the least friendly of the ones I mentioned, but is what I started with in 1977.
It's a repackaging of the KOSMOS "Logikus" which dates to 1968. I had one circa 1974. My dad was travelling to Germany a lot and may have brought it back from there. I Managed to get it to play rock-paper-scissors. By 1977 it was kind of, well, behind the times.
I found in the attic of my father an "Kosmos Spielcomputer Logikus" from around 1968. The logikus is very similarly in concept and operation, but different in execution and construction. So, this tandy computer design was about a decade old when released on your side of the ocean.
I found his video to be rather captivating. Fran picked up this kit that nobody wanted for 15 bucks from a thrift store. In the normal universe it would have to have been considered a complete waste of 15 bucks since, to be clear, it was pretty much worthless when it was new. But Fran opened her heart by adopting this thing, as if it were an unwanted puppy - with 1 leg and no teeth - sitting in a cage forlorn and forgotten at the local pound. The puppy was essentially dead when she got it home but the turning point in its recovery was the spin welder in her highly skilled hands. Once this puppy was made whole again, it became clear it could not bark, play, or perform any tricks. It just sat there. But yet there was real joy to be derived from the process of salvaging this simple beast. Fran gave it a second chance at life, albeit a rather meager life. I actually teared up a little when watching this. I was touched by Fran’s display of geeky gadget love and also felt deep sorrow for the geeky kid who originally got this box full of electronic disappointment.
Fran, Fran, Fran...you really should consider the year that this unit came out, and the age that this item was geared to. I loved this unit when I was 6 years old (Im almost 60 now) and went though EVERY program that came with it (there were MANY) many many times. Ive been into electronics since then as a hobby, as well as a vocation. These and all the other Tandy kits got me and a complete generation started. Come on Fran........dont be such a snob!
I totally agree, it was 'of it's time' just like the Babbage engine was and the iPhone X is now. Fran and EEVblog knock old technology, but without those developments we would not be where we are today! All these toys had to do was make a child curious to ask more questions and plant the seed of an idea, the rest is history...
Hey Fran. I actually had one of these as a 7-year old kid back in 1977. Yes, most projects were very lame, but there was a saving grace. There is project that emulates the 'crossing the river' puzzle. You have a farmer, goose, fox and a bag of corn and you have to cross the river in a boat. I'm sure you know the logic puzzle. You basically have to determine how the farmer can get each piece over the river to the other side, without leaving some side in danger (fox will eat the goose if left alone for example). Its neat because you had to sequence it correctly, or you ended up with a "Danger on the bank" light. Yeah, its lame, but when I watch Apollo 13 and "Ken Mattingly" figures out the power-up sequence for the LM, I always think of this old project. (yeah, I know Ken didn't really do that.). Anyways, it taught me that computers were really just a bunch of switches, and you could wire a "program". Anyways, give that project a try before you declare the old "Digital Computer" a complete write off.
Actually, it was Farmer, Wolf, Goat, Cabbage - there fixed that you ya'. Actually kit this is not that bad, but in no way is it suitable for anyone that age. I would say age 14 minimum to get anything meaningful out of it.
I agree with Robert. Half the use you can get out of this kit is actually what you do with it after you complete the work book. Namely, and what I have read from others, adding stuff onto it to make it do more than simple wire circuits.
Fran, sorry I only just got to this video. I remember this kit ! I did learn from this for sure but I think I learned better from other kits. You did light a light in my head and in my memory with this. Thanks for the reminder and the joy of going through this myself😃😃😃😃👍 I even had the original spin welder that you showed in another video👍👍👍👍 I was really into plastic models and used this to modify car models. It was a lot of fun and another learning experience.
Awesome find. Love old tech. I was born in 1990 so I didn't get experience the older machines but... I love learning about them. My degree in computer info systems and my nerdiness helps
I remember being eternally frustrated with 60's -90's electronics, for not being more capable. But, it was nice growing up during that era, and living through the progression. It's amazing, the rate at which electronics and computers are maturing now, but it's still fun to tinker with the basic stuff.
I remember these being sold in Radio Shacks in the late 70s. I never put it on my Christmas wish list because I recognized it didn't have a microprocessor (undoubtedly to keep the cost so low). Radio Shack did sell a more advanced computer kit a couple of years later. I wanted that one, but never got it. It's probably just as well. Thanks, Fran, for finally proving my suspicion correct!
This video made my day! I got one of these in 1978 and could never work it out, i was that disappointed nerd kid, thanks for making me relive my childhood and making me not feel so dumb after all these years. At least I ended up in programming and IT regardless :) .. thanks for the video!
I was actually excited about that kit back in 1977, but I was age 15 and what I learnt was more about logic and switches. Remember this is 1977 where there were far fewer distractions than in 2020 ... but what it did do was get the motivational spark going which brought me to a Tandy TRS-80 Color Computer (several articles/programs published in Hot CoCo magazine - Wayne Green publications) which ultimately lead me to a computer science degree and onto programming in the business world and enjoying a good living. You'll be amazed at what can spark a kid/teenager.
I Grew Up in the 70's and 80's when there was an abundance of nerdy stuff about. I still like nerdy stuff lol. You made me smile involuntary from start to finish. then I thought you'll never get that 25 minutes of your life back. haha. but safe in the knowledge that you did a very good job of fixing it.
