Title: When The Holidays Went Electric - 1910 Mini Edison Carbon Bulb Source:
EweToob URL Source:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilmqscNSEaE Published:Dec 18, 2020 Author:Fran Blanche Post Date:2020-12-18 11:52:38 by Esso Keywords:None Views:1410 Comments:21
Poster Comment:
Fran is an interesting character. She's actually 83 years old. That kind of explains her love of old timey electronics.
Except for the gray hair, she could pass for her mid-40's in her face, and her alertness as well as her character.
That's what I used to think too.
A Texas Instrements TI-30 calculator, possibly a programmable calculator.
Not programmable, I used to carry one in my flight bag. It's still around here somewhere. It came with a little vinyl zippered bag printed in a denim look.
Why do you think I'm falling in love with the gal? She's me, with her Y chromosome changed to X. (That's before there were 72 genders)
The original TI-30 calculator (I had one) was fantastic, but it had a serious problem. After some use the more frequently used keys would when pressed sometimes repeat as if pressed more than once. (Engineers call this contact bounce, as you know.) The results were often catastrophic. An engineer I worked with told of a professor he had at Auburn University who had a collection of TI-30s nailed to the wall in his classroom. A student would blame his TI-30 calculator for a wrong answer on a test -- and even reverse engineer the incorrect result to prove it. And the prof would nail it to the wall.
My teenage bride bought me an HP calculator after my second year in school. I still use it every day. Changed the batteries only once or maybe twice in almost 40 years.
Changed the batteries only once or maybe twice in almost 40 years.
I just went out in the garage and found my TI-30 in the case with manual. The zipper is pretty corroded, but operational. Thank God I didn't leave the battery in it.
The original TI-30 was pretty hard on batteries. Adding a large electrolytic capacitor across it -- say 2,200 microfarads -- would effectively extend the battery life, as it allowed continued operation even when the battery's internal resistance had gotten too high to handle the transient currents by itself.
I don't know, I don't have a 9V cell available. Probably wouldn't be a good idea anyway, it's probably condensing from coming in from the cold. I know, water's not conductive, better safe than sorry.
I know, water's not conductive, better safe than sorry.
Yes, after 40 years there's probably plenty of contaminants that have leached from the parts on to the PCB that will get plenty conductive when wet. Your caution is good.
Have you tried drying it in the microwave oven on High for 45 minutes? (Not recommended! -- just messing with you, old man.)