Most of the blog photos are linked from Google Photos. My guess may be that when I do house keeping or changes there the links from Google to the posted photos change, They are not static. Looking into this. Photos may be missing from blog postings. My WordPress photo storage is full.
missing blog photos
$31.00, Tax$2.95, Shipping$9.16, Handling$2.00, Additional Donation$0.89. Order Total$46.00
September 21 2021 from shopGoodwill.com
Apparently there is a incorrect link to photos that are not showing please stand by ! Google photos links may be dynamic ?
Now we live in a world where recording music for our enjoyment or for that fact buying albums, CD’s records or whatever is not needed. Now with streaming services available the accessibility and storage of music is all digital. Enjoyment of music is now possible with a smart phone or streaming device. Our stereo equipment may just consist of a blue tooth speaker ! Back in the day we liked to have the concert experience at home. with powerful amps and huge speakers.
Before digital became available to the masses, to construct a playlist, we recorded “mix tapes” a collection of favorite songs usually recorded on cassettes. Also it was possible to record music from someone else who purchased the album thereby saving us from purchasing the music.
Before record able Cd’s and cassettes the audiophiles preferred recording format was the reel to reel. Relatively expensive method of storing sound, the quality though could mimic vinyl records depending on the quality and recording speed (and $$$) of the deck. the reel to reel was also a favored method of musicians and recording studios to produce records from master tapes.
Those who follow the progression of magnetic tape recording recording formats, a little know format was the RCA sound cartridge system. You can look up the history by googling etc.,circa 1958. As most remember Phillips developed the compact cassette that most are familiar with. Some claim Phillips stole the format from RCA and refined it to a smaller more cost effective size.
I was fortunate to grab this RCA SOUND CARTRIDGE TAPE DECK 1YB29A from an auction in a great condition. Not a collector as such as I have enough stuff around , it was curiosity to see this machine. Would it work? As the size is much larger than a compact cassette, it was developed when reel to reel machines were still available. Thus it was a link from the progression from reel to reel decks to the compact cassette. There are variants of this model some in stereo.
inspection of the item hmmmm. that would date this item to about 60 years old !
I also lucked out that the unit had a tape cartridge included.
THERE’S GOING TO BE A LOT OF PICTURES !

Here is a comparison picture of a compact cassette from the net as i didn’t get any size reference from pictures I took
Front panel removed
INSTEAD OF THE TYPICAL VU METER WE HAVE A TUBE TYPE INDICATOR
NICE! WE HAVE INSTRUCTIONS RIGHT ON THE UNIT HOW TO CHANGE THE TUBES
WE ARE POWERED UP
PLAY/ RECORD HEADS
TAPE MECHANISM ENGAGED TO PLAY. I LIKE THE FACT THAT THE PRESSURE PADS A E PART OF THE MACHINE. SOMETIMES THEY ARE TROUBLESOME IN COMPACT CASSETTES
THE PINCH ROLLER HAS A CRAZY DOUBLE JOINTED SWIVEL WHEN ENGAGED/DISENGAGED (CAPSTAN REMOVED) ENGAGED/DISENGAGED FROM PLAY FUNCTION
TUBE TYPE AND DIAGRAM, PIECE OF BELT REMAINS AT THE TOP
SPEAKER
SPEAKER AND CASE HANDLE MOUNTING
NO DRIVE, THE BELT REMAINS, REVERTED BACK TO OIL
BELT REMAINS
CHASSIS VIEW
DUE TO THE AGE AND THE FACT THAT THIS UNIT WORKED I LEFT AS IS FOR REFERENCE AND SALE
MOTOR AND DRIVE SPOOLS, MOTOR HAS STEPPED PULLEY
THE HOOKED ROD LINKAGE IS THE SPEED SHIFTER TO SHIFT THE BELT TO THE DIFFERENT STEP PULLEY
TAPE COUNTER BELT IS OK
OTHER END OF TAPE COUNTER BELT
CAPSTAN FLYWHEEL PULLEY
CAPSTAN BRACKET
REMOVAL AND CLEANING, I HAPPEN TO FIND AN ACCEPTABLE BELT FOR REPLACEMENT. THAT’S ALL THAT WAS NECESSARY TO RETURN THE UNIT TO WORKING CONDITION
PRESSURE PADS
CIRCUIT COMPONENTS, ALL POINT TO POINT WIRING, ORIGINAL APPEARANCE
WAFER SWITCH COMPLETE WITH OXIDATION
DE OXIT TO THE RESCUE
TAPE CART INSTALLED, IT HAD OLD TIME RECORDINGS OF A FARMER TALKING TO VARIOUS PEOPLE AND SOME FAMILY RECORDINGS. CLEARLY SIMILARITIES TO THE COMPACT CASSETTE
DID A TEST RECORDING AND THAT FUNCTION WORKED
FINISHED AND RE ASSEMBLED, PICTURE FOR EBAY SOLD FOR A BIT OVER $70.00 USD I HOPE IT WENT TO COLLECTOR WITH THE SPACE TO DISPLAY IT.
