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I loved his TTL Cookbook. As a kid in the '70s a small breadboard, 9V battery + 7805 regulator, and assortment of chips, wires, and LEDs kept me amused for hou
by OldGuyInTheClub 3y ago
I loved his TTL Cookbook. As a kid in the '70s a small breadboard, 9V battery + 7805 regulator, and assortment of chips, wires, and LEDs kept me amused for hours. Little did I know that I'd put a lot of that to use in a career that wound up in the physical sciences as opposed to electrical engineering.
I would take my kit with me on family trips. Back in those days I could put them on an airplane tray table and pass the long hours taking ideas from the Cookbook and expressing them in hardware. I visited his tinaja.com site regularly and even posted about it to HN although to almost no response.
Farewell Mr. Lancaster, you will be missed.
- DonHopkins 3y agoTaking a small breadboard, 9V battery + 7805 regulator, and assortment of chips, wires, and LEDs on an airplane??! How September 10th! These days that'll get you arrested at gunpoint. https://thetech.com/2007/11/13/simpson-v127-n40 https://thetech.com/2007/11/13/simpson-v127-n40
- OldGuyInTheClub 3y agoThose were the days, indeed!
- WalterBright 3y agoWhen I worked at Aph Consulting in the late 70s, Glen Hightower who ran it would make a single wirewrap board computer installed in a Samsonite briefcase, designed to run the first handheld LED games. On a flight, security would show great interest in his briefcase full of handmade wires and electronics. He'd satisfy them that it wasn't dangerous by pulling out the controller and playing the game.
- 082349872349872 3y agoWas that the football game? PS. loved the "tired? time to go home" poster, printed in a fuzzy font, hanging at APh.
- WalterBright 3y agoYes. I programmed the Soccer prototype a bit later (or maybe it was Hockey, I can't remember!).
- 082349872349872 3y agoCool. You might be amused to know that someone is currently asking ~$140 for a remake: https://d12w0o72bw9xzs.cloudfront.net/2zxlr57zrjhm0npudrismdf5vpcu https://d12w0o72bw9xzs.cloudfront.net/2zxlr57zrjhm0npudrismd... (140? that's almost enough for a whole Atari!)
- elromulous 3y agoFwiw I have flown with a bunch of random pet project electronics and much to my surprise was not questioned/searched.
- phneutral26 3y agoIs no one questioning the Play-Doh in her hands?!
- amelius 3y agohttps://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/whatcanibring/items/play-doh https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/whatcanibring/...
- msla 3y agoEven Way Back When you could get in some amount of trouble moving electronics by plane if you worked at it: https://www.chessprogramming.org/Belle https://www.chessprogramming.org/Belle > In 1982, Belle was confiscated by the US State Department at Kennedy Airport when heading to the USSR to compete in a computer chess tournament. Its shipping was considered to be an illegal transfer of advanced technology to a foreign country [15] [16]. It took over a month and a $600 fine to get Belle out of customs [17].
- Shawnj2 3y agoI’ve taken dev satellite modules through TSA screening before and it was “fun”. My old boss apparently flew with either part of or an entire satellite’s flight hardware in a suitcase once which sounds terrifying
- OldGuyInTheClub 3y agoI can understand that, especially if some zealous agent wants to open seals and do his or her own 'safety inspection.' I once shipped flight hardware to a satellite integration facility. We elected to send it by truck after considering all options. Once the seals were on the crate, there were two people with it at all times.