The Secret Life of the Washing Machine - Remastered

Remastered and upscaled by Norman Margolus from a 1987 PAL tape made directly from the 16mm print, using machine learning software from Topaz labs. Commentary added in Feb 2021. I apologize for the intrusive adverts on the new versions. I am unable to remove them and don't receive any of the income. KZbin automatically detects the copyrighted theme music and posts the adverts to pay the copyright holder, in this case the multinational company, The Universal music Group.
View all 6 episodes of the series and read about their background on my website:
www.timhunkin.com/a243_Secret...
The videos are also here @ / timhunkin1

[@beefchicken]

Watching these 30 years later reminds me how much of my “general knowledge of stuff” was actually learned from this series.

[@daveroche6522]

Anyone else remember reading "Tell Me Why" and "World of Wonder"? EPIC!

[@kaleygoode1681]

Yeah, I sent off for series papers that are (I hope) still in my attic. Succinct and inspiring👍

[@katmanluke7187]

Agreed! Hoping Tim is alright nothing new on the channel in 6 mths now? 🤔

[@jamesslick4790]

American here. This program (programme) shows what makes British TV (telly) better than US TV. These hold up even DECADES later! The combination of the history AND the (well explained AND demonstration) of the mechanics of complex machines in a HALF-HOUR is amazing!

[@BulletMagnet83]

I was in single-digits of age when I first watched these. Which kick-started a bad habit of trying to dismantle everything in the house... my parents bought me Tandy project kits to deter me from doing so, and now I lecture in the field! Even though I probably only know about 1% of what can be known about electronics and will always be learning, I have this series to thank for starting it all.

[@daveroche6522]

Nice one Fern - trying to MacGyver a bunch of stuff (when I was @ 12-years old) usually led to some, em, repercussions. Still learnt so much though....

[@GlutenEruption]

Same here, and I feel like it’s probably not an uncommon story. My parents took to calling my SOLM-induced disassembly fixation “1,2,3 break-it” 😂. Except instead of the Tandy kits, they just sent me down the road to grandma and grandpa who encouraged all of it - every day after school, they would have a pile of tools and something new that grandpa had pulled from the garage/attic/dump/dumpsters behind the mall/side of the road/etc sitting in the basement waiting for me to take apart. Memories…

[@YCbCr]

All the same here. The title music, sweet memories! It stuck with me for a long time, for this was - is! - a memorable series that brought joy, knowledge and fascination that is blended so well! Spice it with some MacGyver and I was done. :) My father was-is an avid tinkerer and me all the curious; this and watching TV at the right times was the recipe for "disaster" :) So many things torn apart and of all of them a Piko FZ1 which has survived hell, stuck with me, literally powering a childhood and more. SOLM might have very well started me on the path to become an engineer who would rather disassemble the locomotives than drive them - living the dream driving though - and I'm thankful for that to this day!

[@tommcewan7936]

I know what you mean, these programmes were a very inspirational part my childhood. A couple of years ago, I was lucky enough to speak to Mr Hunkin in person at his "Novelty Automation" arcade/museum in London - it felt almost like making a religious pilgrimage. A thoroughly decent and amiable chap, I do hope I didn't embarrass him by clearly exuding childhood hero-worship!

[@Dmander816]

From now on when someone tells me they have a Rolls I'll think they are talking about their washing machine.

[@andylindsaytunes]

"Carol, you sweet dumb thing, pull up your flaps; you're draggin'!" 5:26 Sweet 50s dis.

[@drahcirelas7567]

Sounds a bit suspect in 2021

[@elevi2834]

I think the way she swigs from the bottle is suspect

[@jimmyguy428]

@@elevi2834 LMAO!!

