This off-the-grid cassette player is a wind-up

A hand cranked cassette player that enabled tapes to be played pretty much anywhere.
Let’s take a look at it.
Special thanks to Esther who contacted me when this came into their ebay store. I’d been looking for one for a while. By way of thanks, here’s a link to their ebay store. www.ebay.co.uk...
Outdoor cassette music by eoxstudios.ban...
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[@amaruqlonewolf3350]

The mere thought of Matt randomly walking through the neighborhood while cranking out a song is never going to leave my head.

[@ShockingPikachu]

Probably a case of "the neighbours are used to it" at this point 😂

[@bichela]

Modern version of an organ grinder. I want one

[@WilliamHaisch]

This is a great way to keep everyone away from you while going for a leisurely walk around the neighborhood. Just put in some crazy religious tape or self made agitated gibberish and you’ll have your very own privacy bubble! 😂

[@jackroutledge352]

What a cranker.

[@nigelbarrett4936]

It's no more ridiculous than someone balancing a boom box on their shoulder as they walk around. Always made me smile back in the day

[@jnharton]

It's actually kind of amazing how good that thing sounds.

[@Fuzy2K]

It amazes me how repairable it is

[@baseddoggie]

@steelmote that's the power of evangelical fanaticism!

[@TibCo23]

Hearing the Techmoan intro music always brings a warm sense of happiness and Saturday. Then seeing Matt walking across the screen, frantically cranking a hand cranked cassette player, makes one explode in laughter. You're the best!

[@revivedfears]

I agree. I love chilling with a smoke and a coffee when the new Techmoan drops. Such a cosy ritual for me. 😊

[@TheStevenWhiting]

Started hearing it other places as its royalty free but, in my head, its now fully associated with Techmoan so always double take its not a Techmoan vid.

[@Techmoan]

I created the intro sting - the outro music though, that’s a KZbin audio library track.

[@boardsort]

@@Techmoan I heard the outro music on another channel once and I was like "that bloke ripped off Techmoan!". lol

[@D3X1K_AXYZ]

I don't think I have ever heard the outro song anywhere outside of a tech techmoan video, so I was none the wiser XD

[@ScottGrammer]

Some sixty years ago, Crown International made a field tape recorder for the National Geographic Society. It was a portable reel-to-reel machine with transistorized electronics, but the capstan and take-up reel were powered by a mechanically-governed, spring-operated motor that one cranked up like an old Victrola. Fast-forward and rewind were achieved by literally cranking the appropriate reel by hand. The idea was that field recordings could be made in high-fidelity, but without the battery drain of powering motors. The electronics used such a small amount of electricity that the batteries would last many, many hours. The machine you've demonstrated reminded me of this. Unlike this machine, the Crown's crank wound a spring, and the spring then powered the machine's mechanism. And of course, the electronics were battery-powered. One did not turn the crank while the machine was running.

[@CassetteMaster]

Do you by chance know the model number of the Crown International clockwork tape recorder? I would love to find out more.

[@ScottGrammer]

@@CassetteMaster I've been trying to find more about it myself for years. Sorry.

[@RagtimeBijou-s1s]

The National Film Board of Canada had a spring wound machine as well. Not sure if it was a Nagra but fairly certain it was.

[@ForDemoPurposesOnly]

These videos have become my "Saturday morning cartoons", as it were. Nice touch seeing a post-apocalyptic Techmoan.

[@mondegreen9709]

Aka Prepmoan

[@bvfgfvbgch4853]

​@@mondegreen9709🤣🤣🤣

[@alansillitoNYC]

Exactly the same for me too.

[@TubbyJ420]

i follow 3 or 4 channels that usually post saturdays and feel the same way. back in the 80s or 90s we'd look at those paper tv listings to schedule our weekend tv watching. now we just open a few tabs to queue them up in any order we choose.

[@TayWoode]

Haha that’s a brilliant analogy or a bit like a retro Tommorows world

[@YOG3NSHA]

The dry humor of this channel is just divine.

[@CassetteComeback]

I like seeing tech that was designed to live as long as possible, not one small component fails and so resigns the rest to be landfill...

[@doktormcnasty]

Not so good for a profit-based never ending growth model of economy though, is it?

[@AI-wj5hj]

not only product all mission is impressive.

