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The Reassembler - James May rebuilds old stuff on BBC Four


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Old 05-04-2016, 16:22
Andy2
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I really enjoyed the lawn mower one, it had a feel of those 'slow TV' programmes. Looking forward to tonights.
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Old 05-04-2016, 18:09
Doghouse Riley
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I s'ppose this programme is fine for those who like this presenter, but he's never been my cup of tea. So I wouldn't watch it.

As for "how to," information, there's thousands of these videos on YouTube, on practically .....everything.

Unfortunately, some are more about the person presenting the information, rather than about the detail, but it's often the same with TV programmes.
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Old 05-04-2016, 19:03
Heston Veston
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TV engineers rarely need a soldering iron these days, no capacitors or resistors to change like in the old valve sets.
Computer diagnostics reduces the job to mostly swopping, "pull out, push in," printed circuit boards.
Or even binning it because it's not worth the cost of the repair.
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Old 05-04-2016, 19:45
fmradiotuner1
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think I give up with this my first recording had sign language on so wiped from my Sky HD box and to download the HD version again only to have sign language.
I cannot record at 9pm due to recoding clash?
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Old 05-04-2016, 20:54
Doghouse Riley
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Or even binning it because it's not worth the cost of the repair.
This is so true about a lot of "kit" these days. I had a tuner/amp I bought decades ago which would have cost the equivalent of the best part of £1,000 today.
About six years ago it blew an output transistor. A repair would have cost around £100, if there were no further damage. So I binned it and replaced it with a similar vintage tuner/amp I bought on eBay for around thirty quid, it's worked perfectly since.

With the renewed interest in vinyl, such things and vintage turntables are creeping up in price.
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Old 05-04-2016, 21:26
lundavra
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Bit pointless stripping down the dial completely, i think they were normally supplied complete and would be replaced as one part because their assembly was a specialist job.
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Old 05-04-2016, 21:36
_ben
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Air going over the curved upper surface has to move faster (as its a greater distance) than the air going under the wing.
Why would the greater distance make the air move faster?
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Old 05-04-2016, 21:47
Ex Pat
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This is so true about a lot of "kit" these days. I had a tuner/amp I bought decades ago which would have cost the equivalent of the best part of £1,000 today.
About six years ago it blew an output transistor. A repair would have cost around £100, if there were no further damage. So I binned it and replaced it with a similar vintage tuner/amp I bought on eBay for around thirty quid, it's worked perfectly since.

With the renewed interest in vinyl, such things and vintage turntables are creeping up in price.
Why didnt you just put in a new transistor? Cost less than a fiver usually for the tranny and you have the satisfaction of having repaired it.
This vintage gear is worth repairing.
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Old 05-04-2016, 21:51
Prince Monalulu
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Bit pointless stripping down the dial completely, i think they were normally supplied complete and would be replaced as one part because their assembly was a specialist job.
How is assembling the dial pointless considering the program is about reassembling stuff?

As far as I'm concerned it wasn't pointless because it allowed us to see him reassemble it and make some remarks about it's assembly, especially coiled springs and Quantum physics
I found the mini governor interesting, it's unlikely I'd have worked out what it did otherwise, I'd have been too concerned with simply getting it back together.
I didn't see enough about the fibre 'clutch' he mentioned.
A bit of an explanation about transistors and old fashioned switching in the telephone would have been good.

Nice to see the crew having a giggle with the presenter too.
Very odd commission, rather like Danny Bakers 'Brushing up on...' which was getting a repeat earlier tonight.
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Old 05-04-2016, 22:01
_ben
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Also why an engine RPM increases when the butterfly flap allows more air/petrol mixture into the combustion chamber has never been explained to my complete satisfaction.
The assertion is made at the start of the program that only by taking something apart and putting it back together can you really understand how it works, but I think they're overstating the value of this. For example, there is a belief among a certain sector of electronics hobbyists that you can learn how a circuit works by soldering components onto a board. I spent years at university learning how to design electronic circuits and I can tell you there's a lot of equations involved.
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Old 05-04-2016, 22:49
Prince Monalulu
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The assertion is made at the start of the program that only by taking something apart and putting it back together can you really understand how it works, but I think they're overstating the value of this. For example, there is a belief among a certain sector of electronics hobbyists that you can learn how a circuit works by soldering components onto a board. I spent years at university learning how to design electronic circuits and I can tell you there's a lot of equations involved.
I don't think any of the audience for this will take that statement quite as seriously as you are.
Understanding how something goes together why parts are where they are, what they do etc.
You don't just put it together, you're working through their processes as you go, assembly provides a context for each part, to drill the thing into your brain.
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Old 05-04-2016, 22:49
Andy2
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Another enjoyable 're-assembly'. I liked the chuckling amongst the crew. Anyone notice how virtually all parts and connections in that phone were made with screws, nuts or threaded bushes - no crimps, rivets or 'interference fit' parts.
Makes you proud to be British.
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Old 05-04-2016, 22:54
Prince Monalulu
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Another enjoyable 're-assembly'. I liked the chuckling amongst the crew. Anyone notice how virtually all parts and connections in that phone were made with screws, nuts or threaded bushes - no crimps, rivets or 'interference fit' parts.
Makes you proud to be British.
I'd be surprised if some of those wires weren't crimped into their connectors, might well have been soldered too, mind.