[@theirisheditor]

One thing that put us off buying a modern washing machine is the very long cycle lengths to meet their EU energy labelling requirements. We have a Whirlpool semi-pro that's probably about 15 years old and the main regular wash cycle is just 45 minutes, compared to the 3-4 hours of new machines. As it's larger than a typical under-counter model, it has no problem washing duvets, multiple pillows, etc. When the spider of the drum broke a few years ago (sounded like a jack hammer on the spin cycle), my Dad disassembled the machine, replaced the drum and bearings and the machine continues to work. Despite having digital button controls, it has a cam driver inside, making audible clicking sounds when it switches between wash, fill, drain, etc. and resumes after a power cut.

[@Wasmachineman]

Semi-pro, as in the grey Baukpool/WhirlKnecht whichwasher2007 owns?

[@theirisheditor]

@@Wasmachineman I tried checking, but the control panel looks different apart from the grey colour. If you do a Google Image search on Whirlpool Semi Pro 9kg, look for the grey machine with a red LED time read-out. Surprisingly, there's no model # on ours, just says Semi Pro 9kg and Made in Germany. For size comparison, on Whichwasher2007's video titled "wash Race No.246", that big machine on the left is the same size as ours, but appears to be a more modern version with a different control panel layout. If I select the same heavy duty cycle, 60C and everything else to Normal, the time remaining shows 1:00. Setting "Heavy soil" increases the time to 1:10 and "Heavy soil" + "Stain treat" increases the time to 2:10.

[@Wasmachineman]

@@theirisheditor Your (and WW's) machine is a rebranded Whirlpool Duet from the USA market. Not surprising your spider failed, they're known for that.

[@MrWolfSnack]

Eco saving washers are garbage and always will be. You need water - a lot of it - and agitation to wash clothes properly. Using a teaspoon of soap and 3 pints of water will not clean a damn thing. It wastes more water and electricity. I donated my 2013 Maytag Epic Z that I had already completely rebuilt because every single part kept breaking one after the other by 2017. I got a matching Kenmore washer and dryer set from either 1968 or 1972, I don't know the exact date of manufacture, and they are in a avocado green color which I'm not totally a fan of (would have loved turquoise), but I needed them, so I got them anyway. I re-washed my entire closet of clothes and I am just over the moon at how soft and clean they are. All my clothes were just greasy feeling and stunk like mildew for years because why? eco saving piece of junk. ill not need another washer or dryer for my lifetime I am certain of that.

[@KoRMaK1]

the upscaling really popped for me on the drawings - i could see their paper outlines and shadows, crazy

[@teampendragon8406]

Every time I watch a car-rolling stunt (like in Casino Royale) I am reminded of Rex's stunt. RIP

[@GeorgeVCohea-dw7ou]

They basically did the same process, only with a blockbuster film budget and time, for Casino Royale. kzbin.info/www/bejne/hKHHkKt6qrOcb80 They tried multiple methods before settling on the record breaking one utilised for the film, and it could make one wonder where the inspiration came from.

[@unrepentantgeek]

Tim, you are one of the reasons why I'm an engineer today. I learned so much about how things work by watching your program. I watched every time they showed on TV here in the states.

[@rocketsurgery1085]

1st time seeing them. what years did they run? thanks

[@unrepentantgeek]

@@rocketsurgery1085 would have been in the early nineties. Probably saw them on the local PBS station.

[@rocketsurgery1085]

@@unrepentantgeek ok thanks. seems earlier tho.. very cool.

[@daveroche6522]

I'm in Ireland and never discovered this until now. AWESOME!

[@yisraels4555]

I never saw this particular series in the US but similar books and a sense of curiosity made me an engineer. 30 years in semiconductors and I still feel like I learn something new and interesting every day.

[@KOTYAR1]

I work in a laundry plant as an engineer for the last 6 years. And I learned quite a lot from this, it's amazing

[@KOTYAR1]

Thank you, KZbin algorithm this recommendation was perfect

[@-NoneOfYourBusiness]

That young engineers in 2021 know absolutely nothing on how to make good washing machines like the one made back in the day makes perfect sense to me.