[@NothingXemnas]

​@@doktormcnasty Between for-profit reasons for planned obsolescence and cultist-inspired reasons to extend a preaching machine's lifespan... it is hard to think of a way out of this...

[@trevorbrown6654]

Definitely. I can see one of these lasting for decades if properly cared for. Would be perfect for putting into a time capsule along with some recordings and in hundreds of years time people from the past would know how people from this era spoke. Imagine

[@jacksons1010]

In what way is this device more durable than any other cassette player? The spare parts are a nice gesture, and the belts may last a while if left sealed in the bag, but the electrolytic capacitors are going to fail eventually and lacking replacements and a soldering iron it's not going to be fixable for a casual user.

[@98Zai]

I love everything about this. The visual design, the unbreakable and long lasting technical design, the detailed manual which gives the layman ability to repair. It's only lacking (removable) rechargeable batteries. I want it!

[@milokiss8276]

Same here. It seems like a great novelty, Like if I just so happen to have some cassettes laying around- OH WAIT, I _DO._

[@98Zai]

@@milokiss8276 Yeah, I want it despite not having a lot of cassettes laying around! I would get some for it! Someone should make a note of that.

[@PeterEmery]

My father had an AM/FM radio that could be powered three ways: by the integrated solar panel, external power from a DC plug pack or from the clockwork generator. A heavy clock spring wound by a crank handle drove a generator that in turn supplied power to the radio circuits. Fully wound up, it could run for 90 minutes.

[@steviebboy69]

I remember a radio like that and it was wound and would spin a little generator maybe they called it a dynamo, but it ran the radio as you said. And I do remember a solar panel being on it, I am sure it was yellow in colour and had Short Wave as well.

[@Milamberinx]

I have one of them. It's a really impressive piece of kit. I assume a radio needs a lot less power than a cassette mechanism but additionally the sound comes out quite loud and quite warm. A full wind will last about 20 minutes without solar assistance and any light will help it up to a nice sunny day (even in England) being able to power it unaided.

[@PeterEmery]

I've been doing a bit more research.the device was a Freeplay Radio. Later versions had a small detachable wired LED light in the end of it near the speaker@@Milamberinx

[@Murgoh]

Could be made so the cassette mechanism is powered directly from the spring and the amplifier from a generator. Old movie cameras used a spring and a simple mechanical governor to keep the frame rate steady, I believe a similar mechanism could be used to power a cassette player. Of course this is a cheap mass produced item, a spring mechanism would cost more and mandate a much sturdier case to contain the forces.

[@rich_edwards79]

Yes, thr Baygen Freeplay radio, named after its inventor Trevor Bayliss. He seemed to be on TV a lot in the 90s after Tomorrow's World picked up his invention, qhich was designed for off-grid use in developing countries, but according to Wikipedia he lost control of his patents and died in poverty. I thought the radios (and off-grid stuff in general) were cool and coveted one for years, but IIRC they were *very* expensive and still fetch a hefty price used.

[@RodCurrin]

Many years ago I was editing a video for some missionaries who had been to Peru. The local people used one of these to play songs as accompaniment to their singing. I was always intrigued to know how it actually worked. Thanks to Techmoan, I finally know!

[@FiXato]

After a night of being the operator, I bet you'd be quite cranky 😂 Jokes aside, I absolutely love the thought given to not just Right To Repair, but even *Encouragement* to repair.

[@bigbasil1908]

You're a wind up 😛

[@KOZMOuvBORG]

Has Louis Rossmann seen this?

[@WatanabeNoTsuna.]

​@@KOZMOuvBORGLouis Rossmann. He gets annoyed when people misspell his name. 😂

[@KOZMOuvBORG]

@@WatanabeNoTsuna. corrected

[@KOZMOuvBORG]

@@WatanabeNoTsuna. done properly!

[@TomJordans]

As a marketing and technical writer, I love hearing that some manuals are really well written. Great job on the video - now I want one of those!

[@thpeti]

As a child, I made a funny device for powering a pocket radio. I got a stepper motor out of an old dot matrix printer. I've kept the paper feeding mechanism, and wound some fishing line to a bigger wheel. Then I mounted the thing on the balcony, and attached a weight of few kg's to the fishing line. Then I've connected two bridge rectifiers to the four wires coming out from the stepper, and attached a big electrolytic capacitor. While the weight was slowly moving downwards (it was a out 15 minutes to reach the ground) the radio was playing some music or news.