That sure is a blast from the past! I had two of these kits 'back in the day' one ended up being used as a 'band selection display board' on one of my first homebrew radio projects. 6 bulbs used to display selected band, one for power, and RX / TX lamps. The other kit was used to control points and signals on a model railway (with a few transistors hidden inside it to drive the signal lamps on the railway). Good memories. Thank You for posting this little bit of retro fun :-)
I think perhaps you're the one who had the greatest success with this kit. This kit did not resonate with me at the time, but you we're able to put it to work doing something! I wish I had thought of that!
if you joined the two together you could of had the first dual core tandy digital computer kit .add a mirror for hyper threading and some L1 shared cach .oh the missed opportunities.lol
At least you and I found a use for it. I used it for doing some very rudimentary block switching on a model railroad. That was about all it could do was switch ONE loop so the train could go out around the loop, then come back on the same track, so reverse polarity, on the main track when the turnout threw, and a signal changed from red to green, then switch to the second loop, and do the same thing. I wound up ditching the kit, and etching a board. 73 KI7AQJ
Thanks for the great presentation! When I was about 11 years old, I received the 50 in one kit from Science Fair for Christmas. It was great IMHO. This computer thing, though, looks like the end of the great Science Fair stuff. I feel sorry for those who were expecting more than this for their money.
Well, it all depends on what you consider fun? Looks like you had more fun figuring out how to fix the broken parts. Sometimes I fix things, just to fix them, you learn alot from that. You did a Good job!
I haven't kept up to date with your channel and I just watched this video. I have to say you have really hit your stride, Fran! This was a very well-made video, and it's great fun to see you being grumpy at this "computer"!
I had one back in the day. The dubious illumination of the lights wasn't a result of old switches--they were like that when new. What's ironic is that the 7400-based digital logic kit (maybe "25 in one"?) was about half the price and way cooler. Two LEDs, a 7400, three buttons, and some passives, powered off three AA batteries. If this kit had included solenoid actuators for the switches, or even some mechanical stepping switches, it could have been cool even with no electronics, but being able to produce an oscillator and toggle register using the 7400 was way cooler than the complete lack of sequential logic in this kit.
Thanks for sharing/demonstrating this kit. I initial got this as a birthday gift in the mid 70s when I was a teenager, and ended up taking it back after I seen nothing in the box that resembled a computer. I was just starting to build Paia guitar effects at the same era.
Thank you so much Fran for showing this video - it reminds me of my 350+ experiment kit that I received one Christmas years ago. I remember one of the experiments was making a woodpecker sound - it sounded uncannily like the Russian Woodpecker. I remember I shorted out one of the transistors: my dad found one at Radio Shack and soldiered it back in.
I bought this when I was something like 10, having saved up my hard-earned allowance. It wasn't the exact same model; clearly they had gone through at least two revs of the design. The version I had didn't have the spring terminals, but rather "sockets" into which you jammed the wires -- a hole flanked by a couple of leaf springs. And yeah, that's all there was to it -- just a bunch of switches and peanut bulbs, powered by a couple of D-cells. Now, with 40 years of hindsight, I can see what Radio Shack were _trying_ to do: Teach elementary boolean logic, which forms the foundation of modern digital computing. But a couple of NAND gates does not a computer make (although they do make one flip-flop). I paid something like $32.00 for it. In the mid-1970's. Which was a lot to a ten-year-old kid. It was one of the most expensive experiment kits they had. I got it home, and it was the least fun thing I ever got from Radio Shack. I ended up not keeping it and, from that day forward, resolved to never trust the box art and always open the box and _read the manual_ before buying anything. Thanks for doing this one. I'm pleased to learn it wasn't just me...
I was 8 years old in 1977 and would have loved that as a gift. Sometimes the fun is in the process, the time spent wiring and troubleshooting when it it didn't work on the first try and eventually having a machine that worked as per print. They fun is in the creating, not necessarily the flashy outcome (or then again, maybe I'm just the slow kid on this channel :-)
I love my Tandy 150-in-one kit that got me going with electronics when I was 9. They really put a lot of thought and effort into the manuals for those kits.
Me too. At first I just followed the wiring diagrams, then I tried hooking things up differently, then I cannibalized it for parts, then I regretted being stupid.
I had the RS 150 in 1 kit for a year or two and pretty well mastered it by age nine, then received one of these computer kits. I am glad I was not the only one who reached the conclusion that it was destined to be a dust collector.
The 300 & 360 in 1 were a lot of fun, for a 7-10 year old. I had the 150 in 1. My friend had all the kits, and his dad was an EE at Honeywell. We had those kits doing stuff Radio Shack never dreamed of. Running the little motor through an audio amp, and having it switch on, mute, stop, un-mute, switch on, rev up, mute, switch off, stop, switch on, made the exact sound used in the old Star Trek for red alert. We thought we were geniuses, when we heard it work. It was a spot on perfect match to Star Trek's foley gaf.
I loved the real electronics kits. That's why this "Computer" kit feels like such a rip-off. It's a bunch of plastic sliding bars, with cheap single throw multi pole switches and lights and wires and a battery. Crap.
I remember when I was 14 I begged my parents for this! When I got it I had fun, for about an hour... The most fun I EVER had thought was the Tandy 141 electronics experiments in one kit! I had to really beg for that one because I wanted it after the failed birthday present that was this plastic nightmare. I begged for it as a Christmas gift! And after the negotiating was over, I got it! And that was all I got, LOL! But I spent hours tinkering with that lab! In fact, I was able to squeeze 150 experiments out of that thing, LOL!
I had that! Wow. I’d completely forgotten it. I’m 40 and was given it by older children who were friends of the family in the early 80’s. What a blast from the past!
I have this exact kit! It's really not disappointing at all when you're 9-12ish. I learned a bit about relay logic (except without most of the benefits of relays) from it.
I had one of those. My grandad bought it for my 11th birthday. So cool.. Enjoyed the book more than the kit.. even though I made majority of the experiments I got bored very quickly & moved into mechanics when i was 12.. Starting with stripping my dads land rover then the engine & finally rebuilding it & testing it off road... I actually wanted an r/c nitro plane.. Had to wait two yrs for that to happen.