[@KOTYAR1]

@@-NoneOfYourBusiness well, not quite. I always was curious about history of the stuff, I actually looked into it while getting my degree. And I never seen those mechanical river paddies.

[@jeffescortlx]

These remastered episodes are fantastic! Even better than I remember watching as a kid!

[@f00f00mods]

Appliance repair man here. I can confirm that modern washers are indeed practically identical to the ones in the show. I still come across plenty of machines using cam timers that are still working well. As Tim says she the end, some of the motors have changed a bit. Basic washers still use brushed motors but higher end models are going brush less, including the direct drive LG one shown (in my opinion the best motor you can currently get on a washer). Looking forward to watching the rest of these remasters.

[@Kubulek17]

I don’t think we’ve had mechanical timer washing machines in Europe since the early 2000s

[@f00f00mods]

@@Kubulek17 Yeah that sounds about right. I still see them still working from time to time. Definitely becoming less frequent though. Modern washings machine moduels are pretty reliable, but 20+ years would be optimistic

[@matneu27]

Nowadays most machines had variable speed (frequency) drivers with tree phase motors. Before, motors had different winding packages to realize different speeds for washing and fast spinning.

[@toydoctor88]

Absolutely brilliant. I would watch “Secret life of Machines” on the Discover Channel with my father in the US. He has since passed on now. Fortunately I have the wonderful memories thanks to you and Rex!

[@RCAvhstape]

Same here. Wish my dad was here to see these again.

[@Warutteri]

Rex has also unfortunately passed a few years ago, Tim has a rather heartwarming article celebrating Rex's life on his website: www.timhunkin.com/a229_rex.htm

[@jimmyguy428]

@@Warutteri Thanks for sharing this link. It is a good read. RIP, Rex!

[@w6wdh]

Obviously a labor of love for Tim Hunkin! Bravo for restoring this video in HD and adding the commentary at the end. I look forward to the Secret Life of the Photocopier. I showed that video at Hewlett-Packard Laboratories when we were developing laser printers. Everyone loved it, especially the footage Tim dug up of Chester Carlson, and Tim and Rex making sulfur plates to replicate Carlson’s experiments.

[@axeman3d]

Back when Ken Morse was doing the rostrum camera on everything. Love it.

[@gs425]

EVERYTHING . I recall even Smith and Jones put that in a sketch!

[@fred27murphy]

I remember watching this as a kid, but I'd forgotten Rex's go as a stuntman. Maybe he should have done up the strap on his helmet though!

[@johnster02]

shoutout to the badass who flipped a car with him in it to do a demonstration about how pressure works lol

[@michaelfisher9671]

Why do I get the feeling that Rex was just dying to roll a car, and found a flimsy excuse to relate it to the topic of washing machines?

[@davids8449]

The secret Life of was indeed an excellent program, I still have my old Miele washing machine that is 45 years old yes it is working with the original door rubber etc. Unfortunately the modern Miele washers are not made very well

[@mr.headcrab31]

I am always reminded of my father recovering a lost diamond from my sister's wedding ring thanks to this episode. The stone broke free and ended up in the washer, She wanted to take the washer to bits to get it back, bud Dad immediately thought of the buttons at 20:20 going through the impeller and put a stocking over the discharge hose, turned it to rinse and successfully recovered it. Thank you for all the work in remastering and adding bonus content, on top of the thanks for making them originally.

[@MrWolfTickets]

That's epic. Everyone must have been in awe with your dad's ingenuity!!