[@AmericanLocomotive1]

I think it would be interesting to modify this device by adding a super capacitor to the output of the motor. Would allow you to take a break from winding.

[@jacksons1010]

Exactly. The utility of the device would be immensely improved.

[@smeezekitty]

It would take quite a while to charge high enough before it starts working though. It would eliminate a lot of wasted energy

[@foundatlantis]

would probably make more sense to stick a lipo charger and small battery in the device so the winding motion charges the lipo and distributes the power to the main amp/motor

[@caav56]

@@foundatlantis Exactly how it was done on Saber, BTW.

[@laserhawk64]

+100 A smalll NiMH array might also be suitable. NiCds can, from what I hear, take more abuse than NiMH in situations like this, but the memory effect they have present (thankfully ONLY NiCds have that) kind of defeats the point. A particularly tiny 6v SLA might also work, but I'd think the weight issue would make things a whole lot less portable and more awkward, that way...

[@BCCMightySanta]

Every time I think I've seen it all... you prove me wrong haha. Thank you for everything you share!

[@johnstone7697]

Amazing build quality on that thing. The tape transport reminds me of the kind of mechanicals you'd see in the first generation players of the late 60s and early 70s. Heavy metal flywheel and very little plastic.

[@simonbeasley989]

I spotted the big flywheel too, quality!

[@mattclarke8791]

An ingenious device; I can't help but think of a family huddled around one these in a storm cellar, taking comfort from a recording while a hurricane passes overhead

[@Petitephysiquebarre]

If you could hear it over the sound of the hurricane 😭

[@der.Schtefan]

Because they have this, an arm that doesn't fall off after 3 minutes, a basement, but not a single set of batteries?

[@andreasu.3546]

@@der.Schtefan A family could pass the device around to prevent arms falling off. Whatever batteries they have, they might want to save for the flashlight.

[@marblemunkey]

​@JessicaGorehamPenney I hear that 🎵 In the eye of the hurricane their is silence. 🎵 😁

[@Potts1966]

Ideal thing to keep kids active and tired out during a blackout.

[@SynthWaveTech007]

This is the only time I've ever seen a wind-up cassette player! Great to see such oddities! 😎👍

[@godfreypoon5148]

I have a wind up (real clockwork wind-up) reel-to-reel. It's a Commonwealth Electronics type CEB, and is said to be the first portable tape recorder made. Made in Sydney in the 1950s. Serial number is in the double digits. It works great.

[@graemelyall937]

Any more info on that? Sounds v interesting.

[@organfairy]

But doesn't it need batteries for the amplifier?

[@mrnmrn1]

It probably has a generator that works from the wind-up mechanism. @@organfairy

[@unusualstuff]

It probably needs batteries for the electronics. Similar designs were made in europe for professional use, like film production and off-site recordings for radio. Might have been made by Nagra and/or Perfectone, at least? They used a high voltage battery (90 or 100 volt, like in a battery operated radio) to power the valve (tube) based electronics and a wind-up gramophone motor to drive the mechanism. Obviously done first and foremost to save power. Anyway, the introduction of transistors, better batteries and electronic motor speed regulators made this design obsolete after a relatively short time.

[@godfreypoon5148]

@@organfairy It does need old style radio batteries for the electronics. (All valve!)

[@ryansharp4020]

As an aspiring engineer working in technical fields and wanting to learn to write good documentation, I have downloaded that manual to study it. Love the humor too, thanks!

[@Lachlant1984]

What a cool idea, it kind of reminds me of the Freeplay Wind up radios from the 90s, they worked a bit differently though, those radios used a spring wound clockwork mechanism to play the radio once you wound the spring up, much like a gramophone. I kind of wish this cassette player worked the same way.

[@sw6188]

It could potentially be modified to do so. It would just require a small battery and suitable charging circuitry. Crank the handle for five minutes, charge the battery then listen to the music.

[@BixbyConsequence]

That would certainly help. I suspect cost was a primary consideration. I can't imagine too many people used these in earnest much past the first cassette.

[@bangerbangerbro]

@@sw6188 The spring is better than a battery though imo because it is more clear when you are charging it.

[@grayrabbit2211]

I had one and loved it...until the spring broke. Quite interesting to watch it work as the clock mechanism was controlled by some sort of regulator and would change speeds based on how loud you were playing it.

