Trying to FIX a Faulty 1980s Armatron Toy Robot

[@BPantherPink]

Vince's vdos should come with an addiction warning for retired people, living alone 😁 This is my fifth day of watching his vdos, back-to-back, with very little sleep inbetween !!!

[@sam-qd9pc]

the amount of engineering that went into making this toy is amazing

[@salvation7362]

I had one of those growing up! The accessories are missing from that one but that baby helped get me an A on a science fair project on Prosthetic Limbs. I turned a washing up glove inside out, stuffed it with cotton balls and some pipe cleaners and put it over the arm to show how a prosthetic hand could move and close to hold light objects.

[@Slim_Chiply]

I took a college class in robotics when I was in High school in the early 80s. Our first test in the class was to use one of these to move some objects around. I guess it was to see if we could manage moving around a mechanical arm before they let us at the real robots. I never had one myself though. Great video. It took me way back to my youth.

[@speshk99]

I had one of these when they came out, I must have been 13 or so. Being inquisitive myself I remember one night (when I should have been asleep) deciding to take it apart to see how it worked. I carefully laid out the cogs so I could get them back in the correct places. Unfortunately I heard one of my parents come upstairs. Quickly shoving everything under the bed I pretended to be asleep. When the coast was clear I pulled everything out and of course my careful system was a mess. I've no idea how long it too but I managed to put it all back together and in working order before going to sleep, as I dreaded my parents finding out what I'd been up to. It was such a relief when I replaced the battery and everything was ok, much to my relief.

[@annother3350]

I'm impressed but this is your mother and you're grounded for a month

[@sideburn]

Hahah man I can relate I was the same way I took everything apart and was a full on night owl when I was 10. I had acquired one of these too somehow back then. I probably finagled it from a friend. I was good at that. I’m sure I gutted it and made it do something else. I remember wanting to hook it up to my TRS-80 somehow.

[@wjhjr1415]

I very nearly had a panic attack when you removed all those "bits". You are a better man than I.

[@precbass]

You sir,have the patience of a saint.I would have had that collection of bits and pieces either scattered around the room in temper,or consigned to a black bag,ready for collection by the council.Well done,that was really interesting.Its amazing to think that somebody sat at a desk and designed the workings of that.Kudos!

[@TH-ku1ro]

I read once something about feeding the 5000 with two loaves and fishes, and I've seen David Blaine come back from the dead. Neither compare to the miracle of Vince getting that nightmare working again. Astonishing.

[@RuneTheFirst]

Great job. You are great at figuring things out. BTW, It was Tandy Corporation that owned Radio Shack back then. They were a leather company and sold it off when they saw a downturn happening. Some of their products used the Tandy brand, such as their computer line. They thought it sounded better than RS.

[@lukefisher1858]

started watching for the electronic component level repairs.... Stayed for the relentless toy repairs.

[@luciferbox5577]

That was stressful to watch! Watching those pieces being removed one after another had me thinking that there was no way you would be able to get it all back together again. Such a complicated thing, especially for a toy. I used to work for a car manufacturer here in the U.K. and they had robots very similar in appearance to this thing. Don't think they were as complex as this! Well done you for working it all out and getting it back together again. My brain just wouldn't have been able to cope with it.

[@GCLaredo207]

Also. Did you know there are 2 speeds for each movement other than the claw opening and wrist rotation? Don't be so rough with the sticks. Move them slowly and you'll notice there is a slow speed and then a fast speed. :)

[@MAXTORRACER]

So I've been watching you for years now. I have one of those broken and you tube finally suggested this video to me, lol.

[@infernus6278]

Once you had it disassembled I thought no way this is going back together. So kudos to you. PS that is incredibly brilliant engineering ! That toy must have been extremely expensive back in the day

[@LegatusNavium]

I played with one of those for years as a kid, I always wondered how it worked but never has the guts to open it up. Glad I got to watch this. When I had mine it was never as loud as yours is ( Not sure if Mic just picked it up more) and the movement was 99% of time fluid and just a few catches after long periods of use. I have not seen an Armatron in so long but never forgot about it. I might get one on eBay myself. Thank you for this video.

