Things that used to be common place in people’s homes

[najaB]

go to the vintage radio forums (vintage-radio.net) and they will tell you roughly what to do before even applying power and should be able to help get it working again.

Dad's a retired electronics repairman, so he'll know what needs to be done - it's just a matter of convincing him (or more importantly, Mum) that it's worth doing.

 

[GusB]

Super 8 video cameras / Betamax video cassette recordings / Zip drives / eight track tapes anyone?

Funny you should mention zip drives. My mum bought a second-hand PC some years ago and it came with a zip drive. I thought it was long gone, but i found in it in a box of miscellaneous bits there other day while looking for something else.

It was never used here as CD burners were the in-thing at the time, and I'm not sure if it works. I'll have to resurrect a machine with a the relevant port (can't remember if it was serial or parallel) to test it.

 

[Howardh]

I recently came across a Commodore Vic 20 computer at a village sale in which there was a 16K ram pack installed. It had a power supply unit, a printer and a multitude of the £1.99 games such as RIP. I gave it to one of my twin sons to see if was something my grandson could tinker with.

My mother worked in a primary school and she had a BBC Basic Micro computer at home to learn then teach her pupils. That would be, what, 1982/2?? She still had it at death, it had been gathering dust. I gave it a go at starting up, but within seconds smoke was appearing from the rear! Worn out parts...or just dust setting alight?? Got binned of course - so I wonder what is the oldest piece of PC equipment that someone still uses at home? Floppys anyone?

My doc's surgery STILL is on Windows XP.....good on 'em!

 

[Mcr Warrior]

My doc's surgery STILL is on Windows XP.....good on 'em!

And quite possibly it's still using a early 2000's version of 'Microsoft Access'.

 

[Howardh]

And quite possibly it's still using a early 2000's version of 'Microsoft Access'.

Used refurbished XP PC's are still available at my favourite computer shop. Wonder if I got one whether I could stream in HD or 4k; my speed's fast enough so would XP cope? In years to come a Widows 98/2000/XP may well be collector's items, just like reel-to-reel tape players (and black/white TV sets).

Does anyone who is an amateur still use a "film" camera? Used to have a black/white developing kit, again that went when digital came in.

 

[najaB]

I'll have to resurrect a machine with a the relevant port (can't remember if it was serial or parallel) to test it.

If it's internal then it would be PATA more than likely. External it would be either parallel (DB-25 connector) or SCSI (which, I think, used a 50-pin connector).

 

[takno]

My mother worked in a primary school and she had a BBC Basic Micro computer at home to learn then teach her pupils. That would be, what, 1982/2?? She still had it at death, it had been gathering dust. I gave it a go at starting up, but within seconds smoke was appearing from the rear! Worn out parts...or just dust setting alight?? Got binned of course - so I wonder what is the oldest piece of PC equipment that someone still uses at home? Floppys anyone?

Dead capacitors in the power supply probably. Often a fairly easy fix, but questionable whether it's worth the effort.

 

[DelayRepay]

My doc's surgery STILL is on Windows XP.....good on 'em!

It would be better if they used a more modern OS, I don't believe Microsoft support Windows XP any more, which means no security patches.

 

[najaB]

My doc's surgery STILL is on Windows XP.....good on 'em!

That is... scary. I hope that machine is never connected to the Internet.

I don't believe Microsoft support Windows XP any more, which means no security patches.

If memory serves correct, it's at least five or six years since they provided any support. Even Windows 7 is out of support now.

 

[Busaholic]

It would be better if they used a more modern OS, I don't believe Microsoft support Windows XP any more, which means no security patches.

I'm still on Windows XP and still get the occasional 'update' despite Microsoft announcing years ago they no longer supported it. Can't remember the last time I had to take it to be fixed, but that could be because there are so many functions I don't use and never buy anything on it.

 

[DelayRepay]

That is... scary. I hope that machine is never connected to the Internet.

If memory serves correct, it's at least five or six years since they provided any support. Even Windows 7 is out of support now.