I had one of these back in the day, somewhere around age 7. I think it was the only x-in-1 kit we returned - and my family bought me a *bunch* of 'em! I guess I wasn't up to the challenge just yet. Fun video tho'. It woke up a few stray brain cells worth of memories I didn't know I still had floating around up there. Thank you!
Omg, I asked my parents for a computer and this is what they bought me. Many hours spent connecting wires to springs. Fun! Not quite as cool as a 150 in 1, but it was a neat toy. I love the let down at the end. I felt that too. I also loved that spin welder you pulled out. I had a spin welder car model that they made in the 70s too. Wow it gave off some really bad fumes I can still remember to this day.
This is the first video of yours that I've viewed; I'm SO glad that my awareness of your channel came to me as a gift. (I want the cover-art of the Tandy box on a T-Shirt.)
This video brings so much to mind from my childhood! My first electronics kit was from Radio Shack and came in a wooden box. I also got a spin welder for Christmas that you could build a working helicopter with and when you were done building it, the welder was used to power the rotors to make it work! What fun that was!
I got one of these when I was a kid. I still have it packed away in a box somewhere. I remember doing the one that helps you solve the riddle of the Farmer, Wolf, Goat, and Cabbage, where the Farmer has to get each one across a river but can take only one at a time. The "program" would indicate that you made a mistake if you left the wrong combination on one side of the river (like wolf and goat together). This probably would have been a better demo for the video. Now that I look at the manual PDF that Tandy posted, I see that's the first one in the book. Makes me wonder if that was the first and only project I did with it. Last time I looked at it I noticed that I must have taken about half the bulbs and sockets out for other projects. It didn't keep my attention for long, unlike the standard 150-in-1 electronic project kit I had where I built all 150 projects and then went on to make many of my own.
I have one of these - went through all of the projects in the book. Recommend printing a copy of each project and use a highlighter to mark the connections as you make them - way too easy to miss one. Always wanted to make peripherals for it to extend what it could do. Punch cards, tape reader, clock pulse and etc...
I vote "Fun". Not everyone would worry about keeping it period-correct with incandescents and so forth. The repair-restore debate rages on. Fascinating you are.
I've just seen the same kit on ebay, and the box proudly boast that you can "Learn programming, Binary Math, Cybernetics to predict weather, Diagnose Illnesses, Translate" ! Holy moly why are we even using PCs today when we could have this Superior Kit :D
I used to walk right by those Tandy sets in the hobby shop all the time in the 70's. That did not look anything like what Elroy Jetson had, so I had to wait until the Apple SE-30 came along. Glad I did. Thanks Fran for a truly interesting video once again. BTW, I had to pull that SE-30 apart sixth months later and replace the processor and add more ram so I could have a very fast primitive computer. What fun.
I was one of the "little nerd kids" who got one of these back in the day. In addition to what this video shows about assembling it, all the springs had to be inserted into the switches too! Talk about lots of labor.
Hahaha! This thing is probably exactly as exciting as me when I'm explaining what I've programmed last week. A great find and lots of fun seeing you fix it.
Thanks for posting this. I always wondered about how that particular kit actually worked. I had (and have) lots of Radio Shack n-in-one kits, but I don't feel bad for never having bothered my parents enough to get it.
I have almost 30 year of history with electronics hw and sw with measiuring embedded systems. When I want to have good times for ralaxation I watch your videos. Tne only backdraft is the pain in my neck by having to agree with you all the time.
Oh my - I had one of these as a kid! I don't remember going through all of the modules found in the book, but I have vague memories of playing the crossing the river module!! I think there were various overlays that slide over the bulbs.
I had one of these! I don't recall how many of the circuits I built. My 150-in-1 electronics kit was more fun, but the digital computer toy had a nice introduction to digital logic. As you pointed out, the book was pretty good. The toy, less so. Later, I made my own "quizzes" using strips of paper and had family members try them.
I got one of those just to see what it did, and wasn't disappointed because I'd already figured out before I bought it that it was probably nothing but a bunch of 5-pole double-throw switches and lights which you wire together to make "logic" circuits. I wanted to see how much could be done with such a simple device and I too eventually decided that it was lame. Part of the problem was that the wire resistance and contact resistance in the switches added up pretty quickly so that even with a fresh battery, you'd often end up with a very weak glow or even no glow from the bulb which was supposed to light up. It was even worse if more than one bulb was supposed to light.
Later, they had a "programmable computer" simulator made entirely of cardboard. You adjusted paper slips to signify registers and stepped through "programs" manually. One of the sales clerks at my local Shack gave it to me after I spent all day asking them about computers. It was my first computer and I used it till it fell apart. I know it's pitiful but Rat Shack you saved my life. :-)
I think that the cardboard computer that you are mentioning is the 'CARDIAC' computer put out by Bell Labs - you can search for it on Google ( its also on RUclips)
This was my first computer. If you'd like to make an old programmer very happy, I'll take it off your hands. I was 12 years old then, and unlike your comments, I did learn a lot from it. I spent hours programming it. Fir me, it was a lot of fun. Through what it taught me, I understood how a Pentium cpu worked, in handling bits as they entered the cpu, where thise bits wrte placed in the cpu internal memory, and finally output the processed bits. That allowed me to design the first Novell-certified Pentium computer, in 1995...or, 1994...it was a long time ago.
Very cool story! I too had one of these, and it began my passion for computing. My career may not have been as ground-breaking as yours, but I definitely have a similar fondness for this kit.
I had one, and absolutely loved it. It taught binary logic. Admittedly some of the experiments were really boring. But it helped inspire me to become the programmer I am, today. Loved the video.
I have a few of this kit complete and un opened. Also a couple opened by my kids over the years. I got a half a dozen when our local TANDY cleared them out over 25 years ago.