[@str-lrd3863]

Like a walk down memory lane. Had one as a child and loved it. Remember it fondly. It came with a variety of accessories meant to give tasks to preform.

[@phiteonn3541]

Have you ever considered getting a 3d printer to enable you to make parts?

[@MrTabs64]

I couldn't believe that whole thing ran on just 1 motor. They were gearing gurus back then, genius. Oh, and I thought there was NO way you were gonna put that back together - well done.

[@MrBuck295]

According to Wikipedia this toy was made by Tomy and sold by Tandy/Radio Shack in 1984 I bought one at a charity shop back in 1989 I think I paid 2 usd for it was sold as not working had to clean the battery contacts and both switch contacts added some silicon grease to lube it up still have it somewhere spent hours taking it apart just to see how it works and lube it I`m still amazed at how it works using one motor fun to play with

[@gustavefrankfurter6462]

Wow! When I saw that pile of parts, I thought that it was game over as far as getting them all back into place, but you did it! Good show!

[@UltimatelyEverything]

I'm impressed you managed to put it all back together, if that was me i'd have at least 5 different screws left and i'd be sat here thinking where do they go.

[@BPantherPink]

BRILLIANT...BRILLIANT...BRILLIANT !! Now it can even be used to perform Open Heart Surgery !!! Had got this for my four year old son in 1984... You Sir Vincent, will be more famous than your namesake painter and your vdos will be as priceless !!

[@Mymatevince]

😂😎

[@dreamcazman]

Oh wow! I had one of these when I was a kid, absolutely loved it, never thought I'd see it again in one of your videos. Awesome work Vince getting it operating again!

[@SAZodia]

Man, I have one of these still in the original box that I salvaged from radioshack's dumpster eons ago. Found the armatron first then the box, it apparently was a store display, but the gears on the arm were all out of wack, all it did was click, grind and nothing moved, had to tear the whole thing apart, clean, align and superglue the tiny gears so they wouldn't move again, but it worked liked a charm. So I suspect that the clicking you are getting in the claw is the tiny gear on the shaft as moved and it is not aligned properly. It's a fun toy, I'm 50 now and I still bring it out once in awhile to play with it, lol. I also added a jack for a wallwart because this thing eats batteries.

[@Fifury161]

33:29 - it's a toy built to a price point, adding grease adds cost! That was a brave thing to strip it down, good to see proper engineering. Today every joint would have it's own servo, probably sold for a similar price point too!

[@OlivierGrasakaolo]

really amazed by this amazing piece of engineering, so much time and effort must have had come into designing it for what, 90% of kids grab things for two days before putting it on a desk never to touch it again lol. Great toy, great engineering and a great video. Thanks vince

[@therestorationofdrwho1865]

You know what would be absolutely amazing? One of these with all the casing translucent.

[@Chodaboy65]

Great video. I'm 44 now and just about to tear into mine from when I was a kid. Not looking forward to it, but will be glad when it's all freed up and working 100% again instead of the 80% function it's got now.

[@elchatarrasdetatooine8848]

It is incredible, as they were able to make such an advanced toy for that time, surely it cost a lot of money. Now they do not make them so authentic. A marvel of toy.

[@etiennevanharen3893]

Wow, and I thought the pinball had amazing mechanical design, but this one is from another planet!! One motor and all the rest purely mechanical, it is like a piece of art on its own. Someone should 3d print a see through body for it just to show this genious insides. loved this video, couldn't help laughing about the screws left over, I think it is my new favourite.

[@Mymatevince]

I was thinking that it is such a shame to have all those gears behind the plastic. A clear body would be fantastic on this as the inside of it is the best bit. Somebody could re-release it with every gear a different colour so you could see how it works from the Joystick forwards. I think it would sell well with a USB power supply :-)

[@etiennevanharen3893]

@@Mymatevince I saw another video on youtube as I searched for Armatron and found one where at least the inner plastics on the base were see through, maybe it is a later model or something. Yeah and definitely an external power supply hahah.