I don't know what's wrong with crimps and rivets or interference fit either, they've all got their place, in the scheme of things.
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Old 05-04-2016, 23:00
mike65
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I don't know what's wrong with crimps and rivets or interference fit either, they've all got their place, in the scheme of things.
DIY unfriendly obviously.
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Old 05-04-2016, 23:00
Doghouse Riley
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Why didnt you just put in a new transistor? Cost less than a fiver usually for the tranny and you have the satisfaction of having repaired it.
This vintage gear is worth repairing.
The problem as I'm sure you know is that parts of any amplifier "grow old together," so replacing a failed part with a brand new one can sometimes cause additional problems. I ditched a Philips 790 and now have a Leak 2000, probably ten years younger though still vintage and for thirty-odd quid it was well worth the trouble.
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Old 05-04-2016, 23:03
JeffG1
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Air going over the curved upper surface has to move faster (as its a greater distance) than the air going under the wing. Since the air has to move faster it thus has less density which 'sucks' the wing upwards. See Boyle's law
Why would the greater distance make the air move faster?
Think of the air being still and the wing moving through it (which is what actually happens). The top of the wing moves at the same speed at the bottom - imagine what would happen if that wasn't the case . Seeing as the same air starting at the front of the wing meets up again at the trailing edge, it must have moved faster over the top since it had farther to travel.
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Old 05-04-2016, 23:06
tiacat
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It should beon much longer, its too short. Very relaxing.
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Old 05-04-2016, 23:18
Bob_Knoobb
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It should beon much longer, its too short. Very relaxing.
MY 11 yr old watched this completely transfixed. I think he would happily watch James May talking about paint drying. He is a very underrated presenter.
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Old 05-04-2016, 23:23
Prince Monalulu
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DIY unfriendly obviously.
As I said, got their place in the scheme of things.
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Old 05-04-2016, 23:29
dnet
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Why would the greater distance make the air move faster?
See here from 29.31 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIP7sDJNbrY
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Old 06-04-2016, 03:00
wolfticket
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And here:
https://www.grc.nasa.gov/www/k-12/airplane/lift1.html
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Old 06-04-2016, 04:20
iamian
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TV engineers rarely need a soldering iron these days, no capacitors or resistors to change like in the old valve sets.
Computer diagnostics reduces the job to mostly swopping, "pull out, push in," printed circuit boards.
I remember in the 1960s our rented TV often needed repair. For the most part the engineer would open up his case of Mullard valves and just keep swapping them to get it working again. Very little soldering was ever done apart from when the voltage drop resistor (like a green cigar tube) burnt out. If the tube went though it meant taking away the TV for days. If you were lucky you might get a stand-in replacement, I recall one we got only showed BBC. I still watch very little ITV!
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Old 06-04-2016, 09:05
JayDee279
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Re: aircraft.
As I understand it, most of the lift is due to the wing moving through the air at a slight angle. The curved top surface is to prevent turbulent flow, which would increase drag.
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Old 06-04-2016, 10:07
tim123
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I can see that I'm in the minority here

but OMG that couldn't have been any duller if they'd shown it in real time

tim
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Old 06-04-2016, 10:13
Paul_DNAP
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I can see that I'm in the minority here

but OMG that couldn't have been any duller if they'd shown it in real time

tim
It would have been marvellous in real time, and live, with people tweeting in questions and advice on what to do next. But then they'd not be able to edit out all the swearing that always accompanies putting piston rings on.
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