THE SOUND CARTRIDGE
BTW THE SPEED WAS SELECT ABLE TO 3 3/4 OR 1 7/8, THE BELT WAS SHIFTED TO A DIFFERENT PULLEY BUT MECHANICAL MEANS TO GET THE DIFFERENT SPEEDS. SOUND QUALITY WAS MOSTLY ACCEPTABLE FOR VOICE AND MUSIC AS ON PAR WITH OTHER RECORDING DEVICES IN THIS SPEED RANGE. THE HIGHER QUALITY DEVICES OF THE AGE ALSO UTILIZED 7 1/2 OR 15 INCHES PER SECOND OF TAPE SPEED
WITH COVER, ALL CLEANED UP THE END
i HAVE MORE DRAFTS WAITING TO BE COMPLETED SO MORE OF “ON THE BENCH ” SERIES WILL BE COMING SOON
Order Summary From shopgoodwill.com
Subtotal$14.99
Tax$1.90
Shipping $8.78
Handling$3.49
Additional Donation$0.84
Order Total$30.00
Ask around for a recommendation for a good multi meter and get plenty of suggestions. Most people like the digital auto readout that takes the guesswork out of changing knobs and settings to measure voltage and resistance. The name Simpson is synonymous with a high quality meter. Many techs from the day had one on the bench or in the field. namely the model 260 in a few variants. Just a rough check now, a current 260 new will be around $400.00 USD. they are know for reliability, ruggedness and accuracy. Because of the quality build, many, many of the 260 series can be purchased on the secondary market. That is if an analog meter is your game.
While digital meters can be inviting and easy to read they don’t show any transients quite like an analog meter. True, some digital meters have a bar graph display that will show changes, it’s not as telling as the sweep of the needle of the full analog meter. It’s better than digital when peaking measurements for calibration. Using the meter often the scales of the meter get familiar and are read with ease.
Presently I have a multi meter, another purchased used and refurbished the small Amprobe AM 2A meter also purchased from shopgoodwill.com for $18.03 delivered. It does the job after frying out a china sourced basic not more than a few dollars analog meter.
Without a long winded explanation of the benefits of a high impedance input meter for accuracy, another tech staple is the VTVM or irreverently know as the vommit meter. As the acronym implies, Vacuum Tube Volt Meter, has a vacuum tube on the input for accuracy. Mostly for bench use because of the need for 120 vac power, they are a must have if precision voltage measurement is required, especially for calibration of equipment to manufactures standards. Some calibration instructions will list a VTVM as a requirement and may even specify the brand.
The Simpson Model 303 Analog Vacuum Tube Volt Meter is a good example of a good all around fairly priced used multi meter, rugged and well built as we will see. Made to last these are excellent candidates for over haul.
First a couple of tips if you are following and will attempt repairs:
BAG AND TAG FASTENERS AND PARTS WHEN REMOVED AND THEIR LOCATION.