[@cackleberryfarm4598]

The fact that you got it ALL back together and it worked! WOW! Very impressive. Loved watching all the gear work to make things move. Really cool piece. I think I like the pinball machine fix better still. But only because this one stressed me out with how many parts were falling out on you. Too many bad memories for me. 🤣

[@3rdaxis649]

I took one of these apart when I was a kid and wow, I was shocked I was able to not only fix it but get it back together. They don't make toys like this anymore.

[@mvratkvrt]

Love the way he investigates the problems

[@TheShadowsstaff1]

I still have mine from the 80s and still love it. Well done vince

[@cakespy2210]

There is something very relaxing about your videos

[@oscarlobaton979]

You fixed a complicated mechanical toy. You should be proud.

[@cagedelephant8350]

Number 5 is ALIVE. Awesome job Vince!

[@nameless5413]

You may see yourself as amateur but through years of tinkering and dismantling you've earned skills in tinkering and even construction well above average (city) person. I personally very much miss pure mechanical devices, i know gears and such are obstruction to miniaturization but there is nothing more satisfying than seeing whole lot of wheels fit snugly together to operate in planed manner. Weird thing progress - supposed to make things better but makes me appreciate ingenious ways former masters applied skills that now just seem... lost (as far as general use goes anyways, there will always be marble machine or some artsy idea to make purely mechanical madness just for sheer appreciation of the art of craft).

[@ArreglandoCosas]

Wow.. i felt actual fear when i saw all those gears.. my palms were sweaty as you were tearing apart.. i thought it was a loss.. and you managed to fix it... hands down mate. Excelent toy and video.. JAPANESEE things are awesome

[@xXSpectre0Xx]

One of my favorite toy when I was kid. Great video. Keep up the good work!

[@GadgetUK164]

Another fantastic repair =D I would have been tempted to get a load of molycote onto all the gears, just to help with noise and wear! Lovely job though! Like that Pinball table you worked on, this is a lovely piece of engineering!

[@Mymatevince]

Thanks Chris, you mentioned that grease before but I wasn't sure which one to buy. Is it Molykote (with a k) and do you know which version you use. Is it MolyKote 111?

[@GadgetUK164]

Sorry, my bad with spelling =D - this is the stuff:- www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Dow-Corning-Molykote-EM-30L-Synthetic-Lubricating-grease-for-plastic-10-grammes/372536583074?epid=1964912964&hash=item56bce923a2:g:h8wAAOSw-09aBb0P:rk:2:pf:0

[@GadgetUK164]

EM-30L

[@Mymatevince]

Good man Chris, just ordered a couple of them :-)

[@Fille-lj1qv]

Thx Gadget,i can use it for my gears in my consoles.

[@ViperKillerWannabe]

I bought one of these in the 80s from Radio Shack for about $50US IIRC. It was one of my favorite toys back then and this makes me want to find another one that's not broken.

[@Valisk]

OMG. A slice of my childhood right there! I had the TOMY branded version. I remember getting it with some birthday money on the day our cat died, I was playing with it with tears running down my face!

[@milky__1748]

You've just fixed my night. Again.

[@danny300608]

I bloody love watching your videos! I always look forward to them. I think you're easily one of my favourite KZbinrs. You inspired me to try and fix some of my own stuff :) Well done on getting the Armatron back together though, looked really complicated haha. Can't wait for the next video

[@cedarstuff]

I wonder how many parents broke this "accidentally"? What a racket! Nice fix.

[@PsYcHoLogical03]

I had one of these growing up, kinda wish I had held onto it, but if I remember correctly mine had the clicky/jerky claw as well, I think it was simply a tolerance thing, and over the long gear train on this thing the gears would just slip, my didn't rotate the head smoothly either, which is why I feel it's a tolerance over distance thing, don't remember mine being this noisy, but great video and glad to see some old toys getting a new life

[@Bear_Cane_Corso_uk]

When you picked up the arm and all the gears fell out again.... 😂 Definitely would have been some swearing going on in my house!!! Another great video, you have some serious patience.