[@brainisfullofnonsense8183]

In the interview afterwards he said that he thinks the motor is some kind of sophisticated brushless motor or something, and he is spot on, at least for the ones he could see. They are in Europe, but not in the United States of America. The induction motor has been used and continues to be used since before 1970. I think this is because of it being cheaper to produce as well as mains voltages being around 120 volts instead of double that for much of Europe. That's just a guess at the reasoning.... Great history lesson. Here's a thing that most people dont know about those pressure switches: Many times there is a screw that adjusts the amount of spring force applied to the diaphragm, which means that you can ADJUST THE SWITCH IF YOU ARE NOT GETTING ENOUGH WATER IN THE TUB TO EFFECTIVELY WASH THE LOADS. My mother and father bought a new machine precisely because of the old one not filling completely. I volunteered to dispose of it for them, right into my laundry nook.

[@PibrochPonder]

It’s in HD!!! AWSOME, honestly I never thought I would see that.

[@jek9911]

31:03 is totally true. I've told my children that I have little idea how my dad and grandma knew how (or at least had the courage to open a malfunctioning thing) and repair it without having KZbin, Google and readily available parts. I suppose all mechanical machines are variations on a small set of themes... which is/was probably the entire goal of the Secret Life TV show. I enjoy watching and listening to these episodes.

[@tookitogo]

I can’t really speak to appliances, but in electronics, back then you could get service manuals (and in the case of things like electronics test gear, it was often included), and those service manuals included the theory of operation, schematics, etc. Quite unlike most “service manuals” of today, which often are little more than troubleshooting guides that tell you which module to swap.

[@Pghpete5]

As an American this is the first time I've seen these and I absolutely love them! Thank you for posting them.

[@welshpete12]

I remember when this series first went out on British TV all those years ago .Why can't we have good documentaries like this on TV today ?

[@8807smoore]

The washing machine pyramid appeared in the film Drowning by Numbers, Tim also got a credit.

[@donaldasayers]

My Mum's Bosch Washing machine had a plastic tape display like that, but it was the programmer, below the icons it had rows of perforations that controlled the machine.

[@chrisbeck8182]

SO awesome seeing Tim talk about these episodes! Loved watching these 30 years ago and still timeless today in that quirky British way.

[@willwallacetree]

Yes, Yes and thrice Yes. 2021 as a year is looking up! Thank you Tim :-)

[@flutechannel]

This is so incredible Tim! Your a valuable resource and your curiosity is timeless. Thanks for sharing this amazing program. I would love to hear your thoughts about musical instruments if you have the time!

[@guybunce]

Ditto! Particularly automated music machines

[@MaxHarden]

And tear apart an AI robot vacuum cleaner when you get a day off!

[@dangaAgadanga]

I was 10 years old when I discovered your programmes on Channel 4 and you were the spokesperson for all things l relished, the tv, especially the washing machine, but most of all, the video cassette recorder. How you inspired me at that age (I imagined myself as Rex Garrod). Thanking you is not enough. Maybe you’re part of the reason why I pursued maintaining electronic equipment, leading with my passion for electronics into studying a degree in Computer Science. And now I’m a teacher! So I am a lifelong learner. I’m going to head over to watch the secret life of the VCR. I’m sure I still remember the words having played it over a hundred times after it was first broadcast. So pleased to have seen you exactly 30 years later 😊 I dare say you haven’t changed a bit. P.S. I just informed my wife that you inspired me 30 years ago and her only reply was NOT to “make the house look like that” (as I was playing your Extra’s update). How DARE she say that! 😊 I will sleep on the sofa tonight just so she understands how insulting that was and I hope she realises how important this means to me 😊

[@DavidHembrow]

Excellent picture quality, and it's full length unlike many of the uploads here. Are you going to do all the old programmes? I hope so as they remain excellent explanations of how things work

[@DavidHembrow]

@@cmmartti thanks for pointing that out

[@WalkerKlondyke]

5:40 I’ve had conversations with my mother, who is now 74, active, independent, worldly and owns her own business, but says that when she was a young newlywed in the early 70s, that quaint life of a housewife was precisely what she wanted.

[@lorblauh]

@Nani Nano You just assume a woman couldn't possibly just have wanted a life like that? Couldn't possibly have wanted different things from the world than you?