[@Lachlant1984]

@@grayrabbit2211 I think the generator charged a capacitor, and, if I understood correctly, a short was placed across or on the generator when the radio was off/had charged the capacitor.

[@buddyrevell6369]

Really cool. Something designed to be as simple as possible, yet field serviceable for anyone.

[@graealex]

Should have connected it to the wow and flutter meter, to see how consistently you can crank the handle.

[@jasdog71]

I live about 5 mins drive from the Australian office of GRN and had some friends who worked there for a time so nice to see some of their old tech featured from the other side of the world.

[@EndymionMkII]

Nothing like a new Techmoan video at late night to finally finish the day.

[@LKBRICKS1993]

Excellent video. Really enjoyed watching this one. I always look forward to watching your videos.

[@revivedfears]

11am in the UK. Sleep tight my trans Atlantic friends!

[@Fifury161]

It just shows you what can be achieved with a little care & thought. Imagine if all manufacturers provided a detailed repair manual & spares!

[@GreenJimll]

You could always keep your wind up cassette player next to your wind up radio and wind up torch in a steel biscuit tin to help protect them from an EMP pulse.

[@Tim091]

Yeah, but where would you keep the biscuits? You'd need them post-apocalypse.

[@MrPeterhe]

​@@Tim091you'd buy another biscuit tin and put your biscuits in that. And then... Wait a second... I've got nowhere to put those biscuits...

[@jerbear7952]

If you had a friend you could record a mix tape off of the radio. I assume. I don't have any of the things mentioned in the conversation so far.

[@sw6188]

An electromagnetic pulse pulse? 🤣

[@drworm5007]

​@@MrPeterhemaybe try buying a bigger tin of biscuits.

[@dav1dbone]

Imagine a VHS or Betamax and also a CRT TV all with hand cranks, you literally would need a household of "crankers" to keep everything running. After a weekend binge watching I'm picturing the boys stepping out the door with arms like BA Baracus.

[@ShockingPikachu]

You'd hope some kind of energy storage would be in place in some of those cases 😂😅

[@MRblazedBEANS]

Don't CRT tvs use high voltage would be quite the hand crank lol

[@elliswhitworth]

😂

[@SianaGearz]

No, for a TV you need to pedal on a stationary bike. This way you can get an all around training.

[@LasseGreiner]

I would think this would put an end to speeding electric cars as well.

[@markpirateuk]

Having repaired stuff for the last 40 years, I have to agree that is the best service manual I have ever seen, as for including spare parts inside the machine shows how well thought out it is. Try even finding a repair manual for modern Chineasum gear!

[@alloria]

This would be a great exhibit for the Techmoan Museum. Please open a museum!

[@bornach]

And name it something like: The Museum of the Not Obsolete

[@thepolarphantasm2319]

Put all them nixie clocks in there 👍

[@kilbabaplays8944]

I remember a friend bringing the wind-up radio when we went camping... absolute life saver coz we always used to run out of battery power

[@doktormcnasty]

My understanding is that EMPs wouldn't affect small electronics directly but rather create surges along long lengths of power line which might blow up some connected electronics but your hand-cranked cassette player would most likely not be affected so it's still a good plan.

[@thegardenofeatin5965]

Might wipe the tapes though.

[@Broken_robot1986]

Matt needs an EMP proof box for his Post-Apocalypse treasures. A safe might do?

[@Murgoh]

@@thegardenofeatin5965 Store the player and tapes in a metal box (or even a foil lined cardboard one) and they should be fine.

[@kngofbng]

@@Broken_robot1986Tin foil? Not as a hat, mind you.

[@railgap]

Your understanding is profoundly incorrect, but don't feel bad; so is nearly everyone else's. :/ Sorry, but yes; EMP _can_and_does_ destroy electronics even if they aren't connected to a power line. Otherwise, there would be no need for the military to have done all that EMP testing in the 70s & 80s. Airplanes, tanks, field radios, etc are rarely connected to power lines. ;)

[@JustWasted3HoursHere]

A device that comes with detailed repair instructions _AND_ spare parts? Wow, that is definitely from a long lost era. Ingenious device!

[@zsombor_99]

Pretty neat! The crank could be a separate device, which could be plugged into the external DC input, so, "anything" could be crank-operated.

[@Lachlant1984]

Good point, that would be handy for a torch or radio for instance. My guess is they didn't do that because it's cheaper to build the crank generator in, plus there's no cable to break.