[@sbtech71]

Hey a really neat tip for assembling self-tapping screws into plastic, when refitting them, turn them anti-clockwise gently and slowly till you feel them pop down a bit- immediately then screw them in clockwise, you'll find they re-seat themselves into their original thread cut in the plastic and tighten up easily and tight. They wont try and re-cut a new weaker thread in the plastic. Sometimes you will feel a smaller indent, do a full anticlockwise rotation to find the real thread. It will be obvious on all but the most damaged plastic sockets. Also the planetary gears us the exact same principals as vehicle automatic transmissions. The external lugs doing the same job as "bands" in a transmission.

[@nunyabusiness3082]

I've been trying to tell people this for a long time. Back out your screw until it drops in the treads already made. 👍

[@mrjsv4935]

Nice fix. Didn't have this toy myself but I think it would've been really cool to have it as a 9-10 years old in 1984 :) Very complex one, not sure if I would've managed to get it back together after disassembling it.

[@Magicman8508]

Nice Toy! Wondering why something like that isn't available today anymore. Very well designed and a great repair!

[@andrewmoore150]

Amazed you got it back together it looked really complicated well done 🙂

[@stephencunliffe3062]

Pure genius. Well done young man.

[@khanv1ct244]

Next on MMV: “Trying to Fix Another one of World’s Loudest Toys”

[@philstuf]

"What? I can't hear you!"

[@welshtony1]

That thing is absolutely amazing, fair play great job on the repair. I'm seriously pleased KZbin recommended me 1 of your other videos, spend past 2-3 hours watching some of your vids. Looking forward to watching more :) Thanks for the video

[@jimmcclane4171]

Wow. It is gears, switches and a motor. No boards and chips with a program. Amazing.

[@dcolorado7483]

I just received my own machine to give to my granddaughter as a gift. Sadly, it does not work (claw open and close, arm up and). I was going to return it but after seeing this video and being amused and intrigued, I'll just keep it. I'm thinking to try to repair. If it works great if not that's ok. I'll put it on my desk and appreciate the engineering. Also, I think I'll get my granddaughter an Erector set.

[@skipfordj]

I had one of these growing up, it was a ton of fun. The reason it clicked when it got to 55 is that it was counting down the seconds, and it clicked over the timer roller when it reached a minute.

[@xerxes4863]

I must admit that my anxiety level ran quite high there when all the gears and everything just fell out. Nice fix! :-) Keep up the good work!

[@darklydevious8156]

Just seen this one, the clicking is due to a missing tooth on the black cog for the claw. Can't believe your patience, we used to call this sort of device "toaster technology" as when opened everything would pop out leaving a sorry mess on the bench. Respect!

[@philsey6913]

Had one of these as a kid. I vaguely remember the claw opening and closing in the same stuttering way, so I don't think yours had any faults. At the beginning of the video I remember commenting..."It shut off because the "power level" went to zero. Just re-set it!" You got there eventually! I can't believe you got all those gears back together without taking pictures at the beginning of each step!!

[@josephcu776]

ur video was a big help. i just recently bought one that need repairing. i was able to make the motor run which im happy bout it. but the claw has yet to move. ive zeroing in on what to do with, but for now, im happy that it can turn around and bent the arm. such a lovely toy.

[@danbarone7643]

Looks like you may not be aware, but the sticks are analog in operation. Move the stick a little bit and the movement will be slower. Love watching your videos. You’re a clever guy.

[@TonyPrime1]

i used too have one of those it broke the same way wish i knew how too fix it it was great seeing it work again thanx mate you rock

[@dgw4150]

Always wanted one of these as a kid! Never knew why it was quite so noisy though, now I know!

[@BooktownBoy]

I agree with Dave B. Vince, your level of "stickability" is inhuman....amazing stuff, fair play to you ;)

[@Retro_andy_1977]

Definitely looks 80s Vince Not one I’ve had to be fair and that’s a surprise.another enjoyable and informative video.got to love these vintage toy fixes

[@pds8475]

Good job. I would have been looking back at the video to get all the gears in the right place.