TAG CIRCUIT BOARDS AS TO THEIR PLACEMENT WHEN REMOVED
TAG WIRES AS TO THEIR CONNECTION POINT AND FUNCTION WHEN UNPLUGGED/DE-SOLDERED
TAKE PHOTOS BEFORE DIS ASSEMBLY, AND/OR KEEP NOTES OR A LOG OF PROCEDURES AND STEPS
PREPARE FOR THE POSSIBILITY THE REPAIR MAY SPAN SEVERAL WEEKS AS PARTS ON ORDER OR OTHER JOBS ARISE.
DOWNLOAD/PURCHASE USER MANUAL. SCHEMATICS AND PARTS DIAGRAMS (ACTUALLY THIS CAN BE DONE PRIOR TO PURCHASE TO SEE WHATS INVOLVED)
NOTES ANY DIFFERENCES ON SCHEMATICS AND DIAGRAMS, MANUFACTURES CAN BE NOTORIOUS FOR NOT SUPPLYING AN “AS BUILT” OR ERRATA OR REVISION SHEETS. SOME SCHEMATICS MAY BE FOR A GENERIC MODEL.
HAVE THE PROPER TOOLS AND TEST EQUIPMENT AVAILABLE
CONSULT REPAIR VIDEOS AND FORUMS FOR INSIGHT AS TO WHATS INVOLVED AND COSTLY PARTS AND ITEMS THAT MAY OR MAY NOT BE AVAILABLE
LETS GO
THE COAXIAL CONNECTORS OF THESE METERS ARE OF A PROPRIETARY SIZE, NOT READILY AVAILABLE, THERE ARE SEVERAL WORKAROUNDS RESEARCHED THROUGH THE INTERNET. EBAY OFFERS A CUSTOM REPLACEMENT SET IF YOU DON’T WANT TO MODIFY THE METER, AT A COST
Wow ! it’s been some time gone by till posting a recipe, not that I have stopped cooking, just nothing new lately, have to change that and expand my recipe repertoire.
One breast just about 300 grams. Didn’t adjust the marination. 1 cup macaroni. Cut back about 1/2 with the sauce ingredients. Serves 2
Adapted from Sooper Chef YouTube Channel
makes a pleasant dish, by ingredient amounts somewhat spicy, adjust to taste .
Once prepped, it’s a fast cook.
Ingredients for Chicken Marination:
Chicken boneless (cube cut) 500 g
Egg 1
Corn flour 2 tbsp ( cornstarch)
Soy sauce 2 tbsp
Black pepper powder 1/2 tsp
Salt 1/2 tsp
Oil 1 tbsp
Oil (for frying) as required
Ingredients for boiling Macaroni:
Macaroni 2 cups (1 cup)
Oil 1 tbsp
Salt 1 tsp
Water as required
Ingredients for Manchurian Sauce:
Oil 2 tbsp
Garlic (chopped) 1 tbsp (substituted garlic powder)
Ketchup 1 cup
Red chili flakes 2 tbsp (you may want to adjust this less)
Soy sauce 2 tbsp
Worcestershire sauce 1 tbsp
Salt to taste
Water 1 cup
Chili sauce 2 tbsp (I used hot sauce, again you may want to adjust this to taste)
White pepper powder 1 tsp
Sugar 1 tbsp
Capsicum (small cubes) 1 cup
Carrot (small cubes) 1 cup
Onion (small cubes) 1 cup
Ingredients for Assembling:
Cooked chicken as required
Boiled macaroni
Manchurian sauce
Green onion (Chopped) as required
Directions for Chicken Marination:
1. In a bowl add chicken, egg, corn flour, black pepper, soy sauce, salt, oil and mix well. Let it rest for 15-20 minutes.
2. In a wok ( or fry pan) heat oil and add marinated chicken, fry it fully cooked and golden brown in color. Set aside.
Directions for Macaroni Boiling:
3. In a pot heat water and bring it to boil, add oil, salt and macaroni. Boil until macaroni is 80% cooked. Strain and set aside.
Directions for Manchurian Sauce Preparation:
4. In a pan heat oil and add garlic, saute for 1 minute. Now add ketchup, red chili flakes, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, salt, white pepper powder, chili sauce, sugar and cook for 2-3 minutes. Now add water ( here you can thin the sauce with the macaroni water ) and cook until sauce thickens.
