My dad designed that kit. He also drew (drafted) all the schematics with some help from one of my brothers who was a young boy and wanted to help. He developed and wrote all the content for the 150 in 1 kit for Tandy/Radio Shack. He taught Missionary Radio Technology for 21 years before becoming a transmitter engineer in the John Hancock building in Chicago. He's now 93 years old and will enjoy seeing this video. Thanks!
That is amazing distro! I wondered how the circuits were developed, but more importantly, how the selection of available parts were figured out. The kit is amazing. As I try "new" circuits with the 150 in one, I do run into answers. For instance, why was a push-pull audio power amplifier not included? I answered this by attempting to build one. There were basically 3 issues. First of all the two transistors were not identical (Elenco fixes this with the 130), Secondly, the ratio on the diver transformer CT side is too low. Finally a very low value resistor like 10 Ohms for the emitters is not present.
Small world! Your dad would be happy to know that 11 year old me was able to crank the power of the AM transmitter (and push it well past clean linear rf output) by adding another rf block using a 2n3866, resulting in a circuit that spewed enough harmonics to wipe out 70 mile distant KYTV channel 3 from anywhere in the house. It’s the little victories like breaking big sister’s tv channel selection monopoly that matter most😊🤠
The Radio Shack 150 in 1 kit would have made my day in the early 1960's when I was a preteen, but this came out in the mid 1970's when I was well into my 20's and I was repairing Radios, stereos, TVs, etc..
I never had one growing up so I picked up a 75 in 1 off eBay in pristine condition a few yrs ago. Every circuit I tried wouldn’t work - drove me crazy. After much frustration I finally removed the board and found that the wires weren’t soldered to the springs! I cleaned and tightened all connections and tested all components. It works fine now. Thx for another great vid Mike!
I had the 20-in-1 kit; the 'key' you are using is from that kit. Components were on blocks you clipped together. I loved it and had hours of fun, but certainly lusted after the 150-in-1. Great upload thanks. Matt 2E0LNS
I just looked in my closet and found a 65-in-1 Project kit that I got for $2 at a garage sale years ago. Time to play with it now that I'm retired. This one was copyrighted 1972 and has cartoonish drawings accompanying the schematics and wiring diagrams.
I learned by reading magazines and books and attempting to draw them. By age 15, I was building them, not always successfully! I still have my notebook of schematics from my sophomore year which I will show off.
Wonderful initiative, remembering the anticipation when getting one for Xmas many decades ago. Indeed many components need to be checked for corrosive connections. There as some ok AM radio circuits in there and some transmitter ones. Just found some interesting Science Fair AM MW transmitter kits on eBay.
I am the brother of @videodistro. One correction on his post, I was 15 or 16 when drafting the schematics for the 150 in 1, not ca young boy, more like a young man. I still have the Japanese version of 80 in 1 kit that he translated (with help) into English. The Japanese kit was dual language (poor English) and was call, “New My Kit 80”. Mine is in working order. It is marked made by Gakken, so I suspect Tandy Corporation bought the rights to it from them. After my father, who is still alive at 92, finished converting the 80 in 1 kit to full English market, he began work on expanding to the 150 in 1. I do NOT have a copy of the 150 in 1 kit, but I do have the 200 in 1, which is in excellent condition. My wife works at a re-use store and bought it when it came in to the store. If I remember correctly, the guy who worked on the 200 in 1 started with my father’s work and just expanded on it. I remember him contacting my father for ideas. My father was a contractor working for Tandy and the guy who made the 200 in 1 was a full time employee. THANKS FOR YOUR REVIEW OF THE KIT!!
My brother in law was a sales guy who bought the kit and taught himself enough to magically become an electronics parts expert just in time for the 1990s where he made bank!