[@2711marcus]

Crickey that was a complicated fix. Well done Vince you are a very patient man 😁 I'd have to wear ear defenders to use it though 🙉

[@NoshAbroad]

I had one of these as a kid... If I recall that clicking was there brand new. I imagine it's some sort of slippage to keep it from striping the gears if you over tighten on an object.

[@afrozenpizza]

I had one that my parents got me from a yard sale in the 90s, and the claw had the same clicking. So I think that you're probably right, or it was a flaw that developed pretty soon on for them.

[@TheTTVert]

Sooner than later you're going to have to remove the "not an expert" spiel. The fact of the matter is you know where to look for faults more than most that would tear into these things.

[@W4itgaming]

an Expert has training, not just learned experience. That's the main difference between Vince and someone who fixes devices professionally.

[@johndorian4078]

even if he was an expert wit 10000 yrs of schooling on the subject it's just easier to say "i'm not an expert" than to wake up to a million comments about "i would have done........" Hindsights always 50/50 and his goal was to learn something not just to fix it. otherwise sure he could have photographed and cataloged everything to guarantee it goes back together......but youtube commenters will be to dumb to realize it's a video made for fun and it's not that big a deal if it goes back together

[@kane100574]

I loved my Armatron, man... Fantastic video!

[@penguinmorin9319]

No way i thought you could get it back together WELL Done thumbs up

[@TheSuperCyborg]

Love your videos mate! As a like-minded tinkerer, I really appreciate your thought process. Keep it up!

[@Mymatevince]

Thanks :-)

[@darrenstephenson4213]

I love your videos. It has been your videos that has got me into doing the same tithing. Successfully repaired and restore lots of 70 and 80 electronic toys such as Simon amd the Tomy 3d games. Would love to see you repair a speak and spell as I bought two non working ones and although the issue was the power board on both I could not fix them after changing caps etc. Keep it up👍

[@Schawnyman]

Wow, I have not seen one of these in ages. I used to have one of these when I was kid. I believe it also came cones and stuff to play around with. It was a pretty cool little gadget. I think my dad got it at Radio Shack.

[@1971wizzard]

Love your videos Vince, I look forward to seeing them. Radio Shack was American name of the Tandy brand in the UK. I hope I haven’t repeated this as there were loads of comments… always a good watch….. keep up the great work buddy

[@38911bytefree]

14:26 ... this reminds me the old times, long ago, in factories, there was just a power plant, lest say, a steam or hit and miss engine, and then a network of belts that go down to each workarea to move a certain machine when the machine was activated. The main motor was running al the time and the different machines engaged when required.

[@NoshAbroad]

Reminds me of the Everlasting Gobstopper Machine from Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory movie. (not the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory movie.)

[@areyouserious3092]

Don't worry Vince I had that exact armatron when I was a kid and it was very jurky and clicky then and the noise of it used to drive me made also I remember being very disappointed as to how little it could pick up. Great vid buddie I never thought I'd see one of those things again lol

[@b33zNet]

I had one of these! Was my favorite thing for a long time!

[@charlesjmouse]

Just when I thought the torture was nearly at an end... "I think I might take it apart again..." Noooo! OH, THE HUMNITY! When will it ever end..!?! This may be the most stressful thing I've witnessed in years. I think I may have to go have a little lay down for a bit to recover.

[@bryanobrien2726]

The joysticks work similar to the way a car's manual transmission shift lever works . Very interesting machine .

[@SomeOtherGryph]

Heh... I had one of those when I was a kid. I didn't realize that, or that I still need one, until watching your video. Thanks!

[@skywarp727]

Hi Vince great video. I got one of these for Christmas in 84. It was just as incredible then as it is now. Love your channel.

[@TC-tn9tb]

Tandy were very brave to mass produce such a complicated toy, i wonder what the return ratio was for this product due to faults i would suspect quite high with all the cogs etc, very interesting video thanks

[@Mymatevince]

I was thinking the same thing, so much chance of failure :-)

[@woofer2121]

had one of those. 2 motors operated the whole thing. motors ran the whole time clutches operated the movement.