[@qdaniele97]

Or you could add a spool of rope to the crank shaft, tie a weight to the end of the rope and make it gravity powered

[@zsombor_99]

@@Lachlant1984 Oh, yeah, less chance for problems if the crank is not a separate device ‒ but this way it only can operate what the crank is built into. I wonder when the crank is turning, can the DC input operate as an "output"? 🤔

[@zsombor_99]

@@qdaniele97 Gravity operation is pretty limited, also, the player wound need to be placed high from the ground, which is not ideal... I saw a radio on the internet, which had a "wind-up" feature, what was able to operate the generator internally without turning the crank.

[@bornach]

That's Luke Talbot's MyPowerbank, a portable charger designed for the homeless to attach to TFL rental bikes whose chains can still be cranked in reverse when parked.

[@nudebaboon4874]

I just think it's amazing how Matt finds all this stuff that in my nearly 68yrs. have never seen or heard of before. Good on you mate!👍

[@thatguythatdoesstuff5899]

This is pretty cool not needing to have electricity or batteries. And a very thorough service manual, plus spare parts included. A battery would be a great addition, not needing to wind continuously, but it would be something that would need replacing so I can see why it doesn't have it.

[@qdaniele97]

A coil spring or a "gravity battery" (spool of rope with a weight on one end) could've also worked without all the hassles of chemical batteries

[@edwardnowill4408]

trevor Bayliss radio- - -utilised a linear spring drive giving one hour of reception time.Applicable to this cassette deck as well.Unfortunately Trevor Bayliss died recently@@qdaniele97

[@brentfisher902]

I ran a portable CD player off of a 500 Farad (not microfarad) supercapacitor for at least 15 minutes...it was 2020 when I tried it, I remember it being at least that long, possibly longer...Of course I used the electrical grid to charge it...But it has a lot more charge/discharge cycles available than a battery...

[@coolnegative]

I used to volunteer for a tape ministry. We got our supplies from a company called Adirondack. They sold numerous versions like this. Some of the higher ends had something like a capacitor to store any excess power produced while winding or allowed whoever to crank for a long time to store up enough to play for slightly extended lengths of tape.

[@gogereaver349]

yea you could use a cap or a clockwork spring. both would let you have play time without the need to always be winding,. guess they did think of that. the spring may be a bit noisy thow.

[@martysmith2756]

If the YT algorithm were smarter this would be one of the top comments, since it's interesting information we'd never have known otherwise. Oh well.

[@coolnegative]

@@martysmith2756 thank you very much. Your words are gratefully recieved my friend.

[@coolnegative]

@@gogereaver349 yeah. I never got my hands on one personally, but I'm sure it was a different manufacturer than this model.

[@coolnegative]

@@martysmith2756 or was that sarcastic? Either way.........thanx!

[@webspaghetti]

You really should have posted that first 20 seconds on its own as a teaser with no explanation. It was hilarious 😂

[@socoamarettojustine]

Man Techmoan is great. His quality has been so consistent.

[@SHUBH1]

The perfect example for the right to repair movement

[@bobholtzmann]

I've had a windup flashlight that also used the crank to run an electric generator. The only difference is, the crank wound a large clock spring to store mechanical energy, so that the generator can power the small light bulb by itself off the clock spring for a minute or two (it also had a rechargeable battery for more storage). The mechanism takes up space inside the case, though, so the size of a tape player would probably double, along with the cost.

[@andywolan]

I have a similar unit but its a radio. It even has solar panels so it plays music in direct sunlight.

[@TaijanDean]

I have always loved the idea of having mechanically operated versions of electronic gadgets we use on a daily basis. Just in case the apocalypse were to happen... you never know.

[@tristanwegner]

For this reason I have a manual version of an electric tooth brush. Basically you have to produce the back and forth motion with your wrist. Tiresome, but one can handle 2 or 3 minutes at a time

[@alaskaguyd963]

I'm going to age myself here but during the y2k scare in 1999 we had a wind up radios that had built in flashlights just in case the grid went down we could get emergency broadcasts and have lighting at night.

[@zacharygustafson8714]

Man, the idea and execution of this thing is so wholesome.

[@msgrdrymartini]

My first thought upon seeing this was the Boosey and Hawkes "Reporter" tape recorder. It had a clockwork motor and battery amplifier and was designed as a portable dictation machine back before back before battery motors were steady enough.