I remember there was a Tandy Store right up until the very early 1990's in Preston, United Kingdom. One is still listed on Lune Street instead of it being in the main shopping center (St Georges), so it still may be open and in business !
That's awesome, I wish I still had mine, it was one of the first "electronic" things given to me by my aunt. She was a programmer for the state and the reason for my initial interest in electronics and later computers.
Fran, I remember my hot breath clouding up the window of our local Tandy store (Australia). In 77' the kit was very impressive, though I didnt purchase the kit.
Holy smokes you are adorable! I would love to hear your take on the Tandy/Sinclair 1000. It was released 3 years later. That thing provided me with hundreds of hours of programming experience and fun as a kid. Also: I've had to "re" subscribe to you three times in twelve days. Why does RUclips hate the idea of me subscribing to you?
Lady cracks me up....good vid. I used to live near a radio shack warehouse when i was a kid and they had a clearance store. I used to buy alot of toys like this.
I got one as a Christmas gift from a beloved Aunt in the early 80's, and it basically got me into computers, something I do to this day. Yes, it was primitive, but I also gained a deep appreciation of what actually goes on inside a computer that most others simply never could get any other way. And this appreciation helped me learn to ACTUALLY design even modern software effectively, meaning, to be efficient, reusable, easily maintainable, etc. And to this day, I constantly see software written by so-called "professional" programmers, which in reality is absolute crap right from the initial design, in other words, from the get-go. Did getting this kit help me to this day? Absolutely!! Oh, I am not simply a programmer, I also do lots of other things, singing, music, writing, painting, etc
I was certainly a disappointed little nerd kid when I got this. A few years later, I was especially happy when I got a TRS-80 Model I Level I 4K computer. I still have one :) Thanks for the great video :)
I was gifted one of these when I was 12 and I never took the time to figure it out. Thank you Fran for showing that I missed absolutely nothing.
A spin welder used for an actual repair. WOW Fran is just super cool.
I didn't even know there was such a thing!!!
Same here. I had to look it up in Wikipedia :)
watch the diyfran video about how to make one
I could smell the burning plastic the second she cranked up that spin welder.
Fran: "Not even fun. Didn't catch fire"
Electroboom: "Load up the high voltage gear. We're off to Franlab!"
i love fran blanche! effects builder, engineer, vlogger, genius, and all around super cool gorgeous woman. what a thrill it would be to spend a day with her. what a beautiful energy.
Transgender man
+Vax Buster You feel better now?
yes thanks for asking....
Vax Buster Good, glad to hear it. That's really all that matters.
Vax Buster oh Vaxy, Vaxy, Vaxy. Who gives a shit? Plus you got it wrong. Fran is a transgender woman. And a damn fine one too! She’s so smart and cool. Any man or woman would be lucky to have a Fran in their life.
I remember, aged 12, seeing this on the shelf. My Dad couldn't afford two kits so I chose the other one, the one with a crystal radio and 49 other exciting projects. I made the right choice :)
" Disappointed little nerd kid" - that sums it up perfectly Fran!
On second thought, it sums up my life story...
Thanks for a great channel 👍
I had that exact same kit as a kid. Hours of fun.
It gave me a very early look at basic logic and that was all I needed at 7 years of age.
"Didn't catch fire and I didn't learn anything." haha, I like these requirements.
Even with the disappointing results, the video still manages to inspire…. Spin welding and using straws to produce standard length wires. Always something to be learned in a Fran Lab video!
Man, that takes me back. I was 18 in 1977, and had already taken programming in my Math class, with a Monroe 1665 Desktop Programmable Calculator (with card reader, and Port-a-punch!). When my parents saw this in the RS catalog, I had to talk them down from getting it! It had no components, like you demonstrate, just wires!
I worked with Commodores, TRS-80s, etc. and this didn't fool me...but I guess RS couldn't help it.
I had a TRS 80 Color Computer from 1980 when I was in college, and I still have it! There was real fun...all those Byte Magazine and Interface Age (some of which I still have) and I learned to expand the memory of the color computer by soldering 32 KB chips on top of the on-board, unsocketed chips, and using the board's bank select line to double my memory!
You've got yourself a subscriber!
Cheers
Ambidexter
I actually asked for this for Christmas back then but got their digital logic kit instead, 25 experiments with a a 7400 chip because the local Radio Shack were out of the computer kit. I was a bit disappointed and it did not look as fun as the 75 in 1 kit I got the year before but in the end I learned a lot. Now I realize that I dodged a bullet.
I got all those kits as a kid, I made sure everyone in my family knew I wanted any of them .. then I got a Denshi Block system and that led directly to Z80 experimenters boards, and CP/M machines, and ..
@@ibisum Darn, you guys got all the fun toys. I've only played with a Raspberry pi and an Arduino.
@@twistedyogert they're still out there, those old classics!
@@twistedyogert go to pjrc.com Paul sells a lot of stuff that can take you back to those days. The 8052/8052 microcontroller is a good way to learn what goes on inside of a computer. There's also a bunch of people tinkering with the 6502 (Apple II, Vic20 and C64 computers, though the C64 was really a 6510). Then there's a bunch of folks tinkering with the RCA 1802 CPU. It's the least friendly of the ones I mentioned, but is what I started with in 1977.
It's a repackaging of the KOSMOS "Logikus" which dates to 1968. I had one circa 1974. My dad was travelling to Germany a lot and may have brought it back from there. I Managed to get it to play rock-paper-scissors. By 1977 it was kind of, well, behind the times.
Imagine the kid who asked for an Atari 2600 and got this under the tree from Grandma!
hush! I was that kid... 4 years of therapy later . . . .
I found in the attic of my father an "Kosmos Spielcomputer Logikus" from around 1968. The logikus is very similarly in concept and operation, but different in execution and construction. So, this tandy computer design was about a decade old when released on your side of the ocean.
