What's your oldest electronic device that you still use?

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stargazr

Diamond Member
Jun 13, 2010
4,172
3,705
136
Texas Instruments TI-30 Solar Calculator. It's from the 80's, and I still use it every day at work.

Qr08iiK.jpg
 

lozina

Lifer
Sep 10, 2001
11,711
8
81
Electrolux model L vacuum circa late 1960s

http://www.1377731.com/lux/luxlall.html

The thing sucks more than most modern vacuums I compare it to (unless you compare them to the newest cyclone/wundtunnel designs which do better)

edit- just realized the thread said 'electronic' when i thought it said 'electric'. oh well close enough...
 
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Thebobo

Lifer
Jun 19, 2006
18,574
7,672
136
1960 Custom 24" Square speakers cabinets, Phillips 12" 3 way speaker
Still sound great imo.

qZe0ibYpFZuS.jpg
 

Engineer

Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
39,230
701
126
Texas Instruments TI-30 Solar Calculator. It's from the 80's, and I still use it every day at work.

Qr08iiK.jpg

I've got something similar but don't use it much. Now need to go check to see if that's the one that I have (or something newer). I've had it since the early 90's so I guess it's newer than that one.
 

twinrider1

Diamond Member
Sep 28, 2003
4,096
64
91
My alarm clock/radio has an 8-track player. I'd guess it's late 70s.
My calculator is a TI-36X Solar. Still works fine. I think I got it in junior high, '80.
My mouse is a Microsoft IntelliMouse Explorer. I think I bought it in '99.

I have stereo and music gear that is much older, but I think that's a different category.
 

Gillbot

Lifer
Jan 11, 2001
28,830
17
81
Do you actually still use that? I had one very similar but it's long gone.

Yep, Keep it on my desk by this:
2001-9274.jpg


Easier to grab it than pull up the one on my pc and fumble through mouse clicks for simple math calculations on ratios.

Edit: it was my grandfathers so it's an honor to me to use and keep it going.
 
Dec 10, 2005
28,676
13,816
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TI-86 from 1996. Right here on my desk.
Same. I have a TI-86 from 2001, I think the last year or year before they stopped making it. That thing is a champ. My second oldest electronic is probably my Panasonic CD alarm clock. I think I made a mix CD in high school that I'm still using to wake up 10 years later...
 

cmdrdredd

Lifer
Dec 12, 2001
27,052
357
126
I have a set of 4 JBL studio speakers with one 15" woofer, one 15" radiator, and a horn that my dad purchased in the late 70s or early 80s I dunno. But I use them almost daily and they have oak cabinets that look almost brand new. I imagine they could be worth some cash to someone, but I'll never get rid of them. They sound too good for rock music.
 

Paperdoc

Platinum Member
Aug 17, 2006
2,497
371
126
We still use occasionally a cheap old Electrophonic stereo system from the early 1970's that includes a record changer, AM / FM radio and 8-track tape player. Come to think of it, from that same time frame I still use a Radio Shack multi-meter designed around a high-impedance dual-FET input stage in its amplifier. But mmntech's working radio from the 1930's looks like the winner so far!
 

mmntech

Lifer
Sep 20, 2007
17,501
12
0
1960 Custom 24" Square speakers cabinets, Phillips 12" 3 way speaker
Still sound great imo.

Good quality speakers will last you forever. The ones I use in my workshop are of that vintage. Sound great too. I find audio gear from the 60s to the 80s tends to be of higher quality than what's sold today.

Speaking of vintage audio, a buddy of mine actually owns a Victrola. It's one of the console style ones. All mechanical. Nothing electronic inside. I saw it at his cottage and I've been meaning to ask him about it. Must be almost 100 year old. Looks to be in rough shape so I doubt it works.
 

SteveGrabowski

Diamond Member
Oct 20, 2014
8,955
7,665
136
8-bit NES

Did they eventually start making decent versions of the hardware late in the NES's lifetime? Because everyone I ever knew who had an NES had it go bad after about a year of use; e.g., getting stuck resetting over and over, having to pull out and push the cartridge in 10x before it would work, and so on.
 

mmntech

Lifer
Sep 20, 2007
17,501
12
0
Did they eventually start making decent versions of the hardware late in the NES's lifetime? Because everyone I ever knew who had an NES had it go bad after about a year of use; e.g., getting stuck resetting over and over, having to pull out and push the cartridge in 10x before it would work, and so on.

Problems with the 10NES lockout chip caused the system to go into a reboot loop. They released a top loader late in life which removed the chip. It also fixed the issues with the cartridge connectors. The original's used to tarnish.
 

Sonikku

Lifer
Jun 23, 2005
15,901
4,927
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Did they eventually start making decent versions of the hardware late in the NES's lifetime? Because everyone I ever knew who had an NES had it go bad after about a year of use; e.g., getting stuck resetting over and over, having to pull out and push the cartridge in 10x before it would work, and so on.

I got a top loader NES for $50 in the 90's. It has none of these problems.

ZBdSDX3.jpg
 

John Connor

Lifer
Nov 30, 2012
22,757
619
121
I have a 1 GB SD card I payed $80 for on ebay back in 2005. that's what they were going for at the time. Now I have a 32 GB class 10 SD card I bought for the video camera that cost me something like $30.

I have a old Texas Instruments scientific calculator I got for Christmas back in 1994 with the original batteries still! It still functions. I also have a graphing calculator I think it's a TI-85.

Old PS2 mouse and keyboard in case I need PS2 and a serial mouse.

PlayStation 1 and N64.
 
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John Connor

Lifer
Nov 30, 2012
22,757
619
121
I got a top loader NES for $50 in the 90's. It has none of these problems.

ZBdSDX3.jpg


Yeah, that was the problem with the original NES with side loading. Everyone would give their cartridges a blow job back then thinking that was the problem. LOL

I remember my first NES. I played it all night and into the early morning hours. Mario 3 was my favorite though.
 

HTFOff

Golden Member
Oct 3, 2013
1,292
56
91
Probably my fat ps2 from early 00's. I use it once a week at least. OPL ftmfw.