[@BeingRomans829ed]

My son and I loved watching SLOM when he was little. I recorded them all on VHS. A co-worker borrowed the tape and never returned it. I felt as if I'd lost a real treasure. Thank you very much for putting these on KZbin.

[@1dubsalot]

Therapist: The automated people can't hurt you, they're not real Automated Person: Twiddles thumbs and tickles foot.

[@rotordave81]

After watching this as a child, my turn to repair a washing machine came recently. I only needed to replace a tiny SMD component costing a few dollars. I hadn't worked with SMD components before but I was determined. I'm sure I owe it to this series that I would even consider repairing it rather than throw it away and buy a new one.

[@tedfarwell9812]

This is a dream come true! I have loved TSLOM since the original airings!

[@williamwebb2042]

Thanks for this video. Around the time this video originally aired, I bought my first washer and dryer. Stories of unreliable machines abounded. I told the salesman that I was working 60 hours a week for an defense contractor and I really did not want to have to tinker with these machines. He sold me a commercial washer and commercial dryer. They are very basic machines usually sold to nursing homes and similar institutions. They are mechanical, no transistors or ICs. You may notice that I used present tense in the last sentence. I still have them. To date, I have changed the belt and the idler bearing in the dryer. The washer has all original parts. All hail mechanics over electronics for this sort of application.

[@Hilde_von_Derp]

Thank you Tim!!! I have recommended this series to everyone I know. It looks so sharp and fantastic now. Thank you so much to Rex, bless his memory, and yourself for all your work on this show.

[@herbcraven7146]

It's so good to see these shows again, having seen them first on The Discovery Channel here in the colonies. TSLOM was easily one of the most memorable bits of television I've ever seen. Thank you, Tim, for bringing them back and sharing your memories. Miss you, Rex, RIP.

[@robm8809]

I love these shows Tim, you should be proud, they're excellent. I hope that this "remastered" episode is the first of many... I would absolutely love to purchase the whole series in any format, including digital download.

[@PibrochPonder]

I 100% agree. All three series on iTunes

[@Sohave]

I run a small real estate company and find this film really entertaining and enlightening, Right now I have a fleet of 4 Miele washingmashines build in the last 20 years all with computers, they last long and are really reliable, but for when they do fail I got an old 1990's Zanussi machine with a manual timer, possibly one of the last series ever build that way, I call it the Stuka. it goes up on my trailer and gets taken to what ever location there is a breakdown to work as a replacement machine.

[@Keeping_IT_Simple]

Yet another great remaster from one of the most fondly remembered series of my teenage years ....very informative & entertaining without all the shouting & "wow aren't I wonderful " you get from alot of today's presenters . The post show comments are my favourite bits - a sort or the secret Life of a secret Life !

[@Cavalier_Steve]

It’s funny you say that the modern washing machine is easier to repair now it’s one of the reasons why I’m holding on to my 12 year old machine. It’s on up to 3 times a day, I have replaced the bearings twice and sorted out a couple of leaks and replaced the PCB about 5 years ago it’s getting noisy now though but I will carry on repairing it until something major goes wrong! I think a lot of this is thanks to you and you secret life of machines program when I watched at as a child. All the best. Steve.

[@chrissedgwick9655]

Tim and Rex were the pioneers of the modern “how it’s made” type of program. To be honest ,these are still the best by far!

[@owenmerrick2377]

Yay! I've still got a VCR with the series on VHS, taped from TV including the commercials of which scenes were trimmed to make way for. Good show all around!

[@WeHadOneOfThose]

Likewise Owen and the Ferguson videostar to play on, I remember I was working late nights and had about 3 people simultaneously recording the programmes in case the timer didn't work lol.....

[@skivvy3565]

Here I am back again, rewatching the entire series

[@piad2102]

Absolutely love these old gadget serie.