Wow! See my comment, I also had that one! In fact this thing was responsible for studying computer science later ;-)
What's funny they had single chip microcontrollers such as the TMS-1000 back in 1977.
I think my Sub-Hunt game had one of those.
Fran, I just found you on YT. I am very sure, there is no one else like you anywhere. You're awesome.
Fran, your channel is one of my new favs!
Not boring at all, YOU ROCK! This is my second Fran video and I think I'm hooked.
I was dying when you pointed and said " NOT FUN NOT FUN AT ALL" hysterical Fran .Thanks for the laughs and some great entertainment.
I found his video to be rather captivating.
Fran picked up this kit that nobody wanted for 15 bucks from a thrift store. In the normal universe it would have to have been considered a complete waste of 15 bucks since, to be clear, it was pretty much worthless when it was new. But Fran opened her heart by adopting this thing, as if it were an unwanted puppy - with 1 leg and no teeth - sitting in a cage forlorn and forgotten at the local pound. The puppy was essentially dead when she got it home but the turning point in its recovery was the spin welder in her highly skilled hands. Once this puppy was made whole again, it became clear it could not bark, play, or perform any tricks. It just sat there. But yet there was real joy to be derived from the process of salvaging this simple beast. Fran gave it a second chance at life, albeit a rather meager life.
I actually teared up a little when watching this. I was touched by Fran’s display of geeky gadget love and also felt deep sorrow for the geeky kid who originally got this box full of electronic disappointment.
Fran, Fran, Fran...you really should consider the year that this unit came out, and the age that this item was geared to. I loved this unit when I was 6 years old (Im almost 60 now) and went though EVERY program that came with it (there were MANY) many many times. Ive been into electronics since then as a hobby, as well as a vocation. These and all the other Tandy kits got me and a complete generation started.
Come on Fran........dont be such a snob!
I totally agree, it was 'of it's time' just like the Babbage engine was and the iPhone X is now. Fran and EEVblog knock old technology, but without those developments we would not be where we are today! All these toys had to do was make a child curious to ask more questions and plant the seed of an idea, the rest is history...
Hey Fran. I actually had one of these as a 7-year old kid back in 1977.
Yes, most projects were very lame, but there was a saving grace.
There is project that emulates the 'crossing the river' puzzle. You
have a farmer, goose, fox and a bag of corn and you have to cross the
river in a boat. I'm sure you know the logic puzzle. You basically
have to determine how the farmer can get each piece over the river to
the other side, without leaving some side in danger (fox will eat the
goose if left alone for example). Its neat because you had to sequence
it correctly, or you ended up with a "Danger on the bank" light. Yeah,
its lame, but when I watch Apollo 13 and "Ken Mattingly" figures out
the power-up sequence for the LM, I always think of this old project.
(yeah, I know Ken didn't really do that.). Anyways, it taught me that
computers were really just a bunch of switches, and you could wire a
"program". Anyways, give that project a try before you declare the old
"Digital Computer" a complete write off.
It is program 1, Page 18.
www.tandyonline.co.uk/doc/28/28-218_User_Manual.pdf
Take the good over -Return - Take the beans over - Return WITH the goose - Take the fox over - Return - Take goose over.
Actually, it was Farmer, Wolf, Goat, Cabbage - there fixed that you ya'. Actually kit this is not that bad, but in no way is it suitable for anyone that age. I would say age 14 minimum to get anything meaningful out of it.
Maybe like the thing with the sand & rocks in the jar. Rocks go in first ( most important things in life) then sand ( less important).
I agree with Robert. Half the use you can get out of this kit is actually what you do with it after you complete the work book. Namely, and what I have read from others, adding stuff onto it to make it do more than simple wire circuits.
Fran, sorry I only just got to this video. I remember this kit ! I did learn from this for sure but I think I learned better from other kits. You did light a light in my head and in my memory with this. Thanks for the reminder and the joy of going through this myself😃😃😃😃👍
I even had the original spin welder that you showed in another video👍👍👍👍 I was really into plastic models and used this to modify car models. It was a lot of fun and another learning experience.
Awesome find. Love old tech. I was born in 1990 so I didn't get experience the older machines but... I love learning about them. My degree in computer info systems and my nerdiness helps
I remember being eternally frustrated with 60's -90's electronics, for not being more capable. But, it was nice growing up during that era, and living through the progression. It's amazing, the rate at which electronics and computers are maturing now, but it's still fun to tinker with the basic stuff.
I remember these being sold in Radio Shacks in the late 70s. I never put it on my Christmas wish list because I recognized it didn't have a microprocessor (undoubtedly to keep the cost so low). Radio Shack did sell a more advanced computer kit a couple of years later. I wanted that one, but never got it. It's probably just as well. Thanks, Fran, for finally proving my suspicion correct!
This video made my day! I got one of these in 1978 and could never work it out, i was that disappointed nerd kid, thanks for making me relive my childhood and making me not feel so dumb after all these years. At least I ended up in programming and IT regardless :) .. thanks for the video!
I was actually excited about that kit back in 1977, but I was age 15 and what I learnt was more about logic and switches. Remember this is 1977 where there were far fewer distractions than in 2020 ... but what it did do was get the motivational spark going which brought me to a Tandy TRS-80 Color Computer (several articles/programs published in Hot CoCo magazine - Wayne Green publications) which ultimately lead me to a computer science degree and onto programming in the business world and enjoying a good living. You'll be amazed at what can spark a kid/teenager.
I Grew Up in the 70's and 80's when there was an abundance of nerdy stuff about. I still like nerdy stuff lol. You made me smile involuntary from start to finish. then I thought you'll never get that 25 minutes of your life back. haha. but safe in the knowledge that you did a very good job of fixing it.
