Remember these?

[bigbassman]

Hands up if you ever had a go at building one of these.I did,and it worked.http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/AMATEUR-RADIO ... 3399e9f148

[Road_Hog]

Hands up if you ever had a go at building one of these.I did,and it worked.http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/AMATEUR-RADIO ... 3399e9f148

It was before my time, although it's something that I would have had a go at. I did build a matchbox radio with a Ferranti ZN414 back in the '70s.

In fact I got bored recently and built 5 of them, two with PCBs (cheating I know), but they were slightly too big for today's matchboxes. So I went ahead and just soldered the components onto each other and the variable capacitor, doing the aerial windings and smashing up ferrite rods to get them to fit.

I have both MW & LW versions, the LW don't seem to tune that well, but they pick up Radio 4 for the cricket, so that's all that is needed.

I'm a bit bemused by this auction, as it seems based in Rhyl but will only post to the States. Also he has been an amateur for over 30 years (full ticket) but is not sure if all the components are there. Well, the manual (shown in the picture) has a components list, surely he has the nous to do a 30 second check against the list to see if everything is there.

That said, I wouldn't mind owning it, but it'll probably get silly money.

[cjay]

Hands up if you ever had a go at building one of these.I did,and it worked.http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/AMATEUR-RADIO ... 3399e9f148

It was before my time, although it's something that I would have had a go at. I did build a matchbox radio with a Ferranti ZN414 back in the '70s.

In fact I got bored recently and built 5 of them, two with PCBs (cheating I know), but they were slightly too big for today's matchboxes. So I went ahead and just soldered the components onto each other and the variable capacitor, doing the aerial windings and smashing up ferrite rods to get them to fit.

I have both MW & LW versions, the LW don't seem to tune that well, but they pick up Radio 4 for the cricket, so that's all that is needed.

I'm a bit bemused by this auction, as it seems based in Rhyl but will only post to the States. Also he has been an amateur for over 30 years (full ticket) but is not sure if all the components are there. Well, the manual (shown in the picture) has a components list, surely he has the nous to do a 30 second check against the list to see if everything is there.

That said, I wouldn't mind owning it, but it'll probably get silly money.

It'll be stupid money, but so collectible.

Are you sure the LW version isn't faulty if all it picks up is cricket?

[kr0ne]

No, but I remember building a radio on Veroboard in a TicTac box from a circuit in an old ETI magazine when I were a nipper.

Well, it was supposed to fit in a TicTac box, but I never managed to get mine to. Think it ended up in a Golden Virginia tin in the end... like many of my earliest projects!

[Andy]

Oh yes! I was a wee teenager when my mum bought me one in 1967. I spent two evenings carefully soldering the bits onto the PCB with my brand-new iron. I remember the instructions saying the soldering had to be neat or the board wouldn't fit into the case. I liked the use of a compression trimmer for the tuning, a standard polyvaricon would not have fitted.
I got it all finished and then went and melted the case with me blimmin' iron! I was almost in tears. My mum phoned Sinclair the next day and the nice lady said she would send a new case for nothing. It soon arrived and boy was I proud of my Micromatic. mine was the early 3 transistor version and it pulled in those naughty pirate ships like a good 'un.

[SandpiperNC]

Something very similar as a class room project back in the 80's that used to fit inside the old Swan matchbox's. Antenna wrapped around the box and a crystal ear piece. My first adventure into soldering. Lol.

[Road_Hog]

Hands up if you ever had a go at building one of these.I did,and it worked.http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/AMATEUR-RADIO ... 3399e9f148

Look what you've done now. I've had to go and buy it, another £30 spent.

[m0awn]

I built the earlier ( yes,there was one) version. Had a white case and a gold stick-on facia........That had to be pre '67 !! yes i'm old !!

[JOHN,YORK]

There was one that predated the Micro 6,it was called the Slimline.The one on Ebay was the Micromatic,which I had in the late 60's.
There was also a FM tuner,called the Micro FM.
People just seem to think of Sinclair for the computers and the trike.But there was 2 TV sets,HiFi system,calculator (pocket/wrist).
There was another kit firm which disappeared,I think it was called Eagle.Then of course,the trawler band radios,in kit form,called Roamer.

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=sincl ... QsAQ&dpr=1

Regards,John.

[kr0ne]

And don't forget the most useless wristwatch ever invented!



That was the thing about Sir Clive... most of his inventions were a bit ****.

[Andy]

Not useless, Krone. My mate Jim had one and it worked a treat, although the LED display devoured the tiny batteries very quickly if you pressed the button too often. IIRC, the case was a bit of a poor fit as well, and part of it would ping off.
I have the book 'The Sinclair Story', which is a damn good read. I think it says the Black Watch was viewed as a way of using (and hopefully making a few quid from) the thousands of LED displays they had left over when the Japs overran the calculator market with LCD versions. It didn't do any good, as the Japs also brought out LCD watches! Sinclair's glory days of groovy little gizmos was coming to an end, but the home computer market beckoned......

[kr0ne]

Haha, yes I think I have the same book somewhere!

OK, it wasn't completely useless... as long as you weren't doing anything with your right hand when you needed to know the time.

Like you say, the batteries could not power the display for long so the solution was to keep the display off unless you held down a button with your other hand.

Two hands required to tell the time... handy!

(sorry... )

[cjay]

Haha, yes I think I have the same book somewhere!

OK, it wasn't completely useless... as long as you weren't doing anything with your right hand when you needed to know the time.

Like you say, the batteries could not power the display for long so the solution was to keep the display off unless you held down a button with your other hand.

Two hands required to tell the time... handy!

(sorry... )

Much like the ancient Timex I have, a miniscule red LED matrix display, two LR or SR44 batteries and a button to press to illuminate the display

[JOHN,YORK]

I forgot about the watch,likewise the 2 multimeters that they manufactured.
Slightly off topic,but still regarding home built equipment.How many people remember the old HAC (Heard All Continents) radio kits.Maybe these were budding SWL's introduction into radio.

http://www.wftw.nl/hac.html

Then there was Johnsons Radio Kits,who made a SW set and a VHF transistor kit.

http://www.vintageradio.me.uk/kits/globe_king.htm
http://www.vintageradio.me.uk/kits/jhon2metre.htm

Then there was Codar Radio,their list of equipment ranged from a 160/80 TX,preselector,TRF RX's,superhet RX.They could be bought in kit form or ready made.

Regards,John.

[cjay]

I forgot about the watch,likewise the 2 multimeters that they manufactured.

Not to forget the spin off company, Thandar and we all know what they made and continue to make as TTi now.