5. Now add capsicum, carrot, onion and cook for 1-2 minutes.
6. Now add cooked chicken, boiled macaroni and mix well. Cook until chicken is well coated in sauce. Adjust if necessary with the addition of more of the macaroni water.
7. Sprinkle green onion on top and serve.
Preparation time: 10-15 mins
Cooking time: 25-30 mins
Serving: 3-4

shopping/prices
While the current economic conditions have changed and we have inflated prices to deal with of certain commodities, shopping defensibly for bargains that can be found is possible. Smart shoppers always have this in mind no matter what the economic conditions. Shop store brands, skip highly priced items till sales and consider delivery for time and energy savings now that transportation can be expensive. Delivery services will typically add a delivery fee and a service fee but some stores will vary the delivery cost to less expensive time slots later in the day. Shopping early and scheduling a delivery later in the evening can save a few dollars. Some have a loyalty program accumulating points etc. Some delivery shopping services will give promotions like free delivery or dollar amounts off your next order.
Here are some recent prices including the local store which now has it”s own delivery service. In the past I have used Instacart for this market but Instacart will add a markup usually about 10% to each item . The store also honors the sale prices in it’s flyer for delivery. We still use instacart and online order delivery services for non perishable items delivered within 2 days. Even deals are found on eBay etc for bulk items like toilet paper from institutional supplies.
Using a ride service, incorporate a drop off from an appointment for instance, to the local market within the return route on the way home. It may only add a few more dollars (most people are now valuing cost to the price of a gallon of gasoline) to the total return trip.
Prices are generally more expensive across the board for groceries but bargains can be found.
![]() 1 x $1.99Replaced item price:$1.99 ![]() ![]() 1 x $5.49$5.49 |
Items found (BJ’s Wholesale Club) | 6 |
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Household | |
![]() 1 x $16.19$16.19 | |
Wellsley Farms | |
![]() 1 x $7.49$7.49 | |
Dairy & Eggs | |
![]() 1 x $3.29$3.29 | |
Produce | |
![]() 1 x $1.89$1.89 | |
![]() 1 x $2.39$2.39 | |
Canned Goods | |
![]() 1 x $8.69$8.69 | |
on replacements you approved and what was available. |
![]() 1 x $4.39Replaced item price:$4.39 ![]() ![]() 1 x $3.75$3.75 |
Items found (ALDI) | 9 |
---|---|
Dairy & Eggs | |
![]() 1 x $8.35$8.35 | |
Produce | |
![]() 1 x $1.65$1.65 | |
![]() 1.52 lb x $1.55$2.36 | |
![]() 1 x $2.19$2.19 | |
Snacks | |
![]() 1 x $1.29$1.29 | |
Dry Goods & Pasta | |
![]() 1 x $3.29$3.29 | |
Dairy & Eggs | |
![]() 2 x $1.45$2.90 | |
Produce | |
![]() 1 x $1.75$1.75 | |
![]() 1 x $1.49$1.49 | |
irobot 690 (alpha)
goodwill $9.99
total with shipping and handling 29.17
As of this writing a fleet of irobot products keep my floors clean
This is the first one. Was lucky to attain this one working, but needing a good clean.
Disassembly is easy, many of the parts are modular and meant to be replaced. The 690 is a WiFi model compatible with the iRobot app. Also the irobot product is popular, parts are plentiful as also the on line resources to repair and service these.
One feature here is that I assumed that the robot simply swept dirt, dust, excetera, into the dust bin. But these are a true vacuum as the dust bin has a small fan motor providing suction and a filter, the motor gets power from contacts to the main chassis, allowing easy removal for emptying.