That sure is a blast from the past! I had two of these kits 'back in the day' one ended up being used as a 'band selection display board' on one of my first homebrew radio projects. 6 bulbs used to display selected band, one for power, and RX / TX lamps. The other kit was used to control points and signals on a model railway (with a few transistors hidden inside it to drive the signal lamps on the railway). Good memories. Thank You for posting this little bit of retro fun :-)
I think perhaps you're the one who had the greatest success with this kit. This kit did not resonate with me at the time, but you we're able to put it to work doing something! I wish I had thought of that!
if you joined the two together you could of had the first dual core tandy digital computer kit .add a mirror for hyper threading and some L1 shared cach .oh the missed opportunities.lol
At least you and I found a use for it. I used it for doing some very rudimentary block switching on a model railroad. That was about all it could do was switch ONE loop so the train could go out around the loop, then come back on the same track, so reverse polarity, on the main track when the turnout threw, and a signal changed from red to green, then switch to the second loop, and do the same thing. I wound up ditching the kit, and etching a board. 73 KI7AQJ
Great that you could actually do something useful and cool with it.
Did you go into the field of computer science or programming as an adult?
The fun is in the creating, fixing and tinkering :D
We had fun watching you make it work, thanks . You are a clever cookie:-)
Thanks for the great presentation! When I was about 11 years old, I received the 50 in one kit from Science Fair for Christmas. It was great IMHO. This computer thing, though, looks like the end of the great Science Fair stuff. I feel sorry for those who were expecting more than this for their money.
Well, it all depends on what you consider fun? Looks like you had more fun figuring out how to fix the broken parts. Sometimes I fix things, just to fix them, you learn alot from that. You did a Good job!
I haven't kept up to date with your channel and I just watched this video. I have to say you have really hit your stride, Fran!
This was a very well-made video, and it's great fun to see you being grumpy at this "computer"!
I applaud your patience, skills and determination. That was good to watch anyway.
I always wanted to be a keypunch operator! I remember when there were oodles of job listings for keypunch operators back in the 70s and 80s.
That trick of using straw templates for cutting wire is brilliant!
I remember mine and my frustration with binary and octal. Great restoration! Now you can put it up on Ebay or craigslist
I had one back in the day. The dubious illumination of the lights wasn't a result of old switches--they were like that when new. What's ironic is that the 7400-based digital logic kit (maybe "25 in one"?) was about half the price and way cooler. Two LEDs, a 7400, three buttons, and some passives, powered off three AA batteries. If this kit had included solenoid actuators for the switches, or even some mechanical stepping switches, it could have been cool even with no electronics, but being able to produce an oscillator and toggle register using the 7400 was way cooler than the complete lack of sequential logic in this kit.
Thanks for sharing/demonstrating this kit. I initial got this as a birthday gift in the mid 70s when I was a teenager, and ended up taking it back after I seen nothing in the box that resembled a computer. I was just starting to build Paia guitar effects at the same era.
I'm not sure what one would learn from this. I didn't find it boring. You make it fun.
Thank you so much Fran for showing this video - it reminds me of my 350+ experiment kit that I received one Christmas years ago. I remember one of the experiments was making a woodpecker sound - it sounded uncannily like the Russian Woodpecker.
I remember I shorted out one of the transistors: my dad found one at Radio Shack and soldiered it back in.
I bought this when I was something like 10, having saved up my hard-earned allowance. It wasn't the exact same model; clearly they had gone through at least two revs of the design. The version I had didn't have the spring terminals, but rather "sockets" into which you jammed the wires -- a hole flanked by a couple of leaf springs. And yeah, that's all there was to it -- just a bunch of switches and peanut bulbs, powered by a couple of D-cells.
Now, with 40 years of hindsight, I can see what Radio Shack were _trying_ to do: Teach elementary boolean logic, which forms the foundation of modern digital computing. But a couple of NAND gates does not a computer make (although they do make one flip-flop).
I paid something like $32.00 for it. In the mid-1970's. Which was a lot to a ten-year-old kid. It was one of the most expensive experiment kits they had. I got it home, and it was the least fun thing I ever got from Radio Shack. I ended up not keeping it and, from that day forward, resolved to never trust the box art and always open the box and _read the manual_ before buying anything.
Thanks for doing this one. I'm pleased to learn it wasn't just me...
Thanks for doing this review. The summary is pure gold!
this was a great throwback for me I did not have this exact kit but close enough to bring back some good memories!!!
Fran you are the best!!!
the wire cutting trick is one of 'the' best things ever seen by my eyes. they love it.
I was 8 years old in 1977 and would have loved that as a gift. Sometimes the fun is in the process, the time spent wiring and troubleshooting when it it didn't work on the first try and eventually having a machine that worked as per print. They fun is in the creating, not necessarily the flashy outcome (or then again, maybe I'm just the slow kid on this channel :-)
I love my Tandy 150-in-one kit that got me going with electronics when I was 9. They really put a lot of thought and effort into the manuals for those kits.
Me too. At first I just followed the wiring diagrams, then I tried hooking things up differently, then I cannibalized it for parts, then I regretted being stupid.
I had the RS 150 in 1 kit for a year or two and pretty well mastered it by age nine, then received one of these computer kits. I am glad I was not the only one who reached the conclusion that it was destined to be a dust collector.
Those were legit. I learned a lot from those. If this kit had included a real CPU perhaps it would have been legit too.
The 300 & 360 in 1 were a lot of fun, for a 7-10 year old. I had the 150 in 1. My friend had all the kits, and his dad was an EE at Honeywell. We had those kits doing stuff Radio Shack never dreamed of. Running the little motor through an audio amp, and having it switch on, mute, stop, un-mute, switch on, rev up, mute, switch off, stop, switch on, made the exact sound used in the old Star Trek for red alert. We thought we were geniuses, when we heard it work. It was a spot on perfect match to Star Trek's foley gaf.