[@martysmith2756]

I hope Matt reads this comment; I for one would LOVE to see a video featuring this "Reporter" tape recorder. I wish I had the wherewithal to buy one and send it off to the UK to be Techmoanized.

[@Bender24k]

Please never stop finding & show us all these great devices. Cheers from New York!

[@adamallett]

Finally after so many years of watching Techmoan, I FINALLY get a video showing something that I own! I found mine in a thrift store about 4 years ago. It’s really neat!

[@nat7278]

I love this SO much! I would 100% be the guy who rigs it up to a peddle powered stationary bike. Fantastic find!

[@davidkilpatrick1640]

The opening sounded like an ice cream van going by. Alas, Gospel Recordings at 110 Herring Rd is no longer there. I drive past that address most every day and it's just a big apartment building there now.

[@noelbachelor8721]

Yes, we moved to Castle Hill in 1988, and then (as Global Recordings) to Prospect in 2012.

[@Metahec]

This should be a gold standard in right-to-repair compliant devices. It's probably unrealistic to expect today, but it's worth aspiring to this level of self servicing.

[@otherSmallCities]

This is so amazing. And really I love the post apocalyptic bit. Reminds me of how much fun we had with the puppets. It you make a final video, please make it all with puppets. 😊

[@btsr2553]

Thank you 🙏 so much. Every clip is a show. The intro alone is so much fun. Every time you make me laugh so hard. Many times that I end up under the table. This time at 9:21, imagine a smartphone with a crank like that to operate it. The whole thing in the public transport of our time during the rush hour. But that would have its own charm. To end a call, simply stop turning the crank. Please keep up the good work. All the best. Cheers 🍻 and Servus from Bavaria.

[@jamesslick4790]

Seems very well thought out and made for it's time, I like the service manual and spare parts. I'd pay EXTRA for that kind of stuff today!

[@aperrao]

great device, very well designed and they even put spare parts inside...outstanding

[@marchills4131]

Matt, I have no clue how you find these esoteric examples of archaic technology but I am so glad you do! It seemed at first to be such a silly device, but your presentation makes it so entertaining to learn about. Agree that the repair manual written for the layperson and inclusion of spare parts squirreled away in the interior is an impressive bit of forethought and a real *testament* (sorry, couldn't resist) to the company's evangelical mission to make this technology both appropriate and sustainable for third world markets.

[@caeserromero3013]

Brings a whole new meaning to the phrase 'Cranking one out'...but with exactly the same effect on the right arm 😂

[@myfavoriteviewer306]

If I ever came across one of these cassette players, I don't think I'd be able to even test it out until I paired it with a cassette full of nothing but music being played on hurdy gurdy 😂

[@ConfuSomu]

Great video about a peculiar device that got, as always, replaced by the smartphone. I quite enjoyed the post-apocalyptic Techmoan.

[@zascokansasdude]

I'd never seen anything like that before, it's fascinating! Thanks for posting!

[@GoetiaTV]

You didn’t have to put a Sinclair cassette in the hand-cranked player, but you did. This is why I subscribe.

[@LordmonkeyTRM]

Techmoan is winding me up

[@channelbrookes]

What a crank

[@JaredConnell]

It turns out he has that effect on quite a few people.

[@ddrse]

Cranky?

[@CovenantAgentLazarus]

@Techmoan Im glad you stick around and make videos often.

[@scottanderson3577]

Brilliant. The "generator" is basically just a motor. Usually electricity will drive the rotation, but this unit converts rotary action into electricity using the same motor. Similar to the way a microphone and and speaker-driver are the same thing.

[@gsilva220]

That's the most right to repair friendly device i've seen in quite a while. Also, i would have made the cranking mechanism with a small flywheel and a longer gear ratio

[@zorglubmagnus455]

I imagined this would make one cranky but you showed how much cheer it would bring post apocalypse.

[@j0hnf_uk]

The next logical step would be to have a clockwork spring attached, so that it could be powered that way, a bit like those radios that were, (or still are, for all I know), a thing about 30 years ago.

[@GenuineParts]

They probably thought of that but as a Watchmaker I can tell you it wouldn't be able to be serviced by a layman and it would add a host of things that could go wrong. Everything spring wound needs a bit of consideration, and the strong clocksprings are really dangerous if you don't properly unwind them before disassembly. Even when they are unqound they can be a right hassle to put back together.