According to my time stamps, The robot has been on duty for slightly over 10 months at time of this writing. preforming flawless as far as operational. The only bugs are robot proofing your home. Such items are thick shaggy carpets and throw rugs , some are small rugs , not wall to wall, that the robot may faulter on , that is drive on the rug , and then off becoming stuck in a small area because it will not climb back on the carpet. Cords are the worst enemy that will cause a jam or worse, snagging some knitting yarn and entangling itself hopelessly in the processing causing the knitter to shout expletives after the robot digests the latest knitting project. (though the robots can be linked to voice controlled devices like Alexa, shouting at them will be fruitless.) Sneakers and shoes may be dragged across the room also. Small tables like on hardwood floors may be moved or jostled so those knick nacks may be damaged by the relentless contact of the robot maneuvering about. Lower kitchen cabinet kickpanel areas may be just the right height to jam the device, 690 can be a brute negotiating some thresholds, closing doors that are easily moved, shutting itself in the bathroom as an example and can move small light weigh furniture on hardwood and tile floors from it’s impact. Though the IR “eyes” work on some barriers and slow the robot, some don’t.
Since all of our floors are either hardwood or tile the robot tirelessly bounces around the areas relentlessly in some cases till it returns home to replenish it battery , all automatically. Currently I have 2 Roomba 960’s, scheduled to sweep and vac daily running alternating days of the week. It’s surprising to see the accumulation in the dust bins, hair, dirt and dust with occasion onions skins etc. These are not made to pickup large debris but once used on a daily basis here the floors are kept very clean. ( Ive also employed Scoobas and Braavas for wet mopping.) rarely you will need the broom and the dustpan again just once in a great while to touch up some spots unreachable by the robots side brush. Overall cleaning is excellent with a obsession sometimes with the edge cleaning pattern. Not all ares are covered daily, sometimes a room will be missed but cleaned the next day. The run cycle is about 2 hours, way more than you would do it manually, the noise level is acceptable to most and of course can be scheduled to clean while you out. Suddenly need a mess swept up? Instead of grabbing the broom, place the roomba where needed and hit the spot clean button. The robot will do a circular spiral dance in the area and stop.
The app will give you feedback on progress and errors requiring human intervention. The robots firmware can also be upgraded if necessary and keeps statics with the mothership like number of cleaning jobs (479), total job time (503 hrs and 58 minutes) and a dirt event count (19795 events) A “dirt detector” is located in the brush compartment and will cause the roomba to spiral an area before proceeding ahead.
While these are used and discontinued models, they are inexpensive compared to the newer ones. On a daily basis or so simply empty the dustbin and periodically clean the roller/brushes. Several more iRobots have crossed the bench with the Scoobas and Braavas and should be posted later in the blog. it’s one of those chores you never want to do again, sweeping and cleaning the floors. Now reduced to periodically servicing these machines.
SOURCE EbAY
1 item$37.48
Shipping Free
Tax$2.62
Order total$40.10
FOR PARTS OR REPAIR
LETS FIX IT!
NOW FOR THE DONOR OVEN, HOPEFULLY WITH A WORKING FAN MOTOR
1 item$38.47 SOURCE EbAY
Shipping Free
Tax$2.69
Order total$41.16
THIS ONE WORKED FROM THE BOX, A PRO MODEL WITH STAINLESS STEEL SIDES AND A FEW MORE OPTIONS SUCH AS PROOFING CYCLE ETC THE ONLY DIFFERENCE IS THE CONTROL BOARD AND FRONT PANEL. IT DID NOT HAVE ANY RACKS, SPIT OR BASKET.
THE REMAINDER OF THE FIRST OVEN, LESS FAN MOTOR, WAS LISTED AS INDIVIDUAL PARTS WERE MADE AVAILABLE FOR SALE, RECOUPING SOME OF THE COST. FOR INSTANCE , THE DOOR SOLD, ROTISSERIE MOTOR, CONTROL BOARD, FRONT PANEL, ETC. NOW YOU CAN GET THE SAME FOR 80.00 TO 100 DOLLARS BUT THE SATISFACTION OF THE REPAIR AND EDUCATION IS WORTH IT TO ME.
Purchase date 02/04/2020
cost 12.05
with tax, shipping and handling, and donation TOTAL $24.00 Goodwill
sold for 50.00 Ebay
A nice radio, electronic tube construction. monophonic.
Check operation and clean up, very clean and in working condition a great radio. Most other ones I’ve seen have a lighter tone panel around d the dial. Wood cabinet,
Just getting some catching up to do. Still cooking though not posting recipes.
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