[@Fifury161]

Then you didn't have one of these - this beast is control by a single motor!

[@Fifury161]

@jetboss737 Actually there is a clutch on the "timer" - that little spring the keeps the shaft engaged is a form of clutch...

[@Retro_Care]

nice!!!! I think the claw has a slip gear also with a spring that needs tention? I think that was that black small gear on the left in the controller gearing side like where you fixed the pink gear.

[@paulb4uk]

I had a boxed one of these but i sold it there great fun quite noisy even when working properly mine was fully working and i sold it years ago now.I never take mine apart cool to see inside it

[@allrounder247]

Haha, repairing things he thought, what a great hobby... it was a conspiracy all leading up to restoring stuff he missed in the 80s! Great videos. Have a happy new year

[@kins749]

Can't believe you got it back together again

[@doozowings4672]

You cracked me up when you said what's the purpose of that little bit that clicks when it gets to 55... the first thing I thought was its purpose was to "click" lol... you're an absolute genius, that thing would have been a basket case for me to fix...

[@cdeshaw1986]

Hey I am fairly confident that the Claw "CLICKING" while it closes is a part of the design; the gear on each side is shaved, in order to avoid young children from squeezing their finger excessively.

[@timor.8002]

35:42 I Never thougt that you can geht this thing back together 😂😂😂 Great Work Mate! 😬👍

[@kenny9648]

Hi Vince! I think the clicking is normal. The claw has to keep the tension when you pick something up while moving the other parts. But really nice video. I hope you will fix one day a R.O.B.!

[@Graytail]

Thats quite a piece of gearing eh Vince? I said you'd have fun with it ^_- The white cylinders have gearboxes inside, when they spin around and then get stopped by the pins then a different gear is presented to the arm's drivetrain, the reverse gearing is inside each cylinder. I have to say your hub gear, the part that you had to glue the shaft onto, was far more yellowed than mine was. Perhaps it came from a smoker? A good cleaning of all the rods and their gears might fix that sticky claw if thats the case. While you were testing it during reassembly, you showed one of the flaws of the design of this toy, some movements would effect others. Flexing the wrist say, could both turn and loosen the grip the claw had on an object for example, or tighten it if flexed in the other direction. I didnt see any flaws in the gears, but it could be something harder to see, such as a gear being split between teeth, which would let it turn on its axle and only catch, therefore work, occasionally. I had this issue with a penny-pusher game I serviced once which would jam the sliding shelves. The pink gear for the main arm rotation has the spring so that if the arm is turned forcefully, it wont break the gear. Its a big arm, easily knocked about. As a last note, I recall my armatron having some horrid sticky orange grease on every gear that had gotten matted with fluff and SAND of all things. I cleaned it all off and replaced it with some fresh lithium grease and banished the crunchiness that every motion had. Congratulations on a repair few men would dare attempt! Now, if you could figure out some way to make the darn thing a lot quieter... or quiet enough at least that it doesnt drive you mad and/or deaf while playing with it.

[@Mymatevince]

It is amazing. Lovely to see all the different gears working together :-) Thanks for telling me about the reversing action as I didn't work that bit out in the video!!!! Also now you mention the pink gear it makes complete sense why the spring is there - I initially thought it was when it went to the end of it's travel, but when I tried it earlier today it just keeps spinning round so I now know why the gear had the spring :-)

[@justcallme00oogy]

I cried tears of happiness and of sadness throughout the video

[@GCLaredo207]

Hehe. I was cringing when all you had to do was reset the timer when it turned off. :) I love this thing. I have 3 of them!

[@foxycutie8267]

Wow you manage to repair one of those toys but yet the 8-bit-guy could not good job on that man 👋👋👋

[@vinhqla]

Had one of these when I was a kid, memories!!!

[@Dr.-Smart]

to tell the cause of cracking plastic is that the softener evaporates out of the plastik and the antik grease cause the plastic to shrink and crumble