[@jms019]

I had to pack round the bolts holding the concrete and also change the bearings of the machine in my first (shared) house. Mum had a wonderful machine in the 70s that took square plastic programming slabs with a program on each edge. I think the slabs were double sided so 8 on each of the two slabs. Still running a late 90s mechanical timer machine though it does have soft-starting modern motor drive

[@WeHadOneOfThose]

Sounds like you mum had the famous and expensive in the day Hoover Keymatic , 4 programmes printed on one keyplate side then flip over another 4 making 8 , later machines had 2 keyplates so 16 progs in total , great machines ...👍👍

[@WeHadOneOfThose]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/p5OTo5Swa66LgtU

[@trefwoordpunk2225]

Wow, this is amazing to see this again, I remember my dad taping most of these when they were on telly back in the day, the great style of presenting and amusing cartoons made all of this very fascinating to my younger self and definitely inspired us to look at appliances in a different way and is probably responsible for my lifelong obsession of being a bit of a tinkerer/hacker. I remember us opening up our old betamax thinking we could fix it after watching secret life of the videorecorder. And for some reason the secret life of the fax (with using the flags) just popped into my mind...can't wait to see all these again! BRILLIANT!!

[@JohnDlugosz]

The washer I bought in 2003 was still electro-mechanical, with no electronics. The one I just bought is digital. So, the cams and switches hung on well into the microcomputer age.

[@Watchmaker_Gereon-Schloesser]

yes I bought a micro washing machine for 3Kg. A Eudora. Here in Switzerland they are labled KENWOOD (yes that brand from UK). The Switch is LUCKYLY a cam-motor-switch! Damm was I happy as a watchmaker to discover that my machine had one instead these silly semiconductors. Bought it in 2017.

[@WeHadOneOfThose]

Fantastic to see these remastered and love your addition commentary Tim, I still have the original recorded VHS tapes and for us collectors and restorers your programmes are still much watched and discussed today when we all meet up. The entry into the club is to name all of the washers in the pyramid by brand and model number , and it's a pretty big club now ha ha !!

[@jonobaywindow]

The theme tune "The Russians are Coming" is quite apt at this time! Love this series. A real voyage of discovery of how things work. I hope some schools use the material to help inspire some students to enter further education to study engineering.

[@franktuckwell196]

Brilliant the first time around and just as good now 30 years later. With the proliferation of modern gadgets this series could do with a renewal, please. Love the little insights at the ends.

[@josyfkristopher4320]

When I first started in appliance retail, this series was invaluable in giving me understanding of the basics of the machines. There are still appliances, such as the Asko and Miele washing machines, that still hold to the idea of putting build quality first (separate chassis and cast-iron counterweights, for example) - most devices feel kind of flimsy by comparison. Some brands have a gimmick warranty where they will give you a replacement motor for free if it breaks in the first 10 years but don't mention the fact that the labour costs still have to be paid for by the customer and these can be pretty horrendous with the direct drive machines. You have to almost dismantle the whole machine to change the part.

[@marcse7en]

Mr. Tim Hunkin, you're an amazing man! God bless you sir! You make engineering entertaining! I understand Rex Garrod is no longer with us? RIP Rex! You too were amazing! I love this series! I thought I'd seen all these "Secret Life" programmes, but this one is new to me! I thought that the link between washing machines and rolling car stunts was possibly a little tenuous? 😂😂😂 My washing machine (bought 2005) is almost 16 years old, and uses an electromechanical programme timer! My machine uses a brushed motor, and the original brushes lasted almost 15 years, and were replaced by myself a year ago. The Secret Life Of The Video Recorder: REX: "This is recorded on sticky tape and rust! This is recorded on sticky tape and rust!" The Socially-Distanced Life Of Digital Recording (2021): SPEAKING THROUGH A FACE COVERING: "This is recorded on silicon and plastic! This is recorded on silicon and plastic!" 😂😂😂

[@AutumnalSunflower]

some aspects of the modern world are good, like the fact that a texan born in '99 can watch this british show from '84 :) been loving this series and loving your commentaries at the end!!