These kits are rare in the UK, probably due to the Tandy/Radio Shack presence was not as large here as in the USA. Rules here have relaxed a little and you can run small transmitters to enable your use of old broadcast radio....and even if you do get caught, our prisons are so full, they need to make spaces, so the new government will let you out when you have served just 40% of your sentence! It sounds like a joke but it is actually true! God bless the UK 🤣
Feeling very emasculated now… I only had my ‘21-in-1’ Transistor Lab from Allied Radio / Knight Kit. I did have to assemble the thing… mount all the parts and solder the resistors, etc. to the printed circuit board. I was 12. A year later or so my Boy Scout leader said ‘looks like you know how to solder’… he worked as a technician for the Bendix Corporation in their missile division. 😊
@@MIKROWAVE1 I don’t think I have any… if so… they have been replaced by liver spots! 😂 Really appreciate your channel…. looking forward to your next installment.
@@MIKROWAVE1 wd40 is pretty common here in the UK, however, deoxit is a lot more expensive and harder to find. Until recently, I could buy mini cans of WD-40 for £1 each. Not any more, but Deoxit is still, many times more expensive.
I still have the 100 in one I got for Christmas in the early 70's. The book is ragged, as I grooved on that kit. I also have the same 150 in one, but sans book. scan? post? 73 de W3IHM
My dad designed that kit. He also drew (drafted) all the schematics with some help from one of my brothers who was a young boy and wanted to help. He developed and wrote all the content for the 150 in 1 kit for Tandy/Radio Shack. He taught Missionary Radio Technology for 21 years before becoming a transmitter engineer in the John Hancock building in Chicago.
He's now 93 years old and will enjoy seeing this video. Thanks!
His call sign is W9SIA, as I recall.
That is amazing distro! I wondered how the circuits were developed, but more importantly, how the selection of available parts were figured out. The kit is amazing. As I try "new" circuits with the 150 in one, I do run into answers. For instance, why was a push-pull audio power amplifier not included? I answered this by attempting to build one. There were basically 3 issues. First of all the two transistors were not identical (Elenco fixes this with the 130), Secondly, the ratio on the diver transformer CT side is too low. Finally a very low value resistor like 10 Ohms for the emitters is not present.
Small world! Your dad would be happy to know that 11 year old me was able to crank the power of the AM transmitter (and push it well past clean linear rf output) by adding another rf block using a 2n3866, resulting in a circuit that spewed enough harmonics to wipe out 70 mile distant KYTV channel 3 from anywhere in the house. It’s the little victories like breaking big sister’s tv channel selection monopoly that matter most😊🤠
The Radio Shack 150 in 1 kit would have made my day in the early 1960's when I was a preteen, but this came out in the mid 1970's when I was well into my 20's and I was repairing Radios, stereos, TVs, etc..
YYYESSS!!! Still have and love mine!!! 😊😊😊
I never had one growing up so I picked up a 75 in 1 off eBay in pristine condition a few yrs ago. Every circuit I tried wouldn’t work - drove me crazy. After much frustration I finally removed the board and found that the wires weren’t soldered to the springs! I cleaned and tightened all connections and tested all components. It works fine now. Thx for another great vid Mike!
I don't have mine anymore - but I do remember it fondly.
I had the 20-in-1 kit; the 'key' you are using is from that kit. Components were on blocks you clipped together. I loved it and had hours of fun, but certainly lusted after the 150-in-1. Great upload thanks. Matt 2E0LNS
Brings back memories 😂😂
I found a complete 200 in one at Goodwill for $5.00. Fun video
Wow seeing that took me back to my Radio Shack and Sears Christmas catalog days.
Absolutely!
I just looked in my closet and found a 65-in-1 Project kit that I got for $2 at a garage sale years ago. Time to play with it now that I'm retired.
This one was copyrighted 1972 and has cartoonish drawings accompanying the schematics and wiring diagrams.
I have several of these kits from different makers and years, would never have learnt how to read a schematic without them.
I learned by reading magazines and books and attempting to draw them. By age 15, I was building them, not always successfully! I still have my notebook of schematics from my sophomore year which I will show off.
Amazing...just to restore the real old time !
, I still have my 150n1 kit i got for Christmas when I was a kid almost 50 years ago!
