Who remembers the Ladybird 'Learnabout' series of books ? Fun to read :) - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 04, 2015, 03:53:45 pm
content: During my current clearout of various equipment storage locations around the house, I have discovered my old Ladybird 'Learnabout' books. These may well have been the seeds that my parents laid in my mind that lead to me becoming an electronics and communications engineer, with mechanical engineering thrown in for good measureAnyone else have parents who bought these books in the hope of inspiring their offspring to do something practical and technical with their lives ?Pictures attached.Note in the bulbs and batteries book that children are encouraged to disassemble zinc carbon batteries .... I did that as wellThese days the 'cotton wool' brigade would likely ban such 'dangerous' anticsAnd what about the batteries shown.... who remembers the large 3V 2 cell Zinc Carbon batteries that were designed for torches with one contact on top and another on the side. They were like two D cells joined together side by side but the cells were longer. I have forgotten that batteries ID but think it is now long obsolete.Considering when these books were written, Circa 1962, I was pleased to see that Girls were shown experimenting with science related activities as well.Aurora

author: German_EE
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 04, 2015, 04:08:07 pm
content: I do not know of it was part of the learn about series but I do remember the Ladybird Book of Radio which had a marine radio operator on one page sending a distress call as the water flooded into his cabin. I never managed a Merchant Marine Licence but about twenty years later I got my ham radio licence.

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 04, 2015, 04:14:46 pm
content: Hi German_EEI was trained as a Merchant Marine Radio Officer but thankfully never sent a MayDay callI did a quick search on that old Ever Ready battery shown in the Magnets, Bulbs and Batteries book. It is a type '800' battery and is long obsolete.Aurora

author: AndyC_772
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 04, 2015, 04:50:06 pm
content: I have the 'build a transistor radio' and 'simple electronics' books, published 1972 and 1979 respectively. Still in good condition too.I never did get the more advanced radio projects to work - I can't have been more than 8 yrs old at the time - but I do remember building the 'flashing robot' circuit.

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 04, 2015, 05:21:03 pm
content: I recall that I could not afford all the parts fr the radio project on my pocket money so I had to buy them over a period of time. I do not recall the simple receiver ever working well though. I thought it had AC128 transistors but my memory must have faded as OC series are shown in the diagrams.For me these books are a nice reminder of simpler times when children were encouraged to experiment and create, rather than just buying built items. I still use my tongue to quickly check 9V PP3 batteriesWho needs a DVM ?........ real men use their tonguesAurora

author: German_EE
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 04, 2015, 08:19:51 pm
content: OC70 and OC72 for early stages and OC80 and OC81 for the audio power amplifier. I think that the OC45 was an RF device. Strange how some things stick in your mind.

author: McBryce
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 04, 2015, 08:40:39 pm
content: Quote from: Aurora on August 04, 2015, 05:21:03 pmMaybe that's why it didn't work?I used to read those books in the library, never owned them unfortunately. Later there was a electronics book series from R.A. Penfold that I bought with my pocket money everytime I could afford one (ie: hadn't spent it on components).McBryce.

author: miguelvp
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 05, 2015, 12:14:19 am
content: I never seen those batteries, we did use the rectangular 4.5V ones that apparently are still in production even if I have not seen any equipment that uses those anymore.

author: McBryce
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 05, 2015, 11:38:49 am
content: Quote from: mojo-chan on August 05, 2015, 10:59:47 amI'm sure they now release two books, one in hideously bright pink and one in blue. Within a few years there'll probably be a politically correct third colour for those who are unsure of there sexuality.McBryce.

author: Ian.M
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 05, 2015, 12:47:54 pm
content: I've still got the completed radio built up more or less to the schematic on page 49 sitting on the shelf.That's the three transistor reflex circuit with regeneration. For some reason I used an AC128 with a clip on heatsink for the final AF output transitor driving the LT700 speaker transformer. I also used aluminium for the case panel work built up round the wooden breadboard and fitted a vernier reduction drive dial for tuning, a proper variable cap with a front panel knob for the regeneration and plugin coils for shortwave or medium wave (actually a ferrite rod on a coil base). It was a bit battery hungry so I used 2 4.5V MN1203 batteries in series instead of the PP3.I remember performance was quite acceptable with a longwire aerial, or for local stations on the ferrite rod. Obviously it didn't have the selectivity or output power of a commercial superhet, but with critical adjustment of the regeneration control reception of weak DX stations was reasonably satisfactory.

author: German_EE
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 05, 2015, 03:26:34 pm
content: Looks like I was right about the OC45

author: Ian.M
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 05, 2015, 04:34:31 pm
content: The three transistor Ladybird radio has quite a following:http://www.mds975.co.uk/Content/trfradios02.htmlThere are a lot more details there - enough to build one.