[@Spacekriek]

An alternative to that would be to make it gravity powered. That would be quite feasible if you live a few floors up in an apartment building.

[@cericat]

You still come across them in survivalist and outdoor goods stores. Beats trying to carry batteries and keep the unit dry when you only want short access to things like weather forecasts.

[@sw6188]

A better option would be to incorporate a battery which is then charged by the generator/motor. That would last a lot longer and take up less space.

[@gogereaver349]

they did sell higher end one that used a capacitor for longer tapes.

[@mazda9624]

This has got to be genuinely one of my favorite Techmoan videos out there! The hunor is spot-on, and the subject matter was surprisingly interesting.

[@Nolano386]

The detailed service manual and included spare parts is wonderful to see. How lovely!

[@g-ed0818]

Damn techmoan, been watching your videos for over 9 years now and you still surprise us with old devices reviews old devices new to someone like me..seems like devices back then are thousands and no standard device to use just to listen/watch their favourite songs/videos..

[@lifeisgood12341]

There should have been a bicycle version that worked like a bike light

[@Paul-ou1rx]

I had one. The bike's wheel turned a small generator that lit the bulb. The faster you went, the brighter the bulb glowed.

[@whompronnie]

@@Paul-ou1rx What if you rode at the speed of light

[@rager1969]

I love the silliness of your opening clip.

[@dizwell]

Imagine Apple producing such service manuals! We took a wrong turn somewhere, I think 😅

[@SirRigbyBaconKaiser]

Looking at one of Macintosh II manuals (IICI/IICX can't remember which) they used to.

[@damionlee7658]

Imagine Apple making spares available! (Now silently laughing by the idea that Apple would find a way to serial match the pulley bands, generator and cassette player mechanism to the box's serial number.)

[@josephpadula2283]

Apple would only have the manual on line so you would only not only have to have the computer working correctly to read it but also have an internet connection! Great in remote areas…..

[@TassieLorenzo]

The Apple 1 was designed to be user assembled, so I guess that came with very good documentation? 🙂

[@morkelork4730]

The coldest of opens ever put on the internet, it's just as clever as this cassette deck👌

[@davidwayneprins]

A friend of mine (and a fellow techie) used to work for a "Bible on Tape" mission organization here in Michigan called Audio Scriptures Ministries that had simlar devices. According to him, these type of players were used to bring the spoken Bible to third world countries where the literacy rates were low and there was little to no electrical grid. Technicians would egularly visit to swap out non working units and also would have to replace the cassette tapes as they would wear out from being played constantly. Matt is correct in that these units were replaced by MP3 players in the ministry field but my friend mentioned that at least within ASM, they had gone to MP3 players that besides being cranked, could run on batteries which charged via a solar panel. They refer to them as "GodPods"

[@gogereaver349]

i seen retail tapes play on loop for years and still function.

[@TRMasterZED]

The Videos you create are so wonderful. That intro alone made my day. Thank you! It seems there is no subject that is dull or boring if you are the one presenting it.

[@RoadStarJP]

Excellent video as always, a very unique device

[@billysmidway7032]

I knew from the picture that this was going to be a cool video. I’m not disappointed. Nicely done Matt!

[@HKT-4300]

What a video to try and wind down with!

[@mrcaboosevg6089]

This channel is an absolute gem

[@Ed_Stuckey]

_Since the early days we've made hand wind audio players, and we still have limited supplies of the TapeTalk2 hand-crank cassette players._ ~GRN Apparently, they went to a second (similar) model which is still available. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[@pandorahaven]

fascinating piece of technology! i probably wouldn’t have been aware of this objects existence without this video, so thank you for your hard work!

[@TheEvilpossum]

Ive always been fascinated by manually powered media players. What would be optimal would be a foot pedal set up; maybe an electric moped with a built in sound system???

[@MACKerMD]

"I'm a cranker baby, so why don't you wind me" .. love this stuff that I never saw in real life, but heard of when I was a kid. Thank you SO much for showing us the pros and a lot of cons with this thingie.... love it.

[@TehSmokeyMan]

I do believe that tape player would survive an EMP (that usually affects integrated circuits, i.e. chips)...... The tapes you'll want to be playing on the other hand.... I'm not so sure how they'll hold up to an EMP😅

[@signbear999]

They'll be fine, they're just iron oxide on a thin plastic tape, nothing electrical.