[@normalblaster]

Such a joy to see these again. It's great to see Rex in action as well. We can't wait to get back to either Princeton Street or Southwold pier.

[@mervace]

Loved this whole series back in the nineties here in Australia,thanks for renewing. I have seen a few recently on utube from very poor video tape uploads. VCR one was my favourite

[@jackdoigcollinw8634]

I watched them with old boy here on sbs Australia when I was kid brings back lots of old memories

[@thelastNokiauser]

Absolutely wonderful to see this remastered and reuploaded! Going to enjoy them all over again.

[@tedgaunt3044]

I'm really loving the republished series! Thank you!

[@betamax5674]

Thank you for putting these up!!!

[@elektroboots1670]

brilliant! loved these as a kid i even had the paper booklet that you could get from c4, i eneded up going in to electronics after watching these, often thought there should have been another series though

[@threesixty8154]

Another great remaster and commentary Tim! Thanks again!

[@CherylSimser]

Delightfully entertaining and educational. Thank you, Tim.

[@TurboTel68]

Amazing seeing this, I’ve been repairing washing machines for nearly 30 years and worked on most of these models of machine. Sadly, I don’t think the repair trade will last much longer though.

[@leenevin8451]

Because you cant get parts?

[@TurboTel68]

@@leenevin8451 partially lack of spares for non brand products, partially down to cost of spares making a repair uneconomical, but also because manufacturers are ensuring they are the only ones who can repair their own products. For a good while now a large amount of new whitegoods are using electronics that can only be coded and setup by manufacturers using their own software

[@webbtrekker534]

Thanks for remastering this and your other earlier programs. I had always loved these shows for there no frills and down to earth approach to their subjects.

[@DanSkipToTheEnd]

Amazing, so glad to find you on here Tim!! Wanted to show my kids this series :-)

[@richeastmain4031]

Thank you for putting these up here. I always enjoyed the show and it’s even better with your commentary at the end.

[@Liofa73]

Thanks for putting these videos up.

[@markatherton7848]

Thank you doing all this Tim. Its been huge fun watching them one more time.

[@dudleybarker2273]

just only recently discovered Tim - what a treasure - so much catching up to do!

[@madbstard1]

Beautifully remastered. I really loved the series and now having you talk about them at the end is really special. I can't wait to go through the rest of them.

[@craigstaggs8597]

Thank you soo much Tim , you and Rex have been my inspiration since I was a teenager !! Totally excellent !!

[@rickblackwell6435]

My wife is going to be pissed off when I dump those buttons in the washer!

[@TsiolkovskySportingLocks]

It was seeing your cartoon that actually prompted me to take my mum's brand new washing machine apart when i was 7 years old. Boy was I in trouble but your work has been a life long inspiration to me., Thank you for putting these on line for us all to watch!

[@Viken43]

Loved watching the show many years ago, thank you for sharing on You Tube. Best wishes ...

[@thomasjwynn]

Fantastic episode. Very interesting! I learnt a lot from it. Thanks for sharing it.

[@Bernybellows]

I had one for christmas back in the early 70s and absolutely loved it! You could even get a little drive shaft with four pulleys on to drive little tools like grinders and polishers and stuff! I still have it but its in need of restoration.

[@arricammarques1955]

Tim informative & entertaining series. Respect!

[@martinoamello3017]

My grandma had an old fashioned washing machine from somewhere around WWII with the big rollers on top.. That machine is what taught me to not put my fingers in the rollers..It don't tickle one little bit.

[@16mmDJ]

Thank you so much for the remaster Tim. I can't wait to re-watch all of them repeatedly in high quality!!!