I loved the real electronics kits. That's why this "Computer" kit feels like such a rip-off. It's a bunch of plastic sliding bars, with cheap single throw multi pole switches and lights and wires and a battery. Crap.
OMG I had that switching computer as a kid in 1975! Love your videos.
I remember when I was 14 I begged my parents for this!
When I got it I had fun, for about an hour...
The most fun I EVER had thought was the Tandy 141 electronics experiments in one kit!
I had to really beg for that one because I wanted it after the failed birthday present that was this plastic nightmare.
I begged for it as a Christmas gift! And after the negotiating was over, I got it! And that was all I got, LOL!
But I spent hours tinkering with that lab! In fact, I was able to squeeze 150 experiments out of that thing, LOL!
I had that! Wow. I’d completely forgotten it. I’m 40 and was given it by older children who were friends of the family in the early 80’s. What a blast from the past!
I have this exact kit! It's really not disappointing at all when you're 9-12ish. I learned a bit about relay logic (except without most of the benefits of relays) from it.
I had one of those. My grandad bought it for my 11th birthday. So cool.. Enjoyed the book more than the kit.. even though I made majority of the experiments I got bored very quickly & moved into mechanics when i was 12.. Starting with stripping my dads land rover then the engine & finally rebuilding it & testing it off road...
I actually wanted an r/c nitro plane..
Had to wait two yrs for that to happen.
I had one of these back in the day, somewhere around age 7. I think it was the only x-in-1 kit we returned - and my family bought me a *bunch* of 'em! I guess I wasn't up to the challenge just yet.
Fun video tho'. It woke up a few stray brain cells worth of memories I didn't know I still had floating around up there. Thank you!
Omg, I asked my parents for a computer and this is what they bought me. Many hours spent connecting wires to springs. Fun! Not quite as cool as a 150 in 1, but it was a neat toy. I love the let down at the end. I felt that too. I also loved that spin welder you pulled out. I had a spin welder car model that they made in the 70s too. Wow it gave off some really bad fumes I can still remember to this day.
spin welder ah yes
Add a peltier cooler and overclock that sucker! :-)
Just when you think you've seen most of the gadgets out there, Fran shows you one more... the spin welder! LOVED IT!
This is the first video of yours that I've viewed; I'm SO glad that my awareness of your channel came to me as a gift. (I want the cover-art of the Tandy box on a T-Shirt.)
This video brings so much to mind from my childhood! My first electronics kit was from Radio Shack and came in a wooden box. I also got a spin welder for Christmas that you could build a working helicopter with and when you were done building it, the welder was used to power the rotors to make it work! What fun that was!
I had one of those. Bought it with my own money. Totally regretted it.
I like the idea ," someone who engineers customers " :-) . And thank you for posting , it was ingenious and interesting .
This spaghetti "code" is cleaner than objective-c
TRUE spaghetti code for once.
@@ibisum "TRUE" I see what you did there
Thanks friend you bring me back to my childhood I've watched a lot of your videos and just a lot of fun thanks
I got one of these when I was a kid. I still have it packed away in a box somewhere. I remember doing the one that helps you solve the riddle of the Farmer, Wolf, Goat, and Cabbage, where the Farmer has to get each one across a river but can take only one at a time. The "program" would indicate that you made a mistake if you left the wrong combination on one side of the river (like wolf and goat together). This probably would have been a better demo for the video. Now that I look at the manual PDF that Tandy posted, I see that's the first one in the book. Makes me wonder if that was the first and only project I did with it. Last time I looked at it I noticed that I must have taken about half the bulbs and sockets out for other projects. It didn't keep my attention for long, unlike the standard 150-in-1 electronic project kit I had where I built all 150 projects and then went on to make many of my own.
I have one of these - went through all of the projects in the book. Recommend printing a copy of each project and use a highlighter to mark the connections as you make them - way too easy to miss one. Always wanted to make peripherals for it to extend what it could do. Punch cards, tape reader, clock pulse and etc...
I vote "Fun". Not everyone would worry about keeping it period-correct with incandescents and so forth. The repair-restore debate rages on. Fascinating you are.
and that transistor program still is more useful than 90% of the android apps in the play store...
nice find, fran!
I've just seen the same kit on ebay, and the box proudly boast that you can "Learn programming, Binary Math, Cybernetics to predict weather, Diagnose Illnesses, Translate" !
Holy moly why are we even using PCs today when we could have this Superior Kit :D
I used to walk right by those Tandy sets in the hobby shop all the time in the 70's. That did not look anything like what Elroy Jetson had, so I had to wait until the Apple SE-30 came along. Glad I did. Thanks Fran for a truly interesting video once again. BTW, I had to pull that SE-30 apart sixth months later and replace the processor and add more ram so I could have a very fast primitive computer. What fun.
When you started up the spin welder I was transported back to 1977 and my school dental clinic ! lol
I was one of the "little nerd kids" who got one of these back in the day. In addition to what this video shows about assembling it, all the springs had to be inserted into the switches too! Talk about lots of labor.
Hahaha! This thing is probably exactly as exciting as me when I'm explaining what I've programmed last week. A great find and lots of fun seeing you fix it.
Thanks for posting this. I always wondered about how that particular kit actually worked. I had (and have) lots of Radio Shack n-in-one kits, but I don't feel bad for never having bothered my parents enough to get it.
I never heard of a spin welder before ! Ive always been curious about this Tandy computer kit. Thanks for showing us what I missed out on.
+Fran Blanche → At 19:55 in the video: "I wonder what would happen?"
*"I'm sorry, Fran. I'm afraid I can't let you do that."*
;~)°
Who's Dave?