[@ashleygreen5343]

​@@signbear999physically sure. The magnetic signal on them? Probably not.

[@ingridfong-daley5899]

i love this channel so much... the hand-spun 80's music @9:50 is perfection.

[@Lachlant1984]

Do you notice any resistance on the crank handle when a cassette is playing versus cranking the handle when the unit is in stop mode? I assume there would be a difference in resistance.

[@mrnmrn1]

It surely needs more torque when it is operating.

[@Lachlant1984]

@@mrnmrn1 I would have thought so because the current being drawn by the electronic components is putting a strain on the motor.

[@ianforfun1]

I love seeing all those quirky things and those obscure machines we have never seen in the shops!

[@Englishelectriclightinglover]

It’s a good day when tech moan uploads

[@AnalogX64]

Matt has a hidden untapped talent....comedy. He can totally do comedy sketches.

[@r0kus]

This is one of the most impressive devices you have shared. I never heard of such electro-mechanical players. As a Christian it shows me a very real faith in action. The concern shown in providing a complete yet layman-oriented tech manual is almost unique. And to provide spare parts as standard, just wow.⬅ I don't know what catalog of tapes they provided, but a truly evangelical organization would have made available the Bible in multiple languages. They would have likely also provided tapes offering guidance in making clean water, sanitary standards, and the like. A tape need not be religious to be faithful They would want to share such information with animists, Moslems, etc., without totally turning them off.⬅ Outstanding! 🎉

[@edwardnowill4408]

The Jehovas Wittnesses made quite a number of ingenious devices like this one-an example I liked very much was a clockwork gramophone that looked like a typewriter case,played records vertically & was very well engineered for its purpose.

[@vapno92]

This one was GREAT, I always loved Your humour, it’s really nice and it warms my heart up.

[@rommee]

00:05 I could watch and listen to this on loop.

[@waylonsmythers7714]

😂 Yeah,Ive tried to find the song using the song listening mode on Google search and still can't find it .

[@rommee]

​​​@@waylonsmythers7714Hahahaha! Me too... I found it!! (Whoop!) kzbin.info/www/bejne/f6qXcmqtqN2asNUm36s 'Dancing Pleiades' by 'Anders Enger Jenson' from 2m 36secs

[@2dskillz]

Loved your future plan, gave me a great laugh this morning. Thank you

[@howardatkinson8958]

You would have to be a right cranker to use that thing.

[@Tabascun]

The device, with its constant need for turning the crank to play pre-defined sounds, reminds me of a barrel organ. Techmoan, the modern-day, post-apocalyptic organ cranker!

[@mot13ymotley55]

If this was an apple product you'd need to buy the crank handle separately nevermind finding spare parts in the case😮

[@Sadlander2]

As always, very informative but I found this video in particular hilarious! I wasn't expecting the apocalypse scene at the end with the long hair and the cardboard... 😀

[@blazertracer1]

That player could be modified to have a super capacitor that stores a charge.

[@tomkandy]

The whole construction of this device - its basic principle, sturdiness, repairability and included spare parts - speak to the differing design priorities of the missionaries who commissioned it, when compared to an ordinary commercial device. Whilst I'm not so cynical as to assume companies just want to build stuff as cheaply as possible, money is their ultimate motivation, and quality only matters insofar as it ensures sales, avoids warranty repairs, and gets repeat business. Not so much here - making a device that lasts is the most important thing, and the repairability is part of that. Really fascinating.

[@RonLaws]

This device gets maximum repairability score, i'm sure some other companies starting with the letter A would try to argue the manual alone is too dangerous for consumers and might give them a papercut 😜

[@TassieLorenzo]

Slating the good name of Atari are we now?! 😛

[@RonLaws]

@@TassieLorenzo 🤔🍎

[@rogueinnovations9161]

Weird comment warning! I’ve been following you for years but recently lost my dad and listening to a grumpy man talking about old tech is strangely comforting, so thanks Mat! Your videos have been on a fairly constant loop the last week or so

[@rogueinnovations9161]

The upside of the repeat Mat-a-thon is that I realised my Kenwood turntable was fully automatic and sure enough….replace the belt 😂 I know these are weird comments but just know there are those of us who appreciate and throughly enjoy your content