Wasn't it an XP vulnerability that led to the NHS being infected with the Wannacry virus? YOu would have thought they'd learned their lesson from that...

WannaCry cyber-attack cost the NHS £92m after 19,000 appointments were cancelled | National Health Executive

A report into cyber security of the health and care sector has revealed that the

www.nationalhealthexecutive.com

 

[dgl]

Dead capacitors in the power supply probably. Often a fairly easy fix, but questionable whether it's worth the effort.

Class X Rifa capacitors usually, they are made of paper internally, absorb moisture and go bang, an equivaliant EQAL? series Panasonic capacatir is an ideal replacement as they are plastic rather than paper based.
All Rifa paper X class capacitors fail at some point but luckily generally don't take anything with them.

As for Zip drives, I have a old Roland SP-808 groovebox/recorder that runs from a Zip drive (the OS is in ROM though), and I have a SCSI Jaz drive for my AKAI S6000. Also my old Powermac G4 Gigabit Ethernet has a Zip drive.

 

[najaB]

Wasn't it an XP vulnerability that led to the NHS being infected with the Wannacry virus?

Yup. It exploited an unpatched flaw in the XP implementation of the SMB protocol.

I'm still on Windows XP and still get the occasional 'update' despite Microsoft announcing years ago they no longer supported it.

They might release the occasional fix but it will only be for the most extreme of vulnerabilities. I'm pretty sure that in the very near future even that will stop as Windows Update is going to start blocking TLS 1.0 and 1.1 connections.

 

[gg1]

Wasn't it an XP vulnerability that led to the NHS being infected with the Wannacry virus? YOu would have thought they'd learned their lesson from that...

I think the NHS have completely moved away from Windows XP now, GP surgeries aren't part of the NHS however, they're private business.

 

[birchesgreen]

Dignity, respect and common sense are extremely rare just now.

Correct, the country is a moral-less cess pit circling the drain before its slips into the abyss.

 

[Ediswan]

or SCSI (which, I think, used a 50-pin connector).

50pin 'Centronics' was very popular for SCSI, but there were a whole zoo of different connectors used. At the time SCSI was common, I was working in a data centre. We had a large cardboard box full of assorted SCSI cables. Sometimes even the one that was wanted.

 

[GusB]

If it's internal then it would be PATA more than likely. External it would be either parallel (DB-25 connector) or SCSI (which, I think, used a 50-pin connector).

It's external, and it has two parallel ports; one male and one female. The second one has a logo that looks like a printer. If it works I'll see if I can get something for it on eBay, as it's no use to me.

 

[dgl]

50pin 'Centronics' was very popular for SCSI, but there were a whole zoo of different connectors used. At the time SCSI was common, I was working in a data centre. We had a large cardboard box full of assorted SCSI cables. Sometimes even the one that was wanted.

Yes, some use 25pin D-sub connectors, some used mini two row 50pin or 3 row bigger size, apple had a square connector for their laptops and later external scsi used VHDCI connectors. Then there were a few different types of internal connector as well, with the later ones supplying power as well.
Used a lot on samplers as it was pretty much the only external connection standard suitable for HDD's, AKAI used SCSI even up to their last rackmount sampler, although that could also house an internal IDE drive and the previous model, the S5000/S6000, was originally designed to support IDE at somepoint but it was never implemented in the firmware.

 

[Islineclear3_1]

Used refurbished XP PC's are still available at my favourite computer shop. Wonder if I got one whether I could stream in HD or 4k; my speed's fast enough so would XP cope? In years to come a Widows 98/2000/XP may well be collector's items, just like reel-to-reel tape players (and black/white TV sets).

Does anyone who is an amateur still use a "film" camera? Used to have a black/white developing kit, again that went when digital came in.

I still possess, but don't use, a few legendary Olympus OM1/OM2 film cameras. I had them serviced around 2006 in the event I would use them again. I have given one to my daughter

How about mechanical wind-up clocks? And yes, I have a few of those too and they are still in front-line service...