Wonderful initiative, remembering the anticipation when getting one for Xmas many decades ago. Indeed many components need to be checked for corrosive connections. There as some ok AM radio circuits in there and some transmitter ones. Just found some interesting Science Fair AM MW transmitter kits on eBay.
Very nice cees and as always, thanks for being a channel subscriber.
I am the brother of @videodistro. One correction on his post, I was 15 or 16 when drafting the schematics for the 150 in 1, not ca young boy, more like a young man. I still have the Japanese version of 80 in 1 kit that he translated (with help) into English. The Japanese kit was dual language (poor English) and was call, “New My Kit 80”. Mine is in working order. It is marked made by Gakken, so I suspect Tandy Corporation bought the rights to it from them. After my father, who is still alive at 92, finished converting the 80 in 1 kit to full English market, he began work on expanding to the 150 in 1. I do NOT have a copy of the 150 in 1 kit, but I do have the 200 in 1, which is in excellent condition. My wife works at a re-use store and bought it when it came in to the store. If I remember correctly, the guy who worked on the 200 in 1 started with my father’s work and just expanded on it. I remember him contacting my father for ideas. My father was a contractor working for Tandy and the guy who made the 200 in 1 was a full time employee. THANKS FOR YOUR REVIEW OF THE KIT!!
Thanks for clarifying more details. I was 5 years younger and just remembered some of it differently.
Excellent video Mike! I used to have something similar growing up. Thanks and 73.
I had one of these as a kid!
Another excellent video. I used to purchase science toys for my relatives to promote engineering careers.
My brother in law was a sales guy who bought the kit and taught himself enough to magically become an electronics parts expert just in time for the 1990s where he made bank!
Yes I found that the antenna lead were pull on both kits I had to fix that part
These kits are rare in the UK, probably due to the Tandy/Radio Shack presence was not as large here as in the USA. Rules here have relaxed a little and you can run small transmitters to enable your use of old broadcast radio....and even if you do get caught, our prisons are so full, they need to make spaces, so the new government will let you out when you have served just 40% of your sentence! It sounds like a joke but it is actually true! God bless the UK 🤣
Feeling very emasculated now… I only had my ‘21-in-1’ Transistor Lab from Allied Radio / Knight Kit. I did have to assemble the thing… mount all the parts and solder the resistors, etc. to the printed circuit board. I was 12. A year later or so my Boy Scout leader said ‘looks like you know how to solder’… he worked as a technician for the Bendix Corporation in their missile division. 😊
Awesome! Any soldering scars?
@@MIKROWAVE1 I don’t think I have any… if so… they have been replaced by liver spots! 😂
Really appreciate your channel…. looking forward to your next installment.
When I speak about that I would like to go back in time and just stay there !
This is what I am talking about !
150 in One Time Machine!
That was fun next a fill Tx and Rx on the AM BCB.
Robinson Crusoe On Mars, one of my favs :) The only thing that I didnt like about it was Batman
I ahve a later 130-in-1 but I think one of these older ones was gifted to me around a year ago.
Mine was banished to the local landfill long ago.
hahhahahaha i feel sooooo old now ... WVO
Where would be, WITHOUT WD40 and DEOXIT ?? The world would end.
Stock up.
@@MIKROWAVE1 wd40 is pretty common here in the UK, however, deoxit is a lot more expensive and harder to find. Until recently, I could buy mini cans of WD-40 for £1 each. Not any more, but Deoxit is still, many times more expensive.
Someone got into the and pull the wire off or disconnect the wires
Hey kids will play. Oxidation is another issue if these things were stored in humidity.
I still have the 100 in one I got for Christmas in the early 70's. The book is ragged, as I grooved on that kit. I also have the same 150 in one, but sans book. scan? post? 73 de W3IHM
Wow that would be a big scan job.
Whats next? Are you going to design your own? G7VFY
Oh yes. 4 new cool projects coming.
All I can say is: more cowbell. Fine business OM -Kb1isp