TeknologikL

Yep. The Zenith EM camera.

Uses that funny chemical imaging film stuff that everyone used to use pre-1990. £58GBP in 1977 and about £5GBP on eBay (usual disclaimer) now. Fully clockwork. Needs no batteries. Looks like a brick, feels like a brick, and has been dropped onto brick twice without impacting its operation in any way. A good old friend. Love it!

Russian optics are very much underestimated or underappreciated in the west. Their optics are of superiour quality. Unfortunately, most of their camera models have been copied from western models, although made very tough and reliable, sometimes, in that sense only, better than the original.

Not exactly old (built a few years back), but the technology clearly is!

Glows like jewels at night. Simple, reliable, and high quality performance.

Just made this for a 12yr old girl at our club... there aren't many who make 'em like this anymore. Yew, leather, Waterbuffalo horn and Mother of Pearl.
Good old spring, dial scale. None of your digital nonsense


25# @ 24" about 30# @ 26" and I've taken it back to 28" to allow room to grow into it. (Pic is at 26" draw).
Del
_{(Shameless self publicist)}

I suppose this doesn't count since it doesn't work anymore, but I just can't throw away my HP-25 programmable calculator. Paid $125, I seem to recall, back in 1977. I went through a bunch of rechargeable battery packs over the years and finally had to cut open the battery case and insert regular rechargeables when the HP battery packs were no longer available. It finally died and is now resting on a shelf next to my desk at home.

There's a site where you can run a Java applet that recreates the look and functionality of it. Moonlander!

Aside from that I still have, and sometimes use, a Philips stereo system I bought back in 1985. It was the first stereo I bought that included a built-in CD player. It also has twin cassette decks and a linear-tracking turntable.

$125.00.......that sounds a little light!

But I know what you mean by getting attached to calculators, One time I was in a hurry one morning, and in my haste, instead of grabbing my calculator, I picked up my TV remote by mistake. When I got to work and took out what I thought was my calculator and saw it was my remote, I felt lost for the rest of the day...... I kept on reaching for something that just wasn't there.

I knew I had a problem.

Still works fine.

Is that a self perception? That could be faulty, you know. ;-)

Doesn't really matter does it?

I'm a little bewildered about the follow up to this thread inviting CR4 folk to submit pictures... yada yada.. Facebook.... yada yada. http://cr4.globalspec.com/announcement/553/Old-Faithful-Gadget-Contest?frmtrk=cr4digest

Where does CR4 want these pictures? In this thread or as a Facebook comment?

One has to sign up to Facebook in order to interact with it. I am not nor do I want to be signed up to Facebook. (refer to post #6)

Clarification needed please.

You can use third-party sources like Photo-Bucket to download your photos to their web server, then link to those photos from your post.

Some of us already have a private website and download our pictures to our servers.

Some providers offer free services, some do not.

then link to those photos from your post. Which post would that be?

Your post, if you choose to include a picture. :)

I am not clear whether you are asking for information on how to post pictures here, or if you are asking if the original poster wanted us to post pictures in FaceBook or something.

Seems more likely it would be better here where the original post already started, but who knows.

I think the OP wants us to post to Facebook which, as you said, makes less sense than posting here.

If you want to be entered to win a mug post a picture of your old faithful gadget to cr4's facebook wall. it's as easy as that. So far no takers.

That automatically disqualifies non Facebook users.

Facebook has little appeal to many.

Takers? None here.

Beaten and battered, my HP11C is still used, although not as much as before. Considering how many toolboxes it's been in, how many times it's been dropped, it is amazing how it all still works. TRUE, I haven't done any programming on it in several years, but I still like the RPN style. I remember when HP first introduced the 11C (and 12C financial) how they bragged about how the keys had all the markings molded in and through the keys. True enough, even after all this time and abuse nothing ever 'rubbed off'. These days it gets most of it's use in my workshop.

Kind regards ...

Great post! I still have two and use them daily. One in the lab and the other on my desk!

I seem to have collected a plethora of retro gadgets: an Underwood manual typewriter, cathode-ray tube monitors and TVs that will only get replaced when they quit, my Betamax VCR still functions, several turntables from a Fisher-Price to a Mitsubishi upright linear-tracking with a new neeldle, film cameras ranging from a 1910 Kodak to a Canon EOS, a Sherwood tube amp, a couple rotary dial phones, lava lamps (fifteen of them!), Bose 901 speakers, AR speakers, Sony Betacam, Tandberg three-motor cassette deck, microwave with a wind-up timer (on purpose), 1960 Admiral range, 1965 Westinghouse front-loading washer and dryer, 1976 Ford Club Wagon Van, a claw-foot bathtub (which I love), 1965 Plymouth Fury four-door sedan with dual glass-pack mufflers.

But what I really couldn't get along without is my bicycle. I have several (three dozen). My favorite is a 1955 Rudge English Rod-brake Roadster. I bought it in 1969 and it's been with me ever since. I'll probably ride it until I die. It's heavy weighing 45 pounds, but it's rugged. And it's big 28" wheels with 1-1/2 tires let it really roll down the road. And it's lazy geometry makes it stable on slippery surfaces. It's at it's best on dirt country roads. I call it my dirt road bike. One time I rode it 87 miles. I was trying for a hundred but I got too close to home. It's been economical. I don't I've spent a hundered dollars on it since I bought it. The tires last forever and seldom get a flat.

Number two bike is a 1954 Schwinn cruiser with big handlebars and a big basket. The handlebars allow me to muscle my way up hills with one gear. I call it my total workout machine because my arms get a workout too. I also call it my case-of-beer bike because that's what the basket will hold.

Of course, I have other bikes. One is a thirty-year old ten-speed that I can keep up with these modern carbon-fiber bikes with. A commuter bike that's a modifed mountain bike. A pure mountain bike. A cross-bike with studded snow tires (guess what I use it for). A 1965 Moulton with 16-inch wheels and a suspension. A classic Huffy tandem (I call it my bisexual bicycle because the front seat is like a boy's and the back is like a girl's).

And then there's an old Sears single speed that's nothing but rust. I like to ride it in bike rallies and blow past people on their shiny modern bikes.

...It's heavy weighing 45 pounds, but it's rugged. And its big 28" wheels with 1-1/2 tires let it really roll down the road. And its lazy geometry makes it stable on slippery surfaces...

An interesting term caught my eye: What exactly is "lazy" geometry?

In bicycle terms it's a shallow head angle and plenty of rake. In Automotive terms lots of caster and camber. Look up "bicycle and motorcycle geometry" in wikipedia. I couldn't get it to copy and paste. Racing bikes tend to have quick geometry. Touring bikes tend to have lazy geometry and are more stable. And then you have "choppers" with really long forks and head angles.

You can do the same thing with a car. I put air shocks on an old station wagon and I was able to tune the handling by raising and lowering the rear end.

The camera has a busted wind-on lever, but could probably be a runner again. The phone could be tweaked to make it work (I can imagine the baffled look on teenage faces when they try to figure how to use it !). As to the 5 1/4 ", what can I say () - I'm just a bit of a hoarder.

ps - the foot in view is really buggered.

My Waffle Makeer was quit. It was old when I bought it at the Salvation Army Store over 40 years ago. But I miss it a lot. The waffles came off it tasted so good. I had cleaned it year after year taking pride on keeping all it working perfectly. So sad this winter when the power spiked and took out the temp control. I lost an old friend my kids miss it too. Every Sunday for brunch we all get togeather and waffles were a large part of the reward for making the effort to come home and be with the family. New ones cost over a $100 and the materials they are make out of just don't cut the quality mustard with me.