Sodastreams?

Mechanical mangle for wringing out washed clothes

Coal

 

[philthetube]

Electric blankets and a hot water bottle made the bed toastie before central heating

Just read this from page 1, I bought a hot water bottle from Argos the other day and the assistant commented on how many they had sold recently.

 

[DelayRepay]

Just read this from page 1, I bought a hot water bottle from Argos the other day and the assistant commented on how many they had sold recently.

I will admit I dug mine out when I found out how much my gas bill was going to be, found it had perished since it's about 10 years old, and bought a new one. The only question is whether I'll be able to afford to boil the kettle to fill it up!

 

[xotGD]

I will admit I dug mine out when I found out how much my gas bill was going to be, found it had perished since it's about 10 years old, and bought a new one. The only question is whether I'll be able to afford to boil the kettle to fill it up!

Take a flask to work and fill it with boiling water before you go home.

I used to work at the same place as someone who did just that!

 

[Howardh]

Take a flask to work and fill it with boiling water before you go home.

I used to work at the same place as someone who did just that!

I think, and underline think, if you boil a kettle and fill a pan with that hot water, it's more cost efficient than boiling it in a pan. Don't quote me, it might be an urban myth but seems to be the case on my smart meter.
2022.
We're discussing how to heat water more efficiently, not to save the planet but to stop us going into debt.
Love to go back to the days when grandad burned wood and coal on his fire with the boiler behind. Their room was never cold.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I think, and underline think, if you boil a kettle and fill a pan with that hot water, it's more cost efficient than boiling it in a pan.

It absolutely is, yes, assuming both run on electricity. The heating element in a kettle is in direct contact with the water so more or less all the heat goes into the water, whereas with a stove there are losses up the side of the pan and downwards. It is also much quicker, which is the main reason I've always done it!

It may be cheaper to use the stove if you're on gas, because gas is much cheaper than electricity per watt hour*, which is why people have gas boilers instead of much simpler and safer electric heating.

* pick any unit you like

 

[najaB]

Love to go back to the days when grandad burned wood and coal on his fire with the boiler behind. Their room was never cold.

I suspect that, objectively speaking, houses were colder back in those days. As was raised back near the beginning of the thread, ice/frost on the inside of window panes was a common winter phenomenon.

 

[Ediswan]

It absolutely is, yes, assuming both run on electricity. The heating element in a kettle is in direct contact with the water so more or less all the heat goes into the water, whereas with a stove there are losses up the side of the pan and downwards.

I recently attempted to compare the energy required to boil the same amount of water in an electric kettle and on an induction hob. Conclusion: Too close to call, I would need a more accurate energy meter.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I recently attempted to compare the energy required to boil the same amount of water in an electric kettle and on an induction hob. Conclusion: Too close to call, I would need a more accurate energy meter.

Yep, as induction heats the actual pan (which is analogous to heating the bottom of a kettle where the element sits) I can see that being very close, I was more thinking of a regular or ceramic hob. The old style heavy cast iron hotplate type will be the worst as you have a huge chunk of cast iron to heat before it gets anywhere near the pan.

 

[Howardh]

I suspect that, objectively speaking, houses were colder back in those days. As was raised back near the beginning of the thread, ice/frost on the inside of window panes was a common winter phenomenon.

Net curtains and proper curtains. Not sure the net ones had a particular name, but they were commonplace and acted like double glazing - but not as good as though!

 

[Bletchleyite]

I suspect that, objectively speaking, houses were colder back in those days. As was raised back near the beginning of the thread, ice/frost on the inside of window panes was a common winter phenomenon.

The worst bit (and I just about remember it) was getting up when it was freezing cold. A bit like camping in winter but every day.

 

[gg1]

Secondary glazing.

Typically only used today in listed buildings or properties in conservation areas with strict planning rules but in the 70s and early 80s it was a common alternative to double glazing, not as efficient but much cheaper.