Flicks switch. And then.... it returned to sulking in the basement.
I have almost 30 year of history with electronics hw and sw with measiuring embedded systems. When I want to have good times for ralaxation I watch your videos. Tne only backdraft is the pain in my neck by having to agree with you all the time.
They make wide-beam, warm white LEDs. They'd increase battery life drastically. Very good video 👍 I haven't seen a spin welder in years!!
Oh my - I had one of these as a kid! I don't remember going through all of the modules found in the book, but I have vague memories of playing the crossing the river module!! I think there were various overlays that slide over the bulbs.
Awesome! I got one of these for Christmas when I was a kid. This brought back some memories.
I had one of these! I don't recall how many of the circuits I built. My 150-in-1 electronics kit was more fun, but the digital computer toy had a nice introduction to digital logic. As you pointed out, the book was pretty good. The toy, less so. Later, I made my own "quizzes" using strips of paper and had family members try them.
I got one of those just to see what it did, and wasn't disappointed
because I'd already figured out before I bought it that it was probably
nothing but a bunch of 5-pole double-throw switches and lights which you
wire together to make "logic" circuits.
I wanted to see how much could be done with such a simple device and I
too eventually decided that it was lame.
Part of the problem was that the wire resistance and contact resistance
in the switches added up pretty quickly so that even with a fresh
battery, you'd often end up with a very weak glow or even no glow from
the bulb which was supposed to light up. It was even worse if more than
one bulb was supposed to light.
Later, they had a "programmable computer" simulator made entirely of cardboard. You adjusted paper slips to signify registers and stepped through "programs" manually.
One of the sales clerks at my local Shack gave it to me after I spent all day asking them about computers. It was my first computer and I used it till it fell apart. I know it's pitiful but Rat Shack you saved my life. :-)
Cool story. I also owe Radio Shack, as in part, they influenced me to go into the electronics field. 73, KJ6JJK
I think the cardboard one was better. And cheaper too.
I think that the cardboard computer that you are mentioning is the 'CARDIAC' computer put out by Bell Labs - you can search for it on Google ( its also on RUclips)
This was my first computer. If you'd like to make an old programmer very happy, I'll take it off your hands.
I was 12 years old then, and unlike your comments, I did learn a lot from it. I spent hours programming it. Fir me, it was a lot of fun. Through what it taught me, I understood how a Pentium cpu worked, in handling bits as they entered the cpu, where thise bits wrte placed in the cpu internal memory, and finally output the processed bits. That allowed me to design the first Novell-certified Pentium computer, in 1995...or, 1994...it was a long time ago.
Very cool story! I too had one of these, and it began my passion for computing. My career may not have been as ground-breaking as yours, but I definitely have a similar fondness for this kit.
I worked at AMD and ours had twice as many springs and light globes.
I thought I was the only one who had that kit. I used the bulbs to light up our tent at night in scout camp.
You found some purpose with it! I robbed bulbs, too. For flashlights.
I had one, and absolutely loved it. It taught binary logic. Admittedly some of the experiments were really boring. But it helped inspire me to become the programmer I am, today. Loved the video.
I have a few of this kit complete and un opened.
Also a couple opened by my kids over the years.
I got a half a dozen when our local TANDY cleared them out over 25 years ago.
I remember there was a Tandy Store right up until the very early 1990's in Preston, United Kingdom. One is still listed on Lune Street instead of it being in the main shopping center (St Georges), so it still may be open and in business !
That's awesome, I wish I still had mine, it was one of the first "electronic" things given to me by my aunt. She was a programmer for the state and the reason for my initial interest in electronics and later computers.
I Love your dedication to old electronics.
One way we know Fran is cool. She has a Tektronix oscilloscope in her lab. Hopefully it's the model I worked with in the late 60's, the 545
Fran, I remember my hot breath clouding up the window of our local Tandy store (Australia). In 77' the kit was very impressive, though I didnt purchase the kit.
I used that in the old days as a railroad switcher for my Train setup. Oooooh the good Old Days. = )
Holy smokes you are adorable! I would love to hear your take on the Tandy/Sinclair 1000. It was released 3 years later. That thing provided me with hundreds of hours of programming experience and fun as a kid. Also: I've had to "re" subscribe to you three times in twelve days. Why does RUclips hate the idea of me subscribing to you?
It was fun watching you fix it...😀
I am impressed so far. It was a good restoration project.
Lady cracks me up....good vid. I used to live near a radio shack warehouse when i was a kid and they had a clearance store. I used to buy alot of toys like this.
I had one of those! Thanks for the memories! At one time I had every one of their electronic kits from the 10-in-one to the 150-in-one kids.
I got one as a Christmas gift from a beloved Aunt in the early 80's, and it basically got me into computers, something I do to this day. Yes, it was primitive, but I also gained a deep appreciation of what actually goes on inside a computer that most others simply never could get any other way. And this appreciation helped me learn to ACTUALLY design even modern software effectively, meaning, to be efficient, reusable, easily maintainable, etc. And to this day, I constantly see software written by so-called "professional" programmers, which in reality is absolute crap right from the initial design, in other words, from the get-go. Did getting this kit help me to this day? Absolutely!!
Oh, I am not simply a programmer, I also do lots of other things, singing, music, writing, painting, etc
I got one new for Christmas. In 1977. I still have it downstairs! And yes, the booklet that came with it is awesome!
nice stuff Fran,your fun, cant wait until i see you again
I was certainly a disappointed little nerd kid when I got this. A few years later, I was especially happy when I got a TRS-80 Model I Level I 4K computer. I still have one :) Thanks for the great video :)
I really enjoyed the music! You always have interesting projects. Thanks.
Well it doesn't do a lot of things but the whole fun is in building it ☺