[@bootsowen]

Wonderful Tim, great video, not the first time that I have watched it but the commentary at the end was interesting and entertaining too. I agree with your point about the newer machines being more repairable. It tends to be that any of the shared components like pumps and motor brushes are really cheap and easy to repair. But the unique things like printed circuit boards are more expensive, unless you attempt to diagnose the issue yourself. Some machines though have a sealed tub, so if the bearings go there is no way to extract them without cutting the plastic tub in half. I have been posting videos for about 5 years now of the self destruction of un-repairable automatics. I managed to get one to jump on a trampoline of it's own accord. I have also flooded the internet with selected how-to-repair washing machine videos, but for some reason they aren't as popular. The motor you showed at the end, the direct drive one, has an array of magnets surrounding the coils you showed. A relatively complicated controller, I think similar to a 3 (or more) phase inverter. I suspect that the machines in your film had induction motors, whereas the more recent ones tend to have brushed commutator motors, but many now have a "slient" 3-phase induction motor, which can be run from a single phase inverter and is useful for making workshop tools. I have posted some videos on these motors and how to control them. Kind regards!

[@Aengus42]

I've seen that direct drive motor turned into a wind or water generator with supposedly simple rewiring. Looked like a splendid post apocalyptic project!

[@patrickirby9825]

Thanks so much for your series Tim. I began watching them on the Discovery Channel back in the 90s and early 2000s. So happy to find your Channel on KZbin now.

[@chipholland9]

Thanks for doing this Tim! It looks amazing compared to the broadcast version I watched too many years ago.

[@2.7petabytes]

I love these Tim! I have watched all episodes multiple times! They never get old. Thank you for what you do

[@pagecrow7252]

thank you, Tim, for these wonderful videos. They were fascinating. They are still fascinating. It is nostalgic to wander back into these films. thank you so much.

[@Jonas_Keunecke]

What a great programme, alot to learn but also so many fun interjections. I'm going to check out the other ones

[@Sctronic209]

Tim your pure genius. Love how you explain everything. Love the series.

[@basshorseman998]

Thanks Tim

[@I967]

Thank you for putting these remastered episodes here. I only learned about the series a couple of years ago through YT and I watched all the episodes I could find. They were in very poor resolution, but I learned a ton. Now I can rewatch them in glorious high-fidelity remastered quality!

[@CNCAddict]

Tim, would love to see more of these produced!! The combination of art, history, and tech is something that is extremely rare and makes your productions especially endearing!

[@AbisDen]

🥸 I absolutely love this series. Thank you so much for uploading these. Glad to see you’re doing well.

[@jean-paul7251]

Tim....your still my hero...from the age of 12.....to now....age 45! We used to love discussing each episode at school.....now I still discuss with my dad and uncle...all engineers now

[@wooten86]

Thank you so much for this. I learned so much from this as a kid. I can't hear "Take Five" without thinking of your show to this day.

[@DevilbyMoonlight]

Top stuff.. I remember as a young kid in the 70's that my granny had an Acme washing machine which had a gas burner under it which had to be lit by hand and had a hand crank in the top mounted lid, as well as a fold up mangle on the side that was secured by large wingnuts - washing clothes was never so much fun!

[@mikejohannessen9772]

This is great! This was made around the time I was born and was one of my favorite shows as a kid. And perhaps it influenced me to study and now practice engineering. Good to see Mr. Hunkin is still around and that he took the time to share these with us!

[@pigpenpete]

This was (is) a brilliant series, I learned so much watching it growing up

[@tiscitatascit]

Fantastic content!!! Thank you for sharring.

[@Kevinfordsynthesizers]

Circa 1987 I used to sell Rex solenoid valves, he was a fascinating chap who taught me a lot - especially about this particular programme as I had a problem with my old machine, just a wire off the pressure switch!

[@christopherj3367]

I've loved watching these, thanks Tim for sharing them and your thoughts one them. recently fixed my washing machine but ended up buying a new one anyway, it was a sealed drum and I needed to